Forum Discussion

Bigdog's avatar
Bigdog
Explorer
Feb 19, 2014

Why I love my Motorhome.

The motorhome is in the shop having her exhaust manifold leak repaired and we had to go to Portland for my Great-Grandson's 2nd birthday, which is a "no way in he** do we miss this" event. So off on the way we go in the toad solo and that is about $70 R/T in the Jeep Liberty wich gets about 18mpg freeway. We stayed 2 nights at the Red lion on the river at $329 and had to eat meals out and that was about another $200 for three adults.That's about $600 for the weekend trip. Sure we could have stayed in a cheaper place,but it was right where it was handiest to traveling into Portland and then into Hazel Dell for the party.
Now,the reasons for loving your rv. 1.) fuel for the diesel MH $175.
2.)2 nites at Jantzen Beach RV park. $70.The park is about 1/2 mile from the hotel. 3.) Meals,I'm gonna guess at less than $100 as we did take my aunt out one night.
Durn,She's s'posed to be back this weekend and I'm really missing her and I never figger repairs or monthly payments into the cost of trips as that's the same as house payments and repairs.
Seeking Advice
  • wildtoad's avatar
    wildtoad
    Explorer II
    Feb 19, 2014
    I prefer to use my MH instead of hotels and restaurants also. But when computing costs, I factor in the cost of buying and maintaining the MH, tow setup. Otherwise not a fair comparison. Thus far the hotels and restaurants are cheaper but a far less rewarding experience.
  • hotbyte's avatar
    hotbyte
    Explorer
    Feb 19, 2014
    Another view...

    Driving you own "home away from home" - $175
    Sleeping in your own bed - $70
    Eating in your own kitchen - less than $100
    Pooping in your own toilet - PRICELESS
  • cKarlGo's avatar
    cKarlGo
    Explorer
    Feb 19, 2014
    hotbyte wrote:
    Another view...

    Driving you own "home away from home" - $175
    Sleeping in your own bed - $70
    Eating in your own kitchen - less than $100
    Pooping in your own toilet - PRICELESS


    +1

    And my TP isn't made out of sand paper.
  • wa8yxm's avatar
    wa8yxm
    Explorer III
    Feb 19, 2014
    Add to that the many stories on TV and in magazines about what is under the bed in hotels and other "Issues" with the rooms.. V/s your knowledge of what is under the bed in your Motor Home... And a few other things I wont bother listing.. Oh. here's one.

    Some RVers like a campfire.. Campground owners do not seem to have a problem with those, In fact they provide fire rings.. Hotel managers... They tend to not approve of a campfire outside your door.
  • NCWriter's avatar
    NCWriter
    Explorer
    Feb 19, 2014
    I like being able to breathe. Open a window, close it, have AC and furnace that I can control.

    The last couple of motels we stayed in had stuffy air, smoke wafting down the hallways, non- opening windows, etc. etc. And then there were the kids’ basketball teams there for a tournament (we were there for a funeral) that ran around all night knocking on doors. Manager gladly refunded the cost of our overnight.
  • Handbasket's avatar
    Handbasket
    Explorer
    Feb 19, 2014
    I eat pretty much the same food in the RV as at home, prepared in the same way. So I don't count it as a 'cost' when I'm traveling. I go to pretty much the same price-level restaurants with the same frequency when on the road, too. So I figure it's pretty much a wash all food costs. The extra cost is gas, vehicle depreciation, campsites (rarely for me), and maybe souvenirs.

    Jim, "A TV can and does insult your intelligence, but nothing rubs it in like a computer."
  • mlts22's avatar
    mlts22
    Explorer
    Feb 19, 2014
    I like what does not come in a motorhome:

    No bed bugs or fleas.
    No gases/smells from the previous guest's "shake and bake" meth lab.
    I know where the bedding has been, and it will pass the UV light test.
    I don't have to worry about leaving valuable items, or stuff like chargers that are not cheap as well.
    I don't have to worry about a maid helping themselves while I'm gone to whatever electronic items I have.
  • Cloud_Dancer's avatar
    Cloud_Dancer
    Explorer II
    Feb 19, 2014
    Even when we stay in a high-quality motel, it'll cost LESS than owning my motorhome.
    What's really costly is if you own a big motorhome, and leave it at home while you go on a trip that'll require you to stay in a motel. This is the type of trip that makes me stay in a bad mood.
    We prefer to travel in our motorhome, and we prefer to stay in our motorhome when we get there (for all the reasons already stated). The way I do it is more HASSLE-FREE than trying to find a suitable motel (and staying there).
    "There's no place like home"....be it the permanent home or the one on wheels.
  • mlts22's avatar
    mlts22
    Explorer
    Feb 19, 2014
    Strangely enough, sometimes it gets where the MH actually is cheaper than hotelling it. For example, my rig which I probably have eaten about $7k depreciation on from when I bought it to when I sell it. If I assume a decent hotel is about a C-note, and that I've spent 100 or so nights camping in it since I bought it, I am paying around $70 a night, and since I bring/cook food rather than eat out, that is more savings. This is assuming $100 a night (which is a low rate in central Texas, usually it is about $140, even in the rural areas. One might find cheaper, but bedbug eradication costs can make up for that.)

    Of course, this all goes out the window when I move to a motorhome, but because it sits in a driveway and not a storage area 40+ miles away, it will get used more often, pretty much every weekend, if not for longer trips, so if used for an expected life of 10-15 years, it also will be fairly cheap compared to hotel fees, even factoring in the cost of a CG.
  • Crowe's avatar
    Crowe
    Explorer
    Feb 19, 2014
    Here we go again! Another RVing justification thread. Oy! You're preaching to the choir. But I'll think about it when I'm in St. John in the USVI this spring.

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