Comments on: Is Camping Still an Economical Way to Travel?

By: Nik

Nik — Mon, 20 May 2013 23:51:45 +0000

Well that’s not very nice. I live in the country on a dead end road and a little girl was kidnapped at the end of it and killed. I care about my kids as if you have kids I’m sure you do, and after hearing about the girls kidnapped for 10 years I want to be cautious.

By: Paul

Paul — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 15:44:32 +0000

Jeans, you are right you have to factor in the cost of the camper, plus the cost of maintenance, storage, insurance and the accessories that make your experience more enjoyable. I’ve been looking for a way to RV that is less expensive than other types of travel without much success.

My wife and I have looked at small, lightweight basic campers with the minimum of a toilet and inside shower. For sake of argument a rig and basic accessories like water heater, propane tanks, porta-potty and so forth would cost us around $18 grand when all is said and done. Unless you are happy with a tent, it is difficult get into camping for much less without buying a used-up pre-owned camper.

In a camping vs hoteling comparison, you would deduct the campsite charges from the hotel cost to compare. Let’s say campground fees average $50 per night and hotel fees average $125 per night, making the hotel $75 per night more expensive. Again for sake of argument, lets say that when you take an RV the fuel will cost a little more and the food a little less, and when you take your car, fuel will be less but food a bit more. You can, of course, carry a cooler in the car and make some of your meals along the way. The calculations would vary depending on who you are and what you do, but it is not unreasonable to think it would cost $75 more per day for hoteling vs camping.

So if I were to spend $18,000 for a camper I would have to use it 240 times to break even with the cost of more expensive hoteling, and that does not include the maintenance, storage and insurance costs for the RV. If you are a full time camper it won’t take but a year to recoup your investment. But if you are like most people and go for a couple of weeks and a couple of weekends each year, then it would take 13 years to break even. Since there are maintenance and insurance costs associated with all RVs, it would take longer, if at all, before you could call it a wash.

That is not to say that the camping experience is not more desirable in many ways, but it is hard to say that camping is less expensive than vacationing in other ways. It is all in how you spin it. I do take exception to the argument that it doesn’t take any longer to get there by camper than by flying. Jennifer’s example of traveling 1600 miles in 10 hours versus flying the same distance in 8 hours leaves me wondering on what roads can she average 160 mph with her camper, not to mention the excessive amount of fuel it would take to run at that speed.

By: jeans clemm

jeans clemm — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 19:49:50 +0000

You have to factor in the cost of the camper — monthly payment – which means you are paying to camp even when you aren’t. And then there is the insurance. And once you factor those in you can actually make a comparison.
I was very surprised to find that your comparison was so biased as I am very interested in a true evaluation of the benefits of camper ownership.
Even purchasing one outright, one would have to take into consideration other uses for the money. Heck if u could purchase in full, saving money might not be a prime consideration.

By: Faz Harris

Faz Harris — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 01:02:06 +0000

I am from Malaysia and I camp a lot. Sometimes with a group and sometimes with a couple of friends.
It depends where you camp. If you camp right on the edge of a cliff, 1 feet away from a river or nearby a small town and everyone (including the town’s badass)then it might be dangerous as you might roll off the cliff, get eaten by a croc or wqashed away or even got mugged by the local badass.
However, if you are camping far from people, and know how to camp, what to do and waht not to do, then its one helluva fun.
By the way, I do motorcycle camping.

By: Susan

Susan — Fri, 07 May 2010 03:33:00 +0000

Some years back, there was a little girl taken in the middle of the night from her tent in a National Park. The parents were in a camper and the kids were in a tent. The kidnapper slit the tent, kidnapped, and killed the girl.

We have a camper and I would not recommend tent camping. If you must, put an adult in with the children.

But most of all……have FUN!!

By: mohit

mohit — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 12:02:57 +0000

camping is all about waking up smelling the grass and the mud with dew drops on it. Camping is all about waking up seeing the sun peeping from the peek its not about being in your comfortable bed and concrete marble floors but to reclaim and get reborn again.

By: David

David — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 22:02:56 +0000

Great read ! camping is a beautiful way to explore whats out there besides our everday lifes.

By: hannah

hannah — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 15:17:27 +0000

I live in a rural area where incomes are below average, and quite a few people take frugal vacations this way:
There are small campgrounds, both commercial and community-owned, which have a flat fee for the whole season. Lots of people set up a travel trailer permanently, and go there every long weekend, and for their summer vacation. It’s like having a cottage, except that you use the washrooms and showers at the poolhouse. It also saves gas, hauling the camper around. Most of the folks I know who do this, bought older travel trailers, so it is quite affordable.

By: Ray

Ray — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 23:56:38 +0000

I will assume that the 1600 miles you drove was round trip. So, that means that you drove 800 miles in 10 hours. I bet that was one scary ride for an RV averaging 80 mph for 10 hours – Woooo-Hoooo!!! Hang on Baby, I’m gonna make you regret ever draggin’ me out here amongst all these lions, tigers, and bears…oh my!

By: Kimberly

Kimberly — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 16:25:24 +0000

My husband and I have camped all over the U.S. and Europe. We went to Switzerland for two weeks this summer and it was great. We have really enjoyed camping in Europe, and it has also made these trips much more affordable.

On the safety issue, we’ve never had a problem, not to mention, the whole point of camping is family time. So, it seems unlikely your kid is going to be that out of sight. I would imagine a kid in a hotel is more likely to be kidnapped.