Generally, the larger your family, the better your opportunity to save money with an RV. Savings also grow with the length of your trip.
Let's look at two of the major costs in any trip, meals and fuel. Consider the prospect of two weeks exploring the American West for a family of four.
Now let's look at the same distances with an RV.
Notice that the savings on meals (which you'd prepare yourself) basically matches the higher cost of fuel. Diesel fuel could cost even more.
So the big savings have to come from skipping expensive hotel rooms.
Studies are all over the board on this important figure. The good ones factor in a variety of costs you might not think about right away: interest charges on the purchase or RV insurance, for example.
Generally, the savings over hotels is 40% or better. You might save more; you might be surprised the figure isn't higher.
If you typically rent more than one motel room for your family, your savings could be greater. But the family of four that can make due with one room might be at the lower end of the savings scale.
Parking an RV for the night is usually not free. People outside the RV world wrongly assume you can park anywhere you want for the night and pay nothing. That might happen occasionally (usually by prior arrangement) but most nights, there are camping fees to pay.
For some, the added money won't matter, because this type of travel is wrong for them. Click "next" to the right and consider if you fit into that category.
