Aaahhh, the freedom of the open road! The RVing lifestyle has so much to offer to people of all ages and stages of their lives. Baby boomers are the fastest-growing RV population, but young families are also running in droves to purchase or rent an RV for their next family vacation. With nearly 20 million Americans every year hitting the road with their RV, I wanted to look at some of the reasons people are choosing this type of vacation. The list I came up with was long, but here are my top 10 reasons you should go RVing.
Modern technology has given us every imaginable appliance and doodad that we could possibly need. From 10-speed stand mixers and one-cup coffee makers to electric razors and turbo ionic blow dryers with diffusers, we’re a thingamabob-blessed society that longs for nothing. But when you go RVing, you can’t pack everything and the kitchen sink. There just isn’t room! RVing forces you to think hard about what you can, and cannot, live without for the duration of your trip. Although this makes packing difficult, you’ll discover that you can have an awesome week in the great outdoors without bringing every convenience of home with you. So leave your flat-screen TV and whirlpool tub at home. Trust me, you won’t even miss them.
Remember those people you used to hang out with on the weekends? They’re called friends, and it’s been too long since you spent any quality time with them. Between work, soccer games, paying bills, and more work, relationships seem to take a backseat to life. But when you hit the road and leave the stress of everyday life behind, relationships get renewed and old friends become new again. Catch up with each other around the campfire and make lasting memories that you’ll laugh and cry about for years to come. Who knows, maybe your first camping trip together will become an annual event!
A major draw to the RVing lifestyle is going off the grid and decompressing. There are campgrounds and RV parks that have Wi-Fi, which comes in handy if you need to check in via email or use Mapquest to find your next destination. But for the most part, campgrounds and parks are disconnected, unplugged, and free of Wi-Fi, which is how 97.9% of campers want it. RVing gives you the opportunity to escape from the ringtones and hashtags of our busy lives and just enjoy the peacefulness of the great outdoors. Leave your devices and chargers at home. You won’t need them where you’re going.
When was the last time your kids had your undivided attention? How long has it been since you spent the entire day together as a family at the beach, going hiking, or just sitting around a campfire and laughing? RVing has a way of bringing families back together and building memories that last a lifetime. Some of your kids’ favorite childhood memories will be from family camping trips, and I bet yours will be too!
RVing is pet friendly! In fact, RVing is so pet friendly that you might feel like you’re in the minority if you don’t bring your furry friend with you! So don’t make a reservation for your little friend at the Waggin’ Tails Resort. Pack up Buster’s bowls, toys, leash, and dog bed and hit the road together! Next stop: Wet Nose City!
RVing gets you outside doing things you normally wouldn’t do at home, like hiking, kayaking, rafting, sightseeing, and so much more. When we’re at home, surrounded by our daily routine, we don’t think to try new activities or go new places. RVing gives us the opportunity to try something we’ve never done before and go places we’ve never been. It allows us to get out of our comfort zone and grow with new experiences. And if you’re like me, you always discover that new experiences, like river rafting or kayaking, aren’t nearly as scary as we make them out to be.
When entrenched in our daily lives, we hardly ever take time to stop and smell the roses. We’re too busy running here and there and making sure everyone is happy and busy 24/7. Well, RVing forces us to slow down and reconnect with the beauty that surrounds us. When not faced with traffic, schedules, meetings, errands, cleaning, and life’s other responsibilities, you’re freed up to enjoy the gorgeous mountains, waterfalls, rivers, and lakes that our country has to offer. When your mind is not consumed with all that has to be done at work and home, you have the time and energy to appreciate the plants, flowers, and trees that are right under your nose (or over your head!). RVing helps you return to nature in all its simplicity.
When you go RVing you learn new life skills, such as fishing, chopping wood, starting a campfire, using a compass, pitching a tent, and cooking over a campfire. Learning new skills not only boosts self esteem and confidence, but you never know when these skills will come in handy the next time you’re in the great outdoors. If you plan to make RVing a habit, any life skills you learn along the way will make every camping trip easier.
RVing has a way of leading you to places you wouldn’t normally go. With U.S. national parks being more of a destination for RVers and campers than people seeking a 4-star resort with room service, you’re more likely to see our country’s beautiful parks with an RV than a hotel reservation. Around 16,000 campgrounds across the country cater to RV travelers! To get the full national park experience, do as the Romans do (as they say) and just RV it! Returning to your campsite at the end of a long day of hiking and exploring in Acadia National Park or Leelanau State Park and making dinner and ‘smores over the campfire greatly enhances the entire experience–so much more than a 5-course meal at a resort’s restaurant ever could. If you’re going to go, go all in and live the RV lifestyle!
Go RVing for your health! Camping gets you outside where you’re hiking, biking, chopping wood, trekking across a campground for water, and other daily activities that add up. You use muscles you don’t normally use at home and the increased physical activity improves your ability to sleep, lowers stress, and improves your mood. Also, being out in the sunshine boosts your intake of Vitamin D, which wards off depression and helps prevent high blood pressure and heart attacks. So go RVing for the health of it!
