RV sales climbed in 2021, but unfortunately, so did gas prices. RVers use more fuel than most and could be alarmed by the news. Why are gas prices increasing, and what does it mean for RVers?
The News Story
You may have noticed that filling up at the gas station stings a bit more lately. You aren’t alone. Rising gas prices have made headlines as people grapple with the shift. WGN9 and the U.S. Energy Information Administration have covered the rise in costs.
Why Are Gas Prices Rising?
Gas prices rose almost 40 cents on average in the last year, but why? In 2020, we saw a sharp decrease in both motor gasoline and diesel usage. Naturally, this lowered the cost for both throughout 2020.
With 2021 looking up, people are beginning to feel more comfortable traveling again. When that happens, demand for fuel will also rise. As demand for fuel increases, so does the cost.
Will Prices Drop Any Time Soon?
Experts expect demand to increase through December 2022 as the economy recovers from 2020. If that occurs, prices may keep increasing as well. Therefore, don’t expect fuel prices to drop any time soon.
What This Means for RVers
Regardless of what type of RV you have, we all require fuel. Higher fuel costs mean each mile cuts into your budget that much more.
An increase in fuel costs may force trips to stay closer to home, so you refuel less often. As a bonus, you can discover some fantastic places that you might have overlooked otherwise.
If staying local won’t work, you may need to take fewer trips over the next couple of years. If higher fuel costs are cutting into your fuel budget, you might want to choose a few spectacular destinations and stick to those.
How to Save Money at the Pump
Shopping around for fuel can save you some serious money. Price checking apps such as GasBuddy can help. You can filter searches by diesel or gasoline. If you have a preference for a specific gas station, you can search for those as well.
As a passenger, you can pull up the GasBuddy map and find the best prices along your route. Don’t suffer the frustration of stopping for fuel only to discover a better deal at the very next exit.
Be sure to take a look at gas stations a little farther off the interstate. Gas stations right off exits provide convenience but often do so for a price. Lower-cost fuel may await you just a few blocks farther down. Be sure you won’t encounter any towing issues if you do travel a bit, though.
Joining loyalty programs or fuel-saving programs can also stretch your fuel budget. If your RV or tow vehicle uses diesel, EFS is an excellent fuel-saving program. It offers large discounts at select gas stations. Discounts vary by location, but RVers have reported savings of up to $.75-$1.00 per gallon.
Unfortunately, fuel costs often play a role in how an RVer travels. Fuel prices can change rapidly, making it challenging to stick to a budget. What are some of your fuel cost-saving methods?
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