RVing Guide

Looking for tips and tricks to get started with RV travel? Or level up your RVing experience? Our family has been full time RV living for over 7 years and has all of the information to help you get started or find new tricks in this RVing Guide.

Learn how to find the best RV campsites, how to get tough state and national park camping reservations, and tips for RVing cheap.

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Why RVing?

RV travelers are usually drawn to RVing because of its convenience. There is no form of travel as comfortable and convenient as RV travel.

Whether you use an RV as a rolling hotel room to explore new areas or as a quiet place in the woods, the RV lifestyle offers something for every travel lover. No other form of travel allows you to bring your food, bed, and most other comforts of home along for the journey.

RV traveling also offers the freedom to go wherever you like. Your home on wheels can be a beach house one week and a mountain cabin the next. Family RVing is a great way to explore the country.

Recent RV Posts

(Keep reading after the posts for more of the RVing Guide.)

What Is The Best RV To Buy

There is a top RV choice for every RV traveler’s needs. You can enjoy camping in anything from a pop up camper all the way up to a luxury RV motor home.

For some travelers, small campers are perfect, while others enjoy the space of larger RVs. Size isn’t the only consideration, but so is the price. Sometimes a used camper can offer large savings over a new RV.

Think about the types of places you like to camp when looking at the size of an RV. Bigger isn’t always better for state park or national park campgrounds. Also, consider if you need RV features for boondocking, storage for toys, or cold-weather camping options.

Best RV For Couples

Couples or even single RVers can keep things small while still having a comfortable travel experience. A Class C RV, such as a Class C motorhome or Super C, is easier to drive and park than a towable trailer while also providing a smooth ride.

The same is true for a Class A RV with the same ease of parking and driving but often offers additional storage. Class A and Class C RVs are available as small campers up to large luxury RVs.

Best Small RV For Single Person

A Class B RV or camper van is one of the best RVs for a single camper. Another perfect small camper option for a one person RV is truck campers. Both camper vans and truck campers are easy to drive and can go about anywhere for the ultimate camping freedom.

Best Family RV

Any RV with enough sleeping areas to accommodate your family size can be a great family RV. The best campers for families often include a 5th wheel RV, a toy hauler, or a travel trailer. These RV models often have bunk house floor plans or lofts that provide plenty of sleeping areas perfect for families.

Best Boondocking RV

Some RVs are better suited to RVing off the grid than others. When looking at boondocking campers, consider the weight of the RV. It’s more common for heavier RVs like Class As to get stuck in the sand or mud in dry camping locations.

If you want to RV off the grid, consider picking an RV with larger fresh water and waste tanks. It is also beneficial to have either a generator or prepped for a generator to have a power source. Solar can be pricey but also a great power solution.

A great off the grid RV is a toy hauler. Toy haulers have generators and an additional gas tank for the generator. They also often have large enough water and waste tanks to make boondocking easier.

Rent An RV To Try It Out

One trick to try out an RV before you buy one is to look for an RV rental of a similar RV type/model as you are looking at purchasing. This can give you a trial run to see if the RV is a good fit for you.

Now that you have a great idea of what RV may be best for you, it’s time to go camping. Let’s look at RV sites.

How To Find Great RV Camp Sites

With so many great camping spots, how do you find the perfect RV campsite to stay happy campers?

Find Your Camping Style

RV camping styles range from free camping, also known as dispersed camping or boondocking, to a luxury RV resort. Are you looking for activities and amenities, or would you rather camp in natural locations?

Boondocking

Some RVers love to get deep into nature and enjoy dry camping without hookups to stay in these locations. These campers are often rewarded with incredible views and few camping neighbors.

Another benefit of off the grid RV campsites is that the camping is free. BLM camping is free camping on Bureau Of Land Management federal land. Some places require a permit and are usually limited to 14-day stays per location.

National Park & State Park Campgrounds

What if you enjoy nature and outdoor activities but also want some hookups? National parks camping or state park campgrounds may be a perfect choice.

State parks camping, and national park campgrounds often have electric service, and some parks have both electric and water hookups. Having RV camping sites with some utility hookups while still surrounded by nature can be perfect for happy campers.

Privately Owned RV Campground And RV Resort Sites

On the other spectrum of RV camping sites are RV resorts full of amenities but also full of people. These RV park resorts are often not in nature but have planned activities and amenities such as pools, mini golf, tennis courts, shuffle ball, horseshoes, pickleball, outdoor activities, and even full water parks.

State park camping is our family’s favorite. We aren’t huge boondockers, but we enjoy the private RV campsites and nature activities in state park campgrounds. We also enjoy staying at RV campgrounds with nice pools and activities.

Best RV Trip Planner App

Our favorite RV USA apps to find incredible RV camp sites include Campendium, AllStays Camp & RV, and RV Life. These RV apps feature everything from free overnight parking lot camping spots, boondocking, and private RV parks.

One of the best RV apps is Campendium. The app is free and shows reviews of internet coverage so we can see if our internet service will work at a campground.

These apps for RV travel also offer helpful reviews to help us decide if a camping spot will work for us. We also look at the satellite view of a location or use the website Campground Views to see what the campground looks like.

Tips To Plan RV Driving Routes

It’s essential in the RV lifestyle to plan your RV routes carefully on travel days, especially for large campers. Big rigs must watch for low-clearance bridges, low trees, winding roads, tight turns, and even low gas station canopies.

Best RV Navigation App

There are many resources to find the best RV route on travel days. Apps like RV Life Pro – RV Trip Wizard, have RV route planner capabilities and everything you need to know to plan an RV trip. Other RV trip planner apps include AdventureGenie, RV Life Pro, AllStays Camp & RV, inRoute, and Roadtrippers – Roadpass Pro.

Best GPS For RVers

Another incredible tool to make sure you stay on safe RV driving routes is an RV GPS. RV GPS navigation allows you to input the exact height of your RV, and it custom plans your routes to avoid low clearances and tight turns.

It is important to have a specific GPS for RV. Using Google Maps for RV travels will take you the fastest or most direct route, which is often not RV friendly. We have used a Garmin RV GPS and found it to be a very helpful tool in the RV lifestyle.

RV Atlas

They also make printed truck atlases that show semi-truck-approved routes. A large paper atlas is helpful to have open when I am planning our RV driving routes and the RV campgrounds we wish to stay at. We have used Rand McNally Motor Carriers’ Road Atlas for our RV maps.

11 Tips To Lower The Cost Of RVing – RVing On The Cheap

Travel can get expensive but cheap RVing is still possible with these tips:

1. Stay Longer – take advantage of weekly RV campsite rates

2. Stay In One Area – skip long road trips in favor of staying in one location to save on gas

3. Consider Boondocking or BLM camping  – you can’t beat free camping for affordable RVing

4. Pick Cheaper Campgrounds – Corps Of Engineers campgrounds or COE campgrounds, state park campgrounds, and national park campgrounds are cheaper than camping resorts or an RV park

5. Join A Camping Club – camping clubs like Passport America or Good Sam RV Parks offer campground discounts

6. Use Free Camping For Overnights – consider parking lot camping (Walmart overnight parking) or using Harvest Hosts for budget RV overnight stays

7. Utilize RV Memberships – Thousand Trails Membership or RPI Membership

8. Find City Or County Campgrounds – these little hidden gems are often cheap

9. Find Fuel Discounts – use the gas buddy app or a Good Sam card for fuel discounts

10. Cheap Or Free RV Activities – enjoy outdoor activities like hiking, nature centers, and swimming

11. Bring Your Own Food – skip eating out and bring picnic lunches along

RV Reservation Tips And Tricks

Sometimes it’s challenging to get an RV campsite in the most desirable locations. State park camping reservations and national park camping reservations can feel impossible because they are always sold out. What good would this RVing Guide be if I didn’t help you score these spots?

Our family quickly fell in love with the outdoor nature activities and private campsites in national parks camping and state park campgrounds. Over our years on the road, we have found a few tricks to get even the toughest sold-out RV camping reservations.

I share all of our RV campsites reservation tips and tricks in a FREE GUIDE: How To Score Sold-Out Campsites In State And National Parks. Check it out!

Choosing The Best Internet For RVers

Need to stay connected while on the road? Many RVers need internet for work or entertainment while RVing. No RVing Guide would be complete without internet options for RV travels.