Have you ever felt guilty imagining spending the holidays in an RV? We understand. And we also know that the RV is your happy place, and it can help your family enjoy the holidays, or maybe even help you rediscover that joy you used to have back in the day.

Everyone’s holiday traditions are different. Some of us enjoy large family gatherings with tons of extended family. But many of us now live far away from family, or have work commitments that keep us from traveling during this time of the year. We believe your RV might be the ticket to opting out of the stress and embracing the true holiday spirit, which of course is all about the love of family and friends.

We recently hosted a Facebook Live Chat for Go RVing on surviving the holidays by embracing the fabulousness of your RV. You can watch the entire chat here:

We talk about the following topics…

The Benefits of RV travel during the holidays

Many people think of their RV only in the context of family vacations or quick weekend getaways. Thinking about how your spending holidays in an RV can help manage the stress of holiday travel can solve a lot of problems that people face during this time of the year. We talk about the benefits of RV travel versus airline travel, transporting gifts and food, and creating family traditions independent of location.

Option #1: Driveway Surfing

You may never have thought of parking your RV in your in-laws driveway, but believe us…it’s way better than camping out in the basement. If you really enjoy visiting and staying with extended family during the holiday, but need just a little more ‘us’ space, this may be a great option for you.

Option #2: Staying at a Nearby Campground

Kinda love visiting your family, but need to get away at the end of the day? Make it a priority to find a great campground close but not too close. Enjoy spending quality time with loved ones, and then escape for some respite at a nearby campground. This is a great option if you know your kids need some down time for riding bikes and playing catch.

Option #3: Meeting Everyone in the Middle

It may be hard for your extended family to find a place to celebrate the holidays together. Maybe no one is willing to make that six-hour drive, or maybe no one has the ability to host a large gathering. Find a resort campground somewhere in the middle, where you can park your RV and other folks can stay in a cabin or alternate lodging. Some families work better on neutral ground. A campground is a fun, casual place to spend time with loved ones.

Option #4: Opting Out

Maybe you have tried over and over again to enjoy the holidays with your extended family, but it just hasn’t worked. If you find yourself surviving the season instead of enjoying the peace and love of the holiday spirit, perhaps it’s time for a change. Consider Opting Out of the stress, and embracing real family quality time by celebrating in your RV with your immediate family and maybe even some friends. We have done this for two years running, and can’t say how glad we are that we finally made the decision to do things our own way.

Make it Special: Holidays in an RV

Just because you are spending the holidays in an RV, that doesn’t mean you have to ditch the traditions altogether. Decorate your RV with a smaller tree and lots of lights, create a beautiful holiday table, and make tweaks to your traditional holiday menu to make it campground friendly. You can check out our Thanksgiving at the Campground menu here, and suggestions for a beautiful ‘unbreakable table’ here.

We also did an entire podcast on spending Holidays at the Campground or in your RV:

Don’t be afraid to change things up for the holidays this year. We know that RV owners value quality family time, and using the RV during the holiday season can make that a priority again.

No matter where you are spending your holidays this season, we hope they are merry and bright!

See you at the campground,

Stephanie + Jeremy