How to Choose the Best RV and Campground for How You Want to RV

This article was first published in TravelAwaits on March 25, 2020, and has been updated here.

We RVed full-time for eight years and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. We experienced three ways of RVing and I learned about two basic types of RVs you can use, and four kinds of campgrounds where you can stay. This will introduce you to all of them and help you match the best RV and campground for the way you want to RV.

3 WAYS TO RV

The first way is what people tied to a home base need. You want to take a short trip to be renewed and get the benefits of RVing: the open road, the outdoors, and no unpacking. It’s escaping from everyday life. I was not able to do this when I was younger for the obvious reason that there was no RVing infrastructure in the Philippines. America, however, has the best RVing infrastructure, and Bill, my husband, took weekend RV trips with his family regularly before we met.

We RVed the second way for the eight months right after our wedding. We tried it out for our honeymoon. We wanted a longer trip, but we still thought of returning home at the end of it. This is snowbirding — for three to six months — to move away from the cold (or heat) of their home base. They seek a warmer (or cooler) place and stay there until the weather back home eases. It is what farmers (mostly from the northern U.S.) do when their farms are idle in the winter. It’s what educators do during long summer breaks. Some people do this while working at seasonal jobs, using their RV as a temporary home away from home.  The goal is to be in the north during summer and in the south during winter.

The third and final way is what Bill and I eventually chose to do. After our first eight months on the road, we wanted to extend our honeymoon, so we bought a bigger RV and became members of a nationwide campground network. We shifted into full-time RVing. We made the RV our home and drove all over North America for five years. Then we went back to the second way for three years. We stayed in Arizona during the winters; the rest of the time we traveled the world and visited our children. Now we are back to the first way

2 GENERAL RV TYPES

There are two general classifications of recreational vehicles (RVs): motorized and non-motorized. Motorized RVs combine the living area and the engine and drivetrain in one vehicular unit. Non-motorized RVs are complete housing units that can be pulled or towed by a motor vehicle (like a truck) powerful enough to do just that. We chose a motorized RV because it was easier to set up and we planned on staying weeks, not months in a given place.

There are four kinds of motorized RVs, from the smallest camper vans to the biggest Class As. Camper vans are vans retrofitted to create a small, walkable area in the back that houses a sleeping area at a minimum, popular in Europe where the roads are very narrow. Class B and C motor homes are bigger and can be up to almost 30 feet in length. In Class C, the sleeping area is on top of the driver’s compartment while for Class B, it is at the back. Both are typically complete with a kitchen, a dinette, and a bathroom. We chose a 24-foot Class B for snowbirding. When we went full-time RVing, we traded it in for a Class A. These are usually upward of 30 feet long (ours was 37.5 feet long). They are also usually fitted with slide-outs — as many as five, but we had only one — that make the living areas much bigger when parked. They can tow a dinghy — ours was a Saturn compact car. With our Class B, we were limited to a scooter.

Then there are two kinds of non-motorized RVs: travel trailers and fifth wheels. . They must be towed by vehicles with enough power for their size. Travel trailers are towable housing units of various sizes, from the lighter pop-ups and teardrop campers to the bigger Airstreams and even larger units On the other hand, fifth wheels are usually larger and feature big noses that house the bedroom. Those noses are attached to the beds of pick-up trucks, making the attachment more secure and stable. They are usually as big as Class A motor homes and can also have slide-outs that expand the living areas.

Like camper vans, small pop-ups or teardrop campers are ideal for shorter weekend escapes. Like Class B and C motor homes, medium-size travel trailers are great for longer seasonal stays. And like Class A motor homes, large travel trailers and fifth wheels make the best full-time homes, especially if you’re planning to stay in one place for several months or longer. You do not have to buy any of these RVs. Many RV rental companies have all these types of RVs available at reasonable prices. But it is best to buy your RV if you plan to use it as your home.

4 KINDS OF CAMPGROUNDS

There are four kinds of campgrounds. They can best be illustrated by imagining a grid divided into four quadrants. As you go higher vertically, you go from urban to rural; as you move from left to right, you go from absolutely no amenities/activities to those with a ton of them. Those with many amenities/activities I call resorts and those with few, parks. Those that are in rural areas I call nature campgrounds and in urban areas, city campgrounds. Here’s more on each of the kinds of RV campgrounds you’ll have to choose from.

We chose a nature RV resort in North Carolina when we explored the Blue Ridge Parkway. It was a great place to go home to each day. Each space had a sizable deck looking out over a fresh spring, and we were surrounded by large trees. The campground had hiking trails, a lake for fishing and boating, a clubhouse with billiards and table tennis, and tennis, volleyball, and a golf course.

What immediately comes to mind as a city RV resort is just six miles from Disney World and within walking distance of a strip mall and a big grocery chain. The large clubhouse was filled with game tables, billiards, table tennis, a large TV room, a gift shop, and even a diner. Guests also had access to a fitness center, hot tubs, pools, tennis courts, horseshoe pits, volleyball courts, and a mini-golf course. The resort hosted dances with live bands, concerts, and craft/hobby events.

You’ll check into a city RV park primarily to be near family or friends or as a base from which to explore a city. We found one on the outskirts of Boston, which we explored daily by taking the train and subway.

My favorite example of a nature RV park is the National Forest Service’s Kirk Creek Campground on Highway 1 through Big Sur, considered to be one of the most scenic driving routes in the U.S. It is in the sparsely populated area where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise sharply out of the Pacific Ocean. We loved the trail that led down to the largest sand beach in the area.

To escape, go to a nature resort or nature park. A city resort could also be good if you want the RV experience and additional recreation options. For longer vacations, you can go to faraway nature resorts or nature parks. City parks are best for visiting family and friends or exploring an urban destination while staying in your RV. For full-time RVers, nature or city resorts are best as bases. 

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