If you’ve never had to buy a recreational vehicle before and are currently planning your first family cross country road trip, it can be difficult knowing what the best option for you is with all the different models that are available on the market.
Fortunately, this article will help simplify things for you. Here are the top three types of RV’s for your cross country road trip:
Table of Contents
Motorhome
The first type of RV we will discuss is the most recognizable: the motorhome. This is probably what you think of when you see the word RV.
A motorhome is where living space and a vehicle are combined together. Class A motorhomes are the largest variant, shaped like a bus, and have a vertical windshield.
Class B motorhomes are also called camper vans and resemble passenger vans, only they have a living space inside of them. Finally, Class C motorhomes are a truck with the driving position, engine, and chassis intact, but with a living space in the rear section (and usually with a sleeping position over the cab).
Overall, motorhomes have the most storage space and can be driven without needing to be pulled, but they also tend to be the most expensive option and can be difficult to drive and maneuver (especially in tight conditions or on rough roads).
Travel Trailer
The next type of RV is the travel trailer, with smaller models being called campers. Travel trailers are essentially motorhomes, only they lack an engine and need to be pulled by another vehicle.
Related: 5 RV-Friendly Places to Stay For Free
Travel trailers are available in a wide variety of different configurations and sizes. Some can be the same size as a large bus, while campers are more compact and generally intended for singles or couples (the most popular trailers are twenty to twenty-five feet in length).
Remember, the larger your travel trailer, the more powerful your pickup truck or SUV must be. The biggest advantages to travel trailers are their mechanical simplicity and the fact that they are better suited for off-road use. Their disadvantages are they tend to be less luxurious than motorhomes, and they can be difficult to maneuver for a driver with little towing experience.
Truck Bed Campers
The last type of recreational style vehicle we will discuss is the truck bed camper. Truck bed campers, as the name suggests, simply slide into the bed of a pickup truck SUV. They have the best mobility of the three primary kinds of RV’s, but their disadvantage is that installing and removing them on the back of your truck repeatedly can be a pain.
Space on truck bed campers is also rather limited, and best suited for singles or couples rather than entire families.
Finding The Best RV For Your Road Trip
All in all, these are the three primary kinds of recreational vehicles for you to choose for your RV family road trip. Think about the advantages and disadvantages of each one to find the best type for you.
Forgot to mention fifth wheels which can be as luxurious as a motor home but without the engine and transmission to worry about. Is the best choice for those snowbirds in their Winter sites for 4 or 5 months.