As I explained in an earlier post - Campervanning for $1 per night - I was able to secure a campervan from JUCY (see picture below) going up to the San Francisco and another campervan coming back down from San Francisco for $1 per night.
So, here is my itinerary and what I have worked up so far:
EXPENSES THUS FAR
Saturday, March 28 - $11+tax campervan rental ($10 for optional insurance and $1 for the rental)
Sunday, March 29 - $11+tax (see above for description)Monday, March 30 - $11+tax (see above for description)
Tuesday, March 31 - $11+tax (see above for description)
Wednesday, April 1 - $119+tax San Francisco area hotel fee
Thursday, April 2 - $11+tax (see above for description)
Friday, April 3 - $11+tax (see above for description)
Saturday, April 4 - no charge
Sunday, April 5 - drop off campervan
TOTAL: $185+tax
I think nine days worth of vacationing for around $200 for lodging is very good. I estimate another $150 in gas for the trip and another $200 - $300 in groceries/sundries for the trip. However, considering groceries is what I would have had to spend anyway, it is not an additional expense. The only additional expense is the expense for activities. I will allocate the campsite fees to the activities side of the budget. At the end of the trip I will break down our expenses based on categories. Also, along the way, I will take note of interesting places and discounted (but decent) places to eat. I don't like fast food. I do like hole-in-the-wall mom and pop type restaurants. So, if I can go to a mom and pop diner versus fast food, I would pay a little extra and go there.
Everyone has priorities. I squeeze our budget on one end to free up our resources so I can allocate it on things we like. Our family likes to eat. So, rather than try to save money by packing our food for every meal, I like to squeeze other expenses and splurge by eating out more. I try to fund this extravagance by using discount offers, promotions, and specials. (Please see Discount Dining With Kids In L. A.)
From my expense list above you will see that on Wednesday we are staying at a hotel. I am staying at this hotel with a discount. When I originally booked this room, it was for the day before. The going rate for this hotel was above $140 at the discount sites and they did not have the double bed option. By calling the hotel directly and running through my personal affiliations (e.g., AAA, Costco, etc.) I discovered a new discount angle (my husband's employer) and received a $129 rate for the type of room that was the best fit for us (2 double beds). Since then, I changed the hotel room date to the following day and the rate was even lower - $119.
I am not sure if the above rate (for the following day) was also available on the discount sites (and I will not be doing research to verify) but I am pretty satisfied with the price for now. Perhaps if I have time, I will do the research and ask for the lower price while in the car. You see, many hotels have a 24-48 hour cancellation policy where you can cancel a room as you do so before that time without incurring an expense. Our hotel in the San Francisco area has a 24 hour cancellation policy. Since I will not be checking in until April 1, I have until March 31 to cancel. That means I have until March 30 to do further due diligence, if I am so inclined. You see, I am not so neurotic that I must obsessively do the research until I find the lowest price. Rather, I use the down times to do my checks. My husband checks the sports score, my kids like to play with puzzles, read, or play on the computer, and I like to research for deals, strategize expenses, and design...processes (?). I know it is a fairly odd passion. Let's just say I like spreadsheets and I totally get engineers.
So, I hope you will vicariously travel up north on this road trip with my family and I (which includes a 2 year old toddler..._.
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