Questions about RVing

[Mailmom]

My husband and I are considering RVing in the near future. We love to travel, but while working RVing has not been possible. There is so much of America we want to explore and think this would be a great way to go. We have always owned a truck and trailer for many week and weekend camping trips and a few long trips over the years. Now we would like to venture on longer trips, staying in areas along the way for several days and maybe even weeks.
Some of my questions to you experienced RVrs - Am I dreaming to think I can travel up the California coast staying in RV parks or national parks and seeing the sights? Will it be extremely cost prohibitive in camparison to taking a 2-3 week road trip in a car, staying in motels?
I can truly see us taking a 3-4 month RV trip to the east coast, parking the trailer and exploring an area for a week at a time. Am I missing an important detail here?
Thank you for your advice.

[tatest]

I travel by RV and I travel by car and stay in motels.

For the motels I use when traveling alone, comparing motel rates and RV/Park campground rates, the RV saves me enough on motels to pay for enough gas to move it about 50 to 100 miles a day, one-night stays. So if I'm moving far and fast, the car (36 MPG and $40-90 a night) is a lot cheaper than the RV (8 MPG and $10-50 a night). If I'm staying for a while, several days at each stop, the RV can be cheaper.

For what you are talking about doing, the RV would probably save you money compared to traveling by car and staying in motels, especially if you are good at seeking out the low cost places to stay. Where I travel, I can make good use of municipal RV parks, and public campgrounds at Corps of Engineers flood control reservoirs. In other parts of the country, the less expensive places may be run by the National Park Service, Forest Service, or Bureau of Land Management.

What tends not to work so well is visiting major urban areas. To find a reasonable place to park a RV for a visit, you may find yourself commuting for your sightseeing, and sometimes missing the nightlife that is so much a part of the urban experience. However, staying in city center hotels to get that experience can be very expensive, not unusual to pay $200 or more for a "business" class accommodation.

[2gypsies1]

Yes, you can do your plan easily if you don't require 'resort' parks. With the Golden Age Passport you will be entitled to 1/2 off on camp fees at national parks and national forest campgrounds. We love these kinds of parks and you can always mix in a private park for a change. There are also many fairgrounds that have campgrounds - even in California. 🙂 It sounds like you will be going about this in the correct way - taking your time to explore an area. Have fun planning!

[tenbear]

If you include the cost of the RV then RVing is more expensive than a car and motels. Campsites are usually cheaper than motels but it is a lot better sleeping in your own bed each night. Meals you cook in the RV are cheaper than restaurant meals, and possibly healthier. Gasoline will be more expensive depending on the RV. Motorhomes will get 8-10 mpg. If you tow a car, the car will get much better mpg than the MH but equiping a car to tow can be expensive. If towing a trailer, your towing MPG will probably be better, but the gas mileage sight-seeing in the tow vehicle will be poorer than a car.

Whatever you decide, enjoy your travels.

[Dtaylor]

Another expense would be how much of the tourist thing you want to do. Some places are very reasonable and some you can spend a ton of money before you realize it. What the wife and I do when we visit someplace new is to sit down either online or go thru brochures. Every state has welcome centers and they love loading you down with sites and attractions. Plan the ones you really want to see. A lot of historic places you can learn just about as much from the outside as you do from the inside. Some are not worth the price of admission. Many run by the NPS are free, some are not and some take donations. If you are traveling with children, you may plan to see more than if it is just the two of you. Another huge expense is dinning out. Decide ahead of time how many meals out you want to eat. Something to do for fun is to create a blog of your travels. This keeps family and friends back home up to date with you plus it is just fun to do.

[mlts22]

I think the key is to get a rig that you use often. Spending good cash for something too large to take anywhere except once a year for a vacation may not nearly be as fun as buying something small that one can use virtually every weekend.

[tonyandkaren]

Lots of great advice! You might find this site helpful too - http://www.hitchitch.com/links.html The bloggers are all fulltimers. Even though you won't be fulltiming three or four months is still a good chunk of time and you can pick up helpful tips from the blogs.

I have a collection of links on my blog. If you like to sightsee you can saving money on many different things by buying yearly passes -http://rollinginarv-wheelchairtraveling.blogspot.com/p/saving-money-with-passes.html

[bradnailer]

For me, RVing isn't about cost but about the enjoyment of doing what I like to do. Recently, I purchased a new TV and TT to the tune of over $50,000. I could take the car and stay in a lot of hotels for $50,000 but that isn't what I like to do. I like to camp.

[NCWriter]

My rule of thumb is that we can travel roughly twice as long in the RV versus cost of our non-RV trips so far. As noted fuel and campsites are the biggies.

Variables on season and location. Groceries and fuel are higher in Canada's Atlantic Provinces, for example. East coast has very pricey areas. Around DC, NYC, prices are high for camping close to the city. You'd find the Carolinas fairly reasonable. SC has low fuel prices.

Resort prices kick in if you want to be on the beach or in the mountains during summer high season anywhere. Note you CAN get sites in great National and state parks in those areas but you'll want to plan ahead and book very early. Hunting Island SP, for example, is great, right on the ocean, and the most popular SP in SC.

I'd say your best timing would be late winter to early summer for a trip east. It's hot and humid in the rest of the Carolinas or anywhere on the east coast in the summer so might want electric sites for AC. Spring is very pretty here.

[bikendan]

as far as driving up the Cali coast, as was said, it'll be the most expensive of any part of the country.
i would suggest renting a trailer and doing the Cali coast. if you can get reservations, then use it as a test trip.
find out what it cost for the trip. whatever it is, will likely be the highest costs you could expect.
i suggest going anytime other than the summer.

anywhere else, in the country, will be much cheaper.

[Jim_Shoe]

After a lifetime of traveling for the company, the hotels/motels are all the same. I was allowed to stay at Embassy Suites and the like, but its still a strange bed, lousy food and nothing to do but work, and nobody to shoot the bull with. Rental cars and living out of a single suitcase. Kind of like living in an elevator. Stand there, eyes forward, and don't say anything. Without an RV, the only thing that would change is trading work for "not work", whatever that is.
In the RV, I go where I want to, when I want to, and as long as I want to. I sleep when I want to, eat when and what I want to, and move on when I want to. Can't beat that with a stick.
As far as RVing up the coast of California, you can be pretty sure you'll never spend more money per day, fight more traffic, or see more concrete. There's so much to see and do in this country.
A few years ago, I did a search on "(state name) tourism" and saved all the sites. All of them are proud of their states and would love for you to visit (and leave a little money). I've been doing this since '98 and barely scratched the surface.

[Chuck_Gail]

Sure it is doable, and FUN! Wife and I have been RVing for years. We like to sleep in our own beds, and take our "stuff", including our furchild, with us. Ever try to read in a hotel/motel? I didn't even know you could BUY lights that dim.

[Mailmom]

Great responses! Thank you all! Yes, HappyKayakers, I am getting real close to qualifying for a 'geezer pass'!! And I can do the research, just have not really checked on anything yet to find the sights I might need. I guess mostly what I am wanting is to be able to afford to stay in an area for more than a couple of days and really enjoy it. That would save on the fuel, also. We are past the run all day to see everything trips. At least my husband hopes we are!! I understand no travel is cheap, but your experiences sound great!

[Terryallan]

Mailmom wrote:
My husband and I are considering RVing in the near future. We love to travel, but while working RVing has not been possible. There is so much of America we want to explore and think this would be a great way to go. We have always owned a truck and trailer for many week and weekend camping trips and a few long trips over the years. Now we would like to venture on longer trips, staying in areas along the way for several days and maybe even weeks.
Some of my questions to you experienced RVrs - Am I dreaming to think I can travel up the California coast staying in RV parks or national parks and seeing the sights? Will it be extremely cost prohibitive in camparison to taking a 2-3 week road trip in a car, staying in motels?
I can truly see us taking a 3-4 month RV trip to the east coast, parking the trailer and exploring an area for a week at a time. Am I missing an important detail here?
Thank you for your advice.

Depends. IF you plan on staying in a $35.00 per night motel, in an out of the way location. Then the car, and motel will be less expensive. However. IF you plan on staying near popular sight seeing towns, Where rooms run to the hundreds of dollars per night. Then you may want to do the RV thing.

Lots of advantages to the trailer. Cost is one, Your own bed, kitchen, and bathrooms are others.

[WyoTraveler]

If RVing would be to get to the desination cheaper I'm not sure I would be an RVer. I don't like to stay in motels & hotels that may or may not be that clean. Towing a TT you are looking at 40 cents per mile & $35 a night for an RV park. My MH costs more like 50 to 55 cents a mile. Not counting depreciation. Would I go back to a rice rocket & motels? Nope. It is a life style. Camping in forest camp grounds can be cheaper.

[Chock_Full_o__N]

Mailmom wrote:
My husband and I are considering RVing in the near future. We love to travel, but while working RVing has not been possible. There is so much of America we want to explore and think this would be a great way to go. We have always owned a truck and trailer for many week and weekend camping trips and a few long trips over the years. Now we would like to venture on longer trips, staying in areas along the way for several days and maybe even weeks.
Some of my questions to you experienced RVrs - Am I dreaming to think I can travel up the California coast staying in RV parks or national parks and seeing the sights? Will it be extremely cost prohibitive in camparison to taking a 2-3 week road trip in a car, staying in motels?
I can truly see us taking a 3-4 month RV trip to the east coast, parking the trailer and exploring an area for a week at a time. Am I missing an important detail here?
Thank you for your advice.

Oh, it's totally doable. We took our two youngest, then 12 & 14, on a 2 month long, 6,000 mile cross country trip from GA to CA to WA and back to GA. We stayed in private parks, like KOA, as well as State & National parks along the way.

Now as far as the cost, it can be what you make it. If you want to boondock--that is, stay off the beaten path, at Walmarts or Flying J truck stops--your daily cost will be a lot less than if you stay in private RV resorts with all the bells and whistles. If you plan to move every couple days, gas or diesel will eat you alive. Food costs the same wherever you go, so then all that's left is the cost of entertainment. We budgeted $15,000 for our trip and we came in just under that, around $12,000.

I guess the only other thing to ask is, will you have health insurance in place? THAT might be a very large expense if you are still too young for Medicare.

I have no regrets about our trip. Yeah, it cost a lot for a "vacation." But wow! what a vacation! We still talk about that trip several times a week. I don't' know if we'll ever be able to do that again, but I'm glad we did it once.