this post was submitted on 29 Jul 2023
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You are definitely right about vacation days; I guess I never really consider that people would be in their trailer for months at a time, so that's a good point. But it's not like people in other countries don't ever go on vacation, so I wonder what their planning looks like? Pointing to cars is just one thing but I think the frustrating thing is just the extreme excessive consumption habits we have in the US.
As an aside I'd be really curious to see breakdowns of like, all of the big truck owners and how often they use their trucks for towing, work, etc.
Road trips aren't as common in places with robust public transit. I would bet that road trips and trailer camping are probably the biggest here in America.
I absolutely agree with this. But there is a middle ground between the giant truck and the KEI truck. Especially when I use my small truck more as a partner vehicle than anything. A tiny KEI truck just would not fit the bill for 4 adults to ride in. But I also don't need the giant truck.
The solution in other countries:
Carry a lighter trailer, you don't need to tow a whole house with you.
Here in Germany your usual driver's licence (costing around 3k nowadays, btw) only allows you to drive vehicles rated to max 3500kg and towing up to 750kg. Anything else requires another (also expensive) licence.
Want to tow up to 3500kg? That will be mandatory drivers classes and a driving exam. Total cost about 1k. Want to drive a vehicle rated over 3500kg? That requires a truck licence, so more drivers classes, a medical, a theory and a practical exam. Total cost would be around 5k I guess, also you get to renew it every 5 years.
Hey sorry it took ancouple of days to respond, your reply got lost in my inbox. That's wild how expensive it is to drive! Kinda sucks that it seems like it may be reserved for more well off people but at least there is usable, robust public transport.
Sotry if this sounds really stupid, but can I ask what a normal vacation might entail/what kinds of transit do you use? For example I like to camp and there would be no way for me to get to camp sites and such without my own vehicle. And if a drivers license is so expensive it sounds like it would be really prohibitive to rent a car for something like that