With the price of gas increasing people often question me on the cost of taking a vacation in an RV. The answer is always the same, an RV vacation is hands down the best way to travel, let me explain why.
Even with gas prices going up it is still cheaper to drive than fly, because airlines must increase their charges per ticket, per lb. of luggage, per bag and so on to compensate for the rising fuel costs. RV’s don’t have any of those hidden charges, if you want to bring 10 bags you can, if you want to carry a pair of nail clippers you can, and there are no security lines or pat downs when you’re traveling in an RV!
When you travel in an RV, you will never have to wonder if the motel or hotel staff changed the linens from the last guest. Anyone who has stayed in a hotel has come across a bed with sheets that you know haven’t been changed. With an RV you never sleep in someone else bed, if you find a hair in your bed, it’s yours.
We all know how much it costs to take a family out to eat. If restaurants were the cheapest way to feed your family then we wouldn’t need super markets. But we all know that they are not. That’s why so many of us tend to stay home and cook our own meals, plus the food is better! Vacationing should be no different, you will be amazed at how much money you can save by preparing meals in your RV rather than eating in the restaurants down the street.
One of the neatest thing about traveling in an RV, is that you are in control your own itinerary. If you want to sleep in you don’t have to worry about missing your flight. If you want to take a detour to see a local museum, or their famous ball of twine, there is no reason you can’t. This country has so much to offer, and so many places full of wonderful people that you only fly over on a conventional vacation.
Here are some examples of how much cheaper an RV vacation is compared to a flight and hotel vacation.
For the following sample vacations we used a vehicle getting 8 MPG while towing a travel trailer and a gas price of $5 per gallon. All mileage distances were found on map quest and flights and hotel prices were gathered from expedia.
A 5-day vacation for 2 adults and 2 children from Albuquerque to Los Angeles
Airline flight base public rate with no additional luggage: $1100
Three star Hotel near L.A.: $501
Standard size car rental with no additional insurance: $105
Food cost per person per meal $7
4 people X 3 meals per day X 5 days/15 meals $420
Total cost $2126
Here is the same vacation in an RV
Gas $987
Campground near L.A. $179
Food $3 per person X 4 X 15 $180
Total cost $1346
That is a savings of $780
The same 2 adults & 2 children traveling from Albuquerque to:
Denver Colorado- Conventional cost $2276
RV cost $906
Savings $1370
Orlando Florida- Conventional cost $2895
RV cost $1601
Savings $1294
Dallas Texas- Conventional cost $2305
RV cost $1189
Savings $1116
So there you have it, not only is an RV vacation more stress free it is also cheaper. I hope you get out there and have some family fun!
Below is an article from the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association
RVIA Recreation Vehicle Industry Association
RESTON, Va. -- With gas prices continuing to climb through the Spring, the RV Industry Association has collected positive data and RV travel savings information for industry members to use in responding to media questions that may be asked in the coming months.
With the onset of the summer RV travel season, these facts are also suitable for consumer marketing communications. The information will continue to be updated as RVIA conducts future research and gathers more data.
For the most up-to-date version, visit www.RVIA.org. Here are the talking points:
RV travel is a great value. The PKF Vacation Cost comparison study shows that a family of four can save 26-to-71 percent on vacation costs depending on the type of trip and type of RV used.
The latest Campfire Canvass survey of RV owners reveals that 53 percent intend to use their RVs more this spring/summer despite higher fuel prices. Another 38 percent say they’ll use their RVs the same amount.
Many RV owning families plan to take shorter but more frequent trips in their RVs. Sixty-three percent plan to spend five or more weekends in their RVs this spring/summer. Nineteen percent will reserve a seasonal site at a campground this summer, and visit it on weekends.
When fuel prices rise, RVers adjust by traveling to destinations closer to home, driving fewer miles, and staying longer in one place, according to surveys of RV owners conducted by RVIA and CVENT, a leading provider of online surveys and research technology.
More than 80 percent of RVers say their RV vacations cost less than other forms of vacation, even when fuel prices rise.
To save on fuel, RVers typically spend more time enjoying the campground experience and less time on the road. More than 16,000 campgrounds nationwide give RVers the flexibility to save fuel and cut costs by staying closer to home. Whether they travel five miles or 500, they can still enjoy a great outdoor experience.
Fuel prices would need to more than double from their current level to make RVing more expensive for a family of four than other forms of travel, according to PKF Consulting. PKF’s spring 2008 vacation cost comparison study shows that RV trips remain the most affordable way for a family to travel because of the significant savings on air, hotel and restaurant costs, which continue to rise.
Fluctuating fuel prices affect the cost of all modes of travel and transportation. Airfares and hotel rates rise rapidly when fuel costs increase.
Many RV owners surveyed take additional measures to reduce fuel consumption through simple steps like driving 55 instead of 65 miles per hour, packing lighter to reduce weight in the RV, and turning off home utilities to save energy when traveling. RVers travel at a leisurely pace with no tight schedules for flights, hotels or restaurants.
For more information, contact Kevin Broom in RVIA’s public relations department at 703.620.6003, Ext. 304 or e-mail kbroom@rvia.org.
SOURCE: RV Industry Association press release