Community Forums

Doggie · 03-26-2008, 05:16 PM

Living in an RV can be very economical if it is set up to dry camp. With big water and waste tanks, solar panels and a bank of batteries you can forget all about campgrounds if you like, particularly out west. There is plenty of BLM and National Forest land to camp on and most of it is free. Cell phone coverage and even cellular internet access is available just about everywhere now. Of course if you want to be near the theaters and the malls you'll probably have to pay to be at an RV park.

Every Miles A Memory · 05-27-2008, 08:35 AM

Is there such thing as a Cheap Motel anymore?

The last few times we've pulled through a town, I'd rather sleep outside then sleep in the quality of the rooms I saw.

We had our daughter visit us and she had said she would just find a cheap motel to stay in for the few days that she visited. We only live in a 25' camper, so 3 adults and two dogs is a tight squeeze.

We couldnt find a motel for under $80 a night?

historyljc · 05-27-2008, 06:42 PM

Quote:

I heard her yelling and asked what happened. She pointed to the wrinkled sheets and a stain- Nuff said.

This isn't limited to "cheap motels", whatever they are. Some of the high priced hotels are rather on the filthy side.

Have you considered a class B or C in place of a truck and trailer. Put your motorcycle on a trailer. Some of the class Bs are more like driving a van than a truck.

Tom N · 05-28-2008, 05:34 AM

Motorhome depreciation of $1000-$2000 a month ($12,000 - $24,000 a year) will go a long way to finance non-RV modes of travel.

-Tom

Olive · 05-28-2008, 09:29 AM

I think depreciation depends on what you buy, how you use and care for it and how long you keep it.

I had a 1998 Adventurer I bought as a leftover and went full time in 2001. I sold it recently (in a week, I could hardly believe) for $35,000 less than what I paid for it. When I figure what I spent on it it cost me just over $400/mo to own that rig.

I now have a 2007 Journey that was about a year old when I bought it. I paid well over $70,000 less than sticker and significantly less than the first owner paid. Granted the times and coaches are different but the first year depreciation on this coach was more than the 8 yr on the other one.

I think if one buys something new or newer with the intent of keeping it short term the financial hit will will a lot larger as with most items.

My suggestion would be like historyljc to possibly consider a B or C and trailer the bike. You would most likely get better mpg also.

GraciesMom · 07-28-2008, 07:27 PM

Right now there are tons of deals online. If you're not planning on doing this full time for years, I would think that a small TT and a truck would be the most economical purchase. And as far as the cost of cheap hotels vs. an RV . . . have you seen the Dateline NBC reports on cheap motels and the germs and the junk left in the sheets? Sheets not changed, towels tossed in the dryer and hung back up. You can stay at a lot of RV parks for a month for less than what you would spend to stay at a hotel for a week.

Ray,IN · 08-01-2008, 03:41 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by teenagersintow:
No one has touched the real issue with hotels. Is it just me or does the fishing in those concrete ponds need help? And the bathhouse is so far away that I can't even find it. How about the short cords on the tv's how do you get that out under the awning( some are missing this too) to watch the race. No one ever sits outside their door to talk to the nieghbors.(are we alone) One good thing those hallways between campsites - nice when it is raining and fido needs to go. (Management seems to disagree with me here even though I scoop)

For us there is no option camping we must go.

Might be a good idea to insert a smily face after your message. Some folks don't understand dry humor, I did!

Davdeb1 · 11-29-2011, 08:29 PM

I think to get both sides of the issue, you will have to go to icheapmotel.com. (just kidding)
You will be hard pressed to find anyone on this site that doesn't love the camping life. The two lifestyles ares different, but the good thing about camping, one night when you want to stand under a hot shower for a 1/2 hour, and order room service , you are free to. It's like taking a much needed break sometimes.

riverbender · 12-05-2011, 08:23 PM

Owning a campground, I would like to add that many parks have entertainment that you would not find in a cheap hotel and you would pay for elsewhere. We have a dance every Saturday night. Many of our campers are repeat customers because of the social things we do. People hang out at our Bon fires, make chili for our annual cinko demayo celebration, pot luck supers, ice cream socials, what hotel will bring you together with so many like minded people to befriend? Campers are the friendliest people you will ever meet.

chaunclm · 02-21-2012, 04:52 AM

I'm not sure which is less expensive RVing or Moteling, but boy there are a lot fewer bed bugs in the RV.

Tyler6357 · 02-22-2012, 10:10 AM

My car gets about 24mpg my Class A gets about 7mpg. That means my car travels 17 more miles for every gal of gas I use. However, hotel rooms are generally more expensive than campgrounds. This means that if I take shorter trips and stay extra days the motor-home becomes more economical. If I'm going to a campground I usually boondock the first night close to the campground and then check in early the next day to get the maximum time out of my campsite. I try to save money in other ways too. For example, I like to go fishing but boat rentals can be very expensive. However, I can carry an inflatable boat in my RV or tow something bigger behind it and save boat loads of cash at a fishing lake. I also cook most of my own food so I don't spend money at restaurants like I would if I stayed at hotels. If you are traveling a long distance and are not planning on staying at your destination for very long it is much cheaper to drive and stay in motels,.However, if your trips are shorter and you stay at your destination for a long time, the RV will be a much better deal and if you boondock often it might even be cheaper. Also, it might make economic sense to invest in a Passport America membership to save on campgrounds if you are going to spend a lot of time traveling.

Having said that, I think it's much more enjoyable to travel in my motor-home. My room always comes with a queen bed, a long sofa, refrigerator/freezer, gas stove and conventional oven, kitchen sink, microwave, dining table, Internet access, 2 TVs with on-line television, and a DVD player, also a stereo for music, air conditioner, and gas heating. Try to find a $60/night motel room with all that! Of course, my shower time in limited because I only have a 6 gal hot water heater (many campgrounds have showers) and I will use a small amount of propane and some gas for my generator when I boondock and of course, no room or maid service.

Steve N Sal · 02-22-2012, 10:19 AM

I'll take staying in our coach before ever using budget motels. I know you have to purchase your rig which will be a little hit but in the long run I think you'll enjoy that experience much better. Some of the advice already given about how places are being tended these days should make the decision easier. You can always boondock now and then and saves on some $$$$. Whatever you decide, hope it all works out and enjoy that trip.

Grimesy · 02-22-2012, 10:50 AM

As stated in the previous posts RVing is a lifestyle which can be anything between a compact car and a sleeping bag to a 45 foot multi million dollar land yacht towing a Rolls Royce Only you can determine what your needs and desires are. In the beginning, wife and I started with blankets on the ground and now in a motorhome with everything in between. With careful planning travel can be reasonable and my thoughts are that the travel between stops is the pricey part especially now with cost of fuel starting to sky rocket.
Life is short so follow your dream while you can.

Don

Jim_HiTek · 03-01-2012, 12:05 PM

I pretty much had to make the same decision you're making but my Aunt & Uncle really made that choice easy. They had done the motel thing after they retired for over a year and they couldn't wait to share all the horror stories about motels and living out of their suitcases. After that year, they'd decided it was just to uncomfortable.

They happily jumped into a Class A RV, even tho my uncle was an optometrist and had never driven a big vehicle. Then they traveled around for several years, much more comfortably.

Because of their input, I started out by buying a used 37' diesel pusher. Then for the next year, out of curiosity, compared motel prices to campground prices where I stopped and found the campgrounds were consistently 1/2 the cost of local motels. And if you stay a week at a park, it costs less, stay a month less yet. I'm now staying at a park where my cost is $15/nite (monthly rate). Electric, water, and sewer. My own bedding. My own cooking. But I save enough to go out whenever I want.

Recommend you look into buying a used Class A, and a vehicle you can tow, like a trailer for a motorcycle (they also make drive-on MC racks for the backs of RVs). Tens of thousands have done it before you and done it successfully, even though they didn't have big rig experience.

Even with the high fuel prices, you can make it less expensive then motels & car travel by staying longer in one place to enjoy the area before driving to the next. That's how I stay within my budget. I also volunteer as camp host at a lot of campgrounds and stay for free.