10 Reasons Why A Family RV Trip Is Better Than A Car Trip

Having been active RV owners for the last three years, we have taken a share of trips in our 2 RVs that we owned throughout this time.  Every trip is extraordinary and memorable in its own way, but following are the 10 things that stay constant for every one of these trips and we’re happy to spread the love.

#1 – Time To Reconnect

You get to be in very close proximity to each other pretty much all the time, so it’s a great way to reconnect for all the family members.

Let’s face it, the space inside of even a large RV is still smaller than the space in a small apartment.  Whether you are driving, hanging out in your campsite, laying down, watching TV or cooking, you will be in close quarters with your family members or friends. This brings on more opportunities for interaction.

Our lives are very busy. It is easy to get so busy that you forget to just connect with your loved ones. An RV makes it easy.

#2 – RV Campground Beats A Hotel Anytime

Staying in an RV campground beats staying in a hotel room on any day! Even though the inside of your RV is not a heck of a lot bigger than the hotel room or might even be smaller than one, there is all this outdoor space to play around in.

Depending on the type of campground, you’re likely to find other types of amenities that are included with your stay, such as pool, mini golf, tennis, playground, horseshoe, clubhouse activities for kids and adults, etc.

#3 – Campfires

Should I say anything else? 😉

#4 – You’re Basically Driving Your House

After being an RV owner for three years, I can’t imagine sleeping in a hotel room anymore.  I love having all my stuff with me, my own kitchenware, my bike and my bed.

Needless to say, RV is the best way to travel with little kids.  Little kids = lots of stuff to haul around.  It’s amazing that the amount of stuff required is inversely proportional to the size. The little bodies require a car seat, high chair, diapers, toys, bouncer seat, etc…  So, you load your car to the max (we’ve been there) and you drive.  After driving all day, hungry and exhausted, you must unload your car, carry the luggage up onto the n-th floor of the hotel room, “move in” and at the end of the stay, you must “move out” following these steps in reverse.

And every time you load the stuff back in, it seems like it doesn’t quite fit the same way it went in, so on top of all the work you’re already doing, you got a puzzle to solve of how to fit all the pieces together without leaving anything behind.

With an RV, you’re not living out of a suitcase. You’re basically taking your living situation with you.

#5 – You’ve Got A Kitchen

When you’re taking a car trip, you’re basically eating out all the time. It could be eating the included “continental breakfast” in a hotel (which is basically just a bunch of bread), or going out to eat.

Eating out in a restaurant with a family is an expensive thing to do, even if it’s a cheap place. Going out to lunch will cost you a minimum of $20, even for fast food. Upgrade to a cheap sit-down place and you’ll easily throw down $30-$40.

Not to mention that eating out all the time usually means you end up suffering from a loss of energy or other issues. The quality of food isn’t as good. We like to eat healthy and that’s expensive to do when eating out unless you go to some expensive places.

With the RV, we carry all our own food and a fully equipped kitchen. Eating out is a treat we may do occasionally, but generally we eat in and our food costs are substantially less because of it.

And we feel better. 🙂

#6 – Close proximity to nature.

Many RV campgrounds are situated near or inside of the parks and nature conservation areas. Just get your bike out or put on your comfortable shoes and you’re off to explore.

Sure beats coming out to a parking lot lit up with street lights. 😉

#7 – Preparing Food On The Go

Of course, if you’re a one man show, then I wouldn’t recommend driving and cooking at the same time, but with at least 2 people on board, cooking and driving is very possible with a Class A motorhome.  While my husband drives, I prepare lunch for the whole family.  Obviously, I wouldn’t make any fancy Italian feast or anything, but something easy like a sandwich or ravioli from a can are totally doable.

Plus, you haven’t really experienced the freedom of an motorhome until you’ve had a full lunch in a parking lot while visiting some attraction. You’ve got the A/C going and you’re sitting there in comfort. While the families that came by car are eating at the “food court” and paying $6 for a hot dog.

#8 – No need to make pit stops.

No need to make pit stops. “Mommy, can we stop, I need to go to the bathroom,” sounds familiar?  Well, with a class A RV, the bathroom is fully functional while on the road.  Kids can drink, eat and use the bathroom without having to slow down the rest of the family!

Of course, if my husband has to go, we’re pulling over. So, it isn’t a perfect system. 😉

#9 – Stay in places otherwise not accessible.

Some of the most beautiful parts of this country don’t have hotels around. Obviously, having a bunch of Holiday Inn’s would detract from the natural appeal of the landscape. However, if you have an RV, you can go almost anywhere.

Out in the western U.S., there are numerous places where you can camp “off grid” (called boondocking) and literally be out in the middle of nowhere.

#10 – Saves Money

Traveling in an RV is less costly than traveling either by car or by plane.

Of course, it depends on the destinations and the length of stay and excluding all the expenses associated with acquiring and maintain an RV.  We ran some calculations of our first long RV trip that we did in 2015 and … it did come out to be significantly less.

We’ll post a cost breakdown soon so you can see how it compares. 🙂