Any Sage Advice for Soon to be RV-ers?

[NW-Bound]

We full time in ours and have traveled 12,000 miles across about 20 states in the past year. Is that considered a lot of traveling?

From reading full-timers' blogs, I saw that people tend to slow down after the first couple of years. Many eventually stopped altogether, and settled down into a house again.

That said, we traveled around 10K miles in 2014, going up to Nova Scotia, and that did not include the miles with the toad. I took 2 months, but wanted to go for longer. I had to hurry back home due to some problems at home, else would have spent another month on the road.

 

[Rambler]

I recall that you started with a travel trailer, perhaps a 5th wheel. If you mentioned trading up to an A, I missed it.

My 1st and only RV so far is a 25' class C. I found out that it was about right for us, and am still happy. I tow a car behind to use for day trips and to go into town. This arrangement works out great.

We are travelers, and not really campers. We can already go up to our high-country boondocks home to escape from the city. So, when we go on an RV trek, we like to see new places and that includes new cities.

Yes, we started with a TT...had to upgrade the truck because the TT was to big for the truck we had, two years later we made the mistake of taking a test drive in a similar RV. DW had to have one. We both love it, and at the time we agreed that we'd also get a tiny TT for some favorite haunts in the California mountains...since the big Phaeton is too big for them. She's not remembering that part of the agreement, and I'm often wishing we'd gone to a 25-27' class C. The good news is that the big boy does really well on long, cross country trips. We have our own laundry facilities (no more junk stuck on our clothing from public facilities, and a residential refer with ice and chilled water. And, yes, the ride, is superb. To your other comment, with this rig, we are travelers. But I like to camp as well, once in a while, so, i may still get that little TT if the budget allows it.

And yes, ReWahoo...$400 for an oil and filter change is a bunch of bucks, especially when we only put 3500 miles or so on it last year. But, the DW is much happier, and you know the old saying..."If mama ain't happy...."

 

[McSteve]

As part of my job (long story), I spent the better part of three years living in a 28-foot Airstream trailer. I had never towed so much as a jetski before hooking up the Airstream, and I was terrified. Twenty minutes later, I forgot I was towing anything. (In fact, I pulled into a Sonic with 28 feet of trailer behind me. It took me 20 minutes to get out.)

I think the choice of RV and park really comes down to what kind of traveler you are. With the Airstream, it's so easy to pull, it begs to be moved around. And though they may be small and don't have "bump outs," our 28 foot trailer always felt plenty big for my wife and I (and two dogs). If I had it to do again, I'd get something closer to 25 feet.

State parks, Army Corps campgrounds, and national parks are usually beautiful setups. But there are RV parks out there that offer a best of both worlds balance, with nice, big spaces, lots of trees and privacy, and plenty of amenities. You just have to browse the specialty RV park review sites to find them.

 

[Christine]

So, any seasoned sojourners out there with any tips, pointers, or gotchas?

Thanks!

Look at lots of different layouts. Visit several dealers. Include looking at RVs you don't think are for you.

I know several people who bought 3 motorhomes in a years time or so because they were not happy about the layout. I.e in one it was impossible not to wake up your spouse if you visited the toilet at night.

Bed and bedrooms seems to be difficult to get right the first time for some. If you've never been then renting one first might be a good idea. You learn about what works and not for you.

In general brand and engine size does not matter if the layout does not work for you. This is a home first and a car second.

And for noobs it's not a bad idea to spend the first weekend in your RV parked in your own driveway. Then you can fetch the things you forgot to bring. And you can go online to find help on how to get the over working or whatever. I stayed home in mine the first weekend - with my very exited niece and nephew.

 

[Rambler]

Another thing to remember: RV repairs and maintenance take a lot of time...I've been at the Freightliner place for 7 hours now. During the oil change, the tech found a leak in my air lines, and a slow oil seep (no drips on the ground or in my shop where I park it, but still, it is a leak). The air leak needs to be fixed before driving it. I expect I'll be here another hour.

When I had the TT taken in for a service a couple years back, after travel season, they said it would take 3 weeks...turned out to be over 3 months. I've heard even worse horror stories...

 

[Lisa99]

Buy used and as small as you think you will be able to enjoy.

If you get a good buy on a used rig you can always trade up once you start traveling and decide you want something different.

We bought WAY too big for our first rig. We went with a 39' 5th wheel. Way too big for us but thank goodness we got a steal so sold it one year later without losing any money.

 

[jennykay]

We are 5th wheel owners. I would recommend getting an inspection if you plan to buy used. Also double check the pricing. We were suprised at how many sellers priced used units barely under a new price and stated "all you have to do is pay off our loan balance". These things depreciate fast and many sellers were in denial. We love RVing more than we anticipated and the kids have now seen so much of the country! Enjoy your purchase.

 

[InTheSticks]

A small motorized rv without car is a red flag. Try spending 3 days in your closet.

 

[Bamaman]

Like with any hobby, Rv'ing is a commitment to a lifestyle change. These things are meant to be used--and not just left in the driveway drawing dust.

Fortunately, retirees have the time to use them. Since our campgrounds are so close, we could maintain our regular lifestyle including church and taking care of family commitments while staying in the RV. There's nothing wrong about going back and forth to the S&B (sticks and bricks) home to do laundry and cut grass if it's not too far.

 

[folivier]

My advice is once you start traveling try to slow down and spend a week or a month in each place. There is so much to see and every small town is famous for something. Some of our most enjoyable stays have been in a relatively unknown town that we just found something we liked about the place or the people and just hung around for a few weeks. Be flexible in your schedule, it really reduces the anxiety when you don't need to be somewhere at a particular time or day.

 

[Red Badger]

One more thing, Red Badger - I applaud you for doing your homework but as in most things in life, advice from others will only get you so far. Figuring out what works for you is a very personal journey, one you have to experience first hand.

Someone's sig line says it best: "There are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest have to pee on the electric fence for themselves."

OK - full disclosure here. I did pee on an electric fence when I was five It was in the bush that I chose to do my business on. So Yup, I guess I'm the third kind

 

[Red Badger]

WE have met people that love to live in them f.t. Usually they have big ones such as 35-40 ft with washer/dryer, etc. They also tend to follow the weather and don't do a lot of traveling but tend to stay 6 months in 2 different spots. They can also pay the monthly rate which is cheaper. However, living f.t. in an RV park does not appeal to me unless it is beautiful with big spots. Most are like being in a parking lot.

We're def the 1-3 (max) nights in any one spot. Also, Know the limits of daily travel. Out towed unit gave us lots of lessons on what we like - or not. So, no long term campgrounds for us. Also, if the weather is lousy (hard rain, wind, etc), we would just hunker down. Thanks!

 

[REWahoo]

We're def the 1-3 (max) nights in any one spot. Also, Know the limits of daily travel. Out towed unit gave us lots of lessons on what we like - or not. So, no long term campgrounds for us.

+1

We have a couple of "escape the TX heat" places in the mountains of NM and CO where we spend 5 to 6 days at a time, but that's about the limit of being in one place. I figure that little house is on wheels for a reason, so let's see what's over the next hill...

 

[skyvue]

I too have dreams of doing a lot of solo RV travel around the US when I quit working in a year or two. The assumption I am making is this will be cheaper than driving and staying in middle of the road 3 star hotels. For those who track their expenses closely have you confirmed the RV route does indeed save a lot of money vs the car and hotel option?

 

[REWahoo]

For those who track their expenses closely have you confirmed the RV route does indeed save a lot of money vs the car and hotel option?

If you don't factor in the cost/depreciation of the RV, yes there is a savings. If you include the RV cost, no - unless you buy used, small, really inexpensive, and do your own maintenance/repair work. Or if you live in the RV full time you can see some substantial savings from not having a sticks n bricks home.

 

[SteveNU]

I too have dreams of doing a lot of solo RV travel around the US when I quit working in a year or two. The assumption I am making is this will be cheaper than driving and staying in middle of the road 3 star hotels. For those who track their expenses closely have you confirmed the RV route does indeed save a lot of money vs the car and hotel option?

RVing is more of a lifestyle choice than a way to save money. When you factor in the cost of the RV and tow vehicle if needed, then add the extra gas, campground fees, maintenance, camping stuff and hassle factor of setting up and breaking down it is usually more costly to go with an RV for the average person. You have to use the RV a lot to make it work out cheaper than hotels etc. But you get to stay in some amazing places and enjoy the outdoors more with RV.

 

[InTheSticks]

I too have dreams of doing a lot of solo RV travel around the US when I quit working in a year or two. The assumption I am making is this will be cheaper than driving and staying in middle of the road 3 star hotels. For those who track their expenses closely have you confirmed the RV route does indeed save a lot of money vs the car and hotel option?

No. It's a lifestyle. It lets you stay places where there aren't motels. But, it doesn't save money.

 

[Red Badger]

Buy used and as small as you think you will be able to enjoy.

If you get a good buy on a used rig you can always trade up once you start traveling and decide you want something different.

We bought WAY too big for our first rig. We went with a 39' 5th wheel. Way too big for us but thank goodness we got a steal so sold it one year later without losing any money.

That's our plan - start small. We actually looked at Pleasure Way before my DW left for am extended vacation. Our consensus was that we would be uncomfortable if we had to sit inside and ride out lousy weather for a couple days. So, we're going bigger, not not a whole lot. Thanks!

 

[Red Badger]

Like with any hobby, Rv'ing is a commitment to a lifestyle change. These things are meant to be used--and not just left in the driveway drawing dust.

Fortunately, retirees have the time to use them. Since our campgrounds are so close, we could maintain our regular lifestyle including church and taking care of family commitments while staying in the RV. There's nothing wrong about going back and forth to the S&B (sticks and bricks) home to do laundry and cut grass if it's not too far.

That's what we did when we had our small pull behind and kids were young (and we were poor). Drug it to the lake 15 miles away for weeks at a time. DW would go home and do laundry (and enjoy a night away from the mob)

 

[Teacher Terry]

If you do a lot of driving the gas really adds up. We took a month trip visiting many places but gas, campsites etc ended up costing 6k. I could have taken a 2 week cruise and been totally pampered for that amount of $. So this time we are taking a different approach and going for 18 days but only going to 2 places that are not that far apart and staying a week at each. Weekly rate is cheaper then daily.

 

[NW-Bound]

That's our plan - start small. We actually looked at Pleasure Way before my DW left for am extended vacation. Our consensus was that we would be uncomfortable if we had to sit inside and ride out lousy weather for a couple days. So, we're going bigger, not not a whole lot. Thanks!

Last year, we made an early RV trip in April, being lured by a couple of good timeshare rental deals in Montana and Colorado. We found out previously that breaking up a long RV trip with week-long timeshare stays really enhances the trip experience.

Anyway, the week in Montana worked out well with cooperating weather, but it turned nasty in Colorado. It turned nice again when we checked into the 2nd timeshare near Vail, but the week in between timeshares was shot. We were stuck inside the 25' class C, while it was snowing outside. It was not really cold, but it would be more miserable if we were not at a nice municipal campground with hookups.

Even in that miserable week, we were also able to sneak out for a few hours using the toad to visit the nearby town when the sky cleared a bit. I really like having the toad, which allows excursions into town, or driving to different sightseeing spots or trailheads. I am reluctant now to take an RV trek without the toad. In fact, I have made only two trips without the towed car: the first inaugural trip, and a later weekend trip to a spot 200 miles away.

 

[REWahoo]

If you do a lot of driving the gas really adds up. We took a month trip visiting many places but gas, campsites etc ended up costing 6k.

I'm not sure your experience is typical.

My records show last year we took two back-to-back trips: The first was for 20 days from S. Texas to CO and NM, then back to S Texas. Two weeks later we hit the road again for 11 days from S Texas to Arkansas and back. That's a total of 31 days, over 3,200 miles towing the trailer and we spent $960 in camp fees and just under $700 in fuel, less than a third what you spent on your trip.

We stayed only in commercial RV parks on the NM/CO trip, spending $800 ($40/night). On the Arkansas trip we stayed all but one night in COE or National Park campgrounds, spending $160 (less than $15/night). We try to take advantage of the Golden Age (AKA 'Geezer') Pass, which provides a 50% discount at COE and National Parks. That's a win-win since they are usually much nicer than commercial parks.

 

[Teacher Terry]

I was finally old enough last year to get the cheap pass. The NP's were really expensive: YS at 55/night and GT at 75/night. We also had to rent a car for a week because we can't pull either of our cars. We didn't want to drive a 27 ft motorhome in the parks. 6 of the days we paid nothing as we stayed with friends or family. Your RV may get better gas mileage as ours only gets 9 mpg.

 

[Rambler]

I kind of felt that we saved a little, maybe broke even during the 2 years we owned the trailer. We spent 35k roughly on it, and got 20k when we traded it for the motorhome. Yes, it took more gas to pull the trailer, but we saved $70-90 per night off our typical 110-120 per night Marriott TownPlace or Fairview style hotels, didn't have to kennel the dogs, AND we ate a lot healthier and cheaper. We spent over 120 nights in the trailer during the 2 years we had it, and didn't have to spend anything on maintenance.

The big Motorhome, however, is a different story...that is costing a bunch. If we keep it long enough, and use it enough, maybe we'll eventually break even, but I sincerely doubt it. It is a lifestyle choice, but it made traveling so much more enjoyable than the trailer.

At some point, way down the road, we may go to a short bed F-250 and a nice mid-sized fifth wheel, if we decide to half-time RV/snowbird. The big F-350 with dual rear wheels was too much...too bouncy when it wasn't towing or carrying a load, and with all the parking lots having so many spaces for compact cars, I had to park at the furthest end of the parking lot (which we do anyway to add a few more daily steps) but it also took 4 parking spaces...too long and too wide to fit in compact spaces. Again, that will be a lifestyle choice, if we do it...not to save money. If we end up doing that, we'll most likely have a condo in Hawaii for November to March, and then go where the good weather takes us the rest of the year, and using South Dakota as a domicile...still a few years down the road, if ever.

 

[NW-Bound]

I'm not sure your experience is typical.

My records show last year we took two back-to-back trips: The first was for 20 days from S. Texas to CO and NM, then back to S Texas. Two weeks later we hit the road again for 11 days from S Texas to Arkansas and back. That's a total of 31 days, over 3,200 miles towing the trailer and we spent $960 in camp fees and just under $700 in fuel, less than a third what you spent on your trip...

$700 for 3,200 miles works out to 22c/mile. This made me look back my record for the longest RV trip that we made, back in 2014. I spent nearly $4000 for around 10,000 miles, so that was 40c/mile. However, gasoline was maybe $3.2/gal back then (my wife's record is in the RV and I am too lazy to go look), and we went up to Canada where it was even more expensive.

I've got to admit, it took a bit of time to get used to pumping $150 of gas a day into the motorhome. It no longer felt that bad when I reminded myself that I did not have to pay for airfare and paid much less for lodging, compared to fly-and-drive. And I do not drive like that every single day of the trip.

PS. Saw what Rambler said about food. Yes, we like to prepare our own food, and eating out for 2 months on the road would drive us nuts. No way I can do a 2-month road trip with a car.