Tdenman has indicated that this thread is about North America
I think it would be safe enough to go camping, but Americans don't seem great on travel camping. I would say small (ish) RV is the way to go. That way you have a stack of free places to park for the night. Plus you have the facilities - such as toilet, fridge, cooker - with you. You mention camping, so I guess, like me, you like free. You have, just for example, lots of free sites in National Forests, and, if you are stuck, most Walmarts welcome RV overnighters in their car parks. In around 2 years travelling North America I spent only about $100 total on camp site fees. Buy or rent? I bought, and was happy with the result. But it takes time to buy the right vehicle, then sell. In Australia a couple of years ago I bought an old RV for an 8 week holiday, and regretted it all the way through. For 3 months I think best is to spend some time researching the best deals on hiring. Some hire rates can be pretty high, so you will need to do serious research!
My own travels are on http://dbarker.perso.neuf.fr/
You won't find many free campsites in summer unless you go to the boonies. American cities and suburban areas are highly restricted as to where you can park or camp, and many areas such as Yosemite will require advance reservations. The West Coast is RV heaven - especially here in Oregon. You just might want to fly from west to east to save time and $$$. I would rent an RV too.
Tom,
You have plenty of time to do your homework. I think you will find a 3 month RV rental will be more that you have budgeted for transport. When you combine the rental cost, mileage fees, fuel costs and drop off fee, it is no bargain. You also have to figure $20-25/nite when using RV parks. These have hook-ups, bathrooms, clubhouse, many have pools. Nice change from a Walmart parking lot. Figure appox. 12mpg for most RVs.
I usually recommend renting if you are here 2 months or less, buy if here more than 2 months. I suggest you crunch the numbers for renting a mid sized car as well. You will need unlimited mileage, ask about drop off fees, insurance. Now you will have a basic number for your trip across the US. You will need camping gear to stay in our National Parks, forests, state parks, forests. Motels when not camping. Figure around $70/night as an average. A mid sized car will get at least double an RV, 25mpg. Figure appox. how many miles you plan on driving and you will have your fuel estimate. Gasoline is now around $4/gallon nationwide. Only a fool would predict the cost a year from now. Once you have some numbers, compare renting a car vs RV.
I have helped many TP members buy vehicles for their trip around the US. This is usually for 2 people and they can sleep in a van if that is their choice. With 4, that changes that option. You can buy a van and 2 can sleep in it, but you will still need a tent and camping gear. Figure $4K to buy a decent van, lose $500 when selling. $125 to license it, another $150/month to insure it. Now you have some rough numbers and you can decide what is best for your family. Good luck with your planning.
[ 11-Jun-2012, at 21:45 by vegasmike6 ]
Many thanks for the detailed advice.. Really useful to help plan the trip. I love the RV option for 3 months but wait and see how budget turns out. Thanks all
Maybe you can RV for a portion then fly to other side and rent a car and/or RV again. I am not a fan of buying a car unless you are mechanically inclined. There are some stretches in the states that are pretty bare bones so if you break down, you are literally in the middle of nowhere. And you don't want to break down in the desert either. Plus a break down/repair is unwanted stress. At least with a rental you are covered for repairs and it should come with roadside assistance as well.
I've tented along the cost to San Francisco and in Grand Canyon and it was super fun, apart from waking up kind of damp when you sleep near the ocean. If you are experiences campers and can book some spots ahead of time, there's are plenty of places to camp along the west coast. I am not sure about the east coast.
I looked into driving around and found that the cost of car hire is pretty high when you compare it to travel by train and coach. i know its not quite as liberating but i worked out you save a grand straight away. you could even take a foldable bike so you can ride in places too. and you'll have that extr grand to hire the car in places where youd struggle to reach ptherwise, have a look at Amtrak
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