Posted on 08/03/2024 5:25:43 AM PDT by where's_the_Outrage?
Business Insider's Monica Humphries spent two weeks traveling around America's west in a camper van. Around every corner, she discovered hidden costs like paying for showers and eating out.
Before embarking on a two-week van trip, Monica Humpries had romanticized the lifestyle.
She pictured waking up in breathtaking places, spending weekends isolated in nature, and seeking out spontaneous adventures.
She also pictured a full bank account. Humphries naively assumed that once you had your van and shed unnecessary possessions and the burden of monthly rent, there wouldn't be many other costs to consider.
So when she picked up her rental van from Native Campervans, she figured she wouldn't have many more expenses for the next two weeks aside from the rental itself and gas.
While Humphries found ways to save money on the road, some costs were unavoidable, and she saw how small charges could quickly add up if she ever decided to live in a van full time.
(Excerpt) Read more at digg.com ...
My daughter wants me to take her camping, but I had enough camping (AKA, Practicing to be miserable) in the military.
But I looked into renting an RV, one I could pull with my truck, that was at least $100 a day. As per this article there are camp costs. I'll just stay at a hotel which includes a shower and usually provides breakfast.
To make it cheaper, you have to do a lot of Walmart parking lots and side of the roads.
And bedbugs.
Here, Business Insider (very Leftist publication) trying to paint a picture of high costs for the “unhoused” and illegals to build sympathy for more government housing projects.
Did she live in a van down by the river?
We found it cost effective to rent an RV when we had our third child because the hotels wanted to charge us for an extra room when more than 4 in a room.
Traveling was done before the cell phone so having a TV with VCR was good to keep kids busy.
On our trip to Disney from CT we found that my wife and I could take turns driving through the night so that our kids were asleep and we would find places like a beach or park when they woke to spend the day.
If needed, Truck stops were a great place to park and sleep.
The biggest hassle was finding dump stations along the way.
Did she live in it “down by the river?”
I get the feeling that she wanted to live like a poor person. But wanted it to be romantic, and fun, and cheap and easy. But it wasn’t as awesome as she had hoped.
To Van tripper...Let’a be real...you knew all this before you hit the road.
[And bedbugs.]
Showers and eating are such bourgeois affectations. :)
Yep, good point. Also, we used to camp and never ate out unless it was for a special occasion, or we got tired of cooking. Got clean by doing “standing baths” (wash body and hair after getting wet, not running water whi,e doing so, then showering off the soap and shampoo- cut way down o. Water usage.)
I lived for 6 weeks in a suburban vehicle as i drove across the USA, but do admit it was dangerous doing so, stopping on side roads near lakes and rivers- (stopped in one area where the cicadas where chirping a d had to move- too loud to sleep lol) I did eat out, but could have taken along a cook stove and cooked meals if I had wanted to.
Anyways, it can be done on the cheap- but it is risky depending on where you are.
To make it cheaper, you have to do a lot of Walmart parking lots and side of the roads.
Hubby and I have done both. Once, we were running late to our destination due to heavy road construction delays. By the time we arrived at the State Park, the gate was locked. We drove down the road and found a pull-off that led to a dirt parking area by the river. Best night of sleep I’d had in a while with the sounds of the river rushing by while everything else was silent.
We like to take off late in the evening and drive during the night. Eventually we get tired and need to pull over for a couple hours sleep. Walmart parking lots work great for those short stops. Most of the time a police car will be parked there so it gives a bit of security as well. Wal-marts are fine with overnight parking by RVs as long as you aren’t creating a disturbance or dumping your trash in their parking lots.
We pack our fridge with food from home so aren’t stopping at restaurants. The one eating out expense we usually have is if we are heading to the beach. We splurge once at a seafood place but then have leftovers that feed us the following day.
We normally stay at state parks and the camping fee is minimal so we save money on accommodations. And our site-seeing is creations of nature or historical sites and those costs are usually free or only a few bucks. Our biggest expense is gasoline.
I read about 10 paragraphs to come to the conclusion that this lady is mildly retarded. I don’t feel like cooking an egg so I’ll go to the coffee shop and spend $15 and complain about how much it costs to camp out. I lived in a camper for a few months after a divorce. RV park $450 a month for everything (including decent wifi). Cooked on grill and induction hot plate. Used electric heater (pro tip: when in campground do not use your own gas). Heck, even the payment on the camper (32 foot, nicely equipped) was only $200 a month. I’ve got to admit, it was pretty low stress living.
“Showers and eating are such bourgeois affectations.”
White privilege.
It is obvious that she does not know what she is doing. First, she should have rented a camper with a shower. Second, her style is eating out, rent camper with stove. Third, out west, plenty of BLM’s and other places to stay free or cheap.
I do a lot of driving and have often been tempted to buy an RV, but can’t get past the plumbing responsibility. Fill this, empty that. No convenience outweighs having to connect to a sewer on a regular basis. With my tiny hands. :(
It is absolutely priceless and memorable, but it is not for the spoiled and self pampered. You can’t expect to shower every day and have to take sponge baths in between. The Europeans have a trick... They land on the west coast and buy a van or RV then use it across the states camping then they sell it on the east coast. They usually make a profit because rust free west coast vehicles are highly sought after on the east coast which pays for a lot of their expenses.
“My daughter wants me to take her camping, but I had enough camping (AKA, Practicing to be miserable) in the military.”
Hotels are not camping? Is she trying to bring back old memories for you? lol
“It is obvious that she does not know what she is doing”
My 1st thought as well. I could mitigate many of the so called “issues” she encountered just by a little pre-planning.
Like you said, paying up front for more onboard amenities would more than likely pay for themselves down the road (so to speak).
I’m guessing she’s a city snowflake with little or no camping experience whatsoever.
I know people who do save money living in their RV. They sold their home, paid off the RV and traveled around the country. They did international trips and cruises parking their RV at their daughter’s house. Did they save some massive amount of money, no. They did this for nearly ten years and loved the life style. If in Cali you cannot afford rent, buy a van and live in it, that will not be cheap.
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