Travel Forum / Travel Types / RV Travel / August 2004

RV's cheap? Nothing about an rv is "cheap".

Buy a Greyhound bus unlimited pass. Or go the interesting route...hop a
train and become a hobo. Bring a camera and sell your story to the National
Geographic when your trip is done.

I have met people that had long bed cargo vans that had a small gas frig vented
outside with a small sink, a porta-potty, a bed, a 12volt TV. They stayed
almost anywhere they wanted, on the sreets in Vegas etc.

Its not something I would want to do.

There  are lots of places you can boondock in an RV.

I have a dog and a 12 gauge so I feel pretty safe. I also have battery powered
proxcimity alarm to goes off if some approaches the front of my TT or pickup.
Sorobon

   Relative costs will depend on a number of factors: the size, age and
condition of the RV; the amount of distance you're covering in a typical
day, month, year; what sort of places you are traveling to: urban, rural,
other countries, etc. In general, for most people RVs are not a particularly
cheap way to travel. Depending on your traveling habits, mechanical ability,
etc, etc, your milage could vary considerably. Because of the cost of gas a
carefully selected van can be a cheaper way to travel if you're willing to
make the comfort trade offs. A VW would not make the top of my list under
any set of conditons that I can imagine.

   Safety is a relative thing. I've been as far north as you can go on the
west coast of the US and as just about as far south as you can go in Mexico,
overnighting in a variety of spots from highway rest stops to truck stops to
publically owned land just a little off the main highway to fairly standard
RV parks without serious problems. I am more careful about my site selection
in Mexico than in the States. It can be done, but you need to be aware of
and respect local conditions wherever you are. There are areas in the States
and Mexico where I would not just look for some quiet spot and go to sleep.

Dennis

Bicycle.