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Itchy_Feet · 10-09-2005, 04:58 PM

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Profmcmillen:
... They asked me "Why not just stay in hotels?"

Assuming that I made 3 six month trips in the next two and a half or three years across the US and Canada, what is your best guess as to the costs trade off Up sides and down sides of both choices: The Fun truck or the Car and hotels restraints etc? At age 63 I have traveled the world in my youth in the 70's and 80's and was able to rough it a bit. Now I don't want to stay in the Motel 6 or eat at Denny's. The truck idea is appealing but is the trade off cost prohibitive?...

First I want to say thanks for starting this thread. Once we finalized the sale of our house and I had a little time, I had planned to inundate these good folk with many of the same questions you asked. You beat me to it.

I cannot answer any of your questions about the truck conversions, but I can answer about staying in hotels for long trips. Until I retired in May I was on the road 3 weeks of every month. Sometimes I stayed in the same hotel for a week or more and sometimes I was in a different city each night. I had the same pros and cons in each situation. I generally stayed in mid-range Hilton properties (Hampton Inns, Hilton Garden Inns, etc.) and occasionally at a Holiday Inn Express or Best Western when a Hilton property was not available. The Hilton properties catered more to the business traveler and there were many fewer vacation travelers to deal with.

Pros of Hotels -
1. You don't have to clean your own room.
2. Room service
3. Security

Cons of Hotels -
1. You aren't at home so you don't have conveniencies such as a fridge stocked with your favorite foods, beverages (yes some places have refirgerators, but you have to stock them when you arrive)
2. You end up carrying books, magazines, etc around.
3. You have to eat in restaurants. No mater how good the restaurants are, this gets extremely, extremely, extremely old not to mention expensive.
4. Coming from Oakland you may not mind the fact that hotels are basically apartment buildings and a lot of people are crowded together. However, coming from the Nevada desert I hated being surrounded by so many people.
5. Small out of the way places seldom have really decent hotels. Really decent hotels are usually in large cities, business centers or tourist destinations.
6. Every time you leave for another destination you have to pack your suitcase. May not seem like much, but it gets to be a real pain.

Hope this helps.

10-09-2005, 04:58 PM	#45
Itchy_Feet Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 1	[QUOTE]Originally posted by Profmcmillen: ... They asked me "Why not just stay in hotels?" Assuming that I made 3 six month trips in the next two and a half or three years across the US and Canada, what is your best guess as to the costs trade off Up sides and down sides of both choices: The Fun truck or the Car and hotels restraints etc? At age 63 I have traveled the world in my youth in the 70's and 80's and was able to rough it a bit. Now I don't want to stay in the Motel 6 or eat at Denny's. The truck idea is appealing but is the trade off cost prohibitive?... First I want to say thanks for starting this thread. Once we finalized the sale of our house and I had a little time, I had planned to inundate these good folk with many of the same questions you asked. You beat me to it. I cannot answer any of your questions about the truck conversions, but I can answer about staying in hotels for long trips. Until I retired in May I was on the road 3 weeks of every month. Sometimes I stayed in the same hotel for a week or more and sometimes I was in a different city each night. I had the same pros and cons in each situation. I generally stayed in mid-range Hilton properties (Hampton Inns, Hilton Garden Inns, etc.) and occasionally at a Holiday Inn Express or Best Western when a Hilton property was not available. The Hilton properties catered more to the business traveler and there were many fewer vacation travelers to deal with. Pros of Hotels - 1. You don't have to clean your own room. 2. Room service 3. Security Cons of Hotels - 1. You aren't at home so you don't have conveniencies such as a fridge stocked with your favorite foods, beverages (yes some places have refirgerators, but you have to stock them when you arrive) 2. You end up carrying books, magazines, etc around. 3. You have to eat in restaurants. No mater how good the restaurants are, this gets extremely, extremely, extremely old not to mention expensive. 4. Coming from Oakland you may not mind the fact that hotels are basically apartment buildings and a lot of people are crowded together. However, coming from the Nevada desert I hated being surrounded by so many people. 5. Small out of the way places seldom have really decent hotels. Really decent hotels are usually in large cities, business centers or tourist destinations. 6. Every time you leave for another destination you have to pack your suitcase. May not seem like much, but it gets to be a real pain. Hope this helps. __________________ Itchy_Feet