Almost a year ago, my hubby and I started considering RVs vs. traditional travel. Why? Well, a vacation in the nearby Upper Peninsula (UP) for starters. There, we spent hours driving and hiking across a few of Michigan’s State Parks. Our woods filled the senses with oranges, reds, yellows along with fresh, autumn breezes.
Then, it was driving back to our hotel along busy streets, streetlights, concrete parking lots and takeout from local restaurants. Lot’s and lot’s of takeout. Each morning, Dave, the furs kids and I were back on the road finding more hiking trails and views.
Note: The best option for travel? The one that works for you and your family. Our blog below is designed to share our criteria and actual cost analysis to offer you another perspective. To request a free copy of the spreadsheet read below.
This day in and out shift between immersing in nature and commercial hotels and VRBO needed to change. This change inspired a financial analysis we used to evaluate RV vs. traditional travel. As more and more folks look at options of Vanlife, RVs vs. traditional travel of car, hotels and air, we’re sharing the financial analysis we used in making our decision to go the RV route.
Comparing RVs vs. Traditional Travel: Costs and Benefit Analysis
When considering buying an RV, our evaluation included: 1) convenience & lifestyle, 2) financial and 3) surprises.
1) Convenience and Lifestyle – Designed for Both of Us
Dave and I love to travel and explore together. We embrace hiking, sightseeing, bird watching, running and other outdoor activities. Yet, our least favorite part of travel is navigating hotels, airports and looking for food multiple times per day.
Add in the past year of COVID, we took a deeper dive in looking at the RV and travel van options. And, the deeper we dove? These options looked good. Really good!
First Decision: RV or Travel Van?
We looked at options with mobile flexibility and at the same time a place to enjoys sitting back, hanging out in the thick of nature. Plus, we travel with our two fur kids, so sleeping room for all of us combined was important too.
As a photographer, I continually scout for locations, light and subjects. Dave enjoys scouting with me some of the time. However, it’s not always fun to sit and wait while I’m out focused and shooting for extended lengths of time. I don’t understand that?! All kidding aside, that was the big elephant in the room.
When we explored the RV and Vanlife, flexibility for both of us to be able to do our own thing was the determining factor in choosing a RV travel trailer camper. To read about our decision criteria for our camper: Buying a Small Camper for Lifetime Adventures
A travel van would have either forced a second vehicle to tow behind (not desirable or in the budget) or force us to lock everything down in the van before heading out each day. Note: If I were a solo traveler, the Vanlife approach would have been strongly considered.
2) Our Financial Analysis: RVs vs. Traditional Travel
When I refer to traditional travel, this includes hotels, VRBOs, Airbnb’s, air and rental cars. The methods each of us use to reach our destinations vary. Air, train and car travel costs vary based on time of year, carrier and individual memberships.
For purposes of this analysis I’m showing 2 cost versions 1) Daily living costs and 2) Actual costs with acquiring an RV. This was the initial approach we used when making our decision. A year later, these are how the actuals played out.
In summary, our daily cost of traveling via an RV is much less than our experience with traditional travels whether the purchase price of the RV is factored in or not included.
Daily Living Costs RVs vs. Traditional Travel
As a result of owning a camper, our daily costs are low vs. the daily costs of traditional travel. We could not have traveled the same number of days going the traditional route as we did with the camper. This year, we camped 77 days. The traditional travel cost used in the example below is based on prior year vacations.
In both options, this is prior to the current gas price increase as of third quarter 2021. Going forward, we will adjust mileage by staying longer at a given location and driving less.
Plus, since this was our first year of camping, we envision a higher number of days in dispersed areas next year which will further reduce the daily cost average. If you’re viewing this chart on a smartphone, rotate your phone horizontally to see all of the columns.
| Daily Living Costs RV vs. Traditional Travel | # of days | RV | RV Cost Per Day | # of days | Traditional Travel Costs | Cost per Day |
| RV Storage, Insurance and Maintenance | 77 | $2000 | $26 | |||
| RV Memberships | 77 | $132 | $2 | |||
| Average Cost Per Night/RV* (Harvest Host locations, KOA, Dispersed | 77 | $2310 | $30 | |||
| Meals – we cook our own 90% of the time | 77 | $1540 | $20 | 14 | $1400 | $100 |
| Gas/Car Costs/miles | 77 | $1830 | $24 | 3 | $300 | $100 |
| Rental Cars | 7 | $385 | $55 | |||
| Airfare (one time – per family) | 7 | $900 | $129 | |||
| Average Cost Per Night Hotel | 14 | $2521 | $180 | |||
| Totals/cost per day | $7812 | $101 | $5506 | $564 |
Cost Comparison with RV Cost Factored In
The upfront investment of the camper, is a very real cost. Whether it’s a one time purchase or financed over the course of time and it should be factored in. The example below is includes a new camper, financed over 5 years along with insurance, storage and maintenance.
Note: The cost of the camper used in this analysis is an average net new purchase price of campers in our size range. If you choose a smaller camper, a used camper or the Vanlife route, your RV ownership costs will vary.
Using the models below, you can easily replace the numbers with your own experiences and camper costs. To request a copy of this spreadsheet analysis via email: sheensnaturephotography@gmail.com and I’ll send you the spreadsheet.
Cost Comparison with RV Purchase Cost Factored In | # of days | RV | RV Cost Per Day | # of days | Traditional Travel Costs | Cost per Day |
| RV Ownership costs (annual)** | 77 | $9600 | $125 | |||
| RV Memberships | 77 | $132 | $2 | |||
| Average Cost Per Night/RV* (Harvest Host locations, KOA, Dispersed | 77 | $2310 | $30 | |||
| Meals | 77 | $1540 | $20 | 14 | $1400 | $100 |
| Gas/Car Costs/miles | 77 | $1830 | $24 | 3 | $300 | $100 |
| Rental Cars | 7 | $385 | $55 | |||
| Airfare (one time – per family) | 7 | $900 | $129 | |||
| Average Cost Per Night Hotel | 14 | $2521 | $180 | |||
| Totals/cost per day | $15412 | $200 | $5506 | $564 |
**RV ownership: $9600 per year
| Category | One time Cost | Annualized Costs |
| RV/Camper Purchase (for example only) | 38,000 (see right for cost per year) | 7600 |
| Camper insurance | 400 | |
| Winter Storage | 600 | |
| Annual maintenance | 1000 | |
| Total Annual Cost | $9600 |
RV travel memberships: $132 maximum annually
When traveling, we camp in dispersed camping, Harvest Hosts, KOAs and state/local campgrounds. Part of our travel costs includes travel memberships. Harvest Hosts is $99.00 per year and KOA $33.00 per year (until you reach a threshold, then there’s no fee).
3) Surprises
As with any large decision, the pros and cons are carefully considered. However, we knew there were good and not so good things out there too.
We discovered many wonderful surprises including:
- More home-camper cooked meals that are simply easy and delicious.
- Bird photography right outside our camper window.
- Down time for just sitting quietly in nature since we’re not in a rush.
- More time in a given location for exploring.
- Ability to just “go” at the drop of a hat.
- Back to fun basics – playing a game of cards at the dining table, more talking time.
- We meet really amazing new friends.
- Camping set up and travel is so much easier and smoother with time.
- We are finding richer experiences in the people and places we see – the frame of mind is more relaxed and friendly.
- We get more exercise throughout the day.
Our challenges included:
- Learning curve of owning an RV. We’re sharing and adding more how-to’s on my YouTube channel.
- Driving skills – backing up, parking, navigating tight spaces – for a quick video on learning how to backup a trailer: Backing Up the Trailer with 3 Easy Steps.
- Figuring out how to live in a small space.
- Not taking yourself to seriously – things will happen – traffic jams, bad weather, little maintenance issues.
A question we hear often is do you miss the convenience of flying? Sure, sometimes. However, the fun of unique sights, experiences and finds along the way make each travel day an adventure.
