Adventure. Freedom. Sunrise. Night sky. Experience all of this when traveling in an RV. Motorhome traveling gives a new perspective to vacations. 

While RV travel has been popular since the 1950s according to smithsonianmagazine.com, within the past two years a motorhome boom occurred during the height of the pandemic. With plane travel curtailed and concern with hotel stays, those with wanderlust took to the roads in RVs and vans attempting to see the world on their terms. 

Due to COVID-19, many people learned and worked remotely. With sports and afterschool activities also on a hiatus, many were left to spend most of their days alone in their homes. 

Feeling trapped, Westfield Resident Natalia Goldman was eager to visit Yellowstone and check some other national parks off her bucket list. With four kids who are usually busy with sports, Goldman thought this unprecedented time would make for the perfect opportunity to travel across the country. Yet, she didn’t travel by plane. Just a week before Goldman and her family were to leave for their journey out West, she bought a motorhome. The kids packed their laptops and got ready to learn on the road. 

Goldman said, “The freedom to go and see things,” was the best thing about her RV travel. “There was no need for structure. Each morning we would wake up and decide which way to go.” 

Grady Linder, founder of Voyager Campervans, feels that traveling in an RV gives people the opportunity to relax and enjoy the beauty and adventure this country has to offer. 

“Traveling on the road gives you the chance to see parts of the United States that you might miss if you fly there,” said Linder. “There is no better way to explore the United States.”

The cost of traveling via motorhome is incomparable to the cost of traveling via plane and staying in traditional hotels. Michael Montero, Westfield resident, said, “It is much cheaper to rent an RV than I thought. You are not going out to a restaurant every night and you can cook your food wherever you are. It is $10 to stay at a campground that comes with electricity and water.” Especially for a family of five, Montero thinks the cost of traveling in a motorhome is fairly reasonable. 

Although many feel that being in a tight space would be claustrophobic, most of the time is spent exploring the hidden gems in America. Since the purpose of the RV becomes solely for sleeping and eating, some upkeep must be done within the motorhome to keep it clean daily. 

Messes are likely to be made when living in small quarters. It is important to keep the motorhome clean because everything that is usually done in a house now needs to be done in a smaller space.

RVs transform from dinettes in the day to sleeping areas at night. “Enjoying the time you get to travel and seeing the natural beauty of the US was so much more worth it than [worrying about] rearranging the bins and sleeping bags in the motorhome,” Goldman said. 

“The whole experience was exciting. [We loved] sleeping under the stars and grilling most of our food amidst incredible views,” said Montero. And, just for a moment in a fast-paced country that revolves around technology, life felt simple.