Motorhoming "on the cheap"

[American Dream]

Yes it can be done, as long as you have the technical expertise or backup to help you.:thumb:

There is the expertise on this forum....The rest is up to you.

So...Dive on in and see if the lifestyle is for you.

You never know...you just MIGHT like it.:thumb:

 

[haganap]

well we motorhome on teh cheap, however it still gettingmore and more expensive.
this year though I woul of had 9 holidays. Five of those were short term meets for a couple of nights. 1 week in the north west of scotland, and a skiing trio to the alps. we are off to france for a few weeks in 33 days. then followed by two more meets and a Chritmas holiday skiing.
All that time away for the same price as a two week holiday in disney.

it not a hobby its become a lifestyle.:thumb:

 

[American Dream]

well we motorhome on teh cheap, however it still gettingmore and more expensive.
this year though I woul of had 9 holidays. Five of those were short term meets for a couple of nights. 1 week in the north west of scotland, and a skiing trio to the alps. we are off to france for a few weeks in 33 days. then followed by two more meets and a Chritmas holiday skiing.
All that time away for the same price as a two week holiday in disney.

it not a hobby its become a lifestyle.:thumb:

Hi Haganap,

I think,In this day and age, we are all after a better way of life.

If we can achieve this more easily it results in a happier family.:thumb:

We should be encouraging more people to join,at whatever level, and have fun.

I, for one,am overjoyed I took up Motorhoming as a Hobby, and the plus points are, I can take the family away to meet the relations or for a cheap weekend break.:Cool:

 

[Wildman]

There is no shame in holidaying on the cheap with a motorhome you don't sacrifice anything to make that saving, all levels work from a pony cart with a bender to a luxurious ARV. All are enjoyable and one form or other is affordable by everyone, can't get any cheaper than a pushbike and sleepingbag. so all you wannabes out there, go for it.

 

[TJ-RV]

If you can't afford the campground, stay home.

I've managed an RV forum for 15+ years, and I just have to wonder why folks buy a motorhome, or any kind of RV, and expect to stay somewhere on the cheap.

A clue - staying home isn't free.

We just had a friend dock her boat at our house (on the water) for a month. We wouldn't think of charging her, but our utility bills doubled for that month. I was concerned about our insurance coverage (in case her boat burned to the water line and took our dock with it), so I proactively increased our homeowners insurance. It wasn't cheap. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to extrapolate this stuff to RV parking on someone else's property.

At the end of the day, someone has to pay, and I don't understand why folks think it should be someone else. If you can't afford it, stay home and sell the darned thing!

We have many forum members who belong to the "stay free at WalMart" mentality. One of our forum members, a singer/songwriter, picked up on my distain for these folks and wrote a hillarious song called Waltzing Through WalMart, featured on his web site. I hasten to add that I have no affiliation with this web site, nor do I benefit finacially from mentioning it. But Cliff is a great guy, and he's very talented. I own several of his CDs.

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[TJ-RV]

I've previously asked the admins here to extend the archaic 30 minutes time limit for editing posts before receiving the dreaded message:

The administrator has specified that you can only edit messages for 30 minutes after you have posted. This limit has expired, so you must contact the administrator to make alterations on your message.

I've provided a rationale for extending the time limit several times, but my pleas seem to have fallen on deaf ears. As we say in the US, what a way to run a railroad.

 

[TJ-RV]

Attached are a few photos of our friend and her boat, docked at our house, leaving, then topping off at our local marina with 300 US gallons (1,135 liters) of diesel, before pumping out the waste tank. My other half, and captain of our boat, looks on and gives some advice.

 

[TinaGlenn]

I think TJ you have missed the point, being that you can have lots of breaks in a motorhome or RV for the cost of one holiday per year to some high priced resort or a hotel.
No one has said anything about getting something for nothing, although there are some places to wild camp in the UK most people use sites. We don't tend to have the same kind of wallmart mentality over here mainly because the supermarkets don't allow it in most places.

A motorhome or RV gives you the freedom to move on and explore so many places, staying in the most basic of sites that are no more than a field with a hose and drain. CLs and CS' again a very cheap way to enjoy our hobby.

Some people self build their motorhomes to keep the costs down, starting with a basic van and then as funds allow adding more to fully customise it. We have friends in the process of converting a coach, not an easy job but very fullfilling for them. So far a very basic kitchen and bedroom is all that is in there, but it means they can get away and enjoy the one thing we all have in common, a life on wheels.

We have had friends park up on our property and supplied hook up and water and waste disposal, as far as we are concerned if they were staying in the house we would still expect there to be an increase in our bills.
Chill out and if you can't afford to have friends stay without getting bitter, let them stay at your local marina.

Tina

 

[Wildman]

If you can't afford the campground, stay home.

.

Typical rich mentality, we are all entitled to enjoy life irrespective of our financial status. Over a period of 30 plus years with a motorhome I have never stayed on a campsite with it. Nor do I park at walmart or UK equivelent. I wildcamp. This is supposed to be a fun site I find such posts out of keeping. However since you can obviously afford it I will in future stay on a 5 star site and send you the bill

 

[American Dream]

Hi Tom,

I don't think you've grasped the point.

Some people just cannot afford to go out and buy a Brand new van; I know I certainly can't justify it at the moment; or would rather "sample" the lifestyle first and see if it was for them.Others integrate their hobby with leisure pursuits.

No different than the property market in that respect.

Without the "First-timers" the whole recreational pursuit and van sales could dry up.

There will always be a market for the older vans, even though there are pitfalls involved in going that way.

I was just stating that there are always people who have "been there and done it" and are happy to assist.:thumb:

Sure I saw loads of older RV's travelling the roads over there just recently.Possibly future customers, should they choose to upgrade.:thumb:

Seen the K-Marters too.Can't see the likes of Tesco etc allowing that.

Too Staid and regimental over here.oh:

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[lady jann]

hi tina glen , good morning what you say is what part of motor home fun!!! is about also it helps teach the kids values ,long may it continue :thumb::thumb:






for ever young , jann...:thumb:

 

[ourcampersbeentrashed]

We motorhome on the cheap !!! and are proud of it.

We do it because most hotels wont take pets and we cant afford hotel holidays anyway.

WITHOUT without our little 4-5 berth and OLD motorhome we wouldnt have any holidays or short breaks.

Where we stay in summer costs us about £20 per night thats for all of us and they charge a little extra for the dog. The same place charges £745 for a 4 berth static for a week at the end of July and thats self catering accommodation no pets allowed.

Surely we are the sensible ones, why pay more when you can pay less.

I am sure many people have experienced staying in a hotel that has been unsatisfactory, but had no choice, especially on those holidays abroad. With a motorhome you just unplug and go somewhere else without losing a fortune.

And by the way, we do get something for nothing, we get the freedom to come and go as we please, the freedom to be able to easily extend a stay during peak periods, or to change venues and of course, the freedom to roam the country at will without wondering whether overnight accommodation is available if we decide to stop somewhere overnight.

 

[TJ-RV]

Mea culpa!

I guess I misread it, or at least misinterpreted it. I thought it was talking about avoiding paying campground fees. So, please ignore my responses above in the context of this thread.

We've been RVing for over 20 years, and my parents dragged their caravan around the UK for more years than I can remember before that. I travelled the world for a living, and I can assure you I have no desire to get on another plane or stay at another hotel. In fact, when we visit our daughter's place in the Sierra Foothills, she doesn't have any guest bedrooms, so we stay in her 5th wheel trailer (parked at the side of the house) rather than stay at a motel.

Oh, our prior motorhome was 15 years old when we decided to trade it, so we're definitely not averse to "old" RVs.

I'll go hide under a rock.