Having a travel trailer can be an incredible way to explore the country and make lifelong memories. However, it also comes with costs, responsibilities, and challenges that many first-time buyers don’t consider. I’ll walk you through 12 key questions that will help you decide if RV ownership is the right move for you.

It should give you a realistic look at what this lifestyle really takes.

#1 How comfortable are you with the additional cost of RVing?

An in dependent inspection will cost at least $500.00. A WDH can be anywhere from a couple hundred to over a thousand dollars depending on what you choose. Then there are all the necessary things you will need to buy just to be able to use your travel trailer. You will need a sewer hose, freshwater hose, chemicals for your black tank, an EMS surge protector, water pressure regulator, leveling blocks, and on and on. Amazon prime will become your best friend.

Next, you will need to pay the following:

Also, remember stopping a travel trailer is just as important as pulling one.

Towing is more that moving along a level plane, or having the ability to make wide turns, you might even get into a situation where you need to back up. Tail swing is an important consideration, in particular at gas stations. As you turn, the tail of your travel trailer moves one foot in the opposite direction for every three feet you drive forward.  Towing is not as easy as some make it look so get ready to practice.

#3 How comfortable are you Setting up a hitch?

A weight distribution hitch distributes the weight of the trailer across the vehicles. A properly adjusted WDH will prevent your trailer from swinging wildly while going down the highway.  It’s not a nice to have, it is a must have. You are responsible to make sure you don’t turn another motorist’s travels into a nightmare. I’ve never found a dealership yet, that sets them up to my satisfaction.   So, I always do my own.

#4 How comfortable are you Setting up a travel trailer?

      You will need to back it up into your campsite because not every site is a pull-through. In addition you will need to level it side to side and back to front. The leveling needs to be done before you put your slides out. You need to be able to safely chock your wheels and disconnect from the tow vehicle. Then you will need to hook up your power and water, etc. I recommend hooking up your power right after you level the trailer so you have enough power to move the slides. As you can see, setting up isn’t as simple as pulling into a site and climbing into the travel trailer. However, back in the 90’s when we had trailers without slides, it almost was that easy.

#5 How comfortable are you with General Maintenance?

Be prepared because things are going to break. It might be something easy to fix like wall trim, or something more complicated.

Roof and seals need to be inspected often and maintained.

Water lines and water heaters need to be drained after each trip

AC’s inspected, cleaned, and tightened

Wheel bearings need to be inspected and repacked yearly.

Plumbing needs to be checked regularly for leaks

Brakes need to be adjusted if you don’t have self adjusting brakes. All brakes should be inspected when you do your bearings.

#6 How comfortable are you Dealing with sewage and grey water?

If you’re not willing to deal with this, it’s not a lifestyle for you.  It’s not a pleasant chore. Youve heard the expression “S&*t happens!”, yeah it does. You will need to understand the correct process for dumping your black and grey tanks. Double check all your fittings before you pull the dump levers otherwise you will be the neighbors entertainment, and you might need to throw your shoes away.

#7 How comfortable are you Dealing with Propane systems?

Run out of propane once on a cold night, and you’ll quickly understand why staying on top of it matters. Beyond that, you need to know how the propane regulator works, how to disconnect and reconnect your tanks, and how to check for leaks. Leaks can also happen inside the trailer. If the propane alarm goes off, get out immediately and shut off the tanks. Then you—or a technician—must figure out what’s causing the problem.

#8 How comfortable are you Dealing with two different types of electricity.

A travel trailer uses both AC power (like your house) and DC power (like your car). Shore power supplies the AC electricity from a campground pedestal or a generator. Your RV battery supplies DC power, and the converter charges it—think of the converter as a large battery charger. Converters do fail; I’m on my third one in eight years, so it’s something to keep in mind.

Sometimes an appliance will use both types of electricity.

Without the AC, you’re not going to be running your AC, TV, Microwave, Fireplace, or residential fridge. Without DC, you’ll be without your lights, furnace, water pump, water heater, standard RV fridge.

#9 How comfortable are you Dealing with RV systems/appliances.

All of these systems need to be maintained – even more so than your home systems. Clean the AC filters about once a week while you’re using the trailer, and clean the AC coils annually.

There are no filters on the furnace, so you need to vacuum that area regularly. It won’t take much dog fur or dust bunnies to interfere with the sale switch, then your furnace wont run.

Drain your water heater and water lines after each trip, and flush out the water heater as well. If the water heater has an anode rod, you will need to inspect it regularly and replace it as needed.

#10 How comfortable are you Dealing with heights?

You need to clean and inspect the roof, window seals, cap seals, and sidewall seals. If you’re not comfortable working on the RV roof or climbing a ladder, pay someone to handle it. A fall will cost far more than hiring an RV technician to take care of these tasks.

#11 How comfortable are you Dealing with off season winterization

 One of the most critical parts of owning an RV is winterizing it. I won’t go into details here, but doing this incorrectly can cost you hundreds of dollars in spring repairs, including broken water lines, ruptured water heater tanks, and other damage. If you’re not comfortable doing the job yourself, have a dealership or a mobile RV technician handle it.

#12 How comfortable are you with campgrounds?

Here’s the deal breaker. Many times, you won’t know what kind of campground you are checking into.  Some are great and some are horrible.  All of them have rules – think of it as a Home Owners Association.

Never let a campground host direct you into a site you’re not comfortable with—the risk falls on you. If a campground looks bad when you pull in, leave and find another one. We’ve done exactly that.

If you can’t tolerate occasional sub-standard campgrounds, road noise, or close neighbors who ignore the rules or act rudely, this lifestyle isn’t for you. Those situations will happen. How you handle them will make or break your camping experience, which is why researching campgrounds ahead of time matters.

In conclusion: If the 12 points above feel like too much work, you’re not wrong. RVing can be demanding, frustrating, and sometimes expensive. If that reality turns you off, this probably isn’t a lifestyle you’ll enjoy.

So, if you’re Thinking of Buying Your First RV, I hope answering these 12 questions helped you get a clearer picture of what RV ownership is really like. If so, then you’re already ahead of the game.  RVing can be one of the most rewarding lifestyles out there, but only if you go into it prepared.

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Well, this study cherry picks the least costly option when it came to traveling to Orlando, Florida.  They chose a pop-up camper as the RV of choice.  Pop-ups are lighter than a reg travel trailer so gas efficiency will be better.  Pop-ups do not make up the majority of RVs, travel trailers do, then fifth wheels after that.

The study concluded that a family of four taking a 7-day vacation from Atlanta, GA to Orlando, FL would spend $3,216 for a road trip in a family car and staying at hotels and motels. The same vacation in a folding camping trailer would cost $1,712, a 47% savings.

I did my own computation based on trips I’ve taken from Wisconsin to Orlando and plugged in the numbers. Also, I only used two people in my scenarios.

I didn’t use resort campgrounds during the trip or while in Orlando. Then I calculated my diesel round trip of 2600 miles at 3.25 a gallon.  I budgeted 400.00 for groceries. Total cost of the trip = 2,070.00

For the folks not using an RV I used flights to Orlando, a rental car, a three-star hotel with continental breakfast, all other meals out, and fuel costs.  Total Cost of the trip = 2,669.00

If the folks drove from Wisconsin, the cost of their trip would be 1,593.00. Since they were driving, I added two days of lodging and meals on.

The result was that I came up with a cost savings of about 1100.00 dollars if using a Travel Trailer like mine, when airfare is the comparison.

However, if the 2 non-RV folks drive, They save 447 dollars over the RV folks. However, if you add two children into the mix, it’s about 300 dollars cheaper to travel in the RV.

But there’s really more to this story:

If you factor in an RV payment, Storage Costs, and RV insurance, those numbers are going to change drastically in favor of the Non-RV trip.

I’ll bet outside storage will run 100/month

Now add your RV payment which could be anywhere from 225/month and up.

Plus, you still have your monthly Insurance Premium.  I’m sure it’ll be over 100 per month.

So, if we add those costs into the equation just for that month, it may still look rosy for the RV owner, with a savings around 175 dollars for the week in Orlando over the vacation with flights. However, those RV payments don’t stop when the vacation is over.

I don’t say any of this to dissuade an RV purchase. Just keep in mind everything the RV industry puts out is not 100% truthful.

In fact, the study that the RVIA put together factored in a bunch of extraneous stuff in their footnotes such as estimated cost of RV ownership is based upon published data regarding average ownership periods, residual values, annual days of use, insurance, and other costs of ownership, as well as any applicable tax benefits.  That sounds like the warnings at the end of a drug commercial, “May cause drowsiness and loose stools”.

So those numbers are really skewed in my opinion. How would anyone be able to factor in all those things to come up with a weekly trip cost?

RVing is a great way to see the country, but it’s not cheap. So don’t enter into it thinking that in some way you will be saving money, because you won’t.  In fact, you will be spending additional money each year on repair and maintenance.  So just go in with your eyes wide open. You’ll be happy if you’re prepared for the RV life. RV’s are like any other hobby, sometimes is best not to try and justify the costs, and just enjoy them.

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