WE SPENT HOW MUCH? FULL Expenses Reveal. ALASKA. RV Fulltime Living. RV COUPLE. RVing Travel Plans
Вставка
- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
- All Right. The BIG Reveal! We tell all about our expenses for Alaska this summer.
I'm just going to say it was a fun trip.
And I still have most of my hair.
And I'm still not getting a boat.
#rvlife #spacecraft #fulltimerv #customrv #hdt #whataburger #harvesthost #harvesthosts #campendium #wanderlust #boondocking #lg #vanlife #classc #thormotorcoach #motorhome #alaska #alaskahighway #rvroadtrip #traveltips #travelhacks #rv #travel #travelvlog #campgrounds #yukonterritory #van #rvliving #rvcouple #rvliving #rvtravel #snowbird #snowbirds #expenses
RV Camping
We like to "Switch it Up" between resorts and campgrounds and boondocking is always an option.
We draw inspiration from Keep Your Daydream KYD, Less Junk More Journey, Finding Our Someday and Changing Lanes. We normally travel in an HDT similar to UA-cam channels Suite Travels and Watts on Wheels. I also get some ideas from the editing style of Happily Ever Hanks (Happilyeverhanks) #thankshanks and believe it or not, I actually learned something from MRBeast Mr Beast video's as well.
Our journey is the destination. We want to share in our experiences in our discovery of What's Next.
I get my music from:
Epidemicsound.com
Tracks:
Globe Trekking by Philip Ayers
Amazon Shop (no extra charge to you)
A convenient way to see (or buy) the items you see in the video's which may help in your adventure.
www.amazon.com...
We use the TSD card for diesel fuel and save a bundle each time we fill up our Big Rig. We also use it to fill up our Onan generator.
The big blue boards (XL version) we use sometimes to get us "un-stuck" is from:
Gotreads.com
Our Class C is built by Thor Motorcoach on a Ford F550 chassis. It's a production build Magnitude model XG32. We tow our red Jeep Wrangler Sahara behind it. We've made some modifications to it so that we can boondock comfortably. Lithium batteries, Victron 3000w multi-plus inverter, dual alternators charge while traveling and mods to the water system greatly enhance it's boondocking capabilities.
Our extreme completely custom 5th wheel is built on a semi-trailer chassis with air suspension and air brakes. Completely loaded it weighs 42,000 lbs rolling down the highway. And we do roll down the highway nearly every week. You see, we believe that if your home has wheels they should be used.
Vehicles:
2016 Volvo VNL780 "Voyager"
2016 Smart fortwo "Pathfinder"
2019 SpaceCraft Custom built semi-trailer 5th wheel "Orion"
2023 Thor Magnitude XG32 Class C "Curiosity"
2017 Jeep Wrangler Sahara "Artemis"
Power system:
3250 watts of solar with Panasonic panels
30.1 KWH of Lithium batteries
2- 4K watt Magnum Inverters deliver power as if we are on shore power
2- 4K watt 240v Cotek Inverters deliver additional power for our LG Mini split HVAC and stove
Coachnet is our roadside assistance company we use but hopefully we don't use them too often. LOL
We are not sponsored by Whataburger but I do enjoy them anytime I can get my hands on one. They used to be just out of Texas but they have expanded.
BIg Truck Big Travels video's are based on our personal experience and not meant nor portrayed as experts in anything we do or say. It's our life on the road and our opinions are not meant to be construed as advice. Enjoy life on the road.
Sandra your PM skills are next level!! Awesome job on the detailed spreadsheet. It gets very expensive to do all the awesome things you guys did, like you said the food and fuel some other expenses are part of life, your excursions and how you captured them to share with us is awesome. I for one really thank you for taking all the time to capture video and edit it into videos for us to watch. I hope you guys stay safe and healthy on your current travels.
Thank you very much. We enjoy sharing our experiences with you and are excited to have you along on the journey each week. Have a merry and bright holiday season and stay safe.
Hi guys... That's absolutely fascinating how you have it all broke down... Sondra is a true graph Queen.... That's meant with admiration... Great planning and bookkeeping... It was a lot of money granted.... But you need to look back and realize all the memories as well as the animals and the adventure that you guys had... It was truly an amazing trip.... You are truly blessed to been able to financially Experience such a trip.... We thank you for allowing us to experience the trip with you... Laying in our bed with the AC turned down and the covers pulled up to stay warm... we felt like we were right there with you.... Thank you... We now look forward to your new adventures... hopefully our paths will cross...thanks and stay safe...J&A
Thanks J&A. Glad you enjoyed the journey and were able to experience it in the comfy confines of your home. We look forward to seeing you guys down the road and on our next out west adventure. Stay safe and hope you have a merry and bright holiday season.
@@bigtruckbigtravels thank you...we hope you two have a happy holiday also...January Florida...next may...out west...stay safe..
@@jeannealex2560 it’s like Sondra was moonlighting as a Financial Advisor or something?
Great team, great video. Thank you so much for all of the time, attention, and effort. I enjoy every minute!
Glad you enjoy it! Appreciate you taking the time to watch the channel.
We were the ones that worked at the Valdez KOA. We're currently at the Patrick Space Force Base in Florida with our next camp hosting gig. I didn't keep track of out expenses while in Alaska... I didn't want to know!!!! LOLOL!!!! Thank you for doing it, tho!
LOL. Probably better NOT to know! Florida sounds great. Thanks
Impressive trip 🌎 Impressive accounting Sondra! My hubby bought another new snowmobile this year; thinking David gets his boat 😅 PS Dec 6/7th was 11 Celsius … living in mid Canada some were mowing leaves and washing outside windows !!! Snow is predicted soon though 🇨🇦 ❤
Oh wow! Very soon I would imagine will be the white stuff all around you. Glad you could enjoy the "indian summer" this month! And, yes, I do think I should get a boat! Thanks.
Love the Whataburger cups! I have always wanted to do a trip like you did to Alaska and thoroughly appreciate your recap of expenses. Even knowing we could probably trim back on some of what you spent makes a trip there a bit out of reach, which is good to know. I have watched some of your Alaska videos and will go back and rewatch them whenever I get a hankering to head north and will live vicariously through your adventures. Thanks for all the info and your videos on such a wonderful experience.
Thank you, Debbie. Really appreciate your time watching the channel. We got the Whataburger cups from a store near Tyler, TX because Sondra prefers drinking Diet Coke in a foam cup. We didn't want to buy a case and I love Whataburger so we asked the store manager if we could purchase them. He gave us about 20 cups on the condition that we text him pictures of the places we go so he could share with his employees. We now take a picture with a cup in front of NP signs or special views or landmarks and text it. His store gets a kick out of seeing them. 😆 Alaska is pricey and could be done for less but it's still expensive. Glad to have you along on the journey. 😊
@@bigtruckbigtravels Being from Texas, we love Whataburger and I love this use of their cups!! We worked two summers in Montana and Whataburger was the first place we went when we got back to Texas. Can't wait to see all the places you take them.
I think you did an amazing job on expenses. Considering you were gone six months! Wow!
You have to eat wherever you are, and the fuel and maintenance on the RV,of course,you’ll have those,plus tires! Now all the excursions, you had todo these things while you’re there!!
Next trip will less expensive because you have done so much! But divided into5 or 6 months. Really quite incredible! Pat yourself on the back! Personally I think you were incredible budgeters!
Growing up we always had the best food. My father said we’ll take one less vacation, but we will always have good food on the table. And we did. Roasts, steaks, pork loins, chicken breasts. Always good meats. Garden in the Summer, but fresh produce, store bought in the Winter. Never feel bad about good food. Many can’t afford it!
Very true, Susan. Looking back, the Alaska expenses weren't too bad and we saw a lot! Thank you for watching the channel. 😁
Love the breakdown of expenses. I look forward to new travels and getting to come along with you both.
Thank you. Pack your bags. We'll be rolling in 2024.
Wow awesome that everything was tracked!! Great job!
Thanks so much!
Awesome job Sondra!!!
Thank you! Cheers! Appreciate the comments.
I really enjoyed Alaska! Thank you! I hope you got a little from UA-cam to offset a small bit of these expenses. You were gone along time. I think you were amazing!
Glad you enjoyed it! It was a fun trip full of adventure. We appreciate your coming along on the journey. Thank you.
Fist time you came up on my feed. Greetings from North Dakota. I enjoy how you track your spending so well well having a trip of a lifetime. When i have traveled here in the states i used BLM land a lot. Once you realize how much there is in the US it's awesome.
Welcome aboard! Glad you found us. We really enjoy the BLM experience whenever we can and wherever we fit. There is a lot of land to use in the US.
Great review! It takes some of the scare out of our planning.
Glad it was helpful! Thanks
Not a boat, a yacht! Come on, he deserves it 🛥 Thanks for sharing all of the information. It was very interesting!
I completely agree! I'll keep working on her! Thanks 😄
Very informative. Some stuff we would of not thought of
Thank you. Hope you enjoyed it too.
Sondra you did a fabulously professional job presenting this expenditure report. Having done many of them in my work life, this was a good one. It was very easy to understand and summarized to a level which easily explained what we need to hear about. I was surprised to hear how much it actually costs. Imagine if you had been paying for hotel rooms and eating out every meal instead of traveling in the RV. I guess that’s why we haven’t been on a trip longer than 3 weeks. It was fascinating to hear. Now … I’m looking forward to your 2024 adventures. Happy Holidays! See you next week.
Wow! You are very detailed! I could never do that.
thanks. Sondra actually enjoys doing her spreadsheets and tracking stuff! She tracks more activities than you would care to know!
Sandra, excellent job reporting your expenditures! Past career, accountant or teacher? 👩🏫 😊
I vote accountant!
Good question! You would think an accountant but she's an engineer... and loves spreadsheets. It's relaxing to her so the more she tracks the better! Oh man...I mean, laundry loads?!? Really?!? 😆 🤣
@@bigtruckbigtravels, awesome! We love watching your videos, thank you both for entertaining us!
I will be packing my bags and traveling with you!! 😀
Oh yeah. We'll be rolling in 2024!
We are not full timers so track all RVing costs on a per day basis so we can compare it to our other travel costs for scuba diving trips to Indian Ocean or South Pacific etc.
What would be your cost per day for this trip start to finish?
PS
We Loved the video and all your videos, y’all do a great job.
Safe travels and happy RVing
About $180/day which includes all expenses for our 6 month journey in the RV.
Thank you, it was very interesting.
Thank you, Susan. Appreciate your time watching the channel. 😃
wow very interesting experience friend
Yes, thank you. Hope you enjoyed it.
welcome@@bigtruckbigtravels
Thanks for the info on expenses. We spend $5 k per month on that kind of stuff anyway. You must have saved a lot of money by taking a lot of food with you.
We saved a ton of money by taking our "non-perishable" items with us. Thanks
OUCH!!! But well worth it with the lifetime memories.
Expensive but the memories are why we do this. Thanks
Awesome breakdown
Glad you liked it! Hope it helps and thank you.
If you want to you can use your ATM card at a Canadian bank and you get Canadian$$ at the current rate. Easy Peasy. You don’t have to order ahead if you don’t want to.
That's true but we were afraid that an ATM would not always be convenient so we got the cash ahead of time. Thanks
I don’t think that cost is bad at all considering my husband and I spent about 10k for 8 days!
Thank you. I don't feel so bad now!
The funniest comment.
Was when another traveler said there's not another water burger around
LOL...that was a great moment and stuck with us for the remainder of the trip.
Wow😮-we are doing a 52 day fantasy tour to Alaska in 2025-Well as the saying goes “you only live once” if we don’t spend our money on something we enjoy-our kids will spend our money on something they enjoy 🤣so we better 😂⭐️🇺🇸👍🎉
That is so true, Mary. We might as well enjoy it before our children get their hands on it! 🤣😁
when gasing up or whatever,going into to pay and buying coffe chips or whatever.wgat catagory is that in
Yeah, that comes under "eating out". 😆
It’s clear you are a couple with good financial means; however, I like the fact that you still count pennies. I noticed this in a recent video when you refused to pay a high price for potato salad. Your contentiousness with your funds insures you will continue the lifestyle you lead. Oh, it’s also obvious who the CFO is in your family. With the way Sondra watches your funds it’s no wonder how you accumulated the money to purchase the amazing rig you have. We could all learn from Sondra.
Oh yeah! We try to continue the practical means of living that we employed throughout our working lives. Served us well then and will continue into retirement!
Who folded all the clean clothes? 😁
😆 Sondra does virtually all of them. I sneak in a fold or two.
@@bigtruckbigtravels 😂😂😂
Is someone going back to,work after this trip? Haha
Dennis
😆 🤣 maybe...
No Wataburgers?
Lol 😆 😆 Not in this one! Giving everyone a break!
It looks like David is scaling a cliff at the end of this video. What's the story behind that?
It was a 200 foot drop to get down into a slot canyon in the Grand Staircase Escalante area. Buckskin Gulch was very cool.
Did you tell us the total amount of what it cost you for fuel?
I think you were jumping around to different areas and where to
fill up but I don't recall you actually saying what the total
Samsung was. Thank you
We did in the beginning of that segment but it was $5,600 for the Alaska trip. Glad you enjoyed it.
Well............I guess we are going to have to work another year before we do our Alaska trip...thank you for letting us ride along, that should hold us over till we do our own in 2025.
Did she spend 3 hours a night updating her spreadsheets?😅. How did you hook the 2nd alternator to your battery bank?
Not 3 hours a night but she enjoys the process, it's her relaxation time. The RV had dual alternators so we found the wire from the alternator and connected it to the battery wire.
Guessing you don't own a home (permanently). My husband has been trying to guess what you both did for a living to enjoy such a wonderful lifestyle...
You are correct. We sold everything and hit the road 8 years ago. No storage unit and no RV lot. We just keep rolling. We worked in electronics manufacturing. Nothing special and no stock market boondoggle. Just a couple of hard working people who budgeted and saved. Thank you for watching the channel. 😁
What is the wheelbase of your tractor?
It is 264" with a 2.64 rear ratio.
Man y’all better hope Sandra isn’t an auditor for the IRS, cause you’ll be screwed LOL
That is the truth! You want her on your side!
Bye bye 🛥️ 🛶 🚤 😂😉 thanks for another great vlog🥰
LOL...definitely gone! Thanks
Change your wife and go there again and see the difference ❤
Lol, not sure she'd like that! Lol
@@bigtruckbigtravels you guys rock ! Safe travels
Love your honesty. So many people wouldn’t take the time to understand the cost and that is very important not just for your pocket book but also for future green technology. Look forward to seeing what’s next with you two. I’m full time vanlife in Nova Scotia so I’ll keep my eye out for ya. 👍
Nice and thank you. NS is on our list to visit. Enjoy the journey. Safe travels.
What a great trip, and I really appreciate the honest breakdown of expenses recap at the end. Adulting in life and saving/investing for decades will get you wherever you want to go in retirement. We're almost there with 1-3 years more to go until freedom while still in our 50's and plenty of years left to see it all. I've been taking notes (love the pre-ordered rolls of quarters... I'm going to surprise my wife and stock our camper with some), and can't wait to see where you two go next in 2024. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Pete in Arizona - KI7LIL
That's the key, Pete. Save for it but enjoy the moment. The quarters will be great.
I cannot believe you thought about ordering “ quarters” for your laundry- that’s awesome! The food expenses, eating out, were very reasonable in my opinion. I think Curiosity need a gas tank upgrade, 60 something gallons is not enough, minimum 80 gallons to give more of a “piece of mind”. Love Tim Horton’s. I am amazed by the cost tracking skills - you are hired as Project Manager !😊 So, $4962 per month over 6 months does not sound too bad to me. You guys complement each other well- awesome travel planner and awesome Project Manager tracking all the cost 👍.
Ordering the quarters was thinking out of the box a bit but it worked out great. Gave us a nice supply for all the laundry we were going to do! Thanks for watching and appreciate the comments.
CANADA 🇨🇦 🍁 🇨🇦 🍁 = LOVE'S U VIDEOS 👍 please 🙏 visit World Famous CALGARY STAMPEDE 2024 Alberta's canada 🇨🇦 ❤❤ Rimbey john scotty ❤🎉🎉🎉
Definitely on our list. Thanks for watching.
I don’t remember hearing what your careers were but I guess Sondra was either an accountant or an engineer. 😀
Ding, ding, ding! You're correct. An engineer... and she loves her spreadsheets!
@@bigtruckbigtravels I get it. I am a retired electrical engineer, my wife is a retired CFO with accounting degree and both of our sons are engineers. You can guess our family get togethers are really nerdy! 😀
"You track how many loads?" 🤣🤣🤣 Gotta love Sondra's attention to DETAILS! After all this, I think David deserves a boat!😂
Oh! I LOVE that Alaska trip theme music and opening credits. You guys are fantastic!
Thank you! 😆 I couldn't believe when she pulled out the number of loads! First time hearing that!
@@raoulroberts2024 if David gets the boat, how would they hook it up to Voyager and Orion?
Wow, very impressive cost tracking! And such great organization overall-those food boxes were amazing. You two are such a good team. Thank you for sharing.
On the generator: how did you know how much fuel it used (the $700), when it draws from the same tank as the motor? And what were the major draws on power? I was surprised you had to run the generator so many hours on the non-drive days.
That's a great question.
i think they only have one solar panel
Thanks so much! Great question. We have a Victron inverter which charges the batteries and because of certain conditions it's only able to access 50% of the genset output (this will get corrected). So we had to run the generator effectively twice as long because the inverter was only recognizing half the power output! Very frustrating. Sondra keeps track of how many hours we ran the generator and we knew that it was consuming about .6 gals/hour so we calculated based on that data.
Hope this explanation helps.
What jobs did y’all do before retirement? I can’t ever see me tracking our expenses in such detail. I have enjoyed your trip and I’m very jealous❤️
LOL...If you couldn't tell, Sondra is an engineer. She loves her spreadsheets! Thanks for watching.
When you consider a big chunk of that is the special tours and transportation that are usually once-in-a-lifetime type experiences and that the driving was more extensive than a trip in the lower 48 I think you did awesome. There are people who whip off on a trip to France for 2 weeks and spend that much :-) Worth every dollar as long as you have the dollars! plus we got to come along
Thank you. We think so plus it was a very thorough trip through Alaska. We had some epic moments and some once in a lifetime experiences. No complaints...we'd do it again. Glad you're along on the journey.
Cost is obviously a consideration, but value received for money spent is the final consideration. You had a wonderful trip, with great experiences - which you shared so generously.
Thanks, Richard. No complaints on the trip costs...I think we got back more than we paid!
You kept it under 30K; time to buy a boat!!
Oh yeah! That's what I thought! She didn't see it!
you can't take it with you, might as well enjoy it.
for reference, I did 3 weeks on a motorcycle much the same trip as you but much faster and fewer(well, next to none) excursions. Stealth camping = free the whole way. I took the ferry from Haines to Bellingham to come back which cost like $800 sleeping in a tent on the boat deck. Total cost for my whole trip was around $3k. So it can be done on the cheap but trust me, it was darn cold in that tent some nights! And riding on a motorcycle in the snow was not fun.
memories are priceless.
Wow! Quite a trip. Thanks for watching.
David / Sondra - Very interesting / Enjoyable presentations of your recent Alaska trip. Got a couple questions IF you don't mind ? What brand of camera do you use when doing the video work ?
What all is involved with shooting a video - editing and sending the finished product out on youtube ? BIG QUESTION I know - and rather than overloading trying to cover things - could you just
maybe point me to a resource to learn some of material needed ? Does your camera also record the Audio of what is shot ? I have the DJI Mini 3 and am able to shoot videos - turn the material
into a LINK and then send it out as a Email. I had to bleed thru the eyes learning HOW to do that - but like anything - once it is learned - its EASY ? A big part of my staying in the dark - is finding
a source or Someone that knows enough of the subject to be able to explain it to me. IF you could take a bit of time to answer ANY part of my above rambling - would be greatly Appreciated.
Hey Dennis...well, those are some heady questions and specific to videos on UA-cam. Ok...first we use a Nikon 5500 and our phones (S21, S20 Samsungs) for pictures. The video is usually shot on either our phones or GoPro Hero 12. The voice is usually captured on those devices but we try to use the DJI wireless mics which are connected to either our phone or GoPro.
I use Davinci Resolve video editing software to produce a YT video. To publish on UA-cam you need to set up a channel. Easy to do if you have a Google account (such as a gmail account). There is a tab on your channel dashboard to upload a video.
Hope this answers most of your questions. Thanks
Retired over the road truck driver here, love watching your videos , so you burned just over 8000 lbs of diesel 😂
Wow! That is a different way to look at that! Very true. Back in our Volvo truck and our 5th wheel for 2024. Thank you very much.
How did you cope with the limited Cargo Carrying Capacity of Curiosity? I have watched most of your trip to Alaska series and notice that you don't appear to scrimp on cargo. Considering that the fresh water tank accounts for over 8 lbs of cargo per gallon, it would seem that you would exceed the CCC allowed.
We weighed before and after our loading for Alaska and made some adjustments. We transferred some to the Jeep because of the CCC rating and we were very close but watched it since we didn't want to strain the frame. You would think it could handle more weight but it was at it's limits. Thanks and great question.
What is the depreciation cost on the travel equipment and the opportunity cost on the travel equipment cost? I figured this out for us and for short trips, AirBnB and motels were less expensive. I sure enjoyed your trip and sharing the adventure. Thanks we were in Alaska last summer.
I think that is true, Jim, but for us we enjoy RV travel and the "comforts of home". The added costs are worth it for us. Thank you.
CO2 & Apple Fritters are essential food!
Lol... Definitely.
So where did the sticker budget fall? 😂😂
LOL...I think Sondra has it "hidden" but it's in there...I believe it's under Souvenirs.
Can you share more on the meal boxes? Send to be an effective way to shop for 2?
We found the meal boxes to be very convenient since we were out in the wilderness so much. Also, we were guaranteed to have our particular food on hand. Sometimes the selection up there is not great. We put our favorites in the box that we knew we'd eat every month such as breakfast items, soups, teas, etc...
Hay guys, what a great job explaining 👏 the trip and cost... I learned so much from your trip to Alaska... We appreciate you... The Banks Family 🎉
Awesome! Thank you! Super glad you were along on the journey and shared in the experiences...plus the summaries! Say "hi" to all the Banks in the Family!
Can I ask what you guys do for income to support this lifestyle. These figures are massive for we mere mortals here in the uk!
😆 thanks, Valerie, for the comment. We've been retired for over 8 years and started full-time travel immediately. We worked hard in normal corporate jobs but we budgeted and planned for 30+ years for this moment. We don't have a pension so it's just us living on our savings. We're very grateful and fortunate for what we have and enjoy sharing our experiences with everyone. It's a way for us to give back. We've volunteered in Yellowstone National Park for a season and also do presentations at HDT rallies from time to time. No income, it's just us on the road. 😀 Thank you for hopping aboard.
After 30K , David is not even getting a kayak !
That's true... sadly. I still have the inflatable!
Yes.. BUT did your books balance ?? LOL
Of course....mostly....generally...🤣😁😎
Just wondering, the quarters you bought, were they Canadian as well?
That's an excellent question! No, just US quarters. Laundry machines take loonies & toonies in Canada. Next time we'll get some of those too!
Great video. Your detail is amazing and much appreciated.
Fuel cost was about what I’d expect.
The food budget wasn’t bad at all.
Get the boat - arctic you just really wanting it ❤
LOL...Love it! Just for that pun...I need to get the boat now!
Great video guys. It would be interesting to know how much revenue was generated from the videos during your Alaska trip. That might be none of my business! But you have a unique opportunity to generate revenue from your travels which offsets the costs of that trip.
I'm fantasizing about converting an extended length Expedition to a traveling rig (pull out seats and add bed). That seems to be a good way to minimize costs of traveling. The super C you guys have is a terrific RV but it costs a little more to run. Couldn't do an Expedition with 2 people but 1 person could do it easily. Maybe travel with others so you have company.
McDonalds has the best cinnamon rolls I've experienced...just sayin'.
A rigged up Expedition would be a good vehicle for all kinds of roads up there...for one person. We enjoyed the Class C and it performed well. So no complaints.
LOL, lots of $$$. I enjoyed every one. It was one in a million trip for everyone that watched. 💖
Thanks, Mary. Definitely an expense we don't want to do every year but really worth it for us.
May I ask what fuel mileage you got with Curiosity? Thanks
We averaged for the entire trip 10 mpg. Most of that was towing the Jeep.
Hi there excellent podcast again. I just love watching you guys. FYI I just wanted to let you know Seward always is the most expensive. Homer is 2nd to follow. Both communities make most money on tourism. I live in AK and I was hosed by Millers Landing. lol Unfortunately it burnt to the ground years ago, but they still owe me well over $300. I paid cash and had no proof or a receipt. At that time they use a recipe box for receipts. And I had been using them for years. Boy I was frustrated! lol So I certainly understand your frustrations with Seward price gouging. It’s a tourist town now. Everything is very expensive there. But so beautiful!! Big hugs to all❤️🎄
Thanks for watching and good info on the coastal towns. I know all prices go up but it was just a shock!
Hi ! We did two months from Maine to Alaska and home. All totaled we spent $ 14,500.00 . We did this staying in hotels and motels and eating in restaurants. We did try to picnic where it was fun to do so. This was done in a Volvo wagon with our Golden Retriever . So you did well . We were lucky , not a flat tire or any maintenance items other than washer fluid a speeding ticket and a windshield replaced when we got home. Thanks for sharing . Great record keeping and planning you two, (Tip in 2012)
All right! so, ours's wasn't as expensive as I thought it was. That's actually good news! thank you for the perspective.
Why didn't you take your HDT to Alaska???
Great question! We took it up in 2017 and thought that was a "one and done" trip to Alaska. But, we enjoyed it so much that we went back this past year. This trip, though, we wanted to explore more remote parts and we weren't sure about taking our HDT up there plus we wanted to get into to places that our Big Rig is too big (such as the ferry to Wrangell). This trip was also sort of an "exploratory" trip to see where we might be able to go the next time in our HDT and fifth wheel. We're probably going back to AK in a few years and next time we will take our Big Rig and explore areas that you can't get to in an RV (regardless of the size!). Thanks for watching and appreciate the comment.
Impressive bookkeeping, Sondra! I really thought it was going to cost a lot more. If you figure that it is half a year of living, it isn't that horrible.
Thanks. We were excited that it wasn't more...well, I was...Sondra wasn't! LOL. We enjoyed it and had an epic time. Looking forward to what's next as we head west for 2024.
she even keeps track of the number of loads of laundry, Sandra is incredible!!
She's out of control!
@@bigtruckbigtravels just found your channel yesterday!! Extremely calming to my anxiety :)
The trip may have been a little pricey here and there but the overall experiences of this journey with one another was absolutely priceless. Be well and as always wishing you safe travels.
Totally agree! As always, thank you for the comments. Appreciate your time watching the channel. 😃
Sondra? Are you midnighting as a professional financial advisor? When I think about it, if you used your laundry set up…… you could basically use the freshwater tank and the 110 outlets and have the solar online to help power the dryer you have. You’d won’t have to worry about doing laundry at laundromats and campground laundry room.
😆 that's true. We love our setup in the big rig. No room in the Class C for a washer combo that we want to use.
@@bigtruckbigtravelswith David’s jenga skills, it may fit inside one of the exterior storage bays near Curiousity’s rear diesel tank fill.
What did u spend to buy the camper and jeep? Did u buy them for cash or r they on payments?
Great question. You're the winner.
No payments since we don't like to have debt...plus we aren't working!! Combined they were just under $225K...it's nice but man, we've never had so many vehicles! 😯🤨
Good thing I thought about laundry situation, even though I’d need to fill up on water more times than not, and thought of using the RS36 with washer/dryer prep.
It's definitely a trade-off. Longer RV and more water consumption but greater convenience. We struggled with it but love the flexibility and layout of the XG32.
@@bigtruckbigtravelsyou’d adapted Curiousity to having a pseudo washer/dryer set up. You mentioned having Curiousity’s Tires replaced…. I would’ve installed a skid plate under the rv so there’s no risk of the transmission being ripped apart while going through the the unpaved roads, and try to change out the stock suspension system with a more robust system. Having a little lift to it so the skid plate won’t slide along the ground. Hopefully, I’d get Maggie (my name for the future RS36) the same simple mods of the tires and suspension for a smoother ride.
Whataburger cost .
😆 🤣 she definitely tracks it! 😆
Sandra, how did you keep track of all the details? Day by day? very impressive
Day by day...receipt by receipt. She logged misc cash items in her log, credit card statements for most of our items. Then she goes back and enters each item into her spreadsheet. It's a job!
@@bigtruckbigtravels thank you for sharing important details like this. It really puts into perspective what it really costs to travel. Patti and I are really enjoying your channel. Hope to meet up with you if you return to Southern California area.
David, I hope you get a boat!
Me too... but I'm not holding my breath.
Can't wait to see what 2024 brings for you! Merry Merry Christmas, y'all! :)
Should be fun. We're going to visit some old haunts and some new ones too. A little bit of desert, mountains and water! Aloha
Hi guy's great videos with all that expenses i think you forget got the smart car gas oil,maintenance how many miles does it have take care happy camping
Those were Alaska expenses but it has 42K miles on it. Oil change once a year at 10K interval.
@bigtruckbigtravels ok thanks take care happy camping
I figured the Alaska trip was only pocket change for you all seeing you own a semi, two mobile homes, two vehicles, with insurance, gas, maintenance. Are you guys robbing banks behind the camera???
Bonnie and Clyde
LOL...we should be! It was fun but next year will be less expensive for sure!
Yeah a spacecraft trailer is priced at $4,000 sqft when I called so I say you had the funds to do what ever.
Thanks for the great info! You guys rock! Come back to Canada soon!
More to see in the lower 48 but we'll be back in the near future. Thank you very much for all your comments.
A box of quarters. That's the bestest pre-planning I've ever seen. I might have thought of it - but...buying a box of quarters probably would never have even occurred to me! If you don't already have your PMP - you need an honorary, for sure!! :). You should do a Master Class on planning RV Lifestyle finances. :) And I love the top-off story. Gas you COULD have put in is about as useful as runway behind you! :)
Thanks, Mary. Ok...the runway analogy is funny! First time I've heard that. Thank you for the funny. Some banks were on a "quarter ration" so we checked with our bank and they said "no problem. How many do you want?" Hope you have a merry and bright holiday season...oh...did her first holiday card! Turned out nice...not as many layers as you do but she tried!
@@bigtruckbigtravels Congrats on the first Holiday card! We'll get y'all layering in no time! Runway behind you and altitude above you - both...useless! ;). Merry Christmas!
So happy to have been able to follow you without spending a Canadian Penny who we don’t have anymore!!😂🇨🇦 and it’s a lot but not that bad! Last time we spent a month is USA it cost us around the same acv money but we had to calculate de 35% exchange rate lol thanks again to have bring us with you!👍
It was definitely a cheaper trip for you! LOL...next time, it's your turn and we'll watch!
I wish but my Finance Minister (Wife) is keeping the budget tight so honestly I do not think it’s coming in a near future but we will make 3 weeks trips in USA!😂👍🥰🇨🇦
👍
😎🤙
Great video guys, especially the way you have done the break down. Very interesting to see what you spent money on. Some off the expenses were less than we guessed and some were more. Overall the total was what we guessed at for that trip.
Thank you. Great guessing on your part. I was the same way. I thought fuel would have been more and I was surprised on camper night costs. Appreciate your time watching the channel. 😃
David deserves a boat!
Also our trip didn’t cost me a dime you did most of the video and David did just about all the driving thanks for the ride a long. Also didn’t freeze my jewels in the arctic ocean 😳
I think I do too! You were definitely more comfortable than I was while in the Arctic Ocean!
Expenses Yikes $29,771. So I really love your Vlogs so do you get money from UA-cam posts?
Was the new Rig Curiosity and tow rig factored in these expenses? Maybe it was all previously owned.
Thanks for watching the channel. We are not commercial but our videos are monetized but the money from the videos is so little as to not be an "offset" for the trip expenses. It would be nice but we definitely don't travel for free. We aren't sponsored nor do we Patreon its just us traveling as Fulltime RVers and sharing our journey.
I am going on a quest to visit every national park in the National Park System. I know Alaska is going to be difficult and expensive. Now I know I'm going to have to knock off a bank to do it!🙂
Definitely. Several of the parks are only accessed by air. We want to try and see more next time!
We have been following your trip and enjoyed all of the wonderful scenery and adventures. Thanks for sharing your expenses and breaking them down the way Sondra did. WOW....295 individual categories! I'm sure there must have been one for stickers, T shirts and hoodies!
LIke they say " Been There... Done That... Got The T Shirt".
We look forward to seeing where the Big Rig takes you next!
Thanks for watching! We definitely got our share of "Been there...done that...Got the T-Shirt" ! Appreciate your comments.
Love the data. I'm a numbers person, so I really appreciate your effort. I like your rig, also. How did the Jeep fare? We went in 2019 towing our Jeep and it got beat by rocks. I had a Rock Tamer and the Jeep chucked rocks off the front tires that bounced off of the back of the rig and back on to the Jeep.
Some of the items we used are on our Amazon store for reference. We used a protect-a-tow and our Jeep had no rock chips and didn't throw any onto the RV. We actually got no windshield damage at all except for a very small chip on the motorhome which is difficult to see. We were very pleased with this type of set up.
www.amazon.com/shop/bigtruckbigtravels?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_aipsfshop_aipsfbigtruckbigtravels_CVW156G1MQJS2Q4CNJFC
I would be interested in what the difference would be in spending in Alaska and what the same time frame would be in the USA. Then deduct it from the 30,000. My hubby and I really enjoyed all of your videos, many thanks for sharing.
Good question! We were just talking about that. I'm actually curious too! Thanks for the comment. 😃
Its time for a new line item....B-O-A-T! It stands for: Bring On Another Thousand! I own two boats, ask me how I Know? Merry Christmas and may God richly bless you in 2024.
Thank you. I love that acronym! And it's sooo true.
Is Sondra’s background in finance. As a LOVER of charts and statistics, I very much enjoyed her level of detail. My husband laughs because my charts are color coded
Oh, if you color code then you are well on your way! LOL. Sondra is an engineer and loves to track all kinds of stuff!
My wife is our quartermaster as we travel in retirement. Considering you were on the road for six months I think it was a pretty decent cost in one of the most expensive areas to travel.
We live the opposite to you with everything sold and living aboard a boondock capable custom built Promaster. Fuel is always our biggest expense and campgrounds in Latin America are inexpensive. But your presentation is very helpful for planning. Currently we’re in Central America for the winter but Alaska is in our future. I look forward to more ( thanks to Starlink).
Yours sounds like a very interesting travel style being able to go to places in Latin America that we can't get to in our setup. Very cool indeed. Starlink is a great tool to have and keeps you connected. Thank you for watching the channel. Excited to have you along on the journey as you travel on yours. Be safe.
Thank You Both for sharing the Alaska trip! Too expensive for me, but it feel like I have gone there through You guys eyes. 👍Keep your great videos coming, Thanks👍
Glad you joined us on the journey. Thanks for watching and there's more in 2024. Woohoo!
Deng 😃 I’m a big believer of living today like it’s your last because tomorrow is not a guarantee. Could be worse, that could’ve been bail money 🤣 ( but those stories would’ve been phenomenal 🤣🤣 )
Loving the dialogue guys, appreciate you!!
Safe travels & have fun 😊
😆 thanks, Don. Hopefully, no bail money in our future!