"Savecations" is the current buzzword for low-cost vacations, and the RV industry is playing it up big. Industry organizations are emphasizing that families can enjoy RV camping vacations at a considerable discount over fly/drive hotel trips.
With an RV, families can organize their own discount vacation package suited exactly to their own needs, interests, and budget and all at a lower cost than alternative travel vacations.
RV Vacation Cost Analysis
GoRVing, an industry consortium of RV manufacturers, RV dealers, and RV resorts, has launched a 2009 ad campaign with headlines like
- “Collect something other than baggage fees and hotel bills. Memories perhaps.”
- “Withdraw from civilization, not your savings account.”
- “Journey to the ends of the earth without spending your means.”
- “You don’t have to spend money like a jet-setter to enjoy the wildlife.”
The campaign emphasizes the low-cost vacation travel available through RVing. Whether a family owns or rents, savings lead to "savecations".
“RV travel continues to appeal to people looking to save money and cut costs,” says Richard Coon, president of The Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) in a media release dated March 26, 2009. “By having their homes-on-wheels with them, RV owners receive a bigger bang for their buck than other types of vacations offer.” The RVIA manages the campaign for the GoRVing Coalition.
The RVIA commissioned a 2008 Vacation Cost Comparison study by PKF Consulting. The study found that
- Family RV vacations cost 27-61% less than other vacations, even with ownership and fuel costs taken into consideration. The variation depends on the type of trip and type of RV used
- Even Class A diesel motorhome vacations were less expensive than air/hotel vacations
- Fuel prices would need to more than double from their current level to make RVing more expensive for a family of four than other forms of travel,
- RV trips remain the most affordable way for a family to travel because of the significant savings on air, hotel and restaurant costs, which continue to rise.
"The RV vacations were more economical than the other vacations analyzed, regardless of trip duration, trip distance, or region of the country where the vacation takes place," according to PFK. The study did not include cruise vacations.
RV Markets in Canada
North of the 49th parallel, “It has not been this easy for Canadians to get into a new RV for a long time,” GoRVing spokesperson Alana Fontaine states in a media release issued February 5, 2009, “and on top of the decrease in prices for RVs themselves, gas prices have been more than cut in half in the past year, so operational costs for RVs are also lower than they have been in years.”
Since the credit crunch has not hit so hard in Canada, historically low prices further add to the affordability of the RV lifestyle making the purchase of a new RV an attractive possibility for Canadian families.
Budget Vacation Tips
Online surveys of RV owners conducted by RVIA and Zarca Interactive found that more than three-fourths of RV owners said that even with higher fuel prices, their RV vacations cost less than other forms of vacation.
Owners still plan to travel in their RVs, but many are adjusting to economic conditions by changing their travel patterns. The survey found three favorite methods of reducing RV vacation costs:
- traveling to destinations closer to home (58% of respondents)
- driving fewer miles between stops (35%)
- staying longer in one place (34%)
Despite fluctuating fuel prices and a rocky economy, RV travel is a great value for discount family vacations. Take an RV, have a fun vacation, see the country, save a bundle.
Thomas Alan Gray - Tom has been writing for over 30 years; curiosity leads him to dig into a wide variety of topics.
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