May 2008 Newsletter

1. Article: The Effect of High Gas Prices on RV Parks
2. RV Parks and Campgrounds For Sale
3. Comments
4. Featured Listings
5. RV Park and Campground Memberships For Sale
6. RV Park Employment
7. Links to some interesting articles we have found this month.
8. Tell us what you think and send us your articles!

THE EFFECT OF HIGH GAS PRICES ON RV PARKS By Frank Rolfe

In my town gasoline is around $4 a gallon. It costs me almost $100 to fill up my Dodge Durango. As I’m driving down the highway, I see a huge RV and think to myself “boy, that must cost a fortune to fill up”. Surely, you would think, this gasoline crisis is going to put an end to the RV Park Industry! Well, that’s the easy conclusion, but not quite the right one. In fact, the high cost of gasoline is going to have negligible effect on the RV Park industry 

Let me first emphasize that I am talking about the RV Park industry not the RV industry. Yes, I think that the high price of gas will have a significant impact on RV sales. But I’m talking about the RV Park business, those RV parks where you place your RV overnight to sleep while you are on the road. It’s economics are much more complex. 

The first reason that the RV park business will have little adverse reaction to high gasoline prices is the unique type of customer who owns these things. Many of these RVs (in fact, a huge number) cost over $100,000. Some cost up to $2,000,000. As a result, RV owners are not as financially strapped as the average American. Sure, they cringe when they fill up – but they fill up anyway. They have the disposable income to buy gas at $4 a gallon, and $5 if it goes to that. I don’t know how high gas would have to go to change their buying habits, but $4 is not it. 

The second reason is that RV parks are not about driving – they are about sitting. If you want to drive your RV less, you just stay in the same RV park longer. It costs the same for a night of lodging in any direction you travel, so why travel at all? Many RV users will more than likely drive less distance, but stay on the road the same number of nights. 

The third reason is that RVs are often used on special occasions –such as vacations – and those are times in which the average owner is willing to consume more. If you have been planning a family vacation for a year, it is unlikely that you will cancel it because gas just went up 50 cents a gallon. You may complain, but you will keep on pumping. 

The fourth reason is that many RV users will cancel other, more costly travel options, such as foreign travel, and use their RV more. Once you own the RV, it is a lot cheaper to take it down to some destination than to book airfare, car rental, etc. at some more exotic locale. 

The final reasons is that, even at $4 a gallon, it is still financially attractive to travel in an owner’s RV rather than the other travel options. If you were to drive an RV with 8 miles per gallon fuel consumption from Missouri to Los Angeles, it would cost you $922 in gasoline each way (1,845 miles). That sounds like a lot. But how much are four tickets on American Airlines for this same roundtrip? About twice that amount. And while you are driving, you get to see all the sights that many people love; from national parks to tourist shops and the square in Santa Fe. You also have to add on the price of the RV parks at night, which are about $30 per night, compared to $200 a night in Los Angeles and Santa Fe. So as you can see, the RV, despite $4 gas, is the clear winner as far as cost. 

So before you condemn the RV park industry as another victim of the gas crisis, think outside the box. The RV park business is alive and kicking. And showing no signs of recession.

RV Park & Campground Investment Series

Over 20 hours of audio (on CD) with Frank Rolfe and I, taking you through the process of:

• Finding RV Parks and Campgrounds To Buy
• Evaluating RV Parks and Campgrounds
• Negotiating and Buying RV Parks & Campgrounds
• RV Park & Campground Due Diligence
• Operating, Turnaround and Selling RV Parks

Find out More about this Product! 

RV Parks and Campgrounds For Sale

We currently have over 500 RV Parks for sale and the list is growing daily. 

If you are looking to sell your RV Park or Campground you can do so Risk FREE.  Find out more about Selling your RV Park. 

5-6-08

Dear Diane,

I was very satisfied with the ease of posting an add, the amount of response I received, the assistance given over the phone, and the overall performance of the website. I would certainly recommend the use of your site to others and will certainly use it myself in the future.

Thank you so much Diane, I know we've had a good amount of extra attention on the businesses for sale we advertise due to the rvparkstore.com. Your excellent service and response time have been very beneficial to the businesses we market. I have been personally impressed to receive phone calls from you in order to clarify questions or confirm a major price change.

Thank you!

Featured Listings:

RV Park for sale - Moab, UT

This beautiful RV Park is located in the heart of Canyon Country in Moab, Utah. Just minutes from Canyon lands and Arches National Parks, Spanish Trail RV Park offers 60 full hook-up sites, and 13 tent sites, all with panoramic views of red rock formations and snow-capped La Sal mountains. 

Excellent location near a large recreation lake, just over a mile off the Interstate along a state highway.  This franchised park features room to grow on the 11 acres, 27 full hookup sites, 23 partial hookups and 8 tent sites.  3 cabins, one is brand new and deluxe, 1 rental trailer, owner's home and a store.  This area is a great place to be for the family camper.

This section of RVParkStore.com is growing quickly.  Memberships are being listed and sold quickly.  With about 200 memberships currently for sale, this continues to be the prime outlet to buy and sell campground memberships. 

Best of all, when you are selling your membership, we do not charge you up front to do so.  You only pay us if you are successful in finding a buyer from RVParkStore.com. 

Thank you for the help in selling our TT Membership.  We will certainly recommend your website.

Your system works!  A buyer found me through your web site (listing #MB149) and a sale has been concluded.  Thanks for your good Service.

Are you searching for good quality employees or looking for a position with an RV Park?  Then be sure to visit our ever growing employment listing sections.

All listings in these sections are FREE!

Check out the Help Wanted Section

Check out the Work Wanted Section