I am thinking about buying an RV.  I have been adjusting for 8 years now and have stayed in quite a few dumpy hotels.  Do you guys think it is worth it?  Do RV parks have wireless internet? (I have never even been in an RV so I dont know anything about them)

I could not keep it at home when i am not on the road because my hoa wont allow it.  How much does it cost to store them somewhere?  Do RV parks have vacancys after a hurricane?   Are there a lot of hidden costs?  Do you take them everytime you go out of town??  Is it worth bringing if you are only going to be gone a month?? And any other input you have is appreciated.

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Hello!

My husband and I RV'd to storms for 8 years, but switched 2 years ago.  I don't think there is a right answer to this question, but here's some of what we considered when we decided to change.

Purchase price, including payments if neccessary or lack of investment income, if not

Tow vehicle- either behind a motor home, or in front of a trailer/5th wheel.  We towed a large 5th wheel and had to have a big F350 to do it-

Insurance on both of the above

Increase in gas costs to travel to  and from the storm.  Can also increase gas cost at storm if your using large truck to pull trailer

Loss of time at storm due to increase travel time while towing (average 1 day extra due to towing, and as much as 1 day extra getting "set up" in park)

RV parks run from $350 a month to $900!

Costs to have local phone connected, internet, etc.

Some RV parks do not have septic and you must pay the Honey Wagon to get your waste water- $25/wk? 

Licensing, taxes, storage, maintenance, chemicals, breakdowns, etc

With all that, we LOVED our RV- it was home away from home!  But when we factored in all of the above, and realized that we were incurring costs year round and not just while working, it made sense for us to go to a hotel. 

Corina

Well I haul my 5th wheel. Have for a while. Good tax deductions on trailer, can cook if I want, I know who has slept in the bed.

Got this trailer after paying $600 a week for a motel room.

I bought an older ('72') Airstream travel trailer to have ready for this summer's use.  It was mostly restored and I get good mileage towing it at 70 mph, unlike my other trailers.  I don't like goose necks and 5th wheel towing.  This tows great without an equalizer hitch as well.  It is quite economical buying an older one so long as you check it out and know how to fix some things, and providing you get an Airstream. I found it is much easier to renovate an Airstream than a house.   It is much more solid than the more typical travel trailer I had before.  I am getting satelite Internet because of the problems getting a good cell signal in the country, and quite often the towers are down after a major storm.   I had a problem finding good, if any, motels in Missouri last year after the tornadoes and ended up having to drive as much as 30 miles at the end of a day to find one.  I decided then that I would have a trailer for this year. 

If you have a lot of farm claims like I did, it will probably require towing the trailer to the claims, although in most cases I could have unhitched at a central location, scope a couple or 3 claims, then go back and hitch up and find a Walmart for the night and cranked up my generator to run my computers, lights, and a/c.

Rick Hansen

Having your own roof over your head is heaven sent.  $70 a night for a hotel or $600 for a month at an RV Park.  You can get a great 5th wheel or TT for $8000-$1,3000 or all the way up to $75,000.  It is well worth the expense.  It does lengthen your travel time but if you are packed & walk out the door the minute you get the call, you can make it on time. 

Having said all that, it is pure personal preference and comfort in pulling 30 ft behind you!   We pull a 5th wheel to storm sites and would do it without it!  My clean sheets, my dishes, my electrical or generator, my washer/dryer all under my roof!