GAP and C+O signpost Cumberland, MD

Spring bike tour on the GAP, Chapter 3: Finances

You may remember the pedalpreneur challenge: I rented my cabin out for a portion of the time I was on tour on the Great Allegheny Passage last week… did that mean this tour made money? To the toteboard!

Total net revenue from rental (after cleaning costs) = $348

50% one-way car rental to Pittsburgh = $108.50

cost of food = $53.16

50% of gas = $32.15

campsites for two nights = $0

50% of hotel in Frostburg = $35

If you count the tour over after I rolled into Cumberland, it’s a total profit of $119.19…. buuuuut, there’s the little issue of transporting myself back to DC and the need to delay one more night because of the train schedule:

hotel in Cumberland = $91

Amtrak to DC = $35

This puts me over by a total of $6.81. So, it’s official… my tour did NOT make money, and is firmly in the red by about 7 bucks.

But was that really the point? Hardly. Consider the alternative… my cabin sits vacant for the time I’m not even there. My trip costs me a ton more than $7 AND let’s not forget the additional equipment costs I’m taking on in new tires. (I don’t include those in the trip costs because I had intended to replace those tires after the ride.) So, by being creative and taking advantage of property I have and don’t intend to use while on tour, I’m supporting my bike touring lifestyle. I very well may have made a few bucks if I avoided hotels, blown out tires and Amtrak tickets… maybe next time!