Death of a Traveling Salesman

[kakutojim]

Hey folks, I've decided that in an effort to grow my business I need to hit the road in a 36+ foot motorhome. I'm a 35 year old single guy with two dogs.

Part of my plan is to spend at least one year traveling the country visiting Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Mixed Martial arts academies and tournaments throughout the US.

What is the cheapest way to camp (at a camp ground with electric hook up?). Can any suggest a good membership club? I've been told that there are clubs you can pay a couple of grand for and will allow you to stay all you want any in their network for up to two weeks and you don't pay electricity, etc. Is this a myth? some guidance from folks who've full-timed to travel like this would be great as I'm planning this trip and shopping for a Class a.

Thanks in advance.

[rexlion]

Your best bet to economize on camping fees will be to use free or low-fee locations whenever possible. Some businesses like Walmart will let you stay in their lot for a night. Some of the people you'll meet at the events may know a place where you can park overnight. Freecampsites.net lists some boondock locations for when you don't need to be in town. National forest and state forest CGs are among the most affordable CGs, usually with no hookups.

The RV you choose may affect how much you can save. A class B or a converted cargo van can be parked almost anywhere without drawing attention, whereas a travel trailer or a big class A aren't very stealthy.

If you simply must have electric hookup, you will definitely spend a lot more. There are ways around the electric problem, though... solar panels and/or a quiet generator could see you through most situations. Personally, I've gotten by just fine with a solar panel unless I needed air conditioning; A/C needs a genny.

[GMandJM]

But if he stayed in hotels, he likely couldn't/wouldn't be able to take the dogs.

[Grit_dog]

Don't know how you could stay in hotels for less unless you went all out on the RV and didn't consider resale. You'd spend over 20k in hotels and still need a car, so let's say you got 25k in hotels and car expenses for the year. Can you drive and park a rv for less?
You'll have to stay away from campgrounds to make it economical. If your getting a class A it should be 100% self contained save for dumping and re filling water periodically and propane.
Think stealth camping as much as possible. If you're dropping $30 a night for campsites then you could drive a car and stay in motels cheaper.

[tonyandkaren]

Whoever told you about about the clubs was probably referring to Thousand Trail or a similar campground membership club. The two weeks stays without any fees is true. We have friends who do it but there is an initial buy in and then yearly dues. You'll have to do some research to see if it's economical for you. Don't buy a new membership. Read all of the fine print. This place sells previously owned memberships- http://www.membershipresale.com/

One of the complaints that I've heard is that the campgrounds are rarely convenient to places people actually want to visit.

If you'll be in one area of the country for awhile a Zone Pass - http://www.thousandtrails.com/membership-info might work for you. You'll save some money and get to see if you like the parks.

[stew47]

Stay at walmarts and flying j to save some money. Spend a few bucks with them though.

[2gypsies1]

Passport America gives you 1/2 off but it sounds like you'd be around the bigger cities so it probably wouldn't help you. You could check the site online to see where the campgrounds are located.

For what you want to do I think you'll be paying a lot in RV park fees. Tournaments are usually in major cities I would think and fees are always higher in those places.

You could check with some of the tournament venues to see if they have onsite parking overnight but it probably will not include any kind of hookups. Good luck!

[DrewE]

Naio wrote:
I thin k you will find that buying an RV (even if you sell it again later) and paying for full hookups will cost you more than inexpenisve-but-safe-and-clean motels.

I entirely agree with this assessment. Probably just the difference in fuel costs alone would pay for motels, maybe even above the inexpensive-but-safe-and-clean grade. My 32' class C gets about 8 mpg, or a bit less, on the highway. It's a fun and enjoyable way to travel, but not economical for one person unless staying at a destination for more than a couple of days.

Many (most?) 36' motorhomes should be capable of working without hookups for a reasonably long time—a few days shouldn't be a problem with a bit of care in conserving water by taking quick showers etc.

[Naio]

I think you will find that buying an RV (even if you sell it again later) and paying for full hookups will cost you more than inexpenisve-but-safe-and-clean motels.

To be really cheap, you could ask the dojos about parking in their lots overnight, and run an extension cord if you really need electricity. (RV appliances run mostly on propane, and there's a battery for electrical needs.)

If you are out west, and between dojos, forest service campgrounds are cheap, but generally do not have electricity.

[rv2go]

The cheapest "Membership" park that I know of is Southern Trails Resort. I would give them a call and get their price. They in turn offer several reciprocal memberships. Like; RPI, ROD, C2C, AOR.

[kakutojim]

thank you.

[DutchmenSport]

"Can any suggest a good membership club? I've been told that there are clubs you can pay a couple of grand for and will allow you to stay all you want any in their network for up to two weeks and you don't pay electricity, etc. Is this a myth?"

I think someone is trying to sell you myth. Yes, you pay the 2 grand, (or more), then annual dues, membership dues, and then STILL have to pay for campsites. 2 grand for 2 free weeks of camping! Oh my! That's horrible finance!

NO, sorry, I think you have a myth!