Is RVing a cost effective way to travel?

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OnSabbatical

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When you add the price of purchasing an RV, purchasing a vehicle to tow (I'm thinking fifth wheel), fuel costs, equipment, camp fees, storage fees, repairs, insurance, taxes and fees, is the RV lifestyle any or much cheaper than say staying in modestly priced hotels or cabins? More expensive?
 
Depends on a lot of factors.
Number of days per year,
Cost of TV and trailer
Years of ownership
Return at time of sale.
Cost of hotel room
Cost of food per person per day
Cost of vehicle to drive to hotels and visit sites of interest
And that is just for starters.
 
Lots of variables on Lifestyle etc....but more than likely a push...by the time all factors are considered, see previous post for variable. example Motel 6 versus Marriott or Hilton!

Not having to look for a restroom while on the road is nice as well as a fridge full of lunch supplies which drives cost down, but fuel costs go way up!!

It is more of a choice then a cost savings plan....but driving around with your house on your back as great advantages!!

Jim
 
A wise person (probably on this forum) once said, "You don't buy an RV to save money."  Its a matter of what you enjoy.  I want to stay in state parks and hike, fish and relax around a campfire.  I've done other vacations where an RV wouldn't work.  Big cities, that sort of thing.  I'm done with that now, and like the weekends I take with my son where we relax.  There's a bit of a hassle with maintenance, but I find the advantages far outweigh the hassles.  Rent one if you're not sure -- you should always do that before buying anyway.  Try it out, and you just might get hooked.
 
Like Jim said---too many variables. We have been volunteering in a Texas state park since October and will be here until April. Cost per night $0. We will travel for 2 months and then stay at the prettiest place in Colorado for the summer. Again--cost per night $0. You can't do that and stay in motels. Or, you could travel continually ($100+ per day for fuel) and stay in RV "resorts" at $50+ per night and it is a whole different story. I would rather have raccoons tear open the bird seed bag and Axis deer eat out of the bird feeder and see the back roads than travel from motel to motel.
 
one reason many people choose Rv's over motels .....is pets. ....motels and pets don't work.

I Like our little mutts to be with us everywhere we go.

I really think if they took a little time to get to know them, they'd might like 'em.....

......but those little dogs are stubborn as hell. :)
 
If you're talking about a few weeks per years use of the RV, there's no way you're going to break even on the costs. I laugh when my friends comment about me taking "affordable" vacations.
 
the biggest cost savings is not having to eat in a restaurant 3 meals a day.
 
Frizlefrak said:
Bet they're even noisier than a Cummins too.  :p
Click to expand...

are you kidding !?  .... a pet store full of those little buggers .......is still quieter than a Cummins.
 
On a related note, I've heard over and over again that RVs have terrible resell value, but when I look for 2013 and 2012 fifth wheels online I don't see any of the more popular models, and the ones I do see are selling for what looks like to be at least 2/3 MSRP, which doesn't seem too bad to me assuming it's been used for a year or two.
 
It also depends on how many people are traveling with you.

The convenience of not having to find restaurants and lug suitcases into potentially dirty and buggy hotels is worth any extra cost.  Ditto for being able to stop in a rest area, use your own toilet, grab a meal out of the refrig, sit in a comfortable chair while you eat, and even pull out for laptop to check your email is PRICELESS!!!
 
It *can* be cheaper than staying in hotels but it's really two very different ways of traveling so it's tough to compare.  For us, RV'ing allows us to take our 2 dogs, which saves us at least $75 per night in pet boarding fees.  We also bring a paddle board, kayak, and fishing rods with us.

But here are some numbers for you:  we used our RV around 2 months last year, traveling 9000 miles.  That's quite a bit of usage since I still have a full time job.  It cost us around $140 per night, which includes the cost of fuel, RV park/state park fees, insurance, and storage.  This doesn't take into account the depreciation on the RV, which is substantial.  If you factor in not having to pay for pet boarding, our per night cost is effectively much less.  Again, perhaps not a great comparison to staying in a hotel but some data for you to consider.
 
It's all expensive. The alternative, stay home and enjoy your neighbors (and the sunset over guess who's house again).

Frankly, I don't full time so I still see the costs of the home every month on line. Add that to the costs of traveling... I don't even try to justify it. Just enjoy the freedom and enjoy it while you are able to.
 
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