Re: Traveling to dance? RV?
Me and my husband lived in a 15 ft trailer for the first 5-6 months that we were together. We did travel, I did dance. I loved it and could do it again in a heart beat. As for campsites, they can cost more than motels! Sometimes just a water hook-up (no electricity) can cost $40-$70 a night. Many campsites have no showers and truck stops no longer let everyday people pay to use their showers. Make sure if you're towing that you have a transmission and a truck that can handle it. Aside from transmission problems, it is a lot of wear and tear on a vehicle. I highly recommend triple A if your not handy with automobiles. Breakdowns will and can happen everywhere (even at 2 in the morning on a freeway in the middle of nowhere and no cell service). Walmarts and smart and finals are known travel areas. You are usually more than welcome to park and stay in the parking lot overnight. It's a good idea to keep a list of all the walmarts and their addresses, they make a book with all the info you'll ever need. Most are even open 24 hours so you can get food or use the bathroom at anytime. Some states and cities have rules forbidding this (Nevada is one of them). Plus, watch where you park. RV laws have gotten very anal in many cities now a days. You can easily get a ticket for parking in front of someone's house or business (even if just for a minute). Cops can and will harass you, they usually assume your homeless and up to no good. Try not to draw attention to yourself if you want to be left alone. I loved my RV experience but it's not for everybody. If you don't enjoy a simple life, I wouldn't recommend it.
Re: Traveling to dance? RV?
well, it sounded really cool until LL broke it down. I think it could work though if you planned your route and stops accordingly. You'd need to make sure you could shower. I know some clubs have showers but I've never used one and I don't think I'd want to walk into the club all stinky to use their shower either. (too much of a homeless connotation for me) plus I doubt any club would be too keen on a full size truck with a tagalong trailer parking in their lot. And don't do it alone! Too dangerous. A couple girls with you would be ideal but then you might run the risk of one of them not getting "hired".
You're not nuts. I love road trips and if I were back home would probably ask you if I could 'tagalong'. :-*
Re: Traveling to dance? RV?
I've thought of it. I have a lot of animals right now so it's almost more feasible to buy a motor home than pay $60-100 a day to board the dogs on top of paying for hotels.
You will be harrassed by cops if your in a ratty looking trailer, but just a new layer of paint and a suncatcher in the window and a slight accent turns you into a rich tourist type :)
Lena
Re: Traveling to dance? RV?
I dream about having a nice, tour bus type RV and using it to travel and work. Hopefully I'll get to that point someday...
Don't mind me, I have Dom Perignon taste on a Whitestar budget...
Re: Traveling to dance? RV?
haha one time this guy asked me if I liked camping I said "oooooooh I loooooove camping...in a luxury RV" haha sorry O/T
Re: Traveling to dance? RV?
if you have the rv already you should use it. then you'll save money on the overall travel costs and see the country at the same time. you wouldn't have to bother being in those long as lines at the airport, plus the cost of the ticket, hotel accomodations, etc. or you can weigh the pros and cons of all travel methods and pick the one you like best. and holidayonstage, you look younger than you state is your age. you look like 10 years younger.
Re: Traveling to dance? RV?
I think its a great idea! Good way to save money and see the country at the same time :)
Re: Traveling to dance? RV?
It doesn't always save money, trust me. Between gas, time, and the price of decent campsites, it can cost more. You do have the benefit of never having to unpack, and you always have a feeling of being at "home". It can save on food costs though because you'll at least have a stove, maybe even a fridge. If the goal is to save money, then be sure to plan ahead really, really well.
Re: Traveling to dance? RV?
I had an RV and be prepared.........everytime it brakes down be prepared to shell out 1000.00 or much more.........
It a very expensive way to travel..I myself would neg with a local hotel for 40-45.....
In the end you'd make more money that way......
Re: Traveling to dance? RV?
If you already have purchased an RV for some other reason, then it boils down to an equation of nightly campsite vs. motel costs, per mile costs of fuel and vehicle maintenance etc. At best I would guess it would be a "break-even" situation where multiple girls are involved.
There are also other concerns such as having to pack up the RV to drive it to the club every night (camper and pickup truck wouldn't have this problem). An even bigger problem might be security - you're much more likely to have a thief rummaging through your camper while you're dancing than your hotel room. In either case, Layla is correct that many communities immediately turn a suspicious eye towards campers and RV's parked in locations outside of campgrounds and tourist stops. Plus, frankly, unless you have a really nice RV, spending several weeks living in one can get extremely uncomfortable after a while. This can affect your endurance and your earning power compared to being able to leave the club, take a nice hot bath, and fall into a bed someone else has made for you!.
If you don't own the RV or camper already and have to add on the cost of purchasing an RV or camper and pickup versus the cost of purchasing a car, the whole equation goes in the toilet.
Instead of this option, I'd recommend the following approach. Two girls hit the road together to share costs. Drive a high gas mileage very reliable car that doesn't attract undue attention (like say a Honda Civic). Book yourselves a week at a time so that you can also take advantage of an "extended stay" motel or weekly rates at regular motels near the club (if you call the motel manager you can usually get 20%-30% discount for 6 nights compared to the regular nightly rate). Take along a small microwave and a 12 volt cooler so that you can avoid restaurant food prices the same way you can with an RV/camper.
If you drive just say 250-300 miles between clubs on Sundays, at 40 mpg + $10 in tolls for the car versus 10mpg + $20 in tolls for the RV or pickup/camper, you're talking a $60 difference in favor of the Honda approach. If you're talking say $30 a night for a private campground versus $50 a night for a motel, this is a $120 difference in favor of the RV/camper. To me, a private bathroom with unlimited hot water, a comfortably warm/cool room, a big bed which somebody else has made for me, better security etc. are definitely worth an extra $10 a day.
Re: Traveling to dance? RV?
The idea to me sounds like sooo much fun!! Road trip anyone? lol :P
Re: Traveling to dance? RV?
It is fun - the first time you try it. However, it can get OLD really fast !
Re: Traveling to dance? RV?
I think it sound Fabulous! However the points about COST, breakdowns and general inconveninces(sorry no idea how to spell right now [yawn]) just outwieghs the pro's very well stated by many above posts. HOwEveR...If you already own the RV & If you were thinking of doing it semi-locally, i e not across country and possibly towing a car behind (which many RVs can I believe(?) would sound like a plan!!
Re: Traveling to dance? RV?
Just watch where you park it. Leave it alone for five minutes in the wrong place and you're looking at $500 in tickets.
Re: Traveling to dance? RV?
Layla is correct - this is the problem you run into. Even if you have a camper and pickup such that you only have to worry about parking your pickup near the club, you're limited to approved camping areas for parking your camper. If there doesn't happen to be a state park or private campground near to the club you're going to work at (which is usually the case since clubs are in the cities and campgrounds are in the country!), you'll be facing lots of commuting miles between the club and the campground every day, which adds MORE cost to the equation versus staying in a hotel a few blocks away from the club.