vmoreno86

Hi!

I am planning a really crazy trip for this summer. The idea is to go to USA for a month and driving around there by motorhome, to visit the most important places.

Dates: 20/06 - 19/07
Arrival & departure city: San Diego

The problem is I need at least 2 people to make it posible.

After checking a lot of forums and webpages, I have gotten the following estimation of expenses (per person for a month, flight to San Diego not included):

Motorhome: 1.000$
Gas: (see screenshot)
- Max. price: 3,890$/3,7L
- AVG price: 3,235$/3,7L
- Liters: 1514,52 L
- Estimated total Cost (max): 227$
- Estimated total Cost (avg): 189$
Food: 400$ (see screenshot)
Expenses (souvenirs...): 600$
---------------------------------------
Total (dollar): 2.227$
Total (euro): 1.619€

The schedule could be the next one (but it is totally flexible, due to the fact that we will travel by motorhome!):

20/06 - Arrival San Diego
21/06 - San Diego
22/06 - San Diego
23/06 - San Diego -> Las Vegas
24/06 - Las Vegas
25/06 - Las Vegas -> Albuquerque (on the way to Orlando)
26/06 - Albuquerque -> Dallas (on the way to Orlando)
27/06 - Dallas -> Orlando (on the way to Orlando)
28/06 - Orlando
29/06 - Orlando -> Miami
30/06 - Miami
01/07 - Miami
02/07 - Miami
03/07 - Miami
04/07 - Miami -> Washington D.C.
05/07 - Washington D.C.
06/07 - Washington D.C -> New York
07/07 - New York
08/07 - New York
09/07 - New York -> Chicago
10/07 - Chicago
11/07 - Chicago -> Minneapolis (on the way to Yellowstone)
12/07 - Minneapolis -> Yellowstone National Park
13/07 - Yellowstone -> San Francisco
14/07 - San Francisco
15/07 - San Francisco -> Los Angeles
16/07 - Los Angeles
17/07 - Los Angeles -> San Diego.

I need at least 2 people more. 4 would be great because it would be cheaper. Max: 6 people.

Please, tell me if you are interested in it!

thursdaysd

This is a crazy itinerary.

1. Have you looked at drive times?

2. An RV is great for visiting places like the national parks in the south west. An RV is lousy for visiting cities. Where are you going? All cities. You would be better off revising this itinerary and using Amtrak and Greyhound if you can't afford planes.

For instance, a quick check for RV parks turns up this:

"From KOAs to family-operated RV parks, there are many RV parks to choose from in the New York City area, <b>most within an hour's drive from the city</b>. "

My emphasis. So, you're going to drive the RV into NYC? Good luck with parking. Without an RV you can stay IN the city in a hostel, probably not a lot of difference in cost compared to the fees for an RV park.

Also, you will get more help if you post on the US board, and probably you will find more takers on Lonely Planet's thorntree.

thursdaysd

Also, WHY are you driving clear across the country, twice, thousands of miles, AND NOT STOPPING ON THE WAY? (Aside from ONE NP.)

I can make a good case that the best parts of the US are the scenery, not the cities.

The California coast. The Rockies. The National Parks in Utah and Arizona and Colorado - you have heard of the Grand Canyon? The Great Lakes and Niagara. New England's coast. The Appalachians. The Everglades and the Keys. And those are just the most obvious.

But if you want cities, if I were doing this trip I would do this:

Fly into San Diego. Rent a car and drive up to San Francisco, stopping off along the way to enjoy the coast.

Take the train to Chicago, where you don't need a car.

Take the train to New York City, where you don't need or want a car.

Take the train to Washington, ditto.

Take the train to Miami and rent another car. Fly home from Miami (look for a multi-city flight).

Of course, like the RV, this all assumes you're old enough to drive in the US.

To save money on accommodation, aside from hostels try couchsurfing. Maybe airbnb but it can be pricey in cities.

sparkchaser

The RV seems to me to be a waste of money. Sure you don't have to pay for a hotel but you have to gas up the beast.

I can think of few hells worse than a cross-country trip with a person you never met and end up not getting along with.

dulciusexasperis

"The idea is to go to USA for a month and driving around there by motorhome, to visit the most important places."

Very amusing. I didn't know you could visit the 'most important places' in the USA in a month and that they were the places you list.

Vmoreno, your idea sucks. Basically for the reasons thursdaysd and sparkchaser give.

How you came up with that list of places I have no idea but driving an RV on that route makes no sense whatsover.

Nelson

<i>> I am planning a really crazy trip for this summer.</i>

You can say that again.
As already noted you need to rethink your plans. We are trying to be helpful.

As an example:
<i>12/07 - Minneapolis -> Yellowstone National Park
13/07 - Yellowstone -> San Francisco</i>

Drive time MN -> Yellowstone is 14 hours, if all goes well
Drive time Yellowstone -> SF is also 14 hours, if all goes well.

I presume you plan to sleep, eat, poop, and gas up the RV. Let's say 8 hours per day for all that, which is probably too low. We have now used up 20 hours each of those two days. I leave you to do the rest of the math.

Rethink your plan. Spend the entire month in just a couple of western states or somewhere on the east coast, but don't drive across the country twice.

sparkchaser

OP, your math sucks.

You said:

<i>Gas: (see screenshot)
- Max. price: 3,890$/3,7L
- AVG price: 3,235$/3,7L
- Liters: 1514,52 L
- Estimated total Cost (max): 227$
- Estimated total Cost (avg): 189$</i>

Estimated max cost would be $1592
Estimated avg cost would be $1324


Your route, taken a straight shot with no deviation from interstates (BORING) is around 7950 miles. Your 1514.52 liters is 400 gallons. It's ludicrous to expect 19.875 miles per gallon for an RV. I'd expect 6-15mpg, depending on your driving style. Mountains and driving fast are your enemies.

Double your fuel budget then plan to spend more than that.

Bamaman

Most of the RV's like El Monte rents are cheap Class C units with V-8 gas engines. They're 7-8 mpg units.

So you'd be pushing $4K in gasoline alone on such a trip.

Suggestion: Look to the cities service by budget air carriers and fly between them. You can rent a car when you get there.

thursdaysd

sparkchaser - I thought the OP's post assumed that s/he was splitting the cost - that was his share, not the total. (Presumably the total is why s/he's advertising for people to join.) But you're right - that would require seven people. And you're certainly right about the probable mileage!

I was also wondering about the $400 for food (and presumably drink) for a month.

sparkchaser

I forgot to comment on $400/month for food.

Doable if your idea of fine dining is the McDonalds dollar menu.


I considered a share, looked at the number of people required and still came to the conclusion that OP can't math.

OkieLady

Sorry to burst your bubble - I am a solo rver and have been numerous places with other solo rvers. I have also taken three road trips in an RV with someone. Not advisable in small living quarters unless you've been married for years and can ignore their bad habits. Have to agree with above post regarding travel in cities. You cannot take them just anywhere. Most people with a motorhome tow a car.

suze

There's a number of reasons your plan simply doesn't work.

An RV makes no sense for putting on that many miles in such a short time. Your driving distances are not do-able in many cases like driving from Texas to Florida in a day. I won't even get into traveling with up to 5 strangers in a motorhome!

NewbE

Well, he did say it's a really crazy trip, and so it is. Bottom line, it's best to rent a vehicle, and not necessarily an RV, for shortish periods of time in certain areas, and to fly the longer distances to cities where a car will be unnecessary. If you redo your itinerary with that basic idea in mind, and a map in hand, it should go better. Granted, it will be harder to share expenses that way, but perhaps you can't have everything.

sparkchaser

One way car rentals tend to be very, very expensive.

janisj

This either a troll or someone off their meds.

One example . . . >>13/07 - Yellowstone -> San Francisco<<

Do you realize this is an 18 hour drive IN A CAR . . . W/o any stops??? In an RV it would be a three day drive at minimum.

suze

Maybe just someone "planning" without a map?

Hobbert

Drive time from Miami to DC is 16 hours and that's rolling with 2 drivers and minimal breaks. Not gonna happen in an RV.

Also, 6 strangers in an RV for a month sounds horrific.

Ozarksbill

Noting your intended RV trip and also your GCT query. We did RV travel many years and then sold our trailer. Comments: you are going to be travel weary covering so much territory, you are listing big cities instead of nat'l & st. parks for RVers, yes you are biting off too much.

We have been on 8 Grand Circle trips both cruise & land with high recommendations. All great experiences, in fact trip planned to Spain & Portugal Oct. 6...might be an opening still.
Bill in Boston

thursdaysd

What GCT query? This is the OP's only thread and he hasn't responded here. I can't imagine that someone posting this thread (assuming he's not a troll) would have the slightest interest in a GCT trip. You certainly couldn't get me on one even if you paid me.

sparkchaser

OP is never coming back. He has a bridge to wait under.