Britt Ruggiero and Justin Giuffrida bought a 2002 Bluebird school bus in February 2021, with plans to convert it into a 30-foot home on wheels. At the time, diesel fuel prices in their home state of Colorado were averaging around $3 per gallon, the same as the national average.
The engaged couple, new to the nomadic living trend of #vanlife, gutted their bus, which they’ve dubbed the G Wagon, created a kitchen, bathroom and bedroom, and installed plumbing and solar power. They also mapped out an ambitious yearlong, cross-country trip: First they’d travel to Florida, then north to Long Island, then see California top to bottom, before heading back to the Southeast for the winter holidays. They got on the road this March, only to realize quickly that gas prices were not what they’d expected.
“We drove to Florida basically all in one weekend, and that was kind of a slap in the face,” said Mr. Giuffrida, 29, of filling up the bus. “We were estimating it to cost about $200 and lately it’s been about $300.” With a 60-gallon tank, and fuel mileage of about 8 to 10 miles per gallon, the G Wagon needed gas every four hours. The couple’s first trip cost them nearly $2,000 on gas alone.
In mid-March, the national average for a gallon of diesel was up to $5.25, and has since continued an unwelcome rise: the price this week reached an average of $5.72 a gallon, while the national average price of unleaded gas reached $5 a gallon. These are highest average prices ever recorded, according to AAA, the automobile group, just as the busy driving season of summer commences.
Ms. Ruggiero, 30, and Mr. Giuffrida are still on the road, currently in Santa Cruz, Calif., after a recent stop at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. But in reaction to the gas prices, they’ve altered their trip, spending more time in each destination and cutting some stops at national parks from their itinerary.
“That year of work on the build, we’re definitely not going to let that go to waste,” Ms. Ruggiero said.
Like countless other vanlife travelers, they are adapting to cut costs. Remaining in destinations longer, using gas apps and signing up for fuel cards allows vanlifers to stay on the road without giving up the freedom afforded by their lifestyle.
Jupiter Estrada, a 28-year-old R.V.-owner from Texas who uses they/them pronouns, has been on the road since 2020 and has no plans to settle down. “Gas is very expensive; that is not up for debate,” they said. “However…
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