RV vs. Motel: Not cheaper!

[BiigDaddy]

Originally Posted by Kaadk

I think the key in that situation is to do like my folks did. Don't tell them you've got 5.

EXACTLY! lol, that's how my parents did it when we weren't camping... To this day we joke about having to go in in shifts and lay down in the van's benches as he checked in so they didn't see us!

I don't care about the cost. Where else will you get your kids to spend an entire weekend with you?? Priceless!

[Kaadk]

Originally Posted by BiigDaddy

EXACTLY! lol, that's how my parents did it when we weren't camping... To this day we joke about having to go in in shifts and lay down in the van's benches as he checked in so they didn't see us!

I don't care about the cost. Where else will you get your kids to spend an entire weekend with you?? Priceless!

Oh yes, the 'lay down under the seat' approach. Never had to bother with those at the motels, but we did use it all the time at the drive-in. Back then, it used to be "climb in the back of the station wagon and leave the back seat empty" approach.

On a side note (read: hijack) I miss Drive-Ins. It's a shame my kids will never get that experience around here.

[mark0224]

Hotel or Rv well you don't get anything but one night for a hotel and one night = one payment on an rv, you know who slept in your bed in an Rv, you don't get a kitchen usually in a hotel, you have a summer home with an rv where as a hotel you get a night. Could go on and on, short term an RV is not cheaper long term it is and has a lot of benefits you will never see in a Hotel. We don't look at our trailer as anything but a mobile Hotel or summer home. Cheaper or more expensive it's just a frame of mind to an rv'er. My wife will not go to a Hotel if we can go with our trailer. Oh and usually a Hotel is per person where most Rv Parks you can have 6 for the one price.

[Kaadk]

Originally Posted by mark0224

... Oh and usually a Hotel is per person where most Rv Parks you can have 6 for the one price.

I usually find the opposite. Must be the places I stay (KOA, Jellystone, etc..). They usually charge per person, but all my nights in hotels I've only ever been charged a flat rate for a room.

That aside, I still prefer camping over hotels any day. If I could swing it I'd be bringing my trailer when I travel for work, but in those cases either I'm flying to the client site, or if I'm close enough to drive I'm also close enough to go home after work too.

[Volvodriver]

Never camped as a kid-Dad died when I was 8. Camped as Boyscout in teen years. DW and I camped with truck camper in 1970's BC (before children). When we traveled with the kids we moteled it and/or stayed with relatives. We researched full time rving for 3 years prior to retiring and now have fulltimed for almost 2 years. We love it and have been to and have seen amazing, beautiful, and funny things, and have met and become friends with really nice people. We are so glad we have chosen this and we enjoy being FROGS.

[mark0224]

Originally Posted by Kaadk

I usually find the opposite. Must be the places I stay (KOA, Jellystone, etc..). They usually charge per person, but all my nights in hotels I've only ever been charged a flat rate for a room.

That aside, I still prefer camping over hotels any day. If I could swing it I'd be bringing my trailer when I travel for work, but in those cases either I'm flying to the client site, or if I'm close enough to drive I'm also close enough to go home after work too.

Koa's I've been to say this Our clean, level sites, located in the heart of the campground with few trees. Some sites have a beautiful view of the sunset & fishing pond. These sites have driveway stone and grass.
Canandaigua / Rochester KOA

• 5374 Farmington Town Line Road Farmington, NY 14425
• Email: koacanan@frontiernet.net

• Reserve: 800-562-0533
• Info: 585-398-3582

Pull-thru, Full hookups, 30 amp, WiFi

Our clean, level sites, located in the heart of the campground with few trees. Some sites have a beautiful view of the sunset & fishing pond. These sites have driveway stone and grass.
Up to 8 people.


RV Description

• Pull Thru
• 30 Amps
• Full Hookups

RV Site Feature

• Wi Fi

Up to 8 people.
All the hotels always said 2 adults If you have kids its plus.

[Iwannacamp]

Before we got the trailer we never did anything but HS football and occasional cheap meal out. I mean cheap. Now we do camp at least once every other month. Everybody together(well mostly) somebody is always doing something else. I am patiently waiting on fish/camp... that's the reason I wanted the trailer.

Only problem I have is where to park stuff....

2 boats (bass and fishing)
1 35ft 5er (AOL)
1 18ft utility trailer(I have a 16ft at a friends)
1 jet ski
1 ram 2500
1 Journey
1 Hyundai(of some sort)

You think you have problems?

[Kaadk]

Originally Posted by mark0224

...Up to 8 people.

That's usually just the max allowed per site, but at the time of booking you often see something like this:



This was the KOA in Emmett, MI. When we stayed we paid significantly less for our 2 adults and 2 kids under 5 than my brother in law did for his 2 adults and 3 kids over 6. And we have the same size 29' travel trailers.




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[keith_h]

Originally Posted by Iwannacamp

2 boats (bass and fishing)

I always thought a bass boat was a fishing boat.

[HappyGuy]

We threw in a camping membership that included CGs for places we like to visit like the Outer Banks. Staying a week out there during peak season can easily exceed 2K including lodging and food. If you go nuts and rent a beach house the price can get extreme (7500+). Staying at a CG costs us 250.00 for the week we're ahead 1750.00. Now you can look at that as 1750.00 saved or 1750.00 available for other things. Somehow it always seems to be the latter...

Oh and for those of us who have pets that those beach houses don't allow, you also save the cost of boarding the pups. You just have to deal with a little less available space on the bed

[Sharon455]

Originally Posted by Campin Cajun

And motel coffee sucks, that makes RVing better. Not sure about cheaper, but way better. And we all want the best, don't we.


2013 Berkshire 390 BH

Not only does the coffee suck, but the teas they offer are terrible, messy to make, and having to drink out of the cardboard cup just makes it taste even worse . Hubby and I love to make our morning cup of Keurig (Italian roast for him, lemon tea for me. Bonus, I brew my tea in the Keurig without an aftertaste of coffee. ) We can sit at our little bistro table and chairs and plan out our day or our future retirement. When we bring a grandkid or two with us, we have the added benefit of hot cocoa and marshmallows. Try to find that in an average hotel room.

[DocsDad]

Originally Posted by Sharon455

Not only does the coffee suck, but the teas they offer are terrible, messy to make, and having to drink out of the cardboard cup just makes it taste even worse . Hubby and I love to make our morning cup of Keurig (Italian roast for him, lemon tea for me. Bonus, I brew my tea in the Keurig without an aftertaste of coffee. ) We can sit at our little bistro table and chairs and plan out our day or our future retirement. When we bring a grandkid or two with us, we have the added benefit of hot cocoa and marshmallows. Try to find that in an average hotel room.

SO SO true. French press for me and my wife. Along with good conversation.

[Iwannacamp]

Originally Posted by keith_h

I always thought a bass boat was a fishing boat.

It's a hand me down from my dad. A panfish boat. Last registered in '02. Used very little before that.


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[Oaklevel]

Originally Posted by Iwannacamp

Before we got the trailer we never did anything but HS football and occasional cheap meal out. I mean cheap. Now we do camp at least once every other month. Everybody together(well mostly) somebody is always doing something else. I am patiently waiting on fish/camp... that's the reason I wanted the trailer.

Only problem I have is where to park stuff....

2 boats (bass and fishing)
1 35ft 5er (AOL)
1 18ft utility trailer(I have a 16ft at a friends)
1 jet ski
1 ram 2500
1 Journey
1 Hyundai(of some sort)

You think you have problems?

You almost have as much to park & store as I do & I've cut back DW would like me to get ride of more

[Iwannacamp]

Ohh. I forgot. I got and old JD 50(in the bushes) and an old IHC 454 tractor too and a 30x60 shop/shed.

No wonder my wife hates me. Lol


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[Oaklevel]

Originally Posted by Iwannacamp

Ohh. I forgot. I got and old JD 50(in the bushes) and an old IHC 454 tractor too and a 30x60 shop/shed.

No wonder my wife hates me. Lol


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Know the feeling...........DW keeps telling me we are getting older don't need so much stuff...........

Still much rather camp than stay in a motel........regardless of which is cheaper....

[sherman12]

DW and I just got back from a 13 day 12 night trip to Atlanta and back to Gatlinburg, TN from Buffalo, NY area. About 1,960 driven miles. Cost of fuel from my driveway back to it was $898.55. Cost for four different campgrounds 344.73. Total $1,243.28. Went to Atl. for a wedding. Friend from Buffalo flew Delta at $350 R/T and stayed at his son's for free. Other home towners stayed at Hampton's and host hotel Marriot at an average of $125 per night. So, for DW and I to fly to Atlanta it would of cost us about $700. Five nights at one of the hotels would of added around $625 more. Total $1325! This doesn't even get into the convenience of your own bed, shower, toilet, food and morning coffee etc.. It also does not cover the pure enjoyment we had camping in Cove Lake State Park in TN, or visiting Gatlinburg and Smokey Mountain National Park with ending the trip at Geneva on the Lake, Geneva, OH and its wine country. Even with adding the cost of ownership at $28 a day ($364) we no less broke even or a little ahead and "we were camping!".

[Witch Doctor]

Originally Posted by sherman12

DW and I just got back from a 13 day 12 night trip to Atlanta and back to Gatlinburg, TN from Buffalo, NY area. About 1,960 driven miles. Cost of fuel from my driveway back to it was $898.55. Cost for four different campgrounds 344.73. Total $1,243.28. Went to Atl. for a wedding. Friend from Buffalo flew Delta at $350 R/T and stayed at his son's for free. Other home towners stayed at Hampton's and host hotel Marriot at an average of $125 per night. So, for DW and I to fly to Atlanta it would of cost us about $700. Five nights at one of the hotels would of added around $625 more. Total $1325! This doesn't even get into the convenience of your own bed, shower, toilet, food and morning coffee etc.. It also does not cover the pure enjoyment we had camping in Cove Lake State Park in TN, or visiting Gatlinburg and Smokey Mountain National Park with ending the trip at Geneva on the Lake, Geneva, OH and its wine country. Even with adding the cost of ownership at $28 a day ($364) we no less broke even or a little ahead and "we were camping!".

and you didn't have the hassle of an airport. You got to miss that joy. Glad to hear you had a good time.

[sherman12]

gljurczyk, flying is really becoming a tiresome issue now. No less the upward moving pricing as more and more airlines merge. Every time DW and I see a story on TV or talk to someone about the pitfalls of flying, we look at each other and say almost in unison "aren't you glad we have the motor home!".

[rockfordroo]

gljurczyk, flying is really becoming a tiresome issue now. No less the upward moving pricing as more and more airlines merge.

The worst part is that every time I fly, I find they've moved the seats another 1/4" closer together. A few more flights and my knees will be on my chest!