RVing across America?

[ranthony]

As suggested by someone over on the budget board I'm posting this thread here too.


Has anyone done this...either by renting an RV or using your own? Is this a budget way to travel?

I've also considered driving across country and tent camping along the way with a hotel room thrown in here and there in case of bad weather.

I've checked a site on-line that offers an RV for about a $1000 for a month in the summer but it only includes 2900 miles. We would be driving to Disneyland and back (of course) which would be at least 6,000 miles, not to mention any side trips to National Parks, etc. The charge is .32/per mile if you go over, so that would add another $1000 at least and we haven't even added gas in yet.

What would be an optimal age for kids to take this type of trip?

Any other ideas/opinions would be appreciated.

TIA

 

[2goofycampers]

Before the skyrocketing fuel prices I would have said go for it, but economically speaking it may be cheaper to stick with budget hotels. It would be cheaper to tent it tho. Alot of the camping board are at the Fort for a Memorial Day Grand Gathering I'm sure you will get some good ideas next week.

 

[ynottony99]

I also have to say that if economy is the prime concern, with fuel climbing everyday, this may not be the way to travel. I have never made a trip like this, so I can't speak from experience. Depending on the RV you end up in, you are quite likely to get less than 10 miles to a gallon.

If fuel costs and rental of RV expense is not an issue, then I think it would be a great way to see and enjoy the country as you make your way cross country.

All that said, I am sure there will be a day (maybe sooner than we like to think) when we will look back and wish we had traveled more when fuel was only $4-$5 a gallon.

 

[2goofycampers]

As far as ages of children it would vary with each child . For us 3-12 would have been great age to do this, 13 -18 we would have paid YOUR way to take him with you.

If you already have a vehicle with tow capabilities, the possibility of buying a good used pop-up taking it with you, then either keeping it or selling it [ you would probably break even on the pop-up] when back home.

I wouldn't go over about 50 percent tow weight on a trip like this tho.

 

[lucy_love]

My family and I (I am 22) did a cross-country trip last summer, you can see our entire trip here: http://rvtripsdabkowski.com/

We are from FL so we made a loop around the country and I think our trip was way over 6,000 miles. Gas prices were no where near what they are today. When we went, I had JUST turned 21 and my brother was 16. I had a blast and want to go back every day but my teen brother wanted to be home, so I would say no older then 14 unless you have a very family oriented teen (which I was but not my brother).

If you plan onm visiting a lot of parks, make sure you pay for the year national park family pass thing, it saved us A LOT of money! We went to about 10 national parks, and it payed for itself several times!

We also used the internet to look at gas prices in different states so we could decided to get gas before or after a new state.


That's all I can think of for now but take a look at our site and if you have more questions feel free to ask me

 

[nessz79]

My family and I (I am 22) did a cross-country trip last summer, you can see our entire trip here: http://rvtripsdabkowski.com/

We are from FL so we made a loop around the country and I think our trip was way over 6,000 miles. Gas prices were no where near what they are today. When we went, I had JUST turned 21 and my brother was 16. I had a blast and want to go back every day but my teen brother wanted to be home, so I would say no older then 14 unless you have a very family oriented teen (which I was but not my brother).

If you plan onm visiting a lot of parks, make sure you pay for the year national park family pass thing, it saved us A LOT of money! We went to about 10 national parks, and it payed for itself several times!

We also used the internet to look at gas prices in different states so we could decided to get gas before or after a new state.


That's all I can think of for now but take a look at our site and if you have more questions feel free to ask me

Just wanted to say how awesome that is!! I would love to do a cross-country trip one day with my kids. We JUST bought our RV and are taking a trip to VA and back to Florida (we live in SW Florida). We were thinking of doing a little more next year and so on. Thanks for sharing that link! Looks like you guys had a blast.

 

[lucy_love]

I am glad you liked the link it was a trip we will never forget and we talk everyday how we want to do it again! When you do get to do a cross-country trip, it will make some of the most memorable memories

 

[Escape Artist]

If budget is a significant concern and you're willing to tent it 50% of the time or so, I wouldn't bother with the RV. I'd take a decent minivan, spacious car or pickup truck, pack up the back and hit the road.

If you've got a little more $$$ to work with, getting a popup like 2goofycampers mentioned is a great idea. We've done a fair amount of travelling this way and you can see and do alot without spending too much. Camping in a popup is cheap and *much* more comfortable than tenting it. When they said you could re-sell it at the end of the trip and break even, they weren't kidding. Popups are also extremely easy to tow, and give you more packing room inside it. When you stay in a hotel, just park it in their lot. We do it all the time.

Taking a bigger RV would be fun, but if you have to rent an RV and pay for the gas, you're talking about a fair amount of money for the trip.

It also depends on how many people you're planning to take with you. With four or five people total, the minivan works great. If you're over 5, you're going to need something bigger! We take 2 teenagers (ages 14 and 15, currently) and a 6 year old, and it's great family bonding time. I get depressed when I think about my oldest girl heading off to college and her own life, and not having these years to travel together as a family anymore. If you're just two people, a pick up truck would do fine!

I dream of doing a loop trip around the country in a Class A, but until we have enough vacation time from work (maybe in retirement someday?), we have to stick to shorter trips. The big loop trip would probably take me about 2 months, because I like to stop and see a lot. My next non-Disney mission is next summer - Texas to Ohio, loop around Niagara Falls then thru Canada to Mackinac Island, Michigan, back to Ohio (where the extended family is) and home to Texas. I think it sounds like a couple of weeks of great fun, and we'll be putting those miles on the old minivan before I get a new TV.

Happy planning, and have a great trip!

Sue in Texas

 

[Escape Artist]

...What would be an optimal age for kids to take this type of trip?...

I wouldn't take anybody under age 6. Once they can read, they do a lot better on extended sightseeing trips. Plus, they'll remember it when they grow up. If you're just getting to Disneyland and back, I'd do it with potty-trained preschoolers or Kindergartners, but they won't remember it very much. The more you can drive at night when they're sleeping and let them out of their carseats to play during the day (especially when you have access to a swimming pool), the better. Onboard DVD's are a godsend.

If they have to miss school, I would do it before they reach about 7th grade. When they get to the higher grades, it's much harder (or practically impossible) to make up missed school work. Missing elementary school is much easier. With my kids, once they reached middle school, they started complaining if I asked them to miss school days. I figured I should respect their wishes on that one, and I never ask them to miss more than a day or two per year anymore.

My kids love to travel with the family, but once they start driving and having jobs, I can see where it would get more challenging to schedule extended trips. I haven't gotten to that point yet, but it's just around the corner for us. But as long as they can find the time, I'm willing to keep inviting them to go for the foreseeable future, at least thru college. By then they'll probably be so busy with their own lives they won't want to travel with us, but I took a road trip with my parents when I was age 30, and we all had a great time. It's one of my favorite memories!

As far as optimal age, probably about 11-16, depending on the attitude of the kids involved. And at 16, they can help drive!

When you're planning, keep in mind the seasons on the Disneyland end of the trip. I love Disneyland, but we try not to go during busy times. If you really want to enjoy Disneyland, you don't want to be there at Christmas or the middle of July. The crowds are brutal. And if you can't stay long, you don't want to be there on a Saturday.

Sue in Texas

 

[LarryJ]

In 2004 we were on the road for 60 days and 11,000 miles when diesel was between $1.50 and $2.00/gal. It was just the two of us and our Yorkies and we visited sites we've always wanted to see, friends from long ago, and family. Went from just outside of D.C. and hit the following:

Meridan, Ms. for our youngest son's winging

Lead Hill, Ar to get a "built" tranny for our Van

NE O.K. to visit the families homesteads and the local cemetary where all DH's relatives are buried

Austin Tx. to visit friends we hadn't seen in 30 years and our Niece and family

Holbrook, Az to visit Meteor Crater and Painted Desert/Petrified Forest

Winslow, Az for Grand Canyon and we met our son above who was on his way from Meridan to Mt. Mugu, Ca.

Side trip to Phoenix one day to get larger exhaust put on the Van.

San Diego, Ca. to vist two sets of friends that we hadn't seen since 1983.

LA for 5 days at Disneyland

Mt. Mugu to visit oldest son

Stockton, Ca. to visit DH's sister and family

SLC, Utah to visit the Morman Cathedral and the Kennecott Copper Mine

Mt. Rushmore, Badlands, Black Hills, Walls Drug Store, etc.

Chicago,IL to visit DW's brother and mother

Ann Arbor, Mi to visit DW's friend who she hadn't seen in over 30 years.

Home

Door to Door we averaged 12.04mpg with almost 8,000 of the 11,000 miles towing and the cost of fuel came out to just under $1.80/gal

We plan to make a similiar trip in another 3 or 4 years.

Larry

 

[ranthony]

Thanks everyone for your wonderful responses.

I like the idea of a pop-up camper. Can anyone with experience towing a pop-up give me some sense of how much it cuts into your gas mileage? We have a 4 X 8 trailer that we tow with our minivan and when it's loaded with gear DH estimated our HWY miles at about 18/gallon. (This is towing with a 2002 Town & Country minivan.)

There are 5 of us, DH and I and 3 little boys. We're teachers so we get the summers off and would be able to spend a month or more on the road.

Are there any good sites that help you plan a trip like this? We'd be interested in hitting all the major tourist spots and spending 3-5 days at Disneyland.

 

[ranthony]

love_lucy...It looks like it was a wonderful trip. I'm sure even your teenage brother will look back on it fondly! It just may take him a few years to admit it!

 

[PrincessNED]

You might also like to check out popup explorer website and/or rv.net . Both are great references for popups or anything to do with Rv's.

 

[2goofycampers]

this is a site of a Dis member who is also an avid pop-up camper, there are also many links to pop-up sites. http://www.title-3.com/index.html



this is good for fuel budgeting http://www.fuelcostcalculator.com/TripGasprice.aspx

 

[SoundDude]

ranthony,
spending a month on the road is the way to go. do it now when you can and before the summers clog up with other kid activities. that being said, if the kids are too little (less than 6) you will have many hours of whining and grumpiness (which is quick to translate to parents).

a pop-up behind your rig will have similar effect on your mpg - but KEEP IT LIGHT. only take the essentials and don't overburden your minivan. packing light will help keep your PUP setup time lower too (20 minutes is a good target), a key factor when you are rolling in late and need sleep NOW.

halving the trip 50/50 tenting and budget motels is another great option. some of the national parks have great campgrounds but are very expensive to stay at the lodges, if you can get even book rooms. so tenting at those destinations allows you to stay much closer then you can take a load off when you are travelling to make time and just stay at the motel6. with some practice and teamwork you can get tent setup down to 20 minutes also, and thats including dinner on the stove.

if you are going west, don't miss the northern california coast and even oregon and washington if time allows.

in '96 we did a western US loop in a 1993 Geo Metro convertible. not an option for you, but it was a great way to go at 50mpg!

 

[2goofycampers]

bump needs pop-up advice.....

 

[YellowXterra]

Pop Ups are like anything else. Some are light weight and others are heavy. There are Jayco, Fleetwood, Starcraft, Etc.... It is kinda like the Ford vs Chevy thing

My pop up is a Fleetwood 12 foot box with a 2 foot trunk on the front. It is one of the more heavy ones out there. Loaded with camping stuff it is maxed out at 3450 lbs. It cost me 3 mpg on average to tow it. With that sdaid its still way cheaper and lots more fun than hotel rooms. We are going on a 2 week 1700 road trip with ours in 2 weeks, 4 citys/campgrounds 4 states and lots of fun ! BTW you can even get showers in the higher end pop ups. Ours have everything but a shower.

PS. I tow with an 08 Nissan Frontier Crew Cab with a V6