Thursday, July 29, 2010

5 Basic Tips for Saving Money on Your Family RV Camping trip

Author: Michelle Wisher

If you’re heading out onto the open road this summer for a family RV camping trip, there are always new things to be learned, new adventures to have, and new ways to save money and enhance your RV travel experiences. Having knowledge of even the simplest techniques can save your family hundreds of dollars on your family RV camping trip.

1. Set Up Your Budget Before Planning Your Family RV Camping Trip

This first step is such a crucial step in saving money. Knowing how much money you have at your disposal will then allow you to accurately determine what you can and cannot do on your family vacation. Your budget should be as detailed as you possibly can but not so detailed that it leaves no room for flexibility in your vacation – vacations are about fun after all! In your budget you need to plan out your daily expenses including how much it will cost for traveling, food, activities, etc. Knowing how much it will cost you to provide the basics will allow you to further decide how far you can travel and where you can stay.

2. Book Your Trip in Advance and Scope Out Free Pit Stops

Once you have defined your basic vacation budget, you should start looking at various places you would like to travel in your RV. Booking your spot as far in advance as you can is always a good idea because, often times, reservations are more expensive closer to the arrival date.

If your RV camping destination is farther than a one day trip, consider posting up for a night at a truck stop or rest area. This allows you and your family to recharge their batteries for the evening and is generally much safer than parking alongside of the roadway.

3. Maintaining Your RV Properly – winterize, check tire pressure for better gas mileage, not having to fix things every time you take it out.

Properly maintaining your RV can save you thousands of dollars and a tremendous headache every spring when you go to use your RV again. This tip is particularly important to seasonal campers that leave their RV in storage for the winter. If you take the proper steps to winterize your RV before putting it in storage, you will save yourself time, money and effort when it comes time to take it back out on the road.

Checking the basics, such as tire pressure, oil, fluids, air conditioning, plumbing, propane, and electronics can potentially save you hundreds of dollars on your RV trip, not to mention saving the morale of your group by not having to stop every 100 miles for maintenance on your RV. Having a smoothly operating RV can save a lot money on fuel and part replacement expenses that could have been avoided if maintained in the first place.

4. Make a List of Your Supplies

A huge way to help save money on your RV camping trip is to prepare a list of all your necessities and check to make sure that you have everything before you go. This list (or lists) should comprise very detailed elements of the trip including RV supplies and food supplies. The ultimate objective of making these extensive lists is to avoid forgetting anything on the trip which usually translates into spending more money than necessary.

5. Entertaining Yourself on the Trip

Lastly, you and your family can save money on your RV camping trip by creating your own entertainment. Way too often families will head out on RV vacations without anything to keep themselves busy and eventually boredom sets in. Prepare your trip with fun games for indoors and outdoors as well as scope out the area for interesting activities like historical sites, or camping trails. Even something as simple as a deck of cards or a board game can keep families entertained for hours, not to mention, provide some opportunities for family bonding.

Saving money on your family camping trip can be expanded and elaborated upon based on the individual camping trip. With these five ideas for saving money, you can make your dollar stretch a little bit further this summer.

About the Author:
Michelle Wisher works for the world famous Jellystone Parks. Jellystone Parks RV campgrounds are located all over the United States and Parts of Canada and are all positively located near incredible outdoor and indoor adventures. You never know what kind of experiences you will stumble upon while RV campingwith Yogi Bear and friends at a Jellystone Park.

Article Source: http://www.articleseen.com/Article_5 Basic Tips for Saving Money on Your Family RV Camping trip_27411.aspx

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