Financial Question Pertaining To Road Trip (Budget, mileage, cheaper, scenic route)

[royhinkley]

I am going on a road trip that starts in Wisconsin and takes me through, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, up through California, Oregon, Washington, Northern Idaho and ending in Northwestern Montana. I am purchasing a smaller motorhome for my journey. I will also be stopping at several National Parks along the way in the states before mentioned for sightseeing and camping. I will be buying an annual park pass, much cheaper that way. And who knows where else I'll end up along the way, not really set to a specific plan or schedule. My question is, how much money do you think I need? The only planned expenses will be gas and food. I am buying most food at grocery stores to save money, just buying simple things to make sandwiches and things like that. I know this is a tough question for an outside source to answer but hopefully you can give me your best opinion. I am thinking $10,000 will be sufficient. Thanks for you help!

[Threestep]

Run a rough mileage calculator for ESTIMATED gas cost. Surprised?

[royhinkley]

i cant because i have yet to purchase the motorhome.

[stoymonkey]

How long will you do it for? Unless it's for over a year, i would think $10k is plenty!

[royhinkley]

Really? Thats reassuring. I will not even be out traveling for more than a month or two, so $10,000 should be plenty hey?

[sskkc]

It depends on what you are planning to do during that month... hike in trails and eat cheaply? Do you plan on visiting theme parks, are you traveling alone, do you plan on buying souvenirs?

$10k can be way more than you need, or way less - you haven't really set enough parameters for anyone to give you a flat out "yes" or "no".

[royhinkley]

i plan on visiting many national parks. but i am buying a national park pass to save money on entrance fees. will be doing mainly hiking and driving scenic routes while in the park. not concerned with souveniers. i will be traveling alone. well, actually my dog will be coming with me. i will be eating cheaply, going to buy food at grocery stores to save money on eating out. obviously i will be eating out some, but not much. pretty much just living on the cheap.

[stoymonkey]

one month with 10k is about $330 a day. a parks pass is only $80. i think you'll be fine. you just need to calculate for gas. that will be your biggest expense. unless the 10k involves a rental?

[royhinkley]

no, i will be purchasing a motor home. thanks for the response.

[kodaka]

Assuming you are buying a Class C motorhome, (because it is just you and the dog, and height/length restrictions in some parks would prevent you from entering with anything larger) you are looking at about 12 MPG.

A straight, efficient route through those states would probably be about 5,000 miles (1,500 from Milwaukee to SLC alone) miles but lets say it is 7,000 miles because you are meandering and enjoying yourself.

7,000 miles/12MPG = 333 gallons of gas. Assuming 2.75/gallon for gas, that's around $1,600 for fuel. Maybe $2,000 with tax.

$8,000 for everything else may seem like a lot, but how long will you be travelling for? six months? That equates to $40/day. Even eating at home will cost some money. Say, $3 for breakfast, $7 for lunch, and $12 for dinner. That would be for somewhat healthy home-cooked meals. That leaves you with a remaining $20/day for everything else--meals out, books to read, maps, admissions that aren't included in the park pass, toiletries, laundry, catching a movie now and then, replacing worn-out clothes, etc. Some days you could live well under that $40/day budget, but I would imagine other days you could spend well over that. It might all balance out, but I don't think it is a luxurious budget.

And you've got to consider vehicle maintenance. You'll need oil, lube and filter changes, obviously, but it would be a good idea to have money set aside for other things like new windshield wipers, possibly brake pads (especially with all that mountain driving), tire rotation, etc. I have no idea what these things cost for a motor home but I presume it will be much more than a regular car.