Gas prices - will they change your travel plans?

[Mike-ClassB]

Our gas prices just topped $1.30/L ($4.94/USgallon) and the US average price is around $1/L ($3.80/USgallon)
so we're delaying our planned trip in a couple of weeks (sorry Davydd, probably won't make Tombstone) to see what
happens.
Maybe if/when the economies of North America begin to contract under the weight of OPEC, someone will
do something, or there will be a waning demand sell off of oil and the price will come down (and the TSX and C$ too).
I hate to let the price of gas determine our travel plans, but that's how it is for us right now. The same trip
last year would have cost 1/2 to 2/3 of today's price for fuel.

 

[g1g]

As much as I hate to say it I think that it will be affecting my plans too.

 

[Ron J. Moore]

I would be willing to bet if these prices keep going up, we will see a glut of RV's being sold. I just spoke with a couple who are talking about trading in their full size vehicle for a compact. I don't gather the logic involved there, your taking a bath on the trade, and knowing your paying top dollar for the "economy" car. In mid-March I left for VA for a two week medical check-up, gas was in the mid 3's. We are sked to leave for the summer on 11 May.....ouch, but it could be a whole lot worse - could own one of those big A's. You know what really concerns me when we speak of fuel is the availability in the future. During our trip we seen gas stations/quick-stops that have closed. Around this area we have notice 4 Shells that have closed up.....the future is definitely fragile. When we return to VA, the RT goes down for a rest.....the entire summer! Safe travels.

 

[Mike-ClassB]

I suppose you could argue that if gas does come back down again, you can call the recent prices
capital losses and think in terms that they've offset themselves (capital gains) when prices were
cheaper (anyone remember March '09 $1.65/USgal?). I actually hope we get the demand pull back
we saw in summer '08 when the oil prices hit $145/bbl and gas up here was about $1.45/L and
things sell off and return to more moderate prices.
As I've said elsewhere, we're going to take a chance and just wait and see what happens in the
short term, before we head out again. We don't need to travel that badly that we'll pay these prices.
We will travel again, though, just not sure when at this point.

 

[Dieps]

I'm close to retirement but haven't crossed that line yet so we haven't been able to do a lot of long trips. We've been planning a couple longer ones for 2011. Cost isn't a factor for one of the trips. Our son's Marine Corp battalion will return from Afghanistan in August. It's a 1600 mile round trip but the price of gas isn't a factor for that trip. We will be at Camp Lejeune even if gas is $10 per gallon.

The other trip isn't as definate. We are thinking about a trip to visit friends in Wyoming. If we can find the time to do that trip, we will probably go another 200 miles and visit Yellowstone. That's probably a 4,000 mile trip so we would use 250 to 280 gallons of gas. Current gas prices are up a dollar a gallon from last year so the total trip would cost about $250 to $280 more this year compared to 2010. That's not a deal breaker but higher prices (like $4.50 to $5.00 gas) would probably make us rethink the long trip and do a short trip or two close to home.

 

[Dieps]

I'm close to retirement but haven't crossed that line yet so we haven't been able to do a lot of long trips. We've been planning a couple longer ones for 2011. Cost isn't a factor for one of the trips. Our son's Marine Corp battalion will return from Afghanistan in August. It's a 1600 mile round trip but the price of gas isn't a factor for that trip. We will be at Camp Lejeune even if gas is $10 per gallon.

The other trip isn't as definate. We are thinking about a trip to visit friends in Wyoming. If we can find the time to do that trip, we will probably go another 200 miles and visit Yellowstone. That's probably a 4,000 mile trip so we would use 250 to 280 gallons of gas. Current gas prices are up a dollar a gallon from last year so the total trip would cost about $250 to $280 more this year compared to 2010. That's not a deal breaker but higher prices (like $4.50 to $5.00 gas) would probably make us rethink the long trip and do a short trip or two close to home.

 

[Mike-ClassB]

Gas prices and now complete transmission failures too.
My everyday vehicle's tranny just gave up the ghost.
It's a 2002 Escape XLT with 215,000 kms on it.
It was totally unexpected, but I did just spend another $900
on a bank's worth of coil packs 2 weeks ago, so I should have
expected this. I wish it had decided to fail 3 weeks ago before
I'd spent the other cash on it.
I've got 2 irons in the fire waiting for repair/replace pricing, but
I'm thinking new/used car.
What to do, what to do????......

 

[Davydd]

We just completed a 39 day 6,350 mile trip and will head out in about a week on another 2,000 mile plus trip and another 3,000 mile trip in July. I look at it this way. If you are worried now you might as well sell your B. I don't think it will be any better in the future.

Diesel ran anywhere from $3.969/US gal. (Iowa) to $4.699/US gal. (California) on our recent trip. Most common was $4.199 to $4.299. Home in Minnesota it is running $4.099.

 

[Johnny R]

Next week we're going to do about 4,000 km (~2,400 miles), but on our motorcycle. I just installed a drain on my fresh water tank - that's right, it was drainless - and we'll be taking it out on short jaunts in June. I'm finding out that most campsites require reservations in the last year or so, so to just amble off aimlessly and see where the road takes me is not as appealing as it once was. Of course, motels are always available, but then we may as well take the two-wheeler, which we enjoy about as much as the Class B.

 

[Mike-ClassB]

We just completed a 39 day 6,350 mile trip and will head out in about a week on another 2,000 mile plus trip and another 3,000 mile trip in July. I look at it this way. If you are worried now you might as well sell your B. I don't think it will be any better in the future.

Diesel ran anywhere from $3.969/US gal. (Iowa) to $4.699/US gal. (California) on our recent trip. Most common was $4.199 to $4.299. Home in Minnesota it is running $4.099.

I don't necessarily think being penny-wise and watching when and where you spend your money is being "worried".
I think it's just a reality for many people. That's why many of us chose a class B in the first place. Frugal recreation.

 

[Davydd]

Frugal? That's why I suggested you might as well sell your B if it changes your plans now. When are your finances if retired or fuel prices going to get better? Price of fuel may drop yet this summer as I read today but it is still a slow ratchet upward in price. If you pass on traveling this year you may find next year worse and wish in hindsight that you should have taken advantage of 2011.

The B is definitely the most economical way to travel. At least of third of our nights we camped for free and many of those places such as national forests you could not get a Class A, Big C or trailer into. On our last night on the road we found our projected campsite under flood warning. It was getting dark so we thought about going to a motel. The first place we tried quoted $129. We immediately said no thanks and went across the road to a Walmart parking lot.

Overnight Free Parking in a Walmart parking lot in North Platte, Nebraska

 

[Mike-ClassB]

You're entitled to your opinion. I just thought the comment about "selling your B" was arrogant,
and in many "of our faces". If I'm the only one who feels this way, and comments, so be it. If your
comments were intended that way, fine. I think it was harsh.
Not everyone who owns a B, is as financially independent as you, and some of us do choose to plan our
travels based on our resources. I don't think anyone said they wouldn't be traveling this year at all because
of their finances. Read the thread title again. It's about whether your travel plans might change because
of gas prices, under the category Fuel Economy, that's all.

 

[Davydd]

A third of the original registrants of the RV.net B8 Rally canceled out. Some cited specifically fuel prices as the reason. I would say that is significant. Even more significant, including all the original registrants of 47, other than our new B, there were no registrants with any B newer than 2008. So fuel prices have not only put a damper on travel but I suspect in B purchases as well since the 2008 downturn. Campgrounds on our last trip were literally empty. None were ever even half full except Easter weekend. Most were a quarter full at best and in some national forests we were the only campers. At Cave Springs CG in a national forest near Sedona, AZ more than 3/4 of the campers were tent campers with compact cars. It was full with kids over spring break and Easter weekend. We saw very few big RVs on the road other than apparent snow birders making their spring trek north.

As usual in the off season before Memorial day and after Labor day, the western national parks campgrounds were dominated by mostly foreigners renting Cruise America Class C RVs out of California.

One interesting thing I noted that I had not seen in previous years that I can recall were the numerous campers, especially in the cheaper national forests, that were traveling and sleeping in the back of compact SUVs. I suspect they weren't campers at all but travelers trying to get some place the cheapest way possible.

The more rugged and remote we got the more truck campers we saw. Those were the sportsmen mostly I assume and probably locals.

We could be looking at an end of a golden era as far as RVing goes and since Bs are not conducive to family travel and are about the highest priced RV per square foot of space they may not be a savior. We travel more nationally spring and fall and locally in the summer. Over the 6 years we've had our Bs the RV scene has certainly changed.

 

[Mike-ClassB]

Good observations. I would agree with your evaluations of the current state of affairs
in the RV specific, and in the overall real world of recreational travel.
I certainly wish it weren't that way, but there you go.
We plan to do eastern Canada and probably southwestern USA at some point this year.

 

[Ron J. Moore]

Just a quick plug about current prices; we are currently in Maggie Valley, NC, and purchased gas this morning for $3.74!! We left FL a little over a week ago, price there was about $3.91 and varying....GA was like shy $4, sometimes on $4. As we rode around today, we noticed a few places that had been in the $3.87's were down to $3.75 - wonder if they are going to relax the stranglehold for Memorial Day????? Or could this be a prelude to going over $4 for the holiday. Safe travels.

 

[Mike-ClassB]

At $3.87/USgal you're paying $1.00/Liter.
We topped out last week before the crude oil swoon at $1.38/Liter for regular in my area, but other
areas were paying closer to $1.50/Liter - markopolo's neck of the woods was probably higher than here.
Just another reason to visit your vastly beautiful and relatively inexpensive country. The prices in your
little republic are mostly better than here, and with out buck at par or better, we can't lose.
I like the variety of culinary treats you have, too.
It has become customary in Canada to always see the price of gasoline and diesel rise before a holiday
of any nature, but long weekends are pretty much a sure thing.

 

[Davydd]

The cable news channels are headlining comments today about a possible 75 cent per gallon drop in gasoline prices this summer yet. It may happen. Crude oil prices recently plunged. But it is just ratcheting action. Prices will go up and prices will go down but in the overall action price rises will consistently exceed price drops. But when you talk about opening new and more remote oil fields to drill, or drill deeper in the ocean, or go after shale, you are also talking about more costly oil in the face of increasing demand. The curve is bound to rise higher than equivalent general inflation history.

 

[markopolo-ClassB]

Guys like Mike and Davydd actually really use theirs B's. Ask them about the miles they put on. I'm envious. Gas prices - will they change your travel plans? Definitely. Sold the C, can't wait to buy a B. A B will let me take more trips. It is almost more psychological than financial. 8 in a C or 15 to 22 in a B?

I think Photog once pointed out something that like that you can buy a lot a gas on keeping a C that you own or even buying a C. At least that was my interpretation. That is very true but MPG matters. Again, It almost more psychological than financial. Greater MPG seems to give you freedom to choose to travel.

 

[Mike-ClassB]

So much for a break at the pumps.
Oil rose $5.87/bbl today.
They already announced a $0.06/liter jump tonight overnight.

 

[Davydd]

On our recent 39 day trip out west from Minnesota to Arizona and back we put on 6,350 miles and I estimate probably close to $1,500 in diesel fuel. We also put all but 420 of those miles on back roads off the Interstate highways. If we did that in a Class A or pulled a trailer we probably would not have done as much driving and would have kept it under 4,000 miles mostly on the Interstate highways. Even so, we would have had to spend over $2,000 in diesel fuel if we had an 8 mpg Class A. We would not have camped in as many varied places and there were several campgrounds we camped in that we could have not gotten to in a Class A or pulling a trailer. There were some roads and mountain passes we would not have attempted. We would have missed out on several stops along the way because of lack of parking. We definitely would not have been able to enjoy some off-beat roadfood restaurants I like to seek out. About the only thing I was tempted and envious of but skipped was the gravel road mountain passes and some off-road trails. That was when I got envious of some of those custom jacked up 4-wheel drive Class Bs Sportsmobile converts for the California contingent I saw in the desert parks. Still, I did drive in several miles on gravel roads to get to the Fort Bowie National Historic Park and the Cochise Stronghold National Forest Campground.