Sure, RVing is like being on vacation; however, it’s still your home with your things… including your bed. Doesn’t everyone get excited to go on vacation and sleep in a nice, fluffy, crispy-clean hotel bed? Plus, continental breakfasts are fun (even though the food is a little, um, disappointing, shall we say…), and the kids always enjoy the hotel pools and other amenities.
Do you ever stay at a hotel or a motel on a long RV trip? If so, is it just for fun/because you feel like it, or is it usually only when your RV or tow vehicle is in the shop for a repair? Or for another reason? Please feel free to answer those questions in the comments below.
I answered No but I should add that we were in a pop-up years ago at the Grand Canyon. The winds were so fierce, the canvas walls were pushed as far in as possible and rocking us badly. We packed up and left and ended up in a hotel for the night. That wasn’t much better since the winds were still howling loud!
But it helped us decide to get a travel trailer – it was the last time we camped in the pop-up!
Haven’t yet but I could see the possibility.
If we take off late and drive into the late night, and have not found a camping spot we will stop at the next motel.
Only once that I recall. We were on our way back west from a southeast trip and met up with all the family in Laughlin, NV for my brother’s wedding. Stayed at the hotel with everyone else so as not to miss out on any of the celebrations.
Returning from Arizona to Kentucky, the past two springs, we encountered severe weather. Forecast was high probability of tornados. Both times the forecast was correct. Staying in a motel those nights was definitely the right thing to do. Dodged a bullet both times!
Yes when we go to warmer places in the winter from Wisconsin winter.We leave the RV winterized until temperatures are above freezing.
My answer is ‘no’ but never say never. Back in the family tent-camping/touring days, we would do so occasionally due to heavy weather. Our biological children are now adults having similar adventures with their children. Our current furry children much prefer overnighting in the RV TT than in a strange hotel room – and the extra time it takes to move their ‘stuff’ into a hotel room, then move it back to the RV means there would be some level of desperation in the decision.
Only if experiencing a breakdown. Once in 17 years full timing.(Knock on wood!)
Traveling in a truck camper with an impossible to use wet bath dictated the use of motels
Every other day used motels. Although expensive take away $20 or so for meals and not so bad then
Yes, when heading back up north to Canada in early April from our winter in the south, it’s usually too cold to sleep in the Moho. So we stop in Omaha for the night in a Best Western and maybe Fargo ND. Snow storm in the Dakotas is a real treat!
When we travel the country with our camping trailer we visit family and friends and stay with them for a few days to a few weeks. Since we have family and friends all over the country we have never had the need for a hotel. When we have traveled the country with our tent. we have stayed at hotels when the weather has turned bad. The last time we used the tent due to heavy rains and winds following us around the country we stayed in hotels more nights than we camped.
We stayed overnight once on our way home from Custer State Park. I was driving and noticed our fuel was dropping at an alarming rate. It turned out that a quick check of our toad (fuel all over the front end and windshield) showed we had a diesel fuel leak. We were towed to Pierre, SD, and had excellent service at a shop the next morning. The young man who came with the tow truck sang the whole time he was hooking us up and it was raining cats and dogs and the temp was barely above freezing!
Before I bought my toy hauler, I pulled a Bunkhouse motorcycle camper to pull behind the bike. Even though it only took 20 minutes to set up and take down, there were times we got caught in overnight rains, meaning we had to pack up wet.
We then started to overnight at inexpensive Mom and Pop motels. Cost was about the same as a campground and no worries about rain.
Stayed in a hotel once, when our DP had a diesel fuel rail leak, and had to go in a shop for two days. Interesting, that Cummins had a recall for the fuel rail, which we had performed at a Freightliner dealer before a trip to Florida. 1/3 into the trip we find we’re leaking diesel fuel from the fuel rail at a significant rate. We held up in a campground for two days waiting for mobile diesel service. A mobile diesel tech, at best, did a temporary repair. We got on our way and 2/3 into the trip we were leaking diesel again at a greater rate. I deemed the DP unsafe to drive, and had the unit towed to a great dealer in that area. Better safe than sorry.
That is why we have a 40 foot DP.
Not yet. Hope to not need to.
NO, haven’t stayed at a motel or hotel in almost 10 years and don’t plan on hopefully ever staying at one the rest of my life!