I was talking with the girl that cuts my hair the other night and we got on the subject of camping....go figure. She and her family (husband, wife, and 2 kids) are avid campers. She mentioned that they have not quit camping because it is still a fairly cheap way to vacation. She reasoned that it takes about a tank of gas to reach their campground, they already own the camper, and you have to eat whether you are in the campground or home. It sounded reasonable so I put it to the test just to see for myself. I did a quick comparison on what it would cost to take the kids to Disney World with two options: Option 1 - fly and stay at a resort. Option 2 - take the camper and stay at Disney's Campground. Here's what I came up with:
Option 1: Booked through Expedia - Flying from South Bend, IN to Orlando, Fl and staying @ one the many WDW resorts.
Resort/ Air Fare/ Rental Car = $3291 to $5400 depeding on the resort.

Option 2: Staying @ the WDW Campground in a fifth wheel or travel trailer
Miles from Middlebury, IN to Orlando, FL: 2294 (roundtrip)
Average cost of a fill up: $119.60 ($4.60 gal diesel / 26 gallon tank - Chevy Silverado w/ Duramax & Allison)
Average Miles per Gallon towing: 10
Fill ups to make the round trip: 8.9
Cost for Fuel: $1196.00 (I added another fill up for sight seeing)
Cost of the campground for the week + 8 day tickets:$1644.00
Total Cost: $2840.00

Note: Both options do not include food. Option 1 does not include gas for the trip to and from the airport, rental car for sight seeing, and parking.

Maybe the cost savings isn't tremendous, but I'll take $400 to $2600 savings any day of the week.

Nice to see that even with the outragous fuel prices, the lifestyle we love is still more economical. Cost of going by air: $3291 to $5400. Cost of staying in the fifth wheel: $2840. Cost of sleeping in your own bed: priceless

Happy Camping to You All!
Eric