Traveling in a camper has many advantages. The main one is that it allows you to move flexibly and decide at any time both the destination and the duration of the stay in each of them. It is ideal for the most adventurous, who flee from planning and prefer to improvise. Having the house on wheels also allows you to forget about the strict schedules of the hotels and avoid the crowds of transport on key dates. In addition, it means saving money, although it is also true that traveling by camper has some unavoidable expenses that we must face.
First of all, as in any vacation trip, the ideal is to set a budget to avoid surprises. To do this, we must plan well where we are going to sleep, what we are going to eat and how many places we are chosen to visit to calculate fuel consumption. Here are some of the expenses you should be aware of before buying a camper.
Gasoline and tolls: you can spend a camper
The first decision that we must make is to travel by tolls or by conventional roads knowing towns. In the first way, we are going to spend more money, since there are routes that can cost between 15 and 20 euros. But it has the advantage that it takes less time and we can consume a little less fuel. If we have time, we can make a much calmer trip, marking a tourist itinerary and even staying overnight. Although it is true that this option would be indicated only for trips of several days.
Regarding fuel consumption, a camper spends more than a car and less than a motorhome. The average is about 9 liters per 100 kilometers. A figure that compensates and a lot with respect to a tourism taking into account that later we will save the hotel.
Is it mandatory to spend the night in a campsite with a camper?
No. As a general rule, it is legal to spend the night in any place where you can park respecting traffic regulations, because traffic legislation applies. For this reason, the cheapest way to spend the night with a camper is to look for areas set up for recreational vehicles or rest areas with the possibility of discharging gray and black water, as well as having access to electricity outlets. If we prefer to spend the night in a campsite, the average cost will be between 12 and 20 euros per day, approximately.
What is not allowed with a camper while we are parked is camping, that is, you cannot remove the awning, tables, chairs or anything inside. It is also prohibited to lower windows, awnings or elements that exceed the perimeter of your vehicle. It is also not legal to pour gray or black water from the tank in places not specifically intended for it. In addition, it must be taken into account that the Coastal Law prohibits setting aside on the coast and the beaches.
Where to eat when you go out with a camper?
As we have just seen, it is legal to stay overnight anywhere you can park just like any other vehicle. And inside a camper you can do any activity, such as cooking while it is parked. The law left it and there is no problem. It is another simple way to reduce the cost of the trip, since always eating daily meals in a restaurant in the end adds up to a significant expense even if we choose cheap menus.
How much does it cost to rent a camper?
If the camper is not ours and we are going to rent it, the budget skyrockets. You have to do numbers and calculate if we are interested in going by car and sleeping in a hotel. It is the most logical idea if we are going to travel to one, two or three destinations at most during the holidays. If our idea continues to be to bet on flexibility, travel without a highly planned route and sleep in the middle of nature, the option is the camper, even if it is even more expensive.
You must bear in mind that, depending on the dates, the prices of renting a camper can exceed those of a room in an accommodation. They cost between 100 and 150 euros per night, a rate similar to a 3 or 4 star hotel for two people with all its comforts. When renting it, you must take into account the trip to be made to contract unlimited mileage or not, as well as insurance coverage. The quantities will vary and we will avoid surprises at the time of the return.
