Many non-travelers approach me about my RV. They figure if a girl and her dog can do it, must be easy, right? Typically the first thing out of their mouth is "What's the gas mileage on this thing?"
Then they groan.
If you want great gas mileage, buy a bicycle or a tiny efficient car. If you want to travel and take your home with you, well that is going to cost some fuel.
In my case, this past year, I sliced and diced my RV fuel budget but still had the time of my life. I want to soak up nature, not see ribbons of highways day after day, so for me, this was a win-win situation. Sure I would love to go further and farther, and perhaps one day that will happen, but for now, I remain efficient with my budget while I fight to get my health and life back on track.
Recently I finished workamping September 2, 2014 and went on a 10.5 week trip through November 15th, that included camping in mountains and the seashore plus spots in between on lakes, rivers and the intracoastal waterway too.
My trip isn't over, just that I've arrived at a camp where I plan to spend a month or more in a sunnier warmer climate. Neither I nor my little old wheel estate are built for the cold, so we travel with the weather. This saves on heating costs and clothes plus years ago when I was getting mental therapy in my 20's, I was diagnosed with SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder).
At that time I fortuitously managed to have a career in taxes and accounting. I threw myself into my work, slaving away long hours, arriving early, staying late, to avoid the winter blues by sheer distraction, socking away my earnings so that when spring rolled around, not only was I relieved of the depression, but my work load lightened enabling me to pursue outdoor activities in the glorious sunshine. Typically SAD is treated with light therapy and drugs that have numerous harmful effects, something I wanted to avoid. So instead I became a winter workaholic.
My problem with SAD was made even worse when our office was forced to move due to some crazy downtown development that sought to destroy our beautiful old building. At the time I had a wonderful office on the 8th floor of a 10 story building with a humongous window that had a fabulous view and it opened for fresh air. Ah those were the days! I was able to work with sunshine streaming through my window and to open it up for fresh air at any time.
The next building we moved our office to had no windows in the section we leased and I had an extremely rough time with that, but then we moved upstairs in the same building, this time again, I had an inner office with no windows, but finally we moved to another suite. At long last I had two very narrow floor to ceiling windows. While I was thrilled to have a glimpse of sunshine, those narrow windows may look great on the outside, in the inside it gives one a severe limited view.
Sunshine and windows are important for good emotional, physical and mental health. It's a proven fact, yet more and more buildings, schools, homes and RV's are built with a miniscule of windows. Crazy, eh?
When I relocated to the Caribbean for nearly 23 years, I didn't have SAD anymore. In my case the best treatment for SAD is sunshine and lots of it!
So I digress something awful... nothing new there!
Recently the rains parted and I moved from a super shady campground to a very sunny one. Amazing how quick my mood changed! I was practically dancing outside in the sunshine today, organizing my outdoor living.
So, back to RV fuel costs... you can save a bundle on fuel by going shorter distances and staying longer when you get there.
Then they groan.
Home is where we park it or as my dog says,
home is where we bark it!
If you want great gas mileage, buy a bicycle or a tiny efficient car. If you want to travel and take your home with you, well that is going to cost some fuel.
In my case, this past year, I sliced and diced my RV fuel budget but still had the time of my life. I want to soak up nature, not see ribbons of highways day after day, so for me, this was a win-win situation. Sure I would love to go further and farther, and perhaps one day that will happen, but for now, I remain efficient with my budget while I fight to get my health and life back on track.
Recently I finished workamping September 2, 2014 and went on a 10.5 week trip through November 15th, that included camping in mountains and the seashore plus spots in between on lakes, rivers and the intracoastal waterway too.
My trip isn't over, just that I've arrived at a camp where I plan to spend a month or more in a sunnier warmer climate. Neither I nor my little old wheel estate are built for the cold, so we travel with the weather. This saves on heating costs and clothes plus years ago when I was getting mental therapy in my 20's, I was diagnosed with SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder).
At that time I fortuitously managed to have a career in taxes and accounting. I threw myself into my work, slaving away long hours, arriving early, staying late, to avoid the winter blues by sheer distraction, socking away my earnings so that when spring rolled around, not only was I relieved of the depression, but my work load lightened enabling me to pursue outdoor activities in the glorious sunshine. Typically SAD is treated with light therapy and drugs that have numerous harmful effects, something I wanted to avoid. So instead I became a winter workaholic.
My problem with SAD was made even worse when our office was forced to move due to some crazy downtown development that sought to destroy our beautiful old building. At the time I had a wonderful office on the 8th floor of a 10 story building with a humongous window that had a fabulous view and it opened for fresh air. Ah those were the days! I was able to work with sunshine streaming through my window and to open it up for fresh air at any time.
The next building we moved our office to had no windows in the section we leased and I had an extremely rough time with that, but then we moved upstairs in the same building, this time again, I had an inner office with no windows, but finally we moved to another suite. At long last I had two very narrow floor to ceiling windows. While I was thrilled to have a glimpse of sunshine, those narrow windows may look great on the outside, in the inside it gives one a severe limited view.
Sunshine and windows are important for good emotional, physical and mental health. It's a proven fact, yet more and more buildings, schools, homes and RV's are built with a miniscule of windows. Crazy, eh?
When I relocated to the Caribbean for nearly 23 years, I didn't have SAD anymore. In my case the best treatment for SAD is sunshine and lots of it!
So I digress something awful... nothing new there!
Recently the rains parted and I moved from a super shady campground to a very sunny one. Amazing how quick my mood changed! I was practically dancing outside in the sunshine today, organizing my outdoor living.
So, back to RV fuel costs... you can save a bundle on fuel by going shorter distances and staying longer when you get there.
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the last 3/4 ton van i had got 7 mpg. yes 7 mpg. i carried a lot of tools. now have a 2001 ford windstar. minivan. on a good day i might get 10 mpg. got 18 mpg when empty. i still haul a lot of tools, just not as many. smaller vehicle.
ReplyDeleteif you are going to haul stuff you will burn fuel. i don't haul all my tools. i use the 3/4 ton van as a barn. i don't pay any attention to fuel prices. i need fuel to work.
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