Numbers don’t lie. Here’s what 8+ years on the road actually looks like when you track everything – every night, every mile, every dollar, every campground type. Because of course I tracked everything.
| 🏕️ 2,900+ Nights | On the road across all years |
| 🚐 70,000+ Miles | On the RV odometer |
| 📍 273 Stops | Campgrounds, driveways, parking lots & everything in between |
| 🗺️ 133 Unique Locations | Across 50 states and Canada |
| 💰 $4/Night Average | Total campground spend ÷ total nights |
| 📅 2017 – Present | And counting |
How Each Year Stacked Up
| Year | Nights | Miles | Cost | Stops | The Vibe |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 328 | 1,203 | $443 | 15 | The beginning. NC, SC, FL. Figuring it out. |
| 2018 | 365 | 20,602 | $2,347 | 55 | First real cross-country run. Hooked. |
| 2019 | 365 | 23,922 | $2,076 | 63 | Peak year. 365 nights. 11,961 miles. Under budget. |
| 2020 | 365 | 10,788 | $664 | 32 | COVID 19 SUCKS. (actual sheet title) |
| 2021 | 298 | 312 | $1,000 | 5 | 131 of those nights were at Camping World. |
| 2022 | 365 | 1,214 | $4,968 | 35 | Back on the road. Full year. Finally! |
| 2023 | 365 | 12,178 | $2,873 | 40 | The Grand Finale. Last 9 states + Canada. Done. |
| 2026 | 318+ | TBD | TBD | 28+ | Miles, Memories & Milestones. In progress. |
Note:
2021 context: 312 miles for the entire year. That’s not a typo. 131 of 298 nights were spent at one address: Tom Johnson Camping World Service Department, Marion, NC. [Read that dumpster fire (soon!) →]
The question everyone asks: “How do you afford it?”
Here’s the honest answer, broken down by camping type across 2,900+ nights:
| Camping Type | Nights | Avg $/Night | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🏕️ Thousand Trails | 978 | $0.20 | Membership my parents bought before I was born. Best. Inheritance. Ever. |
| 🌵 Boondocking | 329 | $1.44 | BLM land, parking lots, driveways. Mostly free. |
| 🅿️ Parking Lots | 9 | $0.00 | Cracker Barrel, mostly. Yes, really. |
| 🍷 Harvest Hosts | 14 | $0.00 | Wineries & breweries. Membership required. Worth every penny. |
| 🎰 Casino | 21 | $19.51 | Free if you play. Sometimes. |
| 🏞️ State Park | 19 | $25.67 | Worth every penny. |
| 🏕️ KOA | 5 | $84.04 | Emergency use only. 😄 Almost, like real Glamping though! |
The math nobody talks about: 2,900+ nights on the road. ~$16,400 in total campground costs across 8 years. That’s $4/night average. My Thousand Trails membership — inherited from my parents who bought it before I was born — accounts for 978 of those nights at $0.20/night. The most expensive nights? KOA at $84. The lesson? Join the right clubs.
Annual budget reality:
Top States by Nights
| State | Nights | Stops | Cities |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🏠 NC | 743 | 50 | Home base. Charlotte, Lexington, Advance, Morganton + more |
| 🤠 TX | 194 | 22 | Amarillo, Fort Stockton, Lake Whitney, Willis + more |
| ☀️ CA | 192 | 18 | Palm Springs, Twentynine Palms, Morgan Hill, Weed + more |
| 🌴 SC | 176 | 14 | Fair Play, Yemassee |
| 🌵 AZ | 170 | 30 | Quartzsite, Flagstaff, Lake Havasu, Phoenix + more |
| 🌊 FL | 77 | 12 | Orlando, Tampa, St. Augustine, Miami + more |
| 🦞 ME | 60 | 4 | Wells, Fryeburg |
| 🦃 MA | 48 | 3 | Sturbridge, Rochester |
| 🏙️ IL | 47 | 4 | Quincy, Belvidere |
| 🎰 NV | 45 | 5 | Las Vegas (x5) |
Every other state: visited, checked off, and has at least one good story.
Most Nights at a Single Stop
| Campground | Nights | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| TTN Forest Lake | 148 | Home away from home |
| TTN Carolina Landing | 120 | First campground. Sentimental. |
| TTN Palm Springs | 56 | Desert winter. Perfection. |
| TTN Rondout Valley, NY | 41 | Hudson Valley. Underrated. |
| TTN Lake Minden, CA | 37 | Sacramento area gem. |
| TTN Moody Beach, ME | 35 | Maine in summer. Worth the drive. |
| Tom Johnson Camping World, Marion NC | 131 | Do not recommend. [Full story →] |
| Parent’s Driveway | 61 | Free. 10/10. Would stay again. |
Just wait until you see this interactive map I’ve been working on. Nerding out on some Python and Data stuff…..
The Road Warrior Map
Every campground. Every cruise port. Every work trip. Every checkin. All on one map, color-coded by year, with routes, heat maps, and photo galleries at each stop. Once I finalize it I’ll embed it for you guys to play around with and see year by year, cruises vs. rvs. etc. 🙂
Stats from the map:
All of this data comes from a spreadsheet I’ve kept since day one — every campground, every night, every mile, every dollar. Because if you’re going to live like this, you might as well know exactly what it costs.
Spoiler: it costs less than you think.
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