Taking your vacation home on the road | CAPE COD TIMES
By KATE CONWAY
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
May 23, 2010
The Sassone family of Bourne illustrates how they can enjoy theoutdoors while traveling in their RV. From left, family members are Khloe, the dog; Kamron, 8; dad Rich; Kourtney, 8; and mom Christine. Merrily Lunsford/Cape Cod Times
According to a 2008 AAA survey, the average American couple traveling in North America would spend approximately $250 per day for lodging and meals. So a typical five- to seven-day vacation could cost up to $1,500. Add in a few kids, and boarding for the dogs, and the price could increase dramatically.
But with families today wanting to make every penny count, what if you could take several vacations a year for about that same amount?
Jennifer and Rich Fagnant of Sandwich have been making their vacation dollars stretch for miles since they were children. Their secret weapon for the past two years now sits beside their home and has enhanced their multiple vacations each year with their three children.
The Fagnants own a 32-foot Jayco Travel Trailer that attaches to their heavy-duty pickup truck. With bump-out rooms, beds, a kitchen and bathroom, it is a fully functioning home on wheels and a vacation at the ready.
“We both grew up in families that camped and have been doing it our whole lives,” says Jennifer. “RVing is just as good as other vacations and opens up a lot more opportunities for weekend getaways and exploring places closer to home. Plus, you can bring the dog!”
She notes that for a family of five, airfare, hotel rooms and eating out can get very expensive. “For the payment on a trailer, at least we can use it all year long,” Jennifer says. “Plane fare would only be for one trip.”
Bob and Pat Johnson of Harwich are sold on RVing for vacations, too. As grandparents, they’ve found RVing to be a great way to spend time with their children and grandchildren.
They got started two years ago when a friend forwarded a Craigslist ad and the Johnsons bought a Class C driveable RV from a Sandwich owner who took it out on Sandy Neck Beach.
While there are expenses, the Johnsons have found that using the RV has, overall, been less costly than multiple getaway vacations. Bob estimates he spent $1,600 last year to maintain the nearly 40-year-old vehicle but has kept the RV for local “vacations,” particularly at Sandy Neck Beach, rather than spending money on gas driving around the country.
“We concluded that since hundreds of thousands of people come to Cape Cod annually for the outdoors, why not create a great family experience right here and save time and money,” says Bob.
For the Johnsons, using an RV means many more vacations and opportunities for family members to bond together.
“RVing is less complicated and … we get to the beach more frequently because we have an RV. And, with contemporary life schedules, it is tough to put together three to five days to get away. An afternoon or overnight is easy in the RV,” says Bob.
Brian Sullivan, manager at Camper’s Inn in Raynham, an RV dealer with a large selection of travel trailers, estimates that two-thirds of his company’s clients are families with kids.
“They are looking to spend quality time, frequently, with their children and RVs provide them with the opportunity,” Sullivan says.
According to the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association, this year marks the 100th anniversary of RVing. While the economic downturn kept more people at home last year, industry officials expect that more than 216,000 RVs will be sold in 2010 – up from 165,000 last year.
Both Sullivan and Dana Cheyne, CEO of MCD RV Center in West Yarmouth, say they make sure clients consider and answer a lot of questions before choosing an RV. What type and size you need depends on several factors.
– Layout is important. “Many parents are looking for an RV with a bunk room at one end, especially for older kids, and their bedroom at the other end. They want bump-out rooms to maximize the internal space for comfort and floor space for kids to play and loads of storage,” Sullivan says.
– Consider your vehicle. If you’re towing a travel trailer, it’s crucial to match that with what vehicle will be towing the RV. Many of the lightweight travel trailers that Cheyne sells work well with a minivan.
– Lifestyle – what type of camping do you want to do? “Are they going to a campground with full-service amenities or roughing it deep in the woods?” Cheyne asks. “If you are mostly going to a full-service campground with site hook-ups for electricity and sewer, go for something bigger and more home-like. But if you are going to be roughing it, I suggest something smaller, because when the grey and black water tanks are full, you are going to have to pull it to the dump station to clean out those tanks.”
– How old are your kids? Cheyne says younger children will want to sleep close to mom and dad, whereas older kids want their own space.
Cheyne says a good way to start out, especially for a young family with small children, is a tent-camper that folds down to tow and then pops up to camp. “You get a taste of RVing that way, without the expense and if you like it and want something more elaborate, you know what to look for.”
Another way to try out the RV style of vacationing is to rent. Cheyne’s company offers full-sized, 32-foot self-contained TrailManor RVs. “People will call us up, tell us which campground to set up the trailer on and get to use it for a week or two,” he says. “It is the ideal way to really feel out RVing without a financial commitment.”
Richard and Christine Sassone of Bourne are parents of 8-year-old twins. They own a 27-foot Starcraft Travel Trailer. Christine’s parents had been RVers for years and she wanted to continue the tradition with her own family.
Like Cheyne, she advises anyone looking into purchasing an RV to do their homework and consider all aspects of their family’s needs because RVs “come in a lot of shapes and sizes.”
Christine also advises people to really do their homework about campgrounds, especially with kids involved. “Some campgrounds have lots to do, some are very rural and beautiful and some are loud and full of parties!”
She enjoys being able to take everything she needs for her family with her. “It is almost like driving your house around,” says Christine, who likes being able to pack their RV at the beginning of the season and not have to unpack until the entire season is over. “What we love about RVing is that it gets us away from our daily routine and that ‘to-do’ list. It gives us great, quality family time!”
Jennifer and Jason Laber of Centerville are parents of three children, ranging in age from 5 to 8. Four years ago, they invested in a used class A Coachman Mirada – a drivable, bus-like RV. They had been sold on the idea of owning an RV when they were tent camping one year and the people next to them were using an RV – and were living with all the comforts of home.
Jennifer agrees that packing up once is a huge bonus. “We spend all year talking about the next camping season and where we will go and what we will do next,” says Jennifer. “I have learned that our children adore RVing as much as we do. You can go amazing places and meet so many different people. And with a class A, the kids can be busy playing with something while we are driving long distance!”
Bob and Lynn Cram of West Barnstable have two children and own a Class A Fleetwood Bounder buslike RV. They are pals with the Labers and have been RVing since 1995.
“RVers form a little ‘community’ with the people you camp with, the same as you would in a cottage colony, whether it’s in a state park or privately owned campground,” says Lynn. “It’s like having your home with you! All your children’s favorite toys, bed things, kitchen gadgets, etc, travel with you like a second home or vacation home. It is fabulous.”
Like many other Cape Cod RVers, the Crams are enthusiastic fans of the RVing community on Sandy Neck. “We used to go to Sandy Neck as day-trippers before we got an RV, but we never wanted to leave at the end of the day,” Lynn says. “With our RV, now we don’t have to go.”
Cost comparison
We called experts at Disney World in Orlando, Fla., to get a cost comparison of staying at their campground, Fort Wilderness Resort, versus staying at the Polynesian Resort’s most basic hotel room. (The Polynesian was chosen for being the least expensive resort that can also access the Magic Kingdom Park via water shuttles, just like Fort Wilderness).
To bring your own RV: about $2,700
– A Premium RV campsite for two adults and two children with full hook-ups for seven days, including 5-day Park Hopper passes (that include all the theme parks): about $1,900
– Food bought at grocery store and cooked in RV: about $200
– Gas from Cape Cod to Orlando (round trip): about $600
To stay in a hotel: about $6,000
– A basic room at the Polynesian Resort near the Magic Kingdom for two adults and two children.
– Price from disney.com includes 5-day Park Hopper passes, Disney dining plan, flights from Boston to Orlando and ground transportation from the airport to the hotel
Like this:
Be the first to like this post.
leave a comment