Total Cost to Travel Across the US in a Campervan for 29 days
We started our summer 2022 journey in Florida and traveled to California and back with multiple stops in between. This post will break down our costs to travel this journey. We were gone for 29 days and saw so many amazing sites. I can’t wait to share this journey with you. I hope this gives you a better idea of how much you will need to save to take such an amazing journey.
29 day travel journey
We traveled in our campervan throughout the 29 days and tried to camp for FREE as much as we could. We save so much money boondocking instead of staying in hotels on our journey. Hotel prices can really add up and become expensive real quick.
Our journey took us to a LOT of places within that 29 day trip. Visiting this many places in such a short time would not be ideal for many people but since I work during the school year and only have the summers off, this is what works best for us. Due to the fast travel I need to save a larger amount of money for this trip since it is done in a short amount of time. If we slow traveled this trip we wouldn’t need as much money all at once.
**Click each link below to learn more about each destination.
The main places we visited were:
Burlington, Iowa - FREE
Garden of the Gods - FREE
Pikes Peak $32.00
4x4 tour through Moab, Utah $433.78
Toadstool Trailhead - FREE
Forrest Gump Point - FREE
Bryce Canyon National Park - FREE with National Park pass
Zion National Park - FREE with National Park pass
Las Vegas - Hotel stay $$
Valley of Fire State Park $10.00
Seven Magic Mountains - FREE
Joshua Tree National Park - FREE with National Park pass
Hollywood sign - FREE
Sequoia National Park - FREE with National Park pass
Big Sur - FREE
Pfeiffer Beach $12.00 for parking
McWay Falls (there is a parking fee here but we didn’t pay)
Bixby Bridge
Partington Cove
Nepenthe Restaurant
Garrapata Beach
Carmel Beach
Santa Cruz Beach and Boardwalk - FREE to visit. Food and parking additional fee
Golden Gate Bridge - FREE to visit expect small parking fee
Pier 39 - FREE
Umbrella Alley - FREE
Grasshopper Point $4.50 with Access Pass
Carlsbad Caverns National Park - FREE to visit but fee for cave tour
Magnolia Market in Waco, Texas - FREE to visit
New Orleans, Louisiana - FREE to visit, $ for food and souvenirs
Total cost for park entrance fees and 4x4 tour $534.28
The National Parks were FREE for us to visit because we have an America the Beautiful National Park pass. Pick up your yearly pass HERE for $80 or you can purchase one in person at any National Park.
Campervan Maintenance Before Travel
Before our trip I needed to do a little bit of maintenance on our 2017 Ram ProMaster campervan. Those items included:
4 new tires: $834.56 purchased at Sam’s Club
Oil change
New battery
windshield wipers
price for oil, battery, wipers was $347.44
Total maintenance cost $1182.00 before trip (not included in final total)
NOTE: The previous year (2021) and the following year we traveled (2023) I did not have to replace the tires or battery so this starting fee was much cheaper.
Total Miles Traveled
During our trip we traveled 8,365 miles through 18 states.
Gas During our Travels
Due to traveling so far, we used a lot of gas, so our gas bill was VERY high. We filled up our gas tank 38 times. The gas tank in our Ram ProMaster is 24 gallons and takes us about 400 miles before we have to refill.
While traveling I use the Upside app every time I get gas which allows me to get cash back with each purchase. Not every gas station participates with Upside so you can use the map in the app to find the nearest gas station that participates. Each time you get gas you get a percentage back from 1% to 15% per gallon. The cash back amount slowly adds up and then you can either cash out or get a gift certificate to certain vendors from Target, Walmart, Starbucks, AMC Theatres, Cabela’s, Cold Stone Creamery, Domino’s, Lowe’s, IHOP, Panera Bread, Red Robin and more!
Sign up now and use my Invite code to get started XJZTTH
Total cost was $2,900.30
We also use gas in our generator which costs $36.82 and we filled our gas can 5 times. We use our generator almost everyday except for about a week in California or while in Iowa visiting family.
Total cost for generator gas $36.82
Groceries
We bought groceries throughout our travels as most of the time we prepared our own meals in the van instead of eating out to save money. Check out my blog post HERE for camping cooking meals. A lot of the food I purchased prior to going on our trip, I just had to pick up fresh fruits and meats as we traveled.
Total cost of food was $442.80
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Overnight Boondocking
FREE camping locations we stayed at
Cracker Barrel
Rest Stop
Multiple National Forests
Multiple BLM land
Loves Gas Station
Hotel parking lot
Wal-mart
Beach camping
Total cost for 19 days $0.00
Check out my blog post HERE for more FREE camping locations across the US
Other Overnight Stays
Stay with family for 6 nights = FREE
Stay with friends for 1 night = FREE
Bryce Canyon National Park campground = $15 with Access Pass
Llamaland Ranch in Tool, Texas = $50.74
Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas = $227.75
Total cost for 10 days was $293.49
The pictures below are all FREE boondocking spots we found along the way.
Or visit this post HERE for FREE boondocking near National Parks
FREE Boondocking locations across the US
Click the image to see a list of FREE boondocking locations across the United States.
Tolls
We did spend money on toll in Kansas during our travels. Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco California also had a fee but that fee is unknown currently.
Total cost was $4.00
Parking Fees
Parking at MGM Las Vegas = $30
Parking at Santa Cruz Beach and Boardwalk = $20
Parking at NOLA (New Orleans, LA) = $18.28
Total cost was $68.28
Shower Fees & Laundry
Showers
Pilot Gas station = $30 ($15 per shower)
Bryce Canyon National Park = $9 ($3 per 8 minute shower using tokens)
RV Park in White’s City, New Mexico = $3
Total cost was $42
Laundry
Bryce Canyon = $7 (takes coins for washer and dryer, change machine on site)
White’s City New Mexico laundromat = $5 (was $1.50 per washer and $1 per dryer)
Total cost was $12
Oil Change During Travel
We have used the same place to change our oil in Las Vegas both times during our month long travels. At this location you get to stay in your van while they change your oil. They offer different discounts so just ask what you might qualify for.
Jiffy Lube = $115
Total cost was $115
For a list of FREE boondocking locations across the US click HERE.
Eating Out at Restaurants
Pikes Peak donuts, Colorado $14.00
Food at pool side restaurant in Las Vegas, Nevada $38.00
Nepenthe restaurant in Big Sur $106.59
Chinese Food, Santa Cruz Boardwalk, California $12.00
Hotdog on a Stick, Santa Cruz, California $5.45
Marini’s at the Beach, Santa Cruz, California $26.67
Hard Rock Cafe in Nashville, Tennessee $63.96
The Dead Fish in Crockett, California $133.68
Whizzbangs food truck, Waco, Texas $15.58
Cheddar Box, Waco, Texas $21.00
Club Sandwich, Waco, Texas $9.00
Alabama Sweet Tea, Waco, Texas $10.28
Smoothies at NOLA $21.00
Market Cafe at NOLA $55.99
Organic Banana NOLA $25.00
Cafe Du Monde NOLA $20.00
Gordon Ramsey restaurant, Las Vegas, Nevada- Gift card/FREE
Starbucks, Los Angeles, California $22.00
Total cost was $600.20
Although we eat a lot of meals in our van, you can see we do enjoy eating out as well. Eating out gets so expensive but it is fun to experience new foods. You don’t realize at the time how much you are spending until you total it up at the end! This is an area I definitely need to try and reduce on our next trip.
Souvenirs
Purchased at different locations such as
National Parks
Other tourists locations
Las Vegas
restaurants and more
Total cost was $679.29
Total Cost of our 29 Day Trip was $5,728.46
That total does not include the maintenance before we left for our trip.
That is the breakdown of the total cost of our trip. As you can see from our trip, overall it cost a lot of money. But if you look at what all we did during our travel it was worth the price because we saw and did so much even in a short amount of time. I try to find a lot of FREE things to do as we travel to keep our cost down. If you look at the list above I have added FREE next to each thing we did that didn’t cost anything to visit.
If you were to take several trips and include all of these same destinations it is likely that your final cost would be similar.
Click the image to find FREE places to visit across the US that are family friendly.
Final thoughts
I was able to cross off 5 National Parks during this trip and many other bucket list items. I love the memories I make along the way with my family. I love showing them all of the amazing things there are to do in the US. They get to see up close the beauty of the land and enjoy many new experiences. Something you can’t experience through scrolling social media on your cell phone.
Let me know what questions you have about this trip. Was this list helpful to you as you plan your next trip?
Enjoy your journey,
Follow me on social media for more details on places we travel @adoptinglifesjourney
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