RVing vs. Hotels?

[RayDF]

This may sound like a silly question --given that this forum is for RV enthusiasts and practitioners-- but as a prospective RVer, I was wondering about the following: traveling through our beautiful country can of course be made in an RV, but it can also be made in a regular car and staying at hotels. After doing some lengthy computations with our dream trip from Key West, FL to Fort Kent, Maine (through US1), and comparing costs (including depreciation of the RV and fuel) I can see that traveling by car and staying at hotels (of the EconoLogde and similar class) is cheaper.

Assuming that my computations are correct, would you say that the advantages of RVing through this Key West to Maine route offset the lower cost of doing it with car+hotels?

Thanks!

 

[TexasClodhopper]

RVing vs. Hotels?

You can't boil the RV experience down into dollars and cents. It just isn't possible. Its like comparing buying a home in the country to buying a condo in the middle of downtown. They seem to be something you can compare, but they can't be any more different.

If you look at a "trip" as the means to reach an end point, then you should fly in a plane. Like you, we look at the end point as being the conclusion of our trip. How we get there is where all our effort is placed. That way we enjoy the trip as well as the end point.

We just like tripping in an RV. Its our home when we're away. It has nothing to do with computations.

 

[mking]

RVing vs. Hotels?

I agree TexasClodhopper;Its hard to compare;Cheaper by car/hotel?Sure it is.More fun/adventurous?Don't think so.Me personally?I love the lifestyle.R/V-ing folks are a different breed of people.Doesn't matter if your rich or poor,or if you R/V in a motor home or pop-up.We R/V because we Love It.And you can't put a price on that.

 

[team3360]

RVing vs. Hotels?

The wife , Grandbaby, and I just spent TWO WEEKS at DISNEY in Florida in JAN. We pulled our 5er down, 1200 miles and back , I got very bad mileage with a problem in the truck , but even after we added up our fuel cost, camp cost@44.00 a nightplus taxes,and our park tickets for disney(10 day hopper tickets) We still did this trip cheaper than my brother did, two weeks before us, renting a house for 10 days(cheaper than hotels)We ran about 3200 miles total with 800 local miles in florida . We spent about $3000 total on our trip including stuff from disney(about triple the price)The thing is when you return back to your RV ,Its your place (ITS HOME) not a hotel room, I just feel more at ease, less stressed,and If you preplan your trip you can save a lot by prepaying expenses before leaving, I agree with TC and MK above , you cant compare cost RV/HOTEL when the experiance will not be the same LEE

 

[RayDF]

RVing vs. Hotels?

Thanks for the excellent advice to all! One element that truly distinguishes the RV community is the great sense of camaraderie that one feels just by popping into forums such as this one.

By the way, Lee, we were also in Disney's Fort Wilderness in early January, although we went to a cabin --no RV yet! Is this campground representative of a typical campground, by the way, or is it super-special, in proper Disney style?

Thanks!

 

[SnowbirdInFlight]

RVing vs. Hotels?

From my point of view, RVing is the only way to travel. You couldn't pay me to stay at a motel now especially after seeing so many specials on t.v. (20/20, 60 minutes, primetime, etc that show the 'stuff' people leave behind in those rooms even after they have been 'cleaned'. Yuck! No thank you! At least I know who has been in our Trailer and more importantly who hasn't been in it!

 

[team3360]

RVing vs. Hotels?

RAYDF DISNEY FORT WILDERNESS is like none I've seen before .Its truely Disney style.We have not traveled a lot but are starting to now that our kids are grown. We have the granddaughter full time so we plan our trips in off school season when I'm off work in the winter. Fort Wilderness is a park by itself with all to do in the campground itself.I hope you toured the whole campground by the buses to see other RIGS AND CAMPSITES . Did you see the snowbirds over on the yellow bus line( back side of meadows trading post) . I took 25 pics.to get the whole display on film. You will find rv ers like that everywhere. I cant believe they carry all those chrismas displays with them .Most campgrounds are nice with pads poured for the picnic table but most wont have poured pads to park on.They will have fire ring and possibly a BBQ ,water and electric hook up, sewer if you require it. Some will even have phone and cable tv. I have SAT tv in mine , I just set up my dish when we park. We might have shared a boat ride out of the dock to magic kingdom. We also have our 5ER set up as a seasonal unit about 1 hour from home, and everyweekend we are there april-nov if I could afford to heat it all winter I'd be there then too. Maybe are paths will cross again some day untill then, enjoy RVing as much as we do . LEE

 

[Kirk]

RVing vs. Hotels?

RayDF,

If you are considering the purchase of an RV for just one trip, they it would not be a very wise purchase. And if you wish to spend your time in cities and near hotels, then you should probably not buy one. Very few of even the most avid of us ever purchase an RV with just one trip in mind, or even for one trip each year. We choose to purchase and use an RV because we like to stay in places where there are no hotels. RV life is a lifestyle and is very different than motel/hotel travel. It is spending the evening around a campfire, visiting with others from the RV sites near you. It is watching the sun set over a lake, or sunrise from the beach. RVing is the ability to travel until you wish to stop, and then to stop wherever that may be with no worry about finding a room. And it is sleeping in your own bed each night, and not a different bed every night in a different room! It is carrying the foods and drinks you like with you, and not depending upon some vending machine when you want something just before bed. It is being able to live life your way and at your pace, and to spend it with other people who happen to share the love of this style of travel.

If it is just a question of money, then it might well be true that you should not buy an RV. But nearly everyone who does by an RV finds that they travel more because it is available, and they go places that they would never have gone without one. It is true that RV life is not for everyone, but then nothing is!

 

[RayDF]

RVing vs. Hotels?

Kirk:

This is a truly inspiring message: thanks! It's true that RVing IS different from traveling by car and hotel... We should be buying our first RV shortly (most probably a 30-33' TT -- budget doesn't allow anything else for the time being.) The Key West to Maine trip is but our "dream" trip: we expect to visit the 48 contiguous states within three years!

Even if we don't happen to meet in person on the road sometime in the future, I know that we will meet lots of people just like you, and I think that should be the best part of the whole thing.

Thanks!

Ray

 

[Micah]

RVing vs. Hotels?

Ray,
Kirk did a great job covering all the bases. My wife and I made our first trip last summer from here in central Fl. to Wash. state in a pop-up camper. We fell in love with the whole thing, this week we are picking up a new 20 ft. trailer, and will be out Rv'n a whole lot more. Up state N. Y. this summer, hard to say where we might end up. Kirk is right we met a lot of nice people, they sure are a lot friendler and more fun than anyone we ever met at a motel. Jerry

 

[Kirk]

RVing vs. Hotels?

RayDF & Micah

Welcome to the RV community! You will meet some of the finest folks there are so just go out there and enjoy it. And if you visit our web site, we keep an itinerary on it so let me know if we happen to be near each other as we love to meet our fellow RV community members! And we sure would like to add you to the list.