One of our biggest concerns planning this trip is the cost of hotels for a month. Even splitting the cost of a room really adds up times 30 days. Based on economics alone, Louise and I agreed that we will have to rough it at least some of the time. We’ve narrowed our options down to a few choices we can live with and hope that each could save us some money in the long run.

First up – Campers.

We like the idea of a very lightweight camper possibly of the pop-up variety. It would be need to be light enough to pull easily and also sturdy enough not to fall apart halfway through the trip. This is kind of what we were picturing:

The upside to bringing our bed with us is that would could cut down on the loading and unloading at each stop. We would always have a place to sleep and we could control how clean and bug free it is. The down side is that it there would be an initial investment to purchase the camper and it would also increase our gas bill to tow it, no matter how light. We could generally recoup most of our initial investment after the trip if we sell the popup but we would still have to come up with the money up front. Also, towing anything across the country just seems like more hassle than its worth.

We also looked at drivable campers. Our top two based on the coolness factor are as follows:

I realize these are short buses but the opportunities are endless for a custom built road trip beast when starting with a short bus like these shown above. The downside and probably the deciding factor here is the cost to upgrade one of these into a lean mean camping machine.

I also found this:

A teal blue VW camper van. Say WHAT. I almost don’t want to share the link in case someone else is shopping for a similar vehicle but I will so that you all can check out the ad and the full set of photos: http://tallahassee.craigslist.org/cto/4001013059.html This is one bad boy right here. It might be my hearts desire to drive a bright blue popup van across the country. I’m really feeling this. Louise doesn’t know about it yet. I may have to bribe her with cupcakes. As far as drivable campers go, the VW is my top pick and the color really seals the deal for me.

The Scamp

Louise stumbled across this lovely creature and sent it to me:

Now we are talking. This particular gem of a camper is one that she found on our local Craigslist. The “Scamp” is one of a kind and we fell instantly and irrevocably in love with its class and charm. See complete ad HERE This baby has critters on it and a one of a kind vintage interior that screams road trip.

Unfortunately this genteel home away from home also carries a price tag that is over our budget. Alas Scamp, it wasn’t meant to be but I’ll always love you best.

Camping – Tent Style

Sleeping in a tent seems the most economical route and though we’d still have to pay a fee to camp in a campground we would have access to showers and other campground amenities such as a pool and WiFi. The problem with tent camping is that in true Thelma and Louise style, we have no idea what we are doing so of course that makes it the most appealing option for both of us. After all, this road trip is supposed to be an adventure and nothing says adventure like sleeping in a tent, right?

If we go this route, we’d need to buy a tent, sleeping bags, cushions or air mattresses, and a host of other things we know nothing about because we know nothing about camping. The equipment would take up some room in the car but it would still be more economical than towing a popup or a Scamp. At the close of the last discussion on this option, we loosely decided to borrow a tent and equipment from any family members willing to loan it and take a test trip in the mountains of north Georgia and see how this camping business actually works. We looked at KOA campgrounds but would love any suggestions on secret alternatives that professional campers know about but usually don’t tell wannabe campers like us.

Any real campers out there want to chime in on how exactly two women and two children should go about learning to camp? What do we need to bring? What can we do without? Is camping safe or will we be eaten by wild chipmunks in our sleep? What kind of tent do we need? Also, has anyone ever heard of a SylvanSport Go?

This is a hybrid camper/tent on wheels. We love it. We lust after it. We also can’t afford it but it’s amazing and would be the perfect solution to our sleeping issue if it magically appeared in my driveway. Throw some comments my way if you know a tent from a hole in the ground and think you can shed some light.