We have been camping right outside Washington, D.C., resting after a strenuous D.C. caravan tour, and wanted to do a little more sightseeing and take some time to travel to the coast. I looked at the route, the roads, the cost of gas, and the driving time in our RV. We decided to take the car and *GASP* stay at a hotel! I can count on one hand the number of times we have stayed in a hotel in the last fifteen years, and those were only a short stay for visiting family or going to a funeral. We are RVers, after all!
Cheaper than our campsite!
Much to my amazement, the hotel, with a balcony overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, was cheaper than the campground we were staying at. Actually, the hotel through Hotels.com was close to the outrageous prices of many of the RV parks we stayed at while traveling east of the Mississippi River.
Love the RV lifestyle but…
I love the RV lifestyle. I love having our own bed, sheets, towels, our own bathroom, and the ability to buy groceries and cook from the RV. I love being mobile and always having a variety of scenery. I especially love sitting by a campfire.
I have to admit, though, it is not necessarily cheaper or easier when factoring in our diesel fuel, insurance, maintenance, campground fees, and the fact that we just don’t drive as far in the RV as we would in a car. We decided to bite the bullet and try traveling in the car this time.
The experiment
So, what did we think of the experiment? I am the designated car driver when my husband isn’t driving the RV, so I didn’t see much of the scenery. The first thing I noticed is we had time and energy to do sightseeing on Assateague Island, eat a picnic lunch, and hike. There was still time to get to the hotel. It was nice to be refreshed rather than exhausted. Finding our “hotel site” was easy! The GPS didn’t try to take us to low bridges, dirt roads or dead ends, either.
The hotel room
We stepped through our hotel room’s door and saw the Atlantic Ocean in all its glory! Wave after wave crashing against the sand. Awesome! Amazing! Beautiful! And we had a balcony! Vending machines right outside the door. (But that should probably be put in the “cons” column.)
We also had plenty of room. The room was definitely bigger than our RV, with its two queen beds, kitchenette, small table, and comfy chair.
I packed Lysol wipes and sanitizing spray and doused everything possible in the hotel room. I was glad the TV remote still worked. I looked at the sheets, pillows, and under the blankets, so that part was okay. I had picked that particular hotel because of its “wonderful” rating on cleanliness. Housekeeping, however, forgot to look under the beds and there were still orange slices and peels from the last guests. It was unsettling to remember that we are just one of a string of folks calling a hotel room home for a night or two.
Sleep? Not so much…
During all my work travels it was always hard to sleep in an unfamiliar room, and this was no exception. I was disoriented! The light outside the hotel was peeking in the curtains and I got up to close what I thought was our motorhome bathroom door! In an RV we are always in the same place no matter where.
Flip! Flap! The heat rattles on, the heat rattles off. I finally took a pinch slack hanger and closed the curtains tighter. Every time I got up I had to find my shoes in the dark because no way I was going to put my feet on that carpet! Worst of all, I forgot to bring my own pillow. That was my husband’s biggest complaint: the pillow and the sway-back mattress.
Yes or no?
Overall, staying in a hotel and traveling by car was way easier, way cheaper, and much quicker. We had more time to sightsee and it was much easier to stop spontaneously while traveling.
It was, however, more work packing, unpacking, and lugging suitcases. It was also harder to sleep, we had nowhere to cook, and it was not as comfortable as our home on wheels.
And yes, we did pay for our campsite and a hotel at the same time, but it was an experiment.
Would we do it again?
So, yes or no, would we do it again? For one night it was okay, but I think a day trip is better, at least for right now. Would we travel more or less by car? Right now we are staying six full months in the RV. I doubt we would travel that long if staying in a hotel. If we win the lottery, perhaps we would get a Class B RV as a touring vehicle. Who knows what the future will hold?
##RVT1158
I’m amazed at the cost of staying at a campground or RV park by the beach. We “won” a 2 night stay at the RV show in Tampa FL this past January. I was pretty excited since this was on my bucket list. Come to find out we HAD to stay 4 nights to begin with and they would refund our 2 night stay when we got there. The cost was close to $500. Never mind.
Wow! That’s crazy, Donna. Kinda like a bait-and-switch scam. Have a great day. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
If you want to travel lighter and eat out every time, and don’t have young children or pets, by all means stay at hotels. We’ve done it, and we will do it again. But for us, it gets old fast. For any trip of more than a few days tops, we prefer the familiarity of our own bed and our own bathroom, with no need for a suitcase. And if the pets are with us, they are MUCH calmer staying in the known world of the RV rather than a strange hotel room with the sounds of unknown people and perhaps other animals just outside the closed room door.
Thank you, Nanci! 🙂 We annually vacationed on the Outer Banks of North Carolina (typically in Avon on Hatteras Island) when we lived in DC. After buying RV #1 and moving home to East Tennessee, we decided to take the RV there. A campsite on Hatteras Island for a week was almost as expensive as renting a house for a similar period. The winds were so strong and routine that our patio awning was never extended and we feared for the slide toppers. Future trips to Hatteras will be via car and we’ll rent a house that accepts dogs. Besides it takes 1 day to get there by car, but 2 days by RV. We are not full-time so we can just leave the RV at home. Thanks again and safe travels! 🙂
Of course, looking for the “It” campground at high tourist spots you are going to pay. But places like these are not the norm in my book of camping. The most I have paid, gladly, was in Jackson, WY two years ago at $134 per night. Now, the county bought the campground out to build low-income apartments for the tourist industry low-wage service employees working the stores, bars, restaurants, etc.
Thanks, Lonewolf. Yes, for us Hatteras Island is “it.” More particularly Avon, which is the town with a Food Lion and an Ace hardware. Plus, it is beyond the Oregon Inlet bridge, so a bit more remote than Nags Head or Kill Devil Hills. Thanks again and safe travels! 🙂
For years we would take our motorhome to the east coast for a stay on Chincoteague Island or the Outer Banks, or both. Last year I ran the numbers, between the gas, tolls, and outrageous campground fees, we decided it was about equal money to rent a cottage for a week and drive our car. We ate most of our meals at the cottage. Less hassle, less worry about something breaking (which usually does).
We love our RV but lately we’ve been using it to go to State parks and COE’s nearer home.
I have to ask Nanci “What kind of campgrounds do you stay at”? Even with staying at “resort” type campgrounds that offer amenities that most campers I know can do without I find it remarkable that you would find an oceanfront hotel less than a CG price. We visit the Finger Lakes region of NY state often and have found MicroTels charging over $200 per night in less than peak season. Not exactly a basket of luxury. I have found out when we use hotels, usually in the off camping season, how much “little” money my wife and I spend. $5 for a coffee, $7 for a bagel, $2-$3 for water. This pocket change adds up quickly and I have found most folks don’t include these small expenses in their budgets.
My husband and I recently had the same experience. We love a resort campground in Pigeon Forge TN and camp there several times a year. They have a luxury lodge attached. We spent four days at the lodge for half the amount we soent at the campground. Yes I know there are cheaper places to camp, but it’s what we like. Camping has completely gone off the rails.
We carry clothes pins to keep the curtains closed. Snack bag clamps also work. Also carry a couple of led nighlights – Not too bright but good for the middle of the night trips!!
Nothing expensive if you forget to take them with you.
Now in our 12th year of RVing after retiring (and 3rd RV) our RV is getting used less and less….and we are booking more and more B&Bs and hotels. The cost is pretty much a wash and its SOOO much less work and trouble. Not to mention the depreciation and loss of income on capital on the RV. And driving our car is much more care-free and we can cover more territory. For short trips, we can take our Lexus SC430 convertible, on longer trips we take our Highlander. But we do have a month booked on the California coast for the RV this Fall at our favorite places.
If the roads to the view one’s seeking are always paved, living out of a suitcase in a hotel might be a decent concession to some. Not us.
Where we prefer to go, no hotels exist for miles, let alone parking lots.
CD’s will often be cheaper than live concerts, movie tickets cheaper than Broadway tickets and watching NASCAR on TV cheaper than even the cheapest of seats at the worst track. But if cheap is the goal, RV’ing is often not the answer. If the RV experience is the goal, the costs come with the view and the memories…..
Recently, we stayed in a hotel for 10 days while our RV frame was repaired. We couldn’t wait to get back in our rig. RV over hotel any day! I’m baffled why people who complain about the cost of an RV lifestyle are on RV websites. If it’s not for you, move on with your life. You’re not changing anyone’s mind here.
We had to disassemble the bed whenever we stayed in a hotel as that was where our (travel hating) cats would hide. You feel funny checking out leaving the mattress& box springs leaning up against the walls. Besides, I’m a nurse & the thought of the germs abounding everywhere…lysol sprayed all handles TV remote door knobs light switches pillows flush handle sinks bath tub those fancy coverlets/blankets are not washed between stays.
We took a trip using hotels. It was nice but I prefer our travel trailer. No luggage to deal with getting in and out. Kitchen, snacks, drinks, TV, our own bed, etc. etc. Actually, when meals are figured in I just don’t think decent, clean motel/hotel is cheaper. Btw, we don’t necessarily stay at RV resorts, we stay at Rv parks.