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Hello,
3 of us are currently planning a trip from NY to San Fran after our graduation from University of Warwick in June. We want to travel in an RV in order to save on motels but want to make sure that our planned route across the states and through the Top of New Mexico means this is affordable and 'doable' in the time we have. Is this trip really possible? And how much money would we need to set aside to survive?!
RV's have many obvious advantages, but consider that they get only 10-12 miles per gallon of gas, and that they make certain roads and conditions very difficult to navigate.
You will save alot more by camping or staying in hostels and driving a fuel efficient vehicle.
ab
Hi Adam,
RV rentals are really expensive!!!! Have you checked them out? Then as mentioned you have to pay for gas which if you get 10 miles per gallon you will be really lucky. Then most of the time you will still need to pay for camping sometimes you can find a free place to stay like Wal-Mart stores.
The last couple of years I have found that our average camping fees works out to be $15 per nite on a 5 week trip.
The price of gas differs all across the US and the price of gas goes up in the summer. I would figure your price per gallon of gas at around $1.75 just to be on the safe side. I would figure no more than 10 MPG with a motorhome. You will need to figure approx. how many miles you will be traveling to figure out your gas costs.
Food, you will best beable to figure this out. One nice thing about an RV is you can cook alot of your meals and save money that way.
8 weeks is plenty of time to have a good trip.
Utahtea
AAA memberships give you access to their Travel department, which functions like a travel agency.
They have tourbooks and campbooks for the entire US and Canada which list hotels, campgrounds, restaurants, and points of interest for each city or town.
If you are not a member already, become one before your trip. Their 24-hour roadside assistance is the most comprehensive in the country. They've come to my aid in some strange, remote places.
ab
Thanks for the information about RVs. Didn't realise it was quite that expensive! If we were to hire one for a shorter time would we still have a problem with insurance? Or is that normally included in the rental?
Adam
WE WERE A FAMILY OF 6 THE MOST ECONOMICAL WAS THE USE OF A VAN. TENTING AT CAMPGROUNDS AND TAKING CARE OF ALL OUR MEALS WAS THE BIGGEST SAVINGS. INSTANT OATMEAL IN THE AM SANWICHES ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD MID DAY AND ONE POT MEALS RICE, SPAGETTI ALWAYS FILLED THE BILL FOR THE EVENING MEAL. NOTHING CAN EAT YOUR BUDGET FASTER THAN POOR GAS MILAGE AND EATING OUT. DON'T FORGET TO GO TO TAOS NM THIS IS A REAL GEM GOOD LUCK ON YOUR TRIP