RV vs. Hotel: Which is Better?

My family recently had the privilege of spending a night at a well-known hotel and waterpark. We were beyond excited for this special opportunity! An overnight at this location is not something that we do on regular basis, or ever really, but we were blessed with this hotel experience as a Christmas gift. Our weekend was amazing, and the waterpark was so much fun, but as we soon discovered, we have become spoiled with our RV adventures! Hotels, while exciting, have begun to lack some of their charm for our family.

As our mid-winter, tropical, water-park-weekend approached, we began preparing by digging out the suitcases. And yes, suitcases, plural. Keep in mind, we are staying ONE-NIGHT, about twenty minutes from our house. Pajamas, swim suits, towels, clothes for the next day, toiletries…you know the packing routine. Each girl prepared their own little rolling box of goodies. One was filled with stuffed animals, leaving barely any room for actual items of need, the other couldn’t leave a blanket behind for the short stay. As I’m inspecting their suitcases and checking for important items, like underwear, I’m thinking, “My goodness! These suitcases don’t have enough room in them for us to spend ONE-NIGHT away!” But, somehow we manage to stuff them full with everything we think we need, including the sound machine.

Load up! We are dressed in layers with our suits on under our sweatshirts and pants (this will become important later), to make the most of our limited time at the pool. That way, once we check-in, we can head straight to the pool, even if our room is not ready! We pack the car with two kid suitcases, a large duffel bag for Adam and I, a pool bag with towels, goggles, and pool goodies, a small cooler, and life jackets. Our dog, Minnie, gets dropped off with a neighbor for the night, and we set off on the twenty minute drive. We arrive, check-in, lug all the bags in, get settled into the room, squeal and explore all the coolness that is a hotel room (especially with
kids), and head to the pool. We swim, work up the courage to try some big slides, loop the lazy river, ride the waves, we do it all (except for all the super expensive add-ons that await right outside the pool doors)! Dinner time arrives and we tell the girls we are ordering pizza at the pool! They are thrilled, but want to take it back to the room because its so loud in the pool. Great idea, girls! Love your train of thought! We go back to the room, change into our pajamas, eat pizza on the bed, and watch a show. As we wind down for the night, I begin to realize that I didn’t do as well at packing as I thought I had. Things that are always in our camper, I forgot to
pack…like a toothbrush, deodorant, and my hair brush. I laugh it off and borrow what I need from everyone else. 

” She proceeds to tell me all the things that make her camper bed better than the hotel bunk that she was so excited about a few hours ago, and this is when I realize that even though our camper has bedrooms, a kitchen, living room, and a bathroom all compacted into 32 feet, we have more personal space in it than we do in this fancy hotel.

When night arrives in the camper, we all retreat to our own sleeping space, with just the right amount of fluffy blankets, and plush pillows. The girls create their own sleep-haven with a sound machine, ambient lighting, and close their curtains to block out any distractions from the rest of the world. Our master bedroom, has doors to separate us from the rest of the rig, the perfect bedding, and our own TV. When Nana and Papa camp with us, they have the living room to themselves. We can give six people decent, divided sleeping space in the camper, and couldn’t even manage to sleep with just four of us in the hotel.

After we all achieve some form of sleep, some better than others, the morning comes and we organize the suitcases and pool bag. We plan on loading the car up with all our belongings, going to the pool for a few more hours, showering off in the locker room, changing into clothes, and making our way over the mall for a few more hours of fun. I pack everyone’s outfits and shoes into the pool bag for changing into later, and as I’m packing the last of it, I realize that I don’t have everything I need! Because we left the house in our suits, I never even thought of packing a undergarmets! There is nothing left to do but giggle, shake my head at my dismal packing skills, and be thankful that its winter in Minnesota and our fabrics are bulky! 

When our Starcraft RV was brand new, and I began sharing our adventures with the social media world, our girls were 3 and 5. Being someone who previously hated camping with young kids, I instantly fell in love with the comforts of the new rig and the whole experience with my family. I remember a high school friend reaching out to me on social media. She told me it looked like we were having so much fun, and she had no idea how that was possible with two little kids in the camper. She shared that their overnights at hotels with kids were so much work with everyone leaving feeling drained, sleep deprived, and over-packed. I agreed with her, that hotels were hard, and you had to pack an entire car to the brim to feel like you had everything you needed for the kids to make it through the short experience. As I thought on it, I quickly told her that the camper made staying overnight with two little kids so much more enjoyable, because you easily have everything you need already packed in the rig, the kids have their own predictable and comfortable space, and you are in control of the surrounding environment. There is a fair amount of work involved when camping as well, but my family tends to agree that the work needed to camp for a weekend is so much easier than packing for a weekend hotel stay. Plus, doesn’t the idea of feeling like you are at home, no matter where you go sound so enticing?!