RV vs VRBO, Airbnb

[World Traveler]

Thanks everyone for the inputs. I'm leaning RV then vrbo later on when I get tired of the nomad lifestyle.

 

[Lakedog]

The cost for an RV can be reduced a lot buying used. Size or type of RV is what you prefer, many options out there.

My main enjoyment of the RV is being able to go places I would not otherwise be able to, or at least not without considerable expense or difficulty.

All travel costs money, going by RV just spends it differently. An RV is not more expensive, but not necessarily less expensive.

For me, the RV would be the easy choice due to flexibility. I enjoy national forests/parks and often do not use campgrounds but go the dispersed route. I have a dog which was another factor in going with the RV.

I have owned two smaller RVs (22'-24') in order to avoid having a tow vehicle and to facilitate travel in out of the way places (one was on a 4WD chassis) as well as parking in urban areas. I bought both very lightly used (under 10k miles), put around 10k miles on each over several months, then sold for more than the purchase price which offset some of the travel expenses.

 

[Winemaker]

DW and I considered buying a used "luxury" 32' motor home this fall for $100,000; it was in impeccable condition for a 10 year old vehicle that originally cost over $375,000. The motivated seller (he wanted to buy another) gave these points up front.

1. DO NOT take out in snow or chance of snow. (This rules out the Rockies in May or October)
2. Must winterize if goes below freezing for any length of time. (Common sense, but rules out some multiple winter trips to warmer climes conveniently.)
3. Slept only 3 easily, the 4th had to sleep in a reclining chair.
4. The huge Cummins diesel engine got 10 MPG while pulling a small vehicle, but it did have a 100 gal fuel tank. It took 35 qts. of motor oil, synthetic preferred.
5. Owners had some fuel/engine issues in autumn and had to have fuel tank/system cleaned by dealer before winterizing. $2000.00 gone.
6. While traveling on first spring trip following year, fuel/engine issue reappeared. REPLACED 100gal stainless steel tank, FUEL, fuel pump, and other fuel components as they were infected with a algae that grows in diesel. ( Whodathunk?) $8000.00, $1200 credit from fall.
7. Refuel and refill 100 gal tank.
8. After getting back on the road, 30 minutes later, debris on interstate forced driver to take motor home into median; damaging 1 rear tire and requiring very large tow truck to winch motor home out of storm drain. Replaced ALL 4 rear tires ($800/each) after tow to another shop.

Even though I could actually shave in the stainless steel wrap-around located on the entire bottom of the motor home, DW and I will no longer entertain the idea of owning a motor home. YMMV

 

[travelover]

.........
Even though I could actually shave in the stainless steel wrap-around located on the entire bottom of the motor home, DW and I will no longer entertain the idea of owning a motor home. YMMV

IMO, the important take away here is that occasional use of a vehicle is much more problematic than for a vehicle used every day. It is somewhat counter intuitive, but a very low mileage vehicle that has been sitting around can have a host of issues just waiting to surface. Rust (and corrosion) never sleeps.

 

[ivinsfan]

IMO, the important take away here is that occasional use of a vehicle is much more problematic that for a vehicle used every day. It is somewhat counter intuitive, but a very low mileage vehicle that has been sitting around can have a host of issues just waiting to surface. Rust (and corrosion) never sleeps.

Exactly and the limited number of days it's used, makes the cost per day or per mile higher..kind of a vicious circle. This is what makes the economics of the original cost question by the OP so hard to pin down.

This was the issue we ran into when deciding second home or VRBO...the second home carry for 365 days a year didn't pencil out for us personally.

 

[Lakedog]

IMO, the important take away here is that occasional use of a vehicle is much more problematic that for a vehicle used every day. It is somewhat counter intuitive, but a very low mileage vehicle that has been sitting around can have a host of issues just waiting to surface. Rust (and corrosion) never sleeps.

+1

Both of the RVs I bought lightly used were new enough that they still had warranty time left - one on the entire rig and the other on the chassis. I never considered anything more than 2-3 years old as the chance of mechanical issues is somewhat lessened. It is not that difficult to find good deals on late model RVs as lots of folks buy them and decide it is not for them or health issues arise soon after purchase. Also, I did not buy low end rigs as the higher quality RVs are much easier to sell.

 

[nvestysly]

In order to find an answer to RV vs. AirBnB vs. VRBO is to understand how you plan to travel. As many have said on this thread... it depends.

We really enjoy towing our 29' Airstream travel trailer and our 19' Airstream camper van. Doesn't matter that we have Airstreams - any brand is fine.

An RV allows us to have our bed, shower, toilet, kitchen, etc. and without the need to back and unpack and be tied down to a reservation.

RV travel gives us the ability to go to out of the way places such as Bureau of Land Management property, National Parks, Wildlife Management Areas as well as less remote state parks and commercial campgrounds. We have found a number of commercial campgrounds in densely populated urban areas so even "cities" are an option.

You really have to take time to understand how you want to travel. If weekend getaways or maybe a week at a time is your thing and going to a completely different place each time, unencumbered by "getting there" then maybe airline travel and AirBnB are the way to go. VRBO would also work well.

If part of the enjoyment of travel is the journey then RVing may be more to your liking. DW and I really enjoy "stumbling" around on back roads looking for interesting places to stop for part of the day or several days. RVing is well suited to that mode of travel. But even RVing has many aspects to it. Not all RVs are the same and the type of travel can be dramatically different from one type of RV to another. For instance, traveling in our van gives us an opportunity to be relatively stealth when it comes to certain overnight spots. The trailer is definitely not stealth. The van allows us to go and go and go and stop when we want and not double back to the campsite. The trailer typically requires us to drop the trailer somewhere then go on daytrips from that central location. However, the trailer has much more room than the van. It's the proverbial different strokes for different folks.

RVs are not for everyone. However, many people don't take time to understand the different aspects of RV travel and types of RVs and consequently overlook the possibilities RVs offer.

I'll be the first to say that RV travel is not necessarily inexpensive. Others have also mentioned it helps to by a DIYer. However, the initial expense of an RV does not have to be astronomical - lots of good used RVs are available for under $30k and there are many available for less than $10k.

 

[kimcdougc]

We purchased our first (and current) 17' RV in 2013. Last year after DH retired we took it on the road for an 8,200 mile journey. Our nightly costs were $17 for Oregon camping and the most we paid was $42 a night at a high end resort in CA. We had a terrific time. We ate mostly in our own kitchen, slept in our own bed every night. We loved it so much we are trading in our 17' RV for a new 23' RV. (Only getting a new larger one due to a new family addition of a 3 year old black lab. We traveled in off months. Mar and April. Saw many cool places and met many cool people. We will not be doing full time and have our home to come back to.

I find this way of traveling is way cheaper than hotels or renting homes on VRBO, etc. We got to stay in many out of the way places. Florida on the beach, Ga at a plantation, Miss on the beach, Alabama on top of a mountain where we were the only campers at the time, in town in New Orleans, on Yellowstone River in Montana and the list goes on and on. Fun fun times and we were always "home".

Heading on a 2 month trip after we purchase a new slightly bigger RV. Can't wait.

 

[audreyh1]

Trying to decide whether buying an RV is worth it to travel the US and Canada or hotels and VRBOs. Thoughts?

The RV is the expensive option.

If you ignore the purchase price it can be cheaper.

It really comes down to how much money you have and what you want to do.

 

[athena53]

They are very different experiences. If you have never had an RV before, I strongly suggest you rent once (or more) to see if it's to your liking.

This. DBIL had great fantasies about seeing the USA by RV after retirement. He and my Dad rented one to see the West and even though DBIL was a long-haul trucker and handy under the hood, it was not a pleasant trip. That was the end of the fantasy. My sister heaved a great sigh of relief.

 

[UtahSkier]

DW and I used VRBO before we retired.

Last year, we purchased a 45ft, 10 yr old MH for $200K. I have pictures of it in the Motorhome Thread in this forum.

It depreciates $1k each month. Insurance is a little more than $2k annually and registration is about $2k annually as well. I budget around $8k for repairs and upgrades each year. On a trip last December, the turbo started leaking oil and was replaced.... That cost $4k.

We plan to use the MH for 5 months each year... 2 and 3 month long trips in the spring and fall. Storage when not in use costs $300 each month.

We also tow a jeep Cherokee. The towing setup cost $4k.

Using VRBO, airlines, and rental cars is a fine way to travel until you are ready to commit to an RV lifestyle. IRV2.com (own by the same guy who runs this forum), rvforum.net and rv.net are great places to learn about RVs from other peoples experiences. Also, start shopping for your coach at rvtrader.com and rvt.com

We chose the RV lifestyle because we wanted extended trips with all our stuff; mountain bikes, dogs, Clothing(jackets, sweaters, shorts) kitchen and outdoor grill equipment, etc.

Extended trips using vrbo and hotels was too much effort and too limiting and living out of a suitcase was too tedious.

And yes, the RV lifestyle is more social... I always seem to park (camp) next to the New Yorker guy who never shuts up We also meet some nice folks at the Jacuzzi or out walking the dogs.

My next travel season beings in early April. Plan to travel from SLC towards Page AZ and visit Monument Valley and Canyon De Chelly. We will tour AZ and Southern California during April, May and June. We will visit the Lake Tahoe area in early June and return to SLC mid June.

The fall travel season will start after Labor day and we will travel to Moab, Denver and attend the Balloon festival in Albuquerque.

When considering an RV, start figuring out your budgets; purchase, operating expense, repair and travel(fuel, camping fees, and activites).

Its going to be warm this week, so I will be pulling my coach out of storage and begin spring maintenance and repairs/upgrades

 

[ivinsfan]

DW and I used VRBO before we retired.

Last year, we purchased a 45ft, 10 yr old MH for $200K. I have pictures of it in the Motorhome Thread in this forum.

It depreciates $1k each month. Insurance is a little more than $2k annually and registration is about $2k annually as well. I budget around $8k for repairs and upgrades each year. On a trip last December, the turbo started leaking oil and was replaced.... That cost $4k.

We plan to use the MH for 5 months each year... 2 and 3 month long trips in the spring and fall. Storage when not in use costs $300 each month.

We also tow a jeep Cherokee. The towing setup cost $4k.

Using VRBO, airlines, and rental cars is a fine way to travel until you are ready to commit to an RV lifestyle. IRV2.com (own by the same guy who runs this forum), rvforum.net and rv.net are great places to learn about RVs from other peoples experiences. Also, start shopping for your coach at rvtrader.com and rvt.com

We chose the RV lifestyle because we wanted extended trips with all our stuff; mountain bikes, dogs, Clothing(jackets, sweaters, shorts) kitchen and outdoor grill equipment, etc.

Extended trips using vrbo and hotels was too much effort and too limiting and living out of a suitcase was too tedious.

And yes, the RV lifestyle is more social... I always seem to park (camp) next to the New Yorker guy who never shuts up We also meet some nice folks at the Jacuzzi or out walking the dogs.

My next travel season beings in early April. Plan to travel from SLC towards Page AZ and visit Monument Valley and Canyon De Chelly. We will tour AZ and Southern California during April, May and June. We will visit the Lake Tahoe area in early June and return to SLC mid June.

The fall travel season will start after Labor day and we will travel to Moab, Denver and attend the Balloon festival in Albuquerque.

When considering an RV, start figuring out your budgets; purchase, operating expense, repair and travel(fuel, camping fees, and activites).

Its going to be warm this week, so I will be pulling my coach out of storage and begin spring maintenance and repairs/upgrades

So your approx. fixed costs per month of use is around 5000 ( I know you used round numbers so it's not exact)? Any idea what your hook-up/camping fees and fuel add to that number? VRBO rentals do not actually always involve living out of a suitcase. Not having a lot of possessions to deal with actually makes traveling more enjoyable for us. To me the VRBO style is easier and more hassle-free then and RV. I'm glad this great country of ours offers so many options.

 

[UtahSkier]

So your approx. fixed costs per month of use is around 5000 ( I know you used round numbers so it's not exact)? Any idea what your hook-up/camping fees and fuel add to that number? VRBO rentals do not actually always involve living out of a suitcase. Not having a lot of possessions to deal with actually makes traveling more enjoyable for us. To me the VRBO style is easier and more hassle-free then and RV. I'm glad this great country of ours offers so many options.

Its just a guess, but I have budgeted $3400 for fuel. Prices have come down since I set that budget. I get 6.5 mpg so at 2.25 per gallon, I can travel 10,000 miles. I doubt I will travel more than 8000.

Daily Campground fees run from $30 to $100. Weekly rates will be a bit cheaper. And we plan on boondocking in the forest and casinos as we get more comfortable with the lifestyle. The boondocking cost is the amount of fuel needed to run the generator (AC, espresso machine, charge the batteries) and the heater.

Again, its just a guess, but I have budgeted $1300 a month for these fees.
So, the camping and fuel costs are about $2k per month of use.

Check out Las Vegas Motorcoach Resort as an example of the nicer resorts.

And yes, the VRBO lifestyle is easier than the first year of the RV lifestyle. I have had to endure a non-trivial education so far.

 

[Chuckanut]

From an email sent to me today: Another fee being added to Airbnb rentals.

From time to time, we adjust our fees to better align with the value we provide. Some bookings require our platform to operate across different currencies. Starting April 1, 2024, for cross-currency bookings, the guest service fee will include an additional amount of up to 2% of the booking total before taxes. This will be applied when the currency the guest uses to pay differs from the currency that the Host set for their listing. See Airbnb Service Fees in the Help Center for further information.

 

[audreyh1]

Oh yeah, another tough fee like thing about renting Condos and VRBO/AirBNBs: significant deposits required and cancellation terms are extreme. You end up paying way in advance, and generally the remainder in full by 60 to 30 days ahead and no cancellation once you reach that 60/30 day window.

 

[World Traveler]

From an email sent to me today: Another fee being added to Airbnb rentals.

I got this email too. A BS excuse to gouge the consumer. Time to list alternative sites.

 

[Mark1]

I'm not saying this site is any better, but I have enclosed another website I sometime use for booking rentals.

https://evolve.com/

Just in case someone is wondering why I use this site instead of VRBO, etc. it is because I'm trying to avoid paying a fee to both VRBO and Evolve. When I'm doing a booking through VRBO and I see Evolve is the managing agent I know I can go to Evolve and at least cut out the VRBO fee portion.

 

[Trailwalker]

Oh yeah, another tough fee like thing about renting Condos and VRBO/AirBNBs: significant deposits required and cancellation terms are extreme. You end up paying way in advance, and generally the remainder in full by 60 to 30 days ahead and no cancellation once you reach that 60/30 day window.

These do vary by host on airbnb so it is important to note when reserving. We had to cancel four stays this week due to a life-threatening family health emergency. Each host had different policies. We ended up losing less than $500 for seven weeks of stays. Could have been worse. We felt really bad about cancelling the one month stay. Reached out to the host and explained the circumstances; she understood and told us not to worry, "Family comes first."

 

[HarveyS]

evolve is new to me. Seems to have same issues as AirBNB. Quote for a place I looked at was $1463 before tax and fees. After tax and fees, $2192. Yikes! 50% tax and fees.

 

[Mark1]

evolve is new to me. Seems to have same issues as AirBNB. Quote for a place I looked at was $1463 before tax and fees. After tax and fees, $2192. Yikes! 50% tax and fees.

I'm not surprised. If you can find the same rental on VRBO, I'm confident that it will be even higher since you now need to pay both vendors. Yes, it is ridiculous.

 

[pb4uski]

Its a tough call for me.

We had a travel trailer for 2 years and traveled a lot and sold it and the tow vehicle last fall. I've never sat down to figure it out but you have the initial investment in a RV and toad or travel trailer and tow vehicle.

Plan on less than 10 mpg when you are traveling vs 33 when traveling in my hybrid truck. It takes longer to get there because you are stopping more often for fuel. When we had the trailer, fuel was the constraint so DW could go the the restroom when we gassed up. Without the trailer, DW rest stops are the constraint and I gas up when we stop for her.

Then $35-75/night for a campsite vs $125-$200/night for a hotel room.

And then owning a travel trailer is like owning another home... there is always some repair or maintenance needed. Things break.

I think for us we'll travel by car and hotel as needed, but we rarely stay more than 3 nights in any one place. If your traveling mode is that you're spending 2-3 weeks in a spot, then RV and toad or travel trailer is the way to go.

The one great thing about RVing is the people that you meet.

 

[Onda]

The only benefit RV gives you over some nice hotel is that with nice class B (200k and up) you can go anywhere and sleep anywhere and in comfort. It certainly has its value.

If you have shitl&*d of money why not?

 

[nvestysly]

Just noticed this thread popping up on my User CP page - haven't paid close attention to the discussion so I hope I'm not out of line with my comments...

We purchased a used Class B for $65,000 several years ago. We've subsequently logged over 65k miles. Yes, we paid for insurance, fuel, places to stay, etc. but the cost of the vehicle purchase is only $1/mile. That probably doesn't make any difference to anyone but it seems an inexpensive mode of travel and it sure is convenient for a number of reasons.

I think I said earlier in the thread how travel in a Class B beats our trailer for day-to-day, stop and go travel. And we seem to do quite a bit of that. Traveling down the road, see something interesting, want to stop or stay a night. The trailer is bulky, similarly unwieldy to a large Class A towing a vehicle. With the Class B you get in and go - or stop - where you want.

We can load the Class B and be ready to go in an hour. We did it just recently when we were called out of town for an unexpected situation that came up. We'll be heading out for a few more days each week in the upcoming two weeks. When we arrive at our destination we have everything with us - no need to unpack or move anything. Just pull in, park and make breakfast, lunch or supper. All our clothes are there, our bathroom is with us, our bed is with us.

We don't tow a vehicle behind the Class B - no need - just hop in and go. It's that simple.

 

[skyking1]

We have had trucks with 5th wheel trailers. If towing is not a daunting task for you, it does provide for a smaller vehicle for heading into town or doing some touring.
The trailers have not been expensive. A good tow vehicle is what will set you back, but we do use it for other things.
DW and I are among the original launch partners for
https://www.boondockerswelcome.com/searchhosts/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAtt2tBhBDEiwALZuhAPXwOIKPQZTyfscBqqQN978m-ppcKKlEBTQUBm2Kpd-g1aTqHJnfzRoCZ5sQAvD_BwE

We have hosted folks from all over the states, Israel, Australia, Poland, Germany, UK.
They have been purchased by
https://harvesthosts.com/

Between those two sites and many others, you can find many different and quite sublime locations to stay at, completely apart from the typical RV resorts, county, state, and National parks.
Open up your horizons when it comes to finding places to stay.
One resource is county fairgrounds. There are many counties in California, for example.
We have stayed at the Cloverdale Citrus fairgrounds a couple of times.
It is strategically located at the north end of the wine country, and on the road to the coast and Mendocino.
It was a very secure spot to leave our trailer and go exploring with the truck.
https://cloverdalecitrusfair.org/rv-sites/

We have found many county campsites that fall under the typical search radar.
Toll Bridge in Hood River county is an example.
https://www.hoodrivercounty.gov/tollbridgepark2

The partial hookup sites are close together to provide for that infrastructure.
The 5 river sites are the gems. Your site is a scant 25 feet from the river and the background noise is fantastic.
From that campground you can explore the Gorge and Mt .Hood.

 

[old medic]

We have been wandering and camping together since 1985. From tents to pop-ups to our latest toy hauler. We have stayed many free places, to nearly $80 a night. 10-11 MPG is our typical. Love being able to bring stuff along... Bike or ATV... looking into a SxS. We just spent the weekend going to a friends BD party, Parked in the yard Fri-Sun, came home and left hooked up repacked a few things and leaving in a few hours to go to a Dutch Oven cooking event this weekend. Would have gone straight from his place to the camp if I didnt have a Dr appointment this morning.

But I will say.... Camping aint for everyone.... that's why you can find a bunch of barely used campers for cheap. Our TH was used maybe 2-3 times at 2 years old and paid about 60% new.