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Buying A Motorhome For Long Road Trips

Jan. 7 2021 Buying Guide By Golden Gait Trailers & RVs

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The longer your road trip, the more important certain RV features become. Passengers want comfortable seating. Drivers want easy handling. The budget traveler wants fuel efficiency. Those who enjoy long road trips will want to purchase a motorhome tailored for their travel style.

We created the following guide to picking the right RV for long road trips. If you want more information or want to shop motorhomes for sale, reach out to the friendly staff at Golden Gait Trailers & RVs. Our dealership is located in Concord, North Carolina, and we also serve those in Charlotte and Winston-Salem.

The Perks Of Motorhomes On Long Road Trips

Before we get into the specific buying tips, it helps to point out why long road trips merit a motorhome.

First, enjoy cozier seating on the drive. Motorhomes, especially luxury models, tend to have exceptionally comfortable seating areas. They are quite the step up from a car or truck's seat, which is where passengers would be stuck if you chose a towable RV.

Second, get more space. There is only so much room in a towable vehicle's seating area. But motorhomes offer expansive areas to explore. You'll need to be careful about moving around when the vehicle is in motion, but you won't be feeling cramped or stuck.

Finally, get easy access to any items. It's quite the hassle to access any supplies stored in a towable RV. You'd need to pull over, park, walk over to the camper, dig around for the item, then return to the tow vehicle. With a motorhome, it's a much more convenient and quick process.

Look For Motorhomes With Safe Driving Features

Long road trips mean extra hours on the road, which mean extra opportunity for accidents. It's wise to invest in a motorhome with extra safe driving features. While you can't prevent every hazard, you can reduce the chances of an accident occurring.

Common motorhome safe driving features include:

  • Blind spot detection
  • GPS with a large easy-to-see screen that can operate in spots that cell phones cannot
  • Improved front sway bars and added rear sway bars, which decreases sway on the drive

It's also important to shop for motorhomes that you feel confident handling. If you are brand-new to the RV lifestyle, you might want to wait before purchasing a massive and difficult to control model.

Shop With Fuel Efficiency In Mind

Increased hours on the road means increased fuel costs. The more you spend on fuel, the fewer RV trips you will be able to take. Seek out a fuel efficient motorhome to help keep costs lower.

A simple step is to look up the model's fuel efficiency, which should be found online or in any paper handouts. It's also wise to consider the motorhome's weight. Heavier models will burn through fuel faster. Consider getting a smaller model built out of lightweight materials.

Be Realistic About Long-Term Travel Costs

A huge benefit to buying a motorhome is that you avoid many travel-related costs. No longer are you stuck paying for plane tickets and hotel stays, which can save you a significant amount of money.

But it's important to avoid underestimating the costs of a motorhome vacation. You will still need to pay for fuel, the campground rental fee, meal costs, and so on. It'd be a shame to spend your entire travel budget on a motorhome...and then not have any money leftover for a vacation! As you set your motorhome budget, take a big picture approach so that you can set a realistic price limit.

We hope you enjoyed this guide to choosing an RV for long road trips. For more shopping tips or to explore motorhomes for sale, chat with the experts at Golden Gait Trailers & RVs. We are a family owned and family operated dealership for the past 30 years. We are happy to answer questions, give advice, and make the shopping process easy. Explore our online inventory or stop by our dealership in Concord, North Carolina. We also proudly serve those in Charlotte and Winston-Salem, North Carolina.