Thursday, May 7, 2026

1Q2026 Trip Summary

It didn't take long for us to realize we didn't need the five weeks to decide if we enjoyed this style of travel.  By the 3rd day in Arizona I was already booking sites for next year. Also, I was planning for even more slow travel. Five weeks sounds like a lot when you are used to one, maybe two week vacations but this still felt rushed. Most places I would have stayed longer. Although we were happy to be home, we wanted to get back out on the road ASAP. The three month wait for our new camper felt really long when we got home. Especially since we sold our camper three weeks after we got home. No spring camping trips this year but a few trips are being planned starting in July. 

Trip Stats

  • Left Home: February 20th, Returned Home: March 25th
  • Total Trip Miles: ~4,215
    • 300 miles were electric
  • Average MPG: 13.9 
    • We got much higher MPG when not towing the camper but the vast majority of the miles were with the camper

Average Daily Spending

  • I tracked everything as I wanted to understand how much trips like this cost for future planning. 
  • The most expensive campground was a KOA, the least expensive was free. When we get our new camper we plan to boondock more often.
  • Gas obviously got more expensive as the trip went by due to the 'skirmish'. Started the trip under $3 / gallon. Highest we paid was $4.19/gallon. 
  • We have The Senior Lifetime America the Beautiful Pass so all our National Park entrance fees were free which kept our Entertainment fees down.
  • Meals - this was dining out which we didn't do everyday since most sit down meals were $50-$75 for both of us.  
  • Grocery - This was mostly Trader Joes & Walmart stops which included some non-grocery items, especially at Walmart. 
  • Overall, I super happy with how the spending played out.  Lodging & Gas are really the only trip specific expenses.  Most of the other expenses would have been spent even if we stayed home.

Expense TypeAverage Per Day Spending
Campgrounds$40.51
Gas$38.82
Entertainment$27.42
Meals$25.82
Grocery (Includes non-food items)$23.24
Gear$6.41
Laundry$1.44
Camper Repair$1.19
Starlink$1.04
Dog Supply$1.00
Grand Total$166.90

Campgrounds

   Harvest Hosts

    National Park Campgrounds

    Army Corp of Engineers Campgrounds
    State Park Campgrounds
    KOA Campgrounds
    Private Campgrounds
State Parks Visited
National Parks Visited - All entrance fees were free with Senior Lifetime Pass
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