If you’ve never considered an RV or campervan holiday before, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how much zing it can add to your trip versus staying in a hotel. With top-notch facilities available to caravanning vacationers in countries such as Australia, New Zealand, UK, France, Spain, and the U.S., it’s probably the best time ever to set off in an RV to explore.
A lot of people mistakenly believe that RVs or campervans are synonymous with roughing it out but this is not true. If you’re renting an RV, doing so from a legit operator gives you many choices that are safe and can be as luxurious as you need. It’s a nice way to enjoy the great outdoors while moving as fast or slow as you like, without having to constantly worry about moving your stuff from one hotel to the next. It’s also an ideal way to spend quality time while on a family vacation. Plus RVs today are fitted with modern, luxurious amenities and touches, so you don’t have to rough it out if you don’t want to.
Reasons to take an RV or campervan holiday
An Affordable Holiday
One of the obvious advantages of a campervan holiday is that it can be much cheaper than a regular holiday, specially for families or couples that like to travel often and explore more places rather than stay put in one city. Road tripping is one of the best ways to discover a new place and when you can combine transportation and accommodation into one package, it’s a winner! The good news is that you don’t have to compromise on amenities or rough it out like a complete hobo. In many places you have access to a heated swimming pool, live entertainment, a pub and restaurant and even a children’s club. Some holiday parks even provide a fully equipped kitchen in case you’re in the mood to whip up a fancy meal.
You can also choose how spacious and luxurious you want your temporary home to be, depending on your budget and the number of people. From cool designs, quirky décor to eco-friendly features like solar panels, RVs today have everything you need for a fun vacation.
Enjoy the Flexibility
Few holidays are as flexible as an RV holiday. Imagine you’re road tripping across New Zealand’s South Island and find a particularly charming spot, almost all to yourself. It’s so beautiful that you don’t want to leave, you’d much rather change your plans last minute and stay another night. But, you’ve already paid for a hotel night in the next planned destination. What a bummer! An RV lets you go as you please and gives you the luxury of being more spontaneous, without constantly being under the pressure of getting somewhere in time.
Convenient and Just Like Home
RVs are convenient because you don’t have to pack and unpack your stuff to move between hotels every few nights. It’s just like carrying your home around with you as you go. You can create your own little version of home and that’s something you’ll love when you’re spending a lot of time on the road because the journey will be as much fun as the destination.
Take Your Pets
With campsites and holiday parks being pet-friendly, you don’t have to leave your pets behind. You no longer have to endure the heart-breaking feeling of waving goodbye to your dog when the entire family embarks on a month long adventure across the country.
It’s Adventurous!
The heightened sense of adventure and discovery on an RV holiday is unmistakable. Preparing a barbecue dinner in the middle of nowhere, chancing upon a hidden beach you didn’t expect to find, waking up in the morning to snow capped peaks, enjoying breakfast in the middle of wilderness and playing bonfire games with other campers are the kind of special memories that you won’t be able to make in a hotel.
Safety Tips for RV Travel
Bring a first-aid kit. While this may seem like stating the obvious, if you’re new to RV-ing, you might go through all the steps of preparing for your trip but forget this very important one.
Once you’ve taken care of personal safety, now it’s time to sure you have emergency supplies and tools for your RV, you know just in case you find yourself in a sticky situation in a remote location or at an unearthly hour. Ensure you have a fire extinguisher, road flares, tire-changing equipment, spare tires, toolkit, jumper cables, tire chains, tow strap, extra potable water and food, batteries, and flashlights and/or headlamps.
It’s also smart to have a GPS tracker, especially if you plan on getting off the beaten path and intend to check out some remote locations. If you have a general idea of where you’re heading, share your plans with a friend or family so that someone can find you if needed.
Don’t leave your valuables and expensive items in your RV when you leave (bring only what is essential on the trip). Keep your RV securely locked when you leave for the day. These days, there are remote RV locks as well as security cameras and RV alarm systems that you can install, especially if you’re a regular.
If you’re renting an RV, ensure that you have adequate insurance coverage. Not only does it give you peace of mind on your adventure, you never know when you might need it.
Have you ever gone on an RV holiday? How was your experience? Please share in the comments below.
Ami (Yearful of Sundays)
Sunday 22nd of March 2015
I haven't taken a campervan holiday yet but it's definitely on my list! It seems to be a combination of everything that adds to the fun of a spontaneous and flexible road trip, minus the inconveniences of having to plan at least something (the stay) along the way. Loved this post!