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You are here: Home / Family Road Trips / Expert Advice: 10 Reasons Why RV Travel is the Best!
RV travel is quickly becoming the most popular way to travel due to the ease and comfort it offers. Read one committed RV'er and mom of 12's RV tips.

Expert Advice: 10 Reasons Why RV Travel is the Best!

July 18, 2019 //  by Susie Kellogg//  9 Comments

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Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
  • Living the RV Life
  • 1. It's Easy to Clean
  • 2. You Can Make Your Own Schedule
  • 3. There is an RV for Everyone
  • 4. It Can be a Luxury Travel Experience
  • 5. It's Always a Budget Friendly Vacation
  • 6. You Can Bring the Pets!
  • 7. There's No Need to Rush
  • 8. It's More Comfortable
  • 9. You Can Bring as Much Stuff as You Want
  • 10. You Can Travel Healthy
  • RV For Everyone
  • Weekend Warriors

RV travel is only right for some families — the ones who want to save money, eat healthier, find adventure and bond with one another. So says this full-time RVing mom of 12, who shares her 10 reasons why RV travel is the best way to vacation as a family.

RV travel is quickly becoming the most popular way to travel due to the ease and comfort it offers. Read one committed RV'er and mom of 12's RV tips.
The 14 member Kellogg Show family before their three day rafting trip on the Ruby Horsethief Section of the Colorado River. Photo Credit: Dan Kellogg

Living the RV Life

RV Travel is the most leisurely way to travel.
Traveling in an RV means leisure stops along the way to eat, work, study or basically just chill. Photo Credit: Kady Kellogg
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and buy, TravelingMom may receive a small commission at no additional charge to you.

Our family of 14 (Mom, Dad and 12 kids ranging in age from 4 to 23) spends 9 or 10 months per year living in our RV, traveling North America. We much prefer the freedom, family friendly and lazy ways of RV travel to the more chaotic, time crunched way of travel. As we travel, I compare our leisurely departures with those of my friends, frantically chasing taxis to make their flights, hungry and tired kids in tow.

But, I especially notice those driving the most luxurious of coaches. Mostly because in 2015, we had the opportunity to demo a luxury 44-foot RV for 5 months. Oh man, it was amazing. Luxury RV travel, though, isn’t all that much different from our modest RV travel, surprisingly.

Here are my 10 reasons why RV travel is best for families:

1. It’s Easy to Clean

We travel in a 1999 Georgie Boy that we remodeled in 2016 to suit our family’s needs. Our RV is mostly a travel vessel; we spend our days outside, hiking, biking, climbing, whitewater kayaking, surfing, etc. We don’t typically hang out in the RV, though my husband does have a pseudo office rigged in the back bedroom.

Everything in our RV breaks down into a bed. The sofas, the dinette, everything. Our kids also love sleeping in hammocks under the stars, or in tents. On nights when the weather isn’t favorable, they crash indoors, in the climate controlled oasis that is our RV.

Our kitchen space is small, but it is serviceable. We have all the appliances, all the cookware, and nearly as much storage space we have at home. We cook on the grill or over the fire, and of course, we have an Instant Pot, which makes cooking on the road a breeze!

The space inside is small, but that is actually just another thing about RV living that I love. My time isn’t wasted cleaning house; it literally takes 10 minutes for us deep clean the space. All my time is devoted to my family and the fun things in life.

2. You Can Make Your Own Schedule

RV Travel allows so many different learning opportunities
We found a creek and the kids learned about hydraulics! Photo Credit: Susie Kellogg

Over 7+ years of RV Travel, I can honestly say I can’t imagine hitting the road and traveling the continent in any other way. We are able to incorporate adventure in our daily lives, home school our children, make memories and live truly wild, and free lives.

Our days aren’t governed by a schedule. We wake with the sun and retire with the moon.

Our family has never been as close as we are today. The gift of “getting away” whenever we desire, produces a relatively stress-free, worry-free, life. Whether you are a weekend warrior, a summer vacationer, or an extended RV traveler, being in control of your own time and destiny is a wonderful thing!

3. There is an RV for Everyone

Luxury Travel Experiences abound in RV Travel.
Even our 1999 Georgie Boy has a few things in common with this luxury Newmar Dutchstar 4312. Photo Credit: Dan Kellogg
We have many friends who road trip for adventure, climbing, hiking, biking, kayaking, whatever. They pull small travel trailers and/or truck campers. We also have many friends who are weekend warriors and RV Travel in beautiful luxury coaches that put our own sticks and bricks mountain home to shame.
We fit beautifully somewhere in the middle. Truth-be-told, while there is such a wide spectrum of RVs, there are some things that even our modest RV and those million dollar coaches have in common.

4. It Can be a Luxury Travel Experience

RV Travel is the best way to see the country.
Luxury Travel experiences, to me, are those in which you control your time, your direction, and your destiny. Photo Credit: Kady Kellogg

RV Travel is luxurious in that if you want to brew a cup of coffee, make lunch or even take a nap, you are 100% able to do so. The utter convenience of RV Travel cannot be overstated. And as more and more families discover RV Travel, the need for a vacation after the vacation will end.

5. It’s Always a Budget Friendly Vacation

RV Travel allows for eating healthy and staying on track with a healthy lifestyle.
RV Travel means staying within budget, eating healthy and never having to stop at a fast food restaurant! Photo Credit: Susie Kellogg

For those of us who live life on a budget, where eating out for three meals per day, plus hotel rooms, gas, adventure activities, and more, would send us to the poor house, traveling in an RV is a life hack. We are able to cook all our meals in the RV, eat healthy and have money left over for the really fun stuff … the reason for our travels: the adventure!

Campgrounds are, literally, hundreds of dollars cheaper than hotel rooms and gas doesn’t compare to airfare. Which means there is much more money left over for fun.

6. You Can Bring the Pets!

RV Travel makes it easy to bring our beloved pets.
Eddy, our mini Goldendoodle, loves adventure, especially the beach! Photo Credit: Susie Kellogg

Do you realize how mainstream animals have become, in America?  They are everywhere. According to the American Pet Products Association, a whopping 37% of owners travel with their pets and that number is expected to continue to grow!

They are so beloved, they go everywhere with their owners, even on vacations. We travel with our mini Goldendoodle, Eddy, and our cat, Mia. There is no way we could or would leave our beloved pets behind. Yet most other forms of travel nearly dictate they do. Not so with RV Travel.

Eddy goes just about everywhere with us. When we are going somewhere he can’t, like paddling whitewater, Eddy hangs out with Mia in our climate controlled RV. With RV travel, there is no need to seek out pet-friendly hotels and pay extra fees to do so. And there is no need to stress out your pets by boarding them!

7. There’s No Need to Rush

RV Travel lets you control your destiny.
RVing lets you stop when you see beautiful scenery or epic adventures on a whim! Photo Credit: Dan Kellogg

As all families with kids know, getting out of the house and getting anywhere on time is nearly impossible. That’s another reason RV travel is so perfect for our family. We leave when we are ready. There’s no rushing to get through security, no lines, no stress. We are the captain of our own ship.

There are no worries about baggage fees or limits.  We don’t have to worry about what we are taking and how much. All we have to do is stretch out, kick off our shoes and relax as we leisurely drive down the road to our destination.

8. It’s More Comfortable

RV travel is quickly becoming the most popular way to travel due to the ease and comfort it offers. Read one committed RV'er and mom of 12's RV tips.
You can go anywhere in an RV and when you are done adventuring, you have all the comforts of home awaiting you. Photo Credit: Kady Kellogg

One of the things I like the most about RV travel is that we get to enjoy the outdoors, spending all day on the river, the beach or climbing or biking. But when we come home, exhausted and tired, we really are coming home, to our own things.

We have climate control, a fridge, a kitchen where we can fix healthy meals, comfy couches, our own blankets and pillows. Even our own beds.

And, while our humble RV doesn’t have any bells and whistles, we have toured RVs that have bunk rooms, washer and dryers, heated floors, multiple flat-screen TVs, even dishwashers. You can literally find an RV with every luxury imaginable — many of them available for rent via companies like RVshare.

9. You Can Bring as Much Stuff as You Want

RV Travel means you don't have to leave any of the things you love at home.
We carry more gear than anything in our 36′ RV. No excuses, if we can do it, you can too! Photo Credit: Dan Kellogg

Seriously, you can bring every important piece of equipment with you. From bikes and kayaks, to longboards, camp chairs, tents, hammocks and more, you can bring the house!

With 14 people traveling with us, we have to be a bit more careful. But we still manage to bring 20+ Jackson Kayaks, and all the gear that goes with them! We have surfboards and crockpots, cookware, all our toiletries, board games, toys, and a plethora of clothing.

10. You Can Travel Healthy

Eating healthy is a great part of RV Travel
Cooking and feeding my family healthy meals and not reverting to fast food in a crunch is a great RV perk! Photo Credit: Susie Kellogg

One of the biggest pitfalls of travel is hitting restaurants for every meal. It’s not budget friendly and it’s not healthy. I take great pride in feeding my kids healthy, home-cooked meals, even on the road.

We are able to keep a few days of food for our crew, even with our tiny fridge. We supplement with delish organically grown local produce. Our meals range from fish tacos to huge chef salads, and everything in between. And, of course, dessert, which often is S’Mores around the fire.

RV For Everyone

RV travel is quickly becoming the most popular way to travel due to the ease and comfort it offers. Read one committed RV'er and mom of 12's RV tips.
This is my daughter Kady’s dream first “RV”! There is literally something out there for everyone in every budget! Photo Credit: Susie Kellogg,

Bob Dotson, from American Story, once said we would “be the first in line on the Oregon Trail.” We are definitely trailblazers, adventurers and we love to challenge the status quo. This is why the full-time RV lifestyle has suited us so well. We can go anywhere at any time on a whim. And if we ever are at a loss for a destination, we either check out awesome sites like Pinterest, or TravelingMom for inspiration or we simply drive, destination unknown.

I’ll tell you a little secret …we have two regrets in life. The first is that we didn’t home school our kids from the beginning. The second is that we didn’t start RVing earlier. We got the jobs, bought the house, the cars, did the commute and the 9 to 5, the two weeks of vacation. And we uttered the letters, TGIF. The debt, the colossal debt drowned us. Being free of the mortgage, the car payments, the stress allows us to breathe.

Weekend Warriors

Of course, perhaps, the full-time lifestyle isn’t for everyone. That’s the way it is for the majority of RVers. They are weekend warriors, hitting the road for adventure on their days off of work and school. Or they are summer vacationers, heading to the beach, to the mountains for a stress free time with their families. Maybe they are grandparents with grandchildren in tow. Or young couples with dreams of a future filled with joy. Or families hoping for one last hurrah before school starts in the fall. Heck, we know a few families who pile their kids into their RV and head to the ski resort at the first sign of a powder day.

The point is there is an RV and an RV experience for everyone. No matter who you travel with, where you go, what you do, RV travel will always be the best way. Always.

If you've never done RV travel, you might wonder if it's the right fit for your family. These are the expert tips that all beginners need to know about traveling in a camper. #TMOM #Trailer #RV #Camping | TravelingMom
Photo Credit: McCaig at Getty Images Pro
TravelingMom Tip: Protect yourself while traveling with Medjet. 2020 Medjet Members hospitalized with active COVID-19 infections are now eligible for Air Medical Transport within the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. Learn more about how to become a Member here.
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Category: Family Road Trips, RV/CampingTag: beach vacation, camping, free, multi-generation, outdoors, summer, teens, toddlers, tweens

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9 Comments on “Expert Advice: 10 Reasons Why RV Travel is the Best!”

  1. rv cooktop says:
    December 14, 2019 at 2:49 am

    If you are an avid traveler, RVing is arguably the best way to travel and explore the country. RV travel is increasingly becoming popular with many families and it is for a good reason.

    Reply
  2. Scott says:
    November 23, 2019 at 4:47 pm

    Love the photo of your husband I’m the laptop. My friend is dating a woman with six kids who lives to RV. He’s not sold. Can he talk to your husband?

    Reply
  3. John says:
    October 1, 2019 at 7:21 am

    I am planing to buy a RV. What is your recommendation before buying a RV. Let know your thoughts. This may help me a lot.

    Reply
    1. Boris Meyer says:
      April 28, 2020 at 11:43 am

      You can buy anything from “Coachmen” Depends on your budget. Let me know your budget.

      Reply
    2. David Ferguson says:
      October 23, 2020 at 7:37 pm

      First you should decide what type of RV you need because in market have lot’s of option. secondly check the tires and also Take it for a test drive.

      Reply
  4. TheGreenPick says:
    February 22, 2019 at 4:39 pm

    What is really nice is that RV is actually an eco friendly alternative, it uses less carbon dioxide than when traveling by plane, renting a car, or even staying in a hotel.And on top of that you are able to be more aware of your water consumption, heating/cooling, and trash output.

    Reply
  5. Anonymous says:
    July 7, 2017 at 9:42 pm

    4.5

    Reply
  6. Cathy Bennett Kopf, Optimism TravelingMom says:
    June 6, 2017 at 8:33 pm

    4.5

    Reply
  7. Anonymous says:
    May 9, 2017 at 11:45 am

    5

    Reply

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