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Ren Faire Road Trip

Started by Dance_Dance, September 10, 2009, 02:10:14 AM

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Dance_Dance

Okay, so this idea of mine (well, I'm sure I'm not the first to come up with it) is in its infancy stage and I honestly don't know when it's going to happen.  But a friend of mine and I have decided that we should take a road trip one year and visit a bunch of different ren faires across the states.

I've taken road trips before, with my family when I was younger, so while I'm well aware of the strain they can put on people, the long hours in the car/RV, and all of the downsides of road tripping, I am clueless on the finical aspects of it.

I've got so many questions, but they basically boil down to how can I pull this off for the least amount of money?  What's the best/most comfortable way to travel vs what is the cheapest, and is there a medium between the two?  What kind of transportation would be best for a ren faire driven road trip - car, van, trailer, RV?  I looked at RV rentals and O_O DAMN, that's a lot of money!  I'm sure there's a bunch more questions I need to answer, but right now, I want to get an idea of what kind of budget this would need and any tips you guys might have to help us.

Oh, and please let know if I'm posting this in the right section.  I figured camping was good as any, sense we'll most likely be doing that.

Dinobabe

RV's can seem expensive but when you split the cost b/t friends it can be way less than hotels and of course much better than tent camping.  Also, in an RV you are cooking, so you save on food costs. 
Do you know someone that owns an RV you could borrow? 
I think it's a great idea and may even steal it from you! :D
Natasha McCallister
Bristol Faire 1988-2005
The Wizard's Chamber/Sir Don Palmist
59.2% FaireFolk Corrupt
midsouthrenfaire.com

Celtic_Fae

Good idea!

Unfortunately, neither my mom nor I are good at driving those big RVs. Otherwise the RV road trip option sounds great. I am in the works where I will be taking extra classes over the Spring and Summer semesters so I can take next fall off to travel. I'm hoping to hit PARF, King Richard's, TRF...er, fitting some family in there, somewhere...and some other faires or doing multiple weekends at the previously mentioned faires.

Jinglebum

I've been wanting to do that for a while now. Just have to save up money first. :P haha
I think mode of transportation really depends on 1) what type of vehicle you and your friend would be most comfortable in and 2) your budget. I know for me personally, I'd just get in a small car with camping equipment and garb and camp somewhere when I get tired. If you're more comfortable in a bed, I'd suggest the RV. If you can afford a lot of different hotel rooms, that may be your best option.
I would definitely suggest you try and find a friend who has an RV they can lend you though. Gives you more money to spend at the faires. :D
Oh... Shiny!

ladylissame

Gregory and I have talked about this as well. Eventually buy an RV and hit the faires accross the country. We have a few friends who we know would come with us so it could be a lot of fun.

Dance_Dance

Dinobabe,

My grandparents used to own an RV but that was a long time ago.  Now it seems like everyone's gotten rid of their RVs, pop-up trailers, and the like. 

Kathryn,

Yeah, I was worried about actually driving the RV, too.  I've never driven anything bigger than a mini-van before - oh, well, a boat, but that doesn't really count.  You can weave all along the water and not worry about going into a ditch. :P And let us know how the trip goes for you!  It sounds fun. :)

dobbydog,

I'm thinking maybe we'll rent a van - or at least a full-sized car.  I've got a compact and while it's great for short trips and driving around in cities, I can't imagine spending days crammed in there.  I drive it for four hours one way to see my folks and I'm ready to leap out of it just to move my legs more than three inches.  Not to mention, I don't think my car will hold all of our camping gear and ren faire stuff.  ;)

Sense my friend and I are young enough that sleeping on air mattresses isn't a problem, I'm think we will go with the camping thing.  It is the cheapest and most faires have a tent city - if one doesn't, then there's usually camp grounds near by.  Now I just need to look up electric stove prices . . . or maybe burrow my folks, I think they have one.


ladylissame,

My friend made the suggestion of buying an RV or van and renting it out to friends when we're not using it.  That's not even an option for me right now, but if I had the money, I guess it would be a smart thing to do.  Your friends can get a major discount on an RV and you can make some money back on it.  But then I'd be worried that they'd do something to it and what's insurrance  going to be like?  But we're also considering taking other friends along.  Just don't know who yet....

Dance_Dance

XD  Just spoke a little with my friend.  She's never been camping before, so if we do this, this'll most likely be her frist time.

Oh, this will be fun on so many levels. :D

Goody

I am all about the minivan (better gas mileage than RV). If all else fails you can sleep fairly comfortably (like if it's raining and you really don't want to set up a tent or you get back late) and walmart parking lots and truck stops are free.