Buy or Rent an RV: 5 Good Reasons

A Recreational Vehicle (RV) is a great way to vacation for many reasons. Wandering along and seeing the countryside up close is an obvious benefit, and taking your hotel room wherever you go is a plus as well. Saving money by driving versus airfares is a big one, and knowing the bed you’re sleeping in is clean and free of parasites is another. Here are a few more obscure topics that you may not have considered:

We have all, at one time or another, had to do the emergency “can’t hold it any longer” roadside stop at some gas station bathroom. After lugging the key (usually dangling from a 40lb brick or something so you won’t steal it) around the back where the restroom is, then getting inside right before someone begins pounding on the door, we are accosted by a stench so foul that breathing is not an option while finishing our business. After emerging breathless and terrified we swear to never put ourselves in that position again. Avoiding all that is one underrated and often unmentioned benefit of traveling in an RV.

For similar reasons to number one above, many people dread having to stay in a hotel. We have all heard the bed-bug horror stories on the news recently, and you just never know how clean even the most high-end hotels are. Some people even insist on carrying their own bedclothes to their hotel rooms. With an RV you have the luxury of always knowing who has slept in your bed and when was the last time it was changed. Additionally, check out time is whenever you feel like it, and reservations are not necessary.

More and more people have pets nowadays, and many people consider their pets as family members. Taking a vacation when you have pets can be a traumatic experience. Leaving your beloved pooch or kitty in a kennel or boarding house is expensive, and you know you will worry about them the whole time you’re gone. If you opt to take your pet with you, finding pet-friendly accommodations is also problematic; while getting more numerous everyday, they are still not the norm. With an RV, Fido and BooKitty can go where you go.

Every parent knows the dreaded “Are we there yet” can only be tolerated so many times. In an effort to preserve our sanity, road songs and word games can help, but only so much. In an RV, when parked, kids can have more room to move around, can lay down and take a nap, or play video or board games to keep their minds off the long and winding road. RV’s offer many more opportunities for diversion for the kids than any car, even with modern headrest monitors and DVDs, they still get tired of being strapped in one position for so long.

As mentioned before, another fabulous perk when RV'ing is the freedom from schedules. No check in and check out times, no itinerary, no missed or delayed flights; an RV gives you the freedom to do whatever whenever, and to change your mind and your plans at any time on any whim. Isn’t that what vacation is supposed to be all about? Relaxing is more of an option without having to worry about missed appointments and lost deposits, and the wanderlust can take you where you care to go.

These are just a few of the many good reasons, both financial and practical, to consider an RV when planning your next vacation. For anyone who regularly goes on vacation, over time an RV will even pay for itself in hotel and airline savings, not to mention the element of freedom you might not even realize you are missing.