One of my escapes from work was planning months in advance for a vacation with my stepkids. I always wanted to do everything with them and that could get very expensive and burdensome. Dreading all the packing and expensive food I would have to buy, just took all the fun out of it. Since we started living fulltime in an RV, several issues with our vacations seemed to dissolve into thin air. You can go virtually anywhere in the US now and find a spot to park your RV and your family for a much needed R & R! Here are the five reasons vacationing in an RV is so great for the whole family:

1. You get more privacy in remote locations when vacationing in an RV!

I surmise that when people go on vacation, their goal is to get away from people or possibly to see something special. Staying in a hotel and even a resort can defeat the purpose of the escape. With an RV, you can go all around the US to parks that usually place you in private, wilderness locations. Mind you, some state and national parks pack you in like sardines, but you can find many that are spacious and private. Quiet times are enforced too! There is nothing like getting back to nature and getting away from people while recharging your battery. If you are fed-up with crowded, loud resorts, an RV vacation is for you!

2. You can bring all the comforts of home with virtually no packing!

When traveling with kids, packing can be very stressful and burdensome! What if you forget something? Will we be able to buy it? Also, the car can get packed so full there is no leg space while traveling. With an RV, you literally just bring everything with you! I like knowing that I am totally self-contained and I do not have to stress about forgetting anything. My first aid kit, phone chargers and all the little things we all tend to forget are going be in the RV right there with me.

3. With an RV there is so much cost reduction to vacations!

If you are tired of paying $200 plus dollars for a one-night stay in a nice hotel or resort, then bringing your RV is a great way to cut costs! Most parks are no more than $50 a night and almost all state or federal parks are $26 to $30! Are the expenses of food for the length of the vacation too much for you to afford (especially with the elevated tourist prices) at your tourist destinations? You can bring your kitchen with you and eat in thus saving hundreds! Want to cut the cost of renting sporting equipment? In an RV, you have the space to bring bikes, beach chairs, kayaks, surf and paddle boards . . . you name it! With all these savings, I have literally taken my week-long beach vacations of around $2,500 and reduced them closer to $600!

4. When on RV vacations, there is so much more time to connect with teenage kids during outdoor activities because there is generally no Internet or minimal Internet at most RV parks.

There is something about RV life that forces kids, especially teenage kids, outside. One of the things that I think our culture has lost with technology and our concrete, indoor lifestyle, is truly connecting with ourselves by unplugging and getting outside. You can still get TV, and usually Internet, at some parks, but it can be very limited at times too, including poor cellphone reception.  Taking the kids to an RV state or national park makes them want to explore and to unplug from social media, games and to simply hang with you. A tradition of ours is to have the kids help setup and pack-up the camper. Sometimes this can get very frustrating, but it forces you to be a team and then your get to enjoy it all as a family! True bonding!

Nike and I on a state park trail in the mountains

5. You can bring your fur babies!

I have heard so many RVers talk about how they started to RV because they wanted to support their pets with more recreational activity or go to a place where they can rent without pet restrictions. And what is a vacation without an important member of your family? The RV world is designed for you and your pets! There is almost always a pet park or walking trail to take your pets, and I have yet to witness a breed restriction (I use to travel with a 70 lbs pit bull!) There are very few parks, usually not state or federal, which have weight restrictions, but generally, standard domestic pets are welcome everywhere. A family vacation is not complete without my fur babies, and I also do not have to pay the expense to board them nor miss them either if we go in our RV!

So, if you are not convinced yet that RVing is the way to go full-time, you can always rent one and test it out! My mother rented a Class B from Outdoorsy.com and found she does not like that type of Class B. Good thing she didn’t buy it!

~Lesley