RV Camping

Guide Note

RV camping allows travelers to experience the joys of camping without giving up the creature comforts of home. Unlike traditional camping, RV campers sleep on beds, cook with a normal stove or with a microwave oven, and shower with warm water, just as they would at home.

Fast Facts

1. RV: Any vehicle that combines transportation and living quarters
2. Annual RV sales: $14 billion
3. New RV prices: $4,000 to $400,000
4. Nearly 8 million households own an RV

RVing began at the end of World War I with improvised campers added to the back of the earliest cars. By the 1930s, mass-produced RVs were available to the general public. RV campers were called "Tin Can Tourists" both because many campers were modified Model Ts (also called "Tin Lizzies") and because early RVs were often made out of metal.

Reports in the first half of 2008 revealed that skyrocketing gas prices were significantly curtailing RV travel. RV parks report that few people are booking short-term visits, and RV sales dealerships report that the double whammy of rising gas prices and more stringent loan requirements have severely decreased sales of recreational vehicles.