We recently spent 46 days on the road with our travel trailer. It was NOT cheap! Sometimes, I wondered if it was easier and maybe even cheaper to just stay in hotels. I kept very good records for the first 17 days. The trends continued after the 17 days, so I feel the data is valid and would show the same findings for all 46 days.

Here’s what I found:

1. There are considerable savings in the cost of RV Parks over hotels. For 17 days of our trip, we went on Priceline and found an acceptable hotel in the immediate area that we would stay at with an 8+ rating and clean. We didn’t choose luxury or budget hotels, but moderate hotels we would normally stay at. We kept a record of our findings in my phone notes. I copied and pasted them here:

1 night North Sioux Falls, SD hotel- $120

We paid $90

Hotel 4 nights Keystone, SD = $746.96

We paid $235 

2 nights Cody, WY $551

We paid $130

3 nights West Yellowstone -$1161.00

We paid $513

2 nights in Glacier Hotel – $680

we paid $178

1 night Rigby, Idaho- Hotel – $177

We paid $52

2 nights at Bryce Canyon, Utah – Hotel – $456

We paid $110

2 nights in Zion- Holiday inn – $293.96

We paid- $109

The hotels for 17 nights would have been $4,185.92 which was an average of $246.23 a night.

The RV Parks for 17 nights were $1,417.00 which was an average of $83.35 a night or approximately 1/3 of the hotel costs. This was a savings of $2768.92.

2. The price of gas is considerably more expensive when pulling a trailer. We averaged about 8.5 miles per gallon in our 2021 Chevy Silverado pulling our 39 foot travel trailer. If we had been staying in hotels, we would have taken our 2018 Chrysler Pacifica which would have averaged about 25 miles per gallon. So, we paid approximately 2/3 more in gas prices. In 17 days we drove approximately 3,695 miles.

At 8.5 miles per gallon and an average of 3.25 per gallon, we paid $1,413.04 in gas for our truck.

In our minivan, at 25 miles per gallon, the cost would have been $480.35. This would have saved us $932.79.

3. Food is considerably less expensive while camping. We were able to grocery shop about every 3-4 days, and we cooked almost all of our meals in the camper. For the first 17 days, we spent $649.54 on groceries and toiletries. This meant we were able to eat and buy everything we needed for $38.21 a day. In a hotel, you often get free breakfast, and could eat sandwiches for lunch, but eating dinner out – even fast food- adds up quickly. I’ve estimated that not being able to cook all of our meals would have cost us about $70 a day (assuming you ate free breakfasts at every hotel.)

Meals in hotels for 17 days- $1,120

Meals in the camper for 17 days- $649. This is a savings of $471.00 with camping. (I believe this is a conservative estimate.)

Putting these 3 things together – accommodations, gas, and food- is a total savings of $2,307, or $135.71 per day with RV travel over hotel stay roadtrips.

With the numbers staying consistent over the 46 days, at a savings of $135.71 per day, this would be a total savings of $6,241.47 over the 46 days.

Obviously, there is the cost of the RV. It’s hard to determine how much to deduct as our travel trailer should last us for many years, and it’s an asset that could be sold too. We are currently paying $379 a month, so I should at least deduct 2 months of payments from our 46 days, which would still make our savings $5,483.👍

So — YES! RV travel is cheaper than staying in hotels! 😁

AND … besides the monetary savings there are SO many other things that make RV travel better:

1. It’s easy to pull over and use your own bathroom when traveling.
2. It’s easy to pull over and make a snack or meal when traveling.
3. You always get to sleep in your own bed.
4. You don’t have to pack up luggage and move in and out of hotels.
5. You have the most amazing scenery right out your window.
6. Campfires!🏕️🔥
7. We have La-Z-y boy recliners to unwind in.
8. You can pack a lot more than if you just have your car.
9. You can bring your pets!!

So, while resorts and hotel stays have their place, if you want an extended roadtrip then camping is the way to go!😁

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