Would $7 per gal effect your RV lifestyle?

[Lightning55]

Recently experts have predicted that gas prices could soon reach $7 per gallon. Depending where you go in northern CA, prices have been north of $5 for at least a couple of months. I just filled my Duramax for $150 and it wasn't even full!
If prices soar to these levels, how will it effect your RV travels? For me, it's hard to find places to get reservations anyway so my travels are less but high fuel costs will definitely effect my travels. I'll try to cut expenses elsewhere so we can still go out as often as possible. We have a trip to Yellowstone planned later this year but I won't give up that trip even if it costs a few hundred more in fuel.
What say you?

[Reisender]

RICK-ards Red wrote:
I am paying $1.58 per litre which converts to $5.97 a US gal here in Northern Ontario and usually in the summer it goes up as people travel but hey, still planning on a trip to the Yukon this summer.

I have not seen a casket with pockets so I might as well spend it now because I can't take it with me.

Might have entered that wrong in the old calculators. 1.58 per litre is about 4.68 USD per US gallon.

Here is a handy link for converting.

https://usgas.ca/us

[goducks10]

For me it's high fuel prices = shorter trips longer stays.
Opposite for low fuel prices.

I think with Russia now in a full scale attack on Ukraine and China making threats towards Taiwan that things aren't going to be the same this summer.

My thinking is gas prices are going to go through the roof.
Just because we don't get oil from the Ukraine doesn't mean the markets won't reflect that.
Ukraine is sitting huge amounts of natural resources that much of Europe uses.
No doubt this war is going to be felt economically around the world.

Anyone taking the Russia/Ukraine war lightly is going to be in for a rude awakening.

[Matt_Colie]

Well,
I guess I am going to be the odd-man-out here.

The last time the fuel prices soared, we curtailed our travel plans.

We are in a problematic position of being on a very fixed income and having had the abrogation confiscate (literally) may savings that were the result of 28 years of scrimping saving, no big toys and no great vacations. That program started when the last kid left. I am over 70 and there is clearly no time or method to recover from such a hit. We will keep the coach because it is paid for, but this will probably be another 3000 mile season. At this point, I am just waiting to see how well the kids come out after my estate sale.

Matt

[wapiticountry]

I won’t effect my travel plans but it might shorten my vocabulary down to a few four letter words at fill up time.

[Lantley]

I used to be cavalier and claim the fuel cost would not impact my trips, however that kind of increase will have an effect somewhere down the line.
I still plan to camp as usual, however I will cut back somewhere else and simply limit my driving when possible.
My adjustments may not be camping related. But the cost will impact my travels/budget in some way

[dodge_guy]

Keep in mind back in 08/09 when gas was bumping $5 a gallon a lot of people were ditching big gas guzzlers. I kept my V-10 Excursion and only drove it to and from work. Glad I did as prices dropped a year later. This will pass as does everything else.

[kwplot34]

Price of fuel going up, price of everything going up, stock market dropping like a lead balloon. We may not stop using our motor home but it will most likely change our plans on how far we travel and how many trips we take this year.

[ktmrfs]

nope.

[ajriding]

Yep, I rethink it all.
For big cross country trips it used to be $750 in gas, now its over $1,000, and $7 per gallon would be over $1,500... If I want to tool around the western states it is even worse as those are the blue states with high prices, so I would be more cautious with trips and plan for the least miles driven between stops.
I might consider a trip closer to home instead.
For local trips the cost is $20-40 so that is not a trip killer.
What hurts is the driving for normal life, which is a lot more miles than an RV trip.

[free_radical]

way2roll wrote:
I'm going to travel no matter what. In the grand scheme of things fuel cost is one of the smaller expenses in RV travel. I do ponder on the real reason. Is it supply chain issues, tensions with Russia and Ukraine, political, an eco-political push for EV's? All of the above? But the US is supposed to have some redundancy and stores in cases of oil shortages (whatever the cause). But just like anything, the wrong spin from any leader can put investors and suppliers in a panic and wreak havoc on the economy.

Theres enough oil for hundred years yet in Alaska alone.

Its all about pretend scarcity as always to justify raising prices.

Russia has lots o oil so its big huge competition to Us.
Time to stir some tension there and have them duke it out and hopefuly destablize Russia economy.

I Watch Russia insight channel and RT america to see what exactly goes on there bc western media never tells the whole story.
Its just one sided propaganda,sadly.

[free_radical]

Wouldnt stop me.
When I check out I cant take it with me,so might as well spend money on doing what I like.
Besides,once EV motorhomes come driving will get cheaper.

[valhalla360]

JRscooby wrote:
Everybody claims the cost of fuel will not change their travel plans. I wonder how many of the same people whine about the store clerk getting a pay raise causes prices to go up? Do you look at corporations raising prices at the same time as they have record profits, call it inflation?

You are mixing up two separate issues. There's a difference between dealing with a price rise and encouraging a price rise.

Also, no one is complaining if a store decides it makes sense to pay a clerk more. The complaints are largely about the govt forcing stores to pay the clerks more even if they pay doesn't match the value and often forces automation which takes away their jobs...and on top of that the govt mandates simply drive inflation.

Ironically, a big part of the fuel price increases are govt created. Producers are hesitant to put a lot of money into increasing output, which would lower prices, when the western govts have made it very clear they are going to undermine the industry.

But honestly, it's unlikely to stay up in that range permanently. At $2-4/gal, most commuters have little incentive to muck about with electric vehicles. At $7-10/gal, expect a lot of commuter cars to flip over to electric because it makes financial sense.

Commuter car fuel usage far outweighs the impact of RV fuel usage, so you will see fuel demand drop which in turn will force fuel prices down.

To the original question: At $3.50/gal, we are projecting around $1100-1500 in towing fuel for the upcoming year. Double that and we may not be happy about it but it's not enough to stop us from going.

[Veebyes]

I am paying well over $10gal now. Put $120 in my Toyota Yaris just a few day ago. WHOA! The good news is that 12 gallons of premium runs the car for almost a month. Most of my 'errand' type trips I use a 125cc scooter which gives 80mpg & even that only burns a few gallons a month.

My Chevy 3500 beast in the US is another matter. A 12,000 mile trip coming up. The truck averages just under 11MPG. Gonna be a pricey trip this year.

[ken56]

Back in 2013 we took 'the big circle' trip, 10 weeks and 9000 miles. From Tennessee we went up to Mt. Rushmore and then out to the Olympic Penn. then down to the Grand Canyon then on to the Gulf coast in TX , along the coast to LA. MS. and then over to Mobile AL. then back up to home in TN. The most I paid then was 3.94/gal. and that was high then too. Total cost for gas for the trip was around 2600 bucks. The wife and I just had a conversation about this today and we said we are going to go at least a FEW places this year. I just filled up today at 3.29/gal....97 bucks.

[RICK-ards_Red]

I am paying $1.58 per litre which converts to $5.97 a US gal here in Northern Ontario and usually in the summer it goes up as people travel but hey, still planning on a trip to the Yukon this summer.

I have not seen a casket with pockets so I might as well spend it now because I can't take it with me.