You can also listen to our RV Family Travel Atlas podcast: 10 Reasons RV Vacations are Better

A few years ago, a great hotel deal tempted us into booking a weekend getaway with the boys. We had never stayed in a hotel with them, and we were quite worried that everything, including sippy cups and blankies, would hit the fan.

Well, it did. Two nights in a hotel room with our two year olds had us running back to kiss the road our RV traveled on. After yelling don’t touch that three million times and locking ourselves in the bathroom to eat snacks and watch a movie on the laptop after bedtime, we were pining for the camper, the campground, and the campfire.

We have stayed in a few hotels since then, and we always leave grateful that our main form of travel is an RV. Here are our top 10 reasons why we choose RV vacations over any other type of travel.

The RVIA (Recreational Vehicle Industry Association) reports that RV vacations are 23-59% less expensive for families owning RVs. We have found that we save over 50% on most trips by traveling in our camper. This savings allows us to spend up to 40 nights a year on the road, something we could never do if we were staying in hotels.

Do you remember all those friends you met while staying in hotels? Yeah, neither do we. But we meet and talk to people from all over the world when we are staying at campgrounds. Over the last year we have met lovely folks from Canada, Wales, California, and Germany. We have been given impromptu floor plan tours by more campground neighbors than we can count.

When you rent a campsite, you also get room for your kids to roam. We can sit and relax while our boys play soccer or ride their bikes right in front of our site. This sure beats chasing them down a hotel hallway or yelling at them as they press every button in the elevator and set off emergency alarms. Not that we would know about that!

You don’t have to leave to find activities. They are right there at the campground. Some hotels have pools, but most campgrounds also have playgrounds, volleyball courts, fishing holes, mini-golf courses, crafts, and outdoor movie nights. The campground is not just a place to stay…it can become one of the most memorable parts of your vacation.

We have set up mini bars in hotel bathrooms and watched a movie on a laptop with shared earphones while the boys slept. Completely pathetic. At a campground, you put the kids to bed and then hangout around the campfire with food, friends, drinks, and music. What’s the contest?

RV vacations make it very easy to travel with family and friends. Our travel trailer sleeps eight comfortably, so we love it when guests come on trips with us. Buddy sites allow two families to camp side-by-side, creating a common area in the middle for meals and playtime. Both families have their own private space and plenty of room to socialize.

Most campgrounds are dog friendly, and many RVers travel with their four-legged family members. Many places have dog runs and pet playgrounds. There is also, of course, plenty of space for your morning and evening walks.

This saves you money and helps everyone eat healthier. We spend about the same amount of money on groceries whether at home or on the road, and we know our kids are getting a balanced diet—very tricky to accomplish while eating out three meals a day.

Yeah, someone else didn’t sleep in your bed the night before. And the night before that. ‘Nuff said.

Campgrounds encourage us to truly enjoy the great outdoors. From morning walks, to picnic table meals, to hide and seek under the stars, an RV vacation brings us closer to nature and closer together. There are tons of studies that point to the rejuvenating effects of time spent outside. Our three happy kids are proof enough for us.