As posted in my intro post (about a year ago), we're considering taking a long RV road trip in North America. This has been sort of fantasy-level until now, but recent life events are forcing us to become a bit more concrete.
So, the option we're looking into right now is this -
Fly into the US in the summer of 2021, buy an RV and travel around the country. We're going to alternate between the US and Canada because our entry visa will likely be limited to six months at a time.
For how long? Who knows. We're thinking a year but if we like it a lot, we may go on for longer. In that case, we'll spend part of the year at home (Israel) and then spend several months every year traveling in North America in our own RV.
Some background on who we are: A family of four with a lot of travel experience in North America but zero experience with RV's. We've road tripped for a total of a year and a half (over several trips), in 45 states (including Alaska!). In 2021, there's a good chance our eldest will only spend the first couple of months traveling with us, then leaving us to start his MA in computers science (probably in an American university). That would mean it will be just three of us - parents aged around 50 and 17-year-old teenager (but a super nice one! Honest!)
What I'm trying to do at this point is assess the actual cost. We're thinking a 5th wheel + truck and then staying in each spot for several weeks, exploring places in-depth and just relaxing.
So far, we're thinking -
5th Wheel that would hold 4 people in comfort - $50K
Pickup truck - $50K
We assume buying 2nd hand and losing about 10% of their value in one year, so selling for 10% less - makes sense?
Additional gear for the RV (generator, inverter, etc) - $2000
Insurance on the truck and 5th wheel - $1500 a year (too much? too little?)
Licensing of the vehicle and similar fees while buying - $1000 a year
Maintenance cost for RV and truck - $1500 a year?
We plan on combining campgrounds with boondocking (including over at friends). Assuming a third of the nights will be in campgrounds and two-thirds boondocking. Does $40 a night on average for campgrounds sound ok?
Fuel costs - assuming we only move the 5th wheel once a month or so and drive 4-5 hours at a time. We will use the truck, let's say for an hour a day on average. Also, once a year, a big move, like going up to Alaska and back. $9000 a year for gas makes sense? Are we underestimating or overestimating?
I know there are other things such as food, health insurance etc. but I think we have a good grasp of associated costs for those. It's the RV/truck ownership costs that I'm struggling with.
Thanks!
So, the option we're looking into right now is this -
Fly into the US in the summer of 2021, buy an RV and travel around the country. We're going to alternate between the US and Canada because our entry visa will likely be limited to six months at a time.
For how long? Who knows. We're thinking a year but if we like it a lot, we may go on for longer. In that case, we'll spend part of the year at home (Israel) and then spend several months every year traveling in North America in our own RV.
Some background on who we are: A family of four with a lot of travel experience in North America but zero experience with RV's. We've road tripped for a total of a year and a half (over several trips), in 45 states (including Alaska!). In 2021, there's a good chance our eldest will only spend the first couple of months traveling with us, then leaving us to start his MA in computers science (probably in an American university). That would mean it will be just three of us - parents aged around 50 and 17-year-old teenager (but a super nice one! Honest!)
What I'm trying to do at this point is assess the actual cost. We're thinking a 5th wheel + truck and then staying in each spot for several weeks, exploring places in-depth and just relaxing.
So far, we're thinking -
5th Wheel that would hold 4 people in comfort - $50K
Pickup truck - $50K
We assume buying 2nd hand and losing about 10% of their value in one year, so selling for 10% less - makes sense?
Additional gear for the RV (generator, inverter, etc) - $2000
Insurance on the truck and 5th wheel - $1500 a year (too much? too little?)
Licensing of the vehicle and similar fees while buying - $1000 a year
Maintenance cost for RV and truck - $1500 a year?
We plan on combining campgrounds with boondocking (including over at friends). Assuming a third of the nights will be in campgrounds and two-thirds boondocking. Does $40 a night on average for campgrounds sound ok?
Fuel costs - assuming we only move the 5th wheel once a month or so and drive 4-5 hours at a time. We will use the truck, let's say for an hour a day on average. Also, once a year, a big move, like going up to Alaska and back. $9000 a year for gas makes sense? Are we underestimating or overestimating?
I know there are other things such as food, health insurance etc. but I think we have a good grasp of associated costs for those. It's the RV/truck ownership costs that I'm struggling with.
Thanks!