Reply to Where do lower to middle class families go on vacation for the summer?

Forum Index » Travel Discussion

Reply to "Where do lower to middle class families go on vacation for the summer?"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][b]CAMPING IS NOT CHEAP[/b]

Yes, I am yelling it because I am sick and tired of people saying this.

Renting a cabin in any campground area - yes, even state parks - in driving distance from the DMV area - think under 4.5 hrs - costs the same as staying in a lower end hotel. It is by no means a cheap vacation. So stop that nonsense please!  Almost all campgrounds impose minimums on cabins.  A weekend needs to be at least 2 or 3 nights and during the summer it's usually 5-7 day rental.  Even the most bare bones cabins start at $50 a night.  And that's just lodging and doesn't cover the cost of everything else.

Camping in a tent is somewhat cheaper but that assumes you can borrow a tent and all supplies such as outdoor sleeping bags and sleeping pads.  If not, there will be some cost out of pocket to purchase.  One cost that I know people will not think of is the additional laundry cost after returning home from camping.  Running several extra loads can up bills for some people and when you are a tight budget, yes, even that $5-$10 will matter.

And while it's nice to say that one can borrow, or buy used equipment, another issue that us lower middle class families deal with is less time and flexibility to do those things.  After working 40-50 hours a week, often commuting 45 -1.5 hrs bc many of us live farther out, taking care of the kids, and doing housework and then running around for errands, there is much less time.  Believe it or not, sometimes the delivery fee for grocery delivery is even out of my budget. Yes, that's right even $10 might be too much.  So looking for equipment or buying used requires a few emails, coordination to drive over and pick up the items, and so on. Yes, again, this is really taxing when you are already have no breathing room.  In addition, to all the above activities, you are constantly stressed and worried about finances and you labor over spending that $10 for a used sleeping bag you might only possibly get to use once.

After years and years, the lowest cost vacation we have ever been able to swing for 3 people - 2 adults, one kid - was $700 for a 2 nights/3 days in OC at the very end of the season in the lowest budget motel.  This included everything from gas, to grocery store food, to eating out once a day (bc it's vacation and believe it or not I wanted a break from cooking!), and a trip to the boardwalk. 
[/quote]

If you commit to camping as vacation it is cheap. You buy a cheap tent $100 or less and waterproof it often.  Air mattress $30 and not necessary.  Campstove is also a nice luxury.  Sleeping bags are also not a necessity. The rest of it (cooking gear, etc) you build up over time from your own house or yard sales. While its true some campsites are expensive theres are also free and low cost state run campgrounds. You use the same grocery budget as you would at home. You go on your regular days off from work. You drink the same cheap beer or whatever. And then you spend literally every moment of vacation at the campground or some free attraction nearby if it exists.  The quality of family time is exceptional.  I will give you the laundry expense, but that alone probably wont break the bank. However, you do have to be the sort to enjoy the great outdoors.  Some people really cannot.[/quote]

Yes, I agree that there are real start up costs to camping (and access to a car) and it requires time off. But it's still probably the cheapest kind of vacation a person can do, aside from a local day trip or staying with family. When we started camping, we bought our tent and other gear from Costco (which, yes, did cost money to join). We bought kitchen items (e.g., a cast iron pan, spatula, random coffee mugs, camp coffee pot) from thrift stores and yard sales. We went away for a weekend -- so, one or two nights. We went often enough to justify the cost of the gear. Groceries where we camped we cheaper than where we live. Now, with kids, we've only been camping once but I can see us doing it now once a summer for a weekend.[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics