Despite rising gas prices, low campground fees and in-RV cooking keep vacation expenses down for RVers

(Ottawa) July 24, 2008, As rising gas prices continue to affect all forms of travel this summer, Go RVing Canada would like to remind Canadians that taking an RV vacation can keep a family’s travel costs down.

“When people go on vacation, there are usually three major categories of expenditure,” said Catherine Fortin LeFaivre, Go RVing Public Relations Director. “These are lodging, meal, and transportation-related costs. By vacationing in an RV, you can significantly reduce all three of these expense categories.”

For example, a hotel room costs arguably $120 per night when staying at a modest hotel, compared to staying at a campground in the comfort of your own RV, which currently averages at $30 per night.

While RVing, a family could potentially prepare all of its meals, compared to having to go out to restaurants for all three meals a day if staying at a hotel. Go RVing estimated that the restaurant bill for a family of four per day would be approximately $175 if eating at modest establishments, compared to the cost of preparing your own meals and purchasing food at a grocery store for approximately $50 per day.

Following the above example, a family of four’s combined meal and hotel costs for a week would average $2,047 compared to a cost of $560 for in-RV prepared meals and campground fees. In this case, a family would save close to $1,500 per week if vacationing in an RV versus straying at a hotel.

The third factor relates to transportation expenses, such as the cost of putting gas into your vehicle or purchasing a plane ticket to get to your destination. This element of a vacation will be affected by gas prices regardless of the mode of travel, but a family will have more control over this portion of costs when traveling in an RV. Contrastingly, when buying plane tickets, there is no control over steep fuel surcharges that the airlines continue to add.

“The great thing about RVing,” said Fortin LeFaivre, “is that you do have a greater level of control over how much gas prices will affect your vacation budget by deciding to stay at closer campgrounds and sites, or by deciding to stay longer at a given place to minimize your time on the road and use less gas. RVing allows that kind of flexibility and freedom of choice that other modes of transportation do not.”

 Although there are many factors that make trips different from one another in terms of costs (distance traveled, type of vehicle used, attractions visited), an RV vacation offers choices of ways to keep costs down.

“Going RVing doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to enjoy eating out once in a while,” said Fortin LeFaivre, “but what it does mean is that you won’t be at the mercy of restaurants and hotels on a daily basis and as a result, you can save hundreds of dollars. For many Canadian families, this prospect is very appealing.”

  For more information on RVing and to find campsites throughout Canada, please visit www.gorving.ca.

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The Go RVing coalition was formed in 1997, and consists of RV manufacturers, RV dealers and campground operators.  The coalition serves as the Canadian RV camping industry ambassador to provide the public and media with information about the benefits of RV travel.  The coalition also seeks to enhance consumer information and satisfaction with the RV experience. 

For media inquiries, please contact:

Catherine Fortin LeFaivre  OR   Kate Van Slyck
Go RVing Canada Public Relations
Media Line: 1 (866) 470-3528
Email: catherine@impactcanada.com, kate@impactcanada.com