Staying close to home on your RV trips means less time traveling and more time enjoying the fun part of RVing. Planning the perfect RV staycation in your hometown is a great way to explore what adventures await right in your backyard.
Why Plan an RV Staycation?
Staycations can even be more fun than regular vacations. Staying close to home can save you money, take the pressure off planning an elaborate route, and allow you to relax more. In our busy lives, a staycation allows you to take time off work without tapping into all your vacation days. It can really offer the break that you need with little time and effort.
RV staycations are even better because you can leave home while bringing some of your residential comforts with you. Getting away from home removes the temptation to do chores or housekeeping, and being in an RV allows you to bring along whatever you need to relax and be comfortable.
The Benefits of RV Rentals for Staycations
To make life even easier, consider renting an RV for your staycation. Some rentals can be delivered right to your destination so you don’t have to worry about towing or driving a larger motorhome. Then they can be picked up at the end of your trip so you aren’t on the hook for cleaning, unpacking, and reorganizing when you get home.
If you want to drive a rental RV to your destination, Good Sam RV Rentals provides 24/7 Roadside Assistance and up to $1 million in insurance coverage. So you can be at ease knowing you’re protected from anything that could happen on an RV trip.
If an RV rental is right for your next staycation, start your search for the perfect rental RV.
Tips For Planning The Perfect RV Staycation
Whether you rent or use your own RV, planning is what will make your staycation perfect. Here are tips for making the most out of an RV staycation in your hometown:
Pick a Theme
Determine what you want to get out of your staycation and create expectations before you plan activities. Do you want peace and serenity or outdoor adventures that get your blood pumping? Is your ideal backdrop a cityscape or a more remote setting?
Whether you want to indulge, keep it healthy, hit the town, or stay in and binge-watch Netflix, there are no rules with staycations. Just set the tone for the trip early so everyone is on the same page and aware of the events planned.
Having a theme makes everyone more excited and more involved in the trip. Buy special items to go along with the theme and have fun with it. You’re less likely to be disappointed if you determine the plan ahead of time!
Plan Ahead
It’s easy to neglect to plan ahead for a staycation in your own hometown because it’s familiar. But, just like with a regular vacation, you want to maximize your time and avoid wasting it on the inconveniences that come with not having an itinerary.
Invest the time upfront so that the moment your staycation arrives, the hard work is done. Have all your groceries and essential items purchased and packed, your activities scheduled, and everything ready to go for the moment you clock out of work and step into vacation mode.
In many ways, you should prepare for an RV staycation just like you’d prepare for a regular RV trip. Campground reservations should be booked and your RV should be fully loaded before you depart. If you plan your staycation around a special event or festival happening in your hometown, you’ll need your tickets in advance and a plan for getting to the event venue without a parking hassle.
Have a Countdown
Create a countdown calendar so everyone can get excited, as if you were leaving town and heading to Disney World. This is a great way to get the kids involved in the planning process and it can even allow you to off-load some of the RV prep tasks by assigning them to the kids in the days leading up to your trip.
Choose the Right Spot
Is there a campground in town that you’ve never visited? Or maybe one with really great amenities like a pool and a hot tub?
Choose a part of town you’re less familiar with, or find an RV park that feels like a resort to make it feel more like a vacation. Go far enough away from home to keep you from being reminded about your to-do list or work stress. Change up your scenery by finding landscapes you don’t see everyday, like a waterfront RV park.
Splurge a Little
Think about what you’re saving by staying in town and allow yourself a few indulgences. Maybe go out for a nice dinner, treat yourself to a spa day, or take the kids parasailing for their first time.
It’s hard to enjoy your staycation if you’re constantly worried about pinching pennies. While it’s important to set a budget, choose ways to treat yourself to make the most of the savings of staying close to home.
You can even make your RV feel like a hotel or retreat—buy flowers, new linens, or get some fancier food than you typically get and make the RV feel like a retreat.
Act Like a Tourist
No matter how long you’ve lived in your hometown, it seems there’s always something new you’ve never experienced. All those things you recommend to tourists but have never actually done yourself—do them!
Acting like a tourist will help you feel like one. While you’re at it, buy souvenirs and take lots of pictures!
Unplug
Since you’re technically still in town, friends and family will be tempted to call you and work matters may come up. Set your out-of-office reply and keep your cellphone usage to a minimum to avoid these distractions.
Don’t be tempted to run a few errands or give in to social obligations. While on a staycation, it’s less about your physical distance and more about your mental and emotional distance from life’s everyday stressors.
The more you treat your staycation like a vacation, the more it will feel like it. We hope these tips help you plan a trip that makes you feel far away from the stress and routine of everyday life, but close enough to home. It’s truly the best of both worlds!
Have you stumbled upon any unexpected gems near your hometown by planning an RV staycation? Tell us about your experience and why you love staycations in the comments below!
