Everyone has their motivations for RVing. Whether it be spending more time outdoors, saving money on travel expenses, visiting family, or finding easy ways to travel in large groups, the RV life has millions of people enthralled. Whatever your reason for enjoying RVing, there are likely some RV and camping benefits that you have not even thought of.
Let’s take a look at 12 of the benefits that you can’t miss.
Connect with Nature
Even though your RV has all the comforts of home, you still get to immerse yourself in all the benefits nature offers. Spending time outdoors will help both your body and soul.
On road trips, many RV enthusiasts find that they are able to:
- Reconnect with nature
- Take some time for self-reflection (which will improve self-awareness)
- Enjoy the peace of secluded campsites or explore national parks.
- Align with their natural circadian rhythms
While an obvious benefit, it’s still one worth mentioning; an RV road trip is a great excuse to decrease your dependence on technology. Constant notifications and emails are overwhelming and exhausting. RV camping offers a break from these distractions, allowing you to disconnect and reset your mind. To no surprise, the absence of screens fosters mindfulness, reduces stress, and improves mental clarity.
If you want to take pictures of the great outdoors or check in with family, consider a Pelican Marine Cell Phone pouch. These are about $14 each but can save you a lot of money should you drop your phone while enjoying your time outside.
Quality Time with Family and Friends
Camping is the perfect backdrop for spending time with family and friends. You’ll be free from the distractions of daily life and get to create memories as a family. Whether it’s the teamwork required to set up camp or the experience of exploring new trails, the time spent camping is the perfect chance to reconnect with family.
If you are looking for some great games and activities to enhance family time, consider some of these favorites:
- Hershey Smores Caddy ($28 – includes all the essentials for making Smores)
- GoSports Ladder Toss ($32 – a quick and easy outdoor game that anyone can play)
- I Should’ve Known That ($34 – trivia game for ages 14 and up)
Improve Physical Fitness
If you struggle to get up and go to the gym in the morning, rest assured that you’ll have plenty of opportunities to make up for it while you are spending time with your RV.
When camping with your RV, you’ll have opportunities for activities like:
- hiking
- rock climbing
- swimming
- biking
- kayaking
In addition, camping’s physical demands (i.e., building a tent, lugging firewood, etc.) may not feel like a workout, yet they can’t have all the benefits of one.
Improve Sleep Quality
At the end of a day packed with outdoor activities, your bed offers a welcoming comfort. One of the benefits of RVing is the profound impact it has on sleep quality.
Being outdoors helps you synchronize with the natural circadian rhythm that dictates your sleep-wake cycle. This alignment with nature’s schedule leads to high-quality sleep. More sleep, especially deep-quality sleep, will reduce stress and yield a variety of other health benefits, like boosting your energy levels and reducing your hunger.
Develop Problem-Solving Skills
RV camping will, without a doubt, present some unique opportunities to use your brain. Managing the RV requires you to think on your feet and problem-solve in ways that your day-to-day life may not. You may be faced with trials, tribulations, and challenges like:
- Mechanical issues
- Navigating the trails
- Fire-starting
The problem-solving skills a camping trip can foster will keep you young (and keep your brain as active as possible!)
Enjoy Great Food
Preparing a meal in your RV or over an open campfire is different–not just in terms of the steps involved but the flavors, too.
But remember: meals with these flavors can’t be replicated at home or in a big-city restaurant. Charboiling over a burner just can’t compete with the smokiness of a campfire.
The more you camp, the more you’ll realize that preparing and sharing good food is a great way to reconnect with your community. Cooking food and sharing it as a group, especially when using ingredients foraged from nature, will bring you a sense of accomplishment that you may not have even known was possible.
Learn New Skills
Camping can teach you various new skills, whether in an RV or a tent: from how to pitch a tent to how to identify stars and planets to how to make a great cup of coffee in an RV.
Research shows that engaging in hands-on camping activities, like using a first aid kit or navigating with a map and compass, can significantly enhance one’s problem-solving skills and critical thinking abilities.
Strengthen Family Bonds
RVing allows you to spend time with loved ones. Camping encourages family members to work together, whether it’s through the shared task of tying knots, cleaning the RV, or gathering around a campfire to cook a meal.
Camping trips also offer roles or responsibilities for campers of all ages. One of the benefits of camping is that a 5-year-old and an 85-year-old can participate in the same outdoor activity or campfire cookout.
Teaches You to Appreciate Simplicity
If you have ever once thought that your life was too complicated, then purchasing an RV and starting to use it across the country could completely change your perspective. There’s a unique charm in the basic activities of camping.
You’ll experience things like watching the sunrise or cooking meals over a campfire.
The camping lifestyle reminds you that the world and your happiness are not about material possessions. Some of your favorite moments will be sitting in a camp chair outside the RV, laughing with friends and family.
Lower Cost Vacation
Although the initial purchase price of an RV is quite high, the overall RV lifestyle is certainly cheaper than hotels and resorts. Many campgrounds offer overnight accommodations for $30 or less. In addition, driving to your destination eliminates the need for pricey airfare.
Moreover, RV camping allows for savings on other expenses, such as food. Preparing your own meals at the campsite can be both cost-effective and enjoyable.
Whether you plan to buy or rent an RV for your big trip, know that you don’t have to make a big upfront purchase to reap the benefits of camping.
Promotes Good Mental Health
Camping benefits not only your body but also serves as a form of stress reduction and improved mental health. You’ll be able to take a break from the pressures of work and social obligations. (Despite popular misconceptions, your 9-to-5 isn’t the only thing you need a vacation from). In addition, the solitude of camping can also be a powerful tool in building self-confidence.
For those who might struggle with social anxiety, the quiet and peaceful setting provides a space to reflect and grow.
Educational Opportunities
Camping provides limitless learning opportunities, particularly for kids. The natural environment is a great place to introduce concepts like geology, astronomy, and environmental science. RV camping also teaches practical wilderness and survival skills that can be used in everyday life.
Summary
Renting an RV may be a perfect way for you to enjoy camping for a while, but if you do decide to purchase an RV, you will need a place to store your rig. You’ll want to do this properly in your driveway, on an RV pad. If you don’t have the space or your HOA won’t allow it, consider Neighbor, a peer-to-peer RV storage marketplace that offers RV storage up to 50% cheaper than traditional storage options. Find listings from pre-screened hosts nearest you.
