Although many RVers are weekend warriors or take a couple of extended trips a year, there is another “type” of RVer that is growing in popularity.
Seasonal RVers are those who set up their RV spot and stay in one space for an extended period of time, whether it’s for a month during the high season or the entire RVing season (May-October). Once we go through the benefits of seasonal camping, you might just want to consider it.
You don’t need to make reservations all the time.
This is easy, you already know where you’re going! Reservations have been tricky to get at campgrounds across the United States since the pandemic. It’s not as easy to find a spot to camp anymore, it seems. But if you’re fortunate enough to be able to be a seasonal camper, that issue doesn’t exist. (Which is a major perk when it comes to holiday weekends.) Another good part about seasonal camping is that there are typically different, lower, rates for monthly rentals. Your dollar stretches more.
Keep in mind that campgrounds offering seasonal spots are also very popular and many have waiting lists. RVers who already have a site are hard pressed to give it up. So you may need to be patient and willing to jump on the first opportunity to reserve a spot.
Your RV is always ready to accept campers.
There are a couple ways to utilize a seasonal spot. One is to live there the entire season, which is easier now for employees because technology and workplace policies are finally catching up and allowing for folks to live and work away from traditional structures. As long as you have connectivity and can fulfill your work responsibilities well, many employers are fine with offering flexibility. Then for retirees, who don’t have the “work problem,” seasonal RVing can be an affordable and convenient way to spend the summer away from home.
If you can’t spend the whole season away from your home, then setting up on a seasonal spot at a campground close to your hosue ensures that your RV is ready anytime you want to camp. That could be every weekend. All you need to do is bring new supplies with you, such as food and paper products and clean linens. Everything else is there, waiting for you to arrive – including a full hook-up.
You save the “hassle” of packing and unpacking.
Weekend and week-long RV trips are awesome. But, let’s be honest, it takes a lot of planning, checklists, and moving things around. You can skip all that with a seasonal site. The chores are more manageable because they aren’t as frequent. Think of your RV as being like any other summer dwelling; the core supplies are already there when you need them. Once you have done seasonal camping for a year, or you go back and forth a few times in a season, you’ll have a better sense of what can be left and what needs to be packed back and forth.
You have a community.
Many RVers love the community aspect of seasonal camping. Campgrounds can be comprised of completely seasonal residents or have a section of the campground catering exclusively to seasonal RVers (as opposed to overnight only guests). Since guests who are seasonal campers are around as much as you, you tend to develop strong friendships with your neighbors. The camping community is unique in itself, but seasonal camping strengthens that bond. The campground becomes your home base, and you get to enjoy all the amenities that go along with it: swimming pools, games, boat rentals, playgrounds, walking spaces, etc. And you can share those experiences and good times with new friends, who end up turning into family.
An RV is typically a simpler way to travel and camp. There isn’t much assembly needed, and you can pack a lot of necessities and gear in the RV itself, saving you time and energy from packing and unpacking. With seasonal camping, the burden of loading and unloading, and setting up and tearing down, is even easier because it’s infrequent. This gives you more time to do what camping is meant for: relaxing and exploring.