Fun Statistics from our full-time RV travels
We keep track of a few things in our full-time RVing and boondocking lifestyle, and they make for some fun statistics. As these
stats show, we changed our travel style a lot between our beginning in May, 2007 and now in November, 2008. We covered a lot
of ground and drove a lot of miles at first. Then we slowed way down, drove less and saw more in each place.
Back in our workaday lives, we easily drove over 4,000 miles per month between our two cars. When we started traveling that
dropped to 2,000 miles per month as we had just one vehicle to drive. In the past six months our driving has dropped even
further to less than 1,000 miles per month.
Our nightly camping fees were quite high at the beginning, reaching a peak average of $16.20 per night by July 16, 2007, just 8
weeks into our new traveling lifestyle. Then we learned about the pleasure and value of boondocking, and we gradually
stopped staying at campgrounds and RV parks. In this second year of travel we have been paying for camping just 7% of the
time and boondocking or overnighting in quiet public places 93% of the time.
Fuel prices skyrocketed while we were in Florida in the Spring of 2008 and peaked when we got to the North Rim of the Grand
Canyon in July, 2008. Then they plummeted while we were in California and Arizona in the Fall of 2008. Now we pay less than
we did when we started 18 months ago. Last summer it cost up to $183 to fill the diesel tank. Now it costs as little as $85.
I'd like to think we are riding our bikes more, but despite using our bikes for commuting all over the San Diego waterfront, finding
some great cycling around Bryce, Utah, and riding with a club in Yuma, Arizona, we seem to still be averaging a dismal 225 miles
per month. There was a time when we did that each week. Oh well -- we've traded new views on every mile for unchanging
views on a zillion miles.
Year ended
6 months ended
5/21/08
11/20/08
DRIVING RELATED
Total miles driven
25,207
5,432
Total miles towing the trailer
15,937
3,322
Total miles ridden on our bikes
2,500 (each)
1,350 (each)
Cheapest diesel seen
$2.64/gal, TX, May '07
$2.38/gal, Yuma, AZ, Nov '08
Most Expensive diesel seen
$4.79/gal, KS, May '08
$5.34/gal, Grand Canyon, July '08
CAMPING RELATED
Total spent on campgrounds
$3,009
$261
Average cost of camping per night
$8.22
$1.43
Nights in public campgrounds
174
27
Nights in private RV parks
61
3
Nights boondocking
58
99
Nights in friends' driveways
32
1
Nights in rest areas / pullouts
16
20
Nights in casino parking lots
12
12
Nights at Walmart
6
0
Nights in commercial parking lots
3
16
Nights in Visitors Center lots
3
1
Nights in truck stops
1
0
Number of different locations
103
37
Nights with hookups
67
14
Total Nights
366
183
TRAVEL RELATED
States visited
20
7
Locations overnighted
103
37
Most time in one state
Florida, 3 months
AZ, 2 months
Least time in one state
Missouri, a few hours
TX, a few hours
Longest stay in one spot
15 days, RV Park, Florida
29 days, Utah
Mayport Naval Station
Bryce Canyon Area
Worst weather
Golf ball sized hail, KS
•
Longest time between truck fillups
•
30 days