Gas & Lodging: How to Budget These Things for Your RV Road Trip

A lot of people choose to travel and vacation by RV because it is cheaper than flying and renting hotels in every city. But cheap is not free and even if you plan on boondocking, you still need to budget out road trip essentials like fuel.

Fuel and campground sites are going to be two of your biggest expenses. Food and activities are also top contenders, therefore, it is good to have a budget before you hit the road.  Otherwise, you might find yourself in the red. Here’s a look at how you might estimate costs for your next road trip:

Budgeting Fuel & Lodging for Your Next Trip

Lodging

Campground fees are going to vary depending upon where the campsite is, what type of amenities they boast, and where you choose to book it. Two things to keep in mind here:

• Check the full cost per night. All online bookings are going to come with annoying fees that we have seen sometimes equate to as much as 20% of the per night rate. So always do a full shopping cart checkout trial before estimating the per night rate of any location if you are booking online. Offline, you won’t have to deal with this and so drive-up locations are great so long as you feel confident there will be a vacancy.
• Public campgrounds aren’t always cheaper. National and state parks are going to offer a great mix of nature and amenities, but they aren’t always cheaper than private campsites. There are great smaller privately-owned campgrounds that will be just a bit further from big attractions but with nicer prices. Check around your destinations to find that balance of price and location.

Fuel

With the big uptick in fuel prices recently, you can’t rely on past trips for indicators of future travels. Start estimating your costs by determining your average mile per gallon when towing your RV. Then, use an app like Gas Buddy to map out your route and the types of gas costs you can expect. We recommend adding a $.20 per gallon buffer in case of not being able to reach the cheapest gas or in the event of a price hike.

Don’t Forget To Get Your RV Serviced Before Your Road Trip

All vehicles should get a full service visit before undertaking a long road trip. Schedule your RV for one today by contacting our team.