Mitch, you could DIY something up.
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High roof van as a camping/ toy hauler
- Thread starter mitchntx
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tshelfer
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- Tim
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- Shelfer
There are other ways to travel, too. I'm learning these things as I age out of camping.
Hotel rooms are restrictive. They're small & cramped, they look like hotel rooms, they don't have kitchens, and you sometimes have to deal with noisy neighbors.
We're beginning to explore the world of home rentals. A few years ago, I located a cabin in Cloudcroft for under $500 for a week's rental. Not fancy, but comfy. It made a nice base to explore the area, it was warm on subfreezing nights, we had a kitchen to help keep food costs down, and it actually cost less than a hotel room in Cloudcroft.
Coming up in May, we'll be staying in a little house I found in Taos. Ten nights for about $750 total. That's only slightly more than staying in a Motel 6 or Super 8.
On sites like VRBO, you can find some really good deals if you're willing to spend the hours doing the research. Some places have heavy service charges tacked on, some don't. The info is all there if you're willing to dig through it.
Hotel rooms are restrictive. They're small & cramped, they look like hotel rooms, they don't have kitchens, and you sometimes have to deal with noisy neighbors.
We're beginning to explore the world of home rentals. A few years ago, I located a cabin in Cloudcroft for under $500 for a week's rental. Not fancy, but comfy. It made a nice base to explore the area, it was warm on subfreezing nights, we had a kitchen to help keep food costs down, and it actually cost less than a hotel room in Cloudcroft.
Coming up in May, we'll be staying in a little house I found in Taos. Ten nights for about $750 total. That's only slightly more than staying in a Motel 6 or Super 8.
On sites like VRBO, you can find some really good deals if you're willing to spend the hours doing the research. Some places have heavy service charges tacked on, some don't. The info is all there if you're willing to dig through it.
tshelfer
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- Centennial, CO
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- Tim
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- Shelfer
One thing that helps is coming up with a standardized cost estimation process. I devised a spreadsheet many years ago, that I use to calculate the cost of every trip. I plug in daily driving estimates (at a prescribed mpg and gas cost), nightly hotel or campground costs, restaurant or grocery costs, and a few other things. That gives me a nice tally of how much I need to budget for an upcoming trip. Since I can also do the estimate two ways - one each for trailer and motel - I can also get comparative costs, and that may tilt my decision one way or another. It also helps me make decisions on bike camping vs moteling, and towing the bike across Texas vs riding it.
What it DOESN'T factor in is the ongoing ownership cost of a tent trailer. $250 a year for insurance, plus the $10K cost prorated over ??? years, plus annual registration, plus ongoing maintenance. My costs are strictly based on the premise that, for better or worse, I already own the beast.
What it DOESN'T factor in is the ongoing ownership cost of a tent trailer. $250 a year for insurance, plus the $10K cost prorated over ??? years, plus annual registration, plus ongoing maintenance. My costs are strictly based on the premise that, for better or worse, I already own the beast.
Meriden
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We've started using VRBO and have found the deal far better than a Homewood suite if staying more than a couple of nights. Despite having a Hi-Lo, if we want to trailer camp we'll use the enclosed motorcycle trailer and camp out of that. That method provides low initial cost and lots of flexibility. We spent a year trying to decide if we wanted to retire to a pusher and tow, a truck and toy hauler or a Class B, trailer and VRBO. Cost always comes out on the side of rental rather than ownership although making a van conversion appeals more to the mechanic in me.
One thing the RV cost review taught us is that RV are limited in where they can go. I'd like to visit Alaska, but I'm not interested in pulling a toy hauler all the way there. Some folks may like the adventure.
One thing the RV cost review taught us is that RV are limited in where they can go. I'd like to visit Alaska, but I'm not interested in pulling a toy hauler all the way there. Some folks may like the adventure.
You can’t hear the coyotes in a van, rv or hotel room