When planning a vacation there are many things to consider, like where do you want to go, what do you want to do, where do you want to stay, how much can you afford, etc. Some people just know they will stay at a hotel and enjoy the amenities that come with that specific hotel. Others are hard core camping people and you will never find them in a hotel. If you have never camped before you may not realize there are many different types of campgrounds with varying amenities. If you assumed camping was just sitting in the woods being bored, then you are missing out.
So why would you choose a campground over a hotel? One of the reasons we decided to start camping was the sheer anxiety that would shoot through our bodies as soon as we walked into our hotel room. Have you ever walked into a room hoping the one super power you had was for your eyes to turn into forensic lights. Just touch your forehead and then beep-beep, your forensic light turns on. That was us. Looking at every hair on the ground that was not ours. Wondering did the sheets actually get changed. Knowing we would have to sleep in the bed with the sheets that weren’t changed. Going as far to pay extra to stay at the nicer hotels knowing that our anxiety could never handle what might await us at an inexpensive hotel. Sleeping in our van sometimes seemed like a better option.
Outside the fact that staying in our camper meant we were sleeping in our own beds with our own germs, we realized how much money we could save by bringing our “home” with us. Keep reading to see why we absolutely love the benefits that come with camping in our 2020 Wildwood 26DBUD.
Save money with camping
Campgrounds tend to be significantly cheaper than hotel rooms. Even possibly free if boondocking. A night at a state or national park usually runs $15-$50, whereas a nearby hotel to such natural attractions usually runs $150-$250. Now there are some RV parks/resorts that will be as expensive as hotels due to the amenities that they offer and/or location.
Let’s take a look at one of our favorite places to go, Disney World. Yes, Disney has a campground and it is absolutely amazing!! We are a family of 5 and staying at a hotel can sometimes be tricky. Luckily some of the Disney hotels can sleep 5 people, which is nice compared to most hotels.
For comparison, let’s choose a few places at Disney. Art of Animation which offers a family suite, Caribbean Beach which we have stayed at before, and Fort Wilderness campground. Choosing the same weekend in August for all three places for this price comparison.
- Art of Animation (a value resort and surprisingly the most expensive) offers family suits for families up to 6. The room has 1 queen bed, 1 double sleeper sofa, and 1 double table bed.
The cost for two nights with taxes was $1,354.50.
- Caribbean Beach (a moderate resort – less expensive) has some rooms that offer 2 queen beds and a child size pull down. Now that we have three teenagers this room would probably not work for us anymore.
The cost for two nights with taxes was $798.76.
- Fort Wilderness Campground (considered a value resort – least expensive) has several options to pick from with varying costs depending if you are in a tent, full hook, preferred areas, etc. For this comparison we chose a basic full hookup site.
The cost for two nights with taxes was only $290.26.
Imagine what you could do with the cost savings!! Plus depending on the size of your camper you can sleep more than 4 or 5 people. Our camper has a queen bedroom, bunks and a versa lounge. We can comfortably sleep 6 people. The camper’s manufacturer information says it sleeps 10. That would be tight if you have older kids.
Beside saving on our nightly cost at Fort Wilderness, we also save money on food. We can make a box of mac and cheese or eat a sandwich for a few dollars. When we stayed on Disney property in the hotels we had to eat out for almost all of our meals. That would run us close to $100 if not more for every meal. That adds up really quickly. Even if you were to compare camping vs a hotel in another vacation destination, you will have the same comparison. The campground is generally going to be cheaper and you will save money preparing your own food in the camper. The money saved on accommodation can be redirected to other aspects of your trip like some amazing excursions or an extra park day at Disney.
No living out of a suitcase
Trying to manage three little people (plus two adults) in a small hotel room and not completely unloading everything in the room so we had walking space was challenging. We know they have drawers to put our items in at a hotel but the few dresser drawers aren’t always enough. When staying at Disney we usually stayed for 10-14 days. Not only did we bring a lot of “just in case” items, the amount of things we bought there also cluttered our room. We know this is totally an us problem. Knowing how we were with traveling, we knew having a camper would work better for us. When you stay in your RV you can neatly organize and keep your stuff in drawers, closets and totes. Now that doesn’t mean you can pack your whole house. There are still limitations depending on the size of your camper. A lot of RVs have amazing storage in every nook and cranny so you can bring all your essentials. This is not limited to just clothes. This can be entertainment for the kids, bathroom items, food and outside fun like beach items, camping chairs or corn hole.
We have designated items that stay in our camper. Like kitchen and bathroom items. This means when we have a trip planned we are only adding the items we would normally pack such as clothes and toiletries. The best advantage is having a pantry and fridge. As we travel we can stop and eat lunch in the camper thus saving money along the way by not eating out.
Pet Friendly
Bringing our four legged friends is another perk to camping. We haven’t been to a campground yet that does not let you bring your dog. They might be out there so always check your campgrounds pet policy before booking. It’s much harder to find a pet- friendly hotel, which made us a lot less interested in hotels. Plus how fun is it for your dog to stay in a hotel room all day? Our dogs hangout outside with us around the campfire, say hello to every dog and human that walks by (they make lots of new friends when camping), and lots of walks along trails. We think our dogs love camping more than we do.
If you have other animals like cats, bunnies or birds you can bring them camping too. We have seen all of these animals on leashes camping. Yes, we have even brought our bunny once to camp. And in the future we hope to bring George, our African Grey Parrot.
Better entertainment
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Many RVers point out how staying in an RV is more enjoyable than a hotel. For one, you get to take your favorite entertainment with you without being limited to a suitcase. Even when there is a rainy day and you are “stuck” in your camper you can easily play boardgames, crafts or throw your favorite movie in the dvd player while enjoying popcorn that you popped up in your microwave.
When the weather is nice you can take your movie outside with your own portable outdoor movie theater. We have the NEBULA by Anker Capsule 3 and a portable outdoor movie screen . And let’s not forget about sitting around the campfire and stargazing. Sometimes just the peace and quite of nature is all we need. These activities sure beat sitting in a hotel room at night.
Some campgrounds will offer activities throughout the day. This is fabulous when you have days where you don’t want to leave the campground but need things to entertain you or your children. We have stayed at several Jellystone Parks that offer hourly activities for kids such as crafts, games at the athletic field and meet and greet with Yogi. There is also adult fun, like Sip N Canvas. Fort Wilderness is another one that offers amazing activities throughout the day. We could stay at Fort Wilderness for weeks and never go to the parks because there are so many amazing things offered on site.
Honestly, sitting around a campfire on a cool evening, talking and laughing with friends and family is more than enough entertainment for us. The memories we make on our camping trips is what’s most important to us.
Camping Folks are special
We love that when we are camping we can take our dogs for a walk in our pajamas and while holding a bag of dog poop 🐕💩 strike up a conversation with a complete stranger. And that’s considered normal.
Campers are, by and large, a friendly group of people. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to make friends while camping, if you so desire. Some people might consider being around more people a negative rather than a positive. But meeting other travelers and learning about where they’re from and where they’re headed can add to your travel experience.
You don’t have to meet other people while camping, but if you want to, then you easily can. HOWEVER! The opposite can be true, too. If you DO NOT like being around other people, then RVing is still the better option over a hotel. You can stay in a remote location where there are NO people. Just you and nature. You can’t get that at a hotel.
There are more than 5 reasons we like camping but these are some of our top reasons. If you have never thought camping was for you, we really encourage you to try it. There is always the option to rent a camper for a trip to test the waters. It’s the same concept as VRBO is for renting a house. We rent our camper out on outdoorsy and rvshare. This way we can share the joy of camping with others. Check out our camper on our RV rental page. We are sure you will fall in love with camping and will quickly begin your search for your own camper.
Let us know why you love camping in the comments below.
HAPPY CAMPING