With the majority of the country starting to thaw, travel is top of mind for many. We’re ready to stretch our legs, breathe in some fresh air, and explore someplace new. In the next few months we’ll be celebrating Earth Day, Mother’s and Father’s Day, and Memorial Day. Some popular events are right around the corner, including Nashville Superspeedway, Bonnaroo, and the Kentucky Derby. With all of this on the horizon, we’re gearing up for a busy rental season at RVshare.
Top Destination: Pisgah National Forest, N.C.
Pisgah National Forest is a 500,000-acre expanse of lush, green wilderness located in the Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina. A haven for hikers, campers, and nature lovers, the forest offers spectacular views of the Blue Ridge Mountains and a variety of recreational activities. From its cascading waterfalls to its winding trails, Pisgah National Forest is a must-see for anyone looking to reconnect with nature.
Why Pisgah? As the most popular national forest, it’s a beloved alternative to your typical national park visit. There is ample camping available, plus activities for the whole family. Considered one of the best destinations for outdoor recreation, choose from abundant hiking trails, whitewater rivers, exploring waterfalls, or watching the diverse wildlife. For those visiting who are looking for something else to after exploring the forest, they can try nearby hotspots such as Great Smoky Mountains National Park, The Blueridge Parkway, The Biltmore Estate, Lake Lure and so much more!
Top Activity at Pisgah: Identifying Flora and Fauna
The landscapes are diverse, and the forest contains a variety of trees including oak, hickory, yellow birch, white ash, yellow buckeye, American beech, locust, maple, and tulip poplar trees. Look out for interesting plants like American ginseng and the green pitcher plant. Common animals include black bears, bobcats, foxes, deer, and groundhogs, and less common species include eastern spotted skunks, peregrine falcons, and the hellbender great salamander.
AllTrails Featured Hiking Trails in Pisgah:
We teamed up with AllTrails, the definitive digital trail expert and your companion to the outdoors, to come up with three of the best hiking trails you’ll definitely want to add to your Pisgah National Forest itinerary!
1. Mount Mitchell Trail | Challenging and classic
2. Max Patch Loop | Family-friendly and beautiful
3. Looking Glass Rock Trail | Best views and most popular in the park
Top Hiking Tips From AllTrails
Plan Ahead!
Use the AllTrails platform filters to view weather forecasts, recent trail conditions, and hiking difficulty rating before you head out on the trail so you can prepare with the correct gear and supplies.
Stay safe in the event of inclement weather.
When weather conditions change and you need to end your activity early, you can use the AllTrails navigation feature to safely navigate home, back to your car, trailhead, or a cozy coffee shop.
Try and end your hike before sunset.
The AllTrails Weather and Daylight features let you check the forecast and sunset before you head out. Find a trail that has an estimated completion time that will get you home before sunset.
Go further with AllTrails+ and get your first 7-days free!
RVshare Campground Recommendation Nearby:
The Land of Waterfalls RV Park
Land of Waterfalls RV campground is the perfect camping spot nearby Pisgah National Forest. Tucked between Hendersonville and Brevard, this campground it’s a great place for all your hiking and mountain biking adventures with some of the best trails in the area. This campground is a small boutique 12 site full hook up park and will keep you connected with great Wi-Fi and phone service from all major carriers.
Travel Themes: Green and Budget-Friendly
Green Travel
We polled RVshare renters and 74% said it’s important to them to consider eco-friendly options in their day-to-day. In honor of Earth Day on April 22 (Arbor Day, World Environment Day
and World Ocean’s Day are in this quarter as well!), we’re thinking about how to make travel and our everyday lives more environmentally friendly. Here are a few ways to celebrate our planet on Earth Day and any other day.
- Clean up trash at parks and beaches
- Care for and plant trees
- Plant pollinated plants that attract hummingbirds, bees and butterflies
- Reduce disposable food plastic
- Unplug – use your mobile devices less
- Use solar when possible
*Leave no trace – leave outdoor spaces better than you found them.
Green features that RVshare renters are looking for in a rental:
73% solar panels
68% more miles per gallon
55% energy efficient appliances
47% lightweight towing
39% eco-friendly chemicals
What makes an RV considered “green?” RVs are measured against criteria involving Resource Efficiency, Energy Efficiency, Water Efficiency and Indoor Air Quality. Many popular manufacturers offer green options, including Airstream (all products green certified!), Coachmen, and Forest River.
Budget-Friendly Travel
An RV rental is a more affordable way to travel for several reasons. You can camp at inexpensive or even free campsites, you have a kitchen on board where you can prepare your meals, and the cost of an airline ticket + car rental or rideshare is quite high compared to the cost of gas on an RV trip.
When comparing the costs for a family of four for air travel vs an RV flights, air travel costs were significantly higher when you add up what each form of travel entails.
We surveyed RVshare renters who traveled with us in the past 6 months to get their input on how they look at budgeting and travel.
- More than two-thirds of respondents say economic factors have hindered their travel plans
- 63% of respondents have taken economic factors or concerns into consideration when thinking about their travel budget
- Only 7% said economic factors have impacted their travel budget and they won’t be traveling
- 45% of respondents say inflation has affected their travel plans but are looking for more affordable options
- 27% said inflation hasn’t affected their travel plans this summer
- 19% are cutting costs in other areas to make a summer trip happen
Budget RV travel tip: Look for free overnight parking!
Want a green and budget-friendly travel idea? Travel Local! Rent an RV and explore your own backyard. Try nearby state parks, museums, nature centers, and more! Visiting these places in an RV will feel like an epic adventure, while reducing gas usage and your carbon footprint!
RVshare is Offering a Free Park Pass with Every Rental!
We want to see you get outside and explore all of the places we mentioned here (and find plenty of new ones we didn’t!), so this summer RVshare is offering $500,000 in National and State Park passes for customers who book with us on or before May 31, 2023. Travel dates must be between April 18, 2023, and September 5, 2023. Find more details here.
A Chat with the Experts
We know how important it is to stay on budget when making travel plans. We asked Marc and Julie Bennett of RVLove.com for some of their top tips for enjoying a vacation without breaking the bank.
Marc and Julie Bennett of RVLove.com are inspiring RV road trip lovers who have been living, working and traveling their way around North America in an RV since 2014. They visited all 50 U.S. states (48 by RV) plus Canada and Mexico, while still working full-time. Marc and Julie have owned several kinds of RVs – large and small motorhomes, plus a fiberglass camper – and they occasionally also rent RVs to mix up their travel experiences.They share extensively through their in-depth blog posts, videos, online courses, and two bestselling books, Living the RV Life: Your Ultimate Guide to Life on the Road and RV Hacks: 400+ Ways to Make Life on the Road Easier, Safer, and More Fun to help make the road ahead easier for others. You can follow Marc and Julie across social media, their emails and informative articles at RVLove.com.
What are some of your favorite budget-friendly activities to enjoy while traveling?
Definitely hiking and biking, as these usually don’t cost anything except for your gear eg. hiking shoes and a bike! But you can even rent a bike if you don’t have one. We travel with a dog, so we also enjoy seeking out nice dog parks in the area where we’re staying so he can have some extra fun too! And of course, as avid roadtrippers, just the driving itself is fun for us!
Where is somewhere you love to visit that is fun and affordable?
National parks and monuments! They always have so much to see and do, including the free ranger programs. We have an annual national park pass, so entry fee is included for every place we visit. And of course, we find great hiking and biking at most of them! State and local county parks are also great value, and often have fantastic biking and hiking trails! We also love to drive and discover new and exciting roads. We’ll often take a picnic with us so we can just pull over somewhere scenic to enjoy our meal and the view. This is our preference now that we travel with our dog Sunny, as we don’t have to seek our pet friendly cafes or restaurants. When we do eat out, we like to check out local happy hours.
What are some ways to stay budget conscious when you’re on the road?
We like to take advantage of our camping memberships which save us a lot of money. Like using our Harvest Hosts membership to stay at a winery, farm, distillery or other attraction. We don’t pay for overnight camping and the money we spend to support their local business is a very cheap way to say thank you! We have used our Thousand Trails camping membership a LOT over the last 9 years, and that saves us a ton, with our camping fees often averaging under $10 a night. We also like to book campgrounds for at least a week, or sometimes even a month, as camping rates are generally lower than paying nightly. A monthly stay often equates to about 2.5 weeks of nightly rates. Plus, it slows your travel pace, which saves on fuel!
We save money on fuel in a number of ways… we plan our route in advance so it’s efficient. We plan our fuel stops in advance, based on location and price which can vary widely from state to state! We have a discount diesel fuel card, which has saved us up to $1 a gallon! And we earn, save and use points from our grocery shopping to get a discount at their fuel pumps.
Another way we save money when on the road is by prepping our own meals. Eating out can get expensive and it’s not as healthy either. With an RV, we can enjoy a meal with a view in so many incredible places.
Where are you traveling in Q2 (April-June)?
We’ll be spending Q2 in and around Colorado, which is just beautiful in the spring, and summer too. Being at elevation, it can still be snowy up to May, but the days are still sunny and warm! June is one of our favorite months in Colorado, the temperature is perfect! And there’s always something fun to do in July-August with things like farmers markets, wine tasting., and outdoor concerts. And, of course, some of the most beautiful roads in the country are in and around the Colorado mountains!
Travel Holiday Spotlight: Memorial Day, May 29
Memorial Day officially kicks off summer, and is a very popular travel holiday, especially for campers! Where are RVshare travelers heading and how can you escape the crowds during this busy time?
Other Holidays Worth Celebrating in Q2
National Pet Day (April 11): Use RVshare’s pet filter and find RVs that allow you to bring your furry friends along. Pawsome!
Mother’s Day (May 14) and Father’s Day (June 18): Treat mom and dad to a family-friendly adventure.
Parents are Looking to Travel More
- 81% of parents report that they are likely to consider renting an RV for a trip in the future
- Parents lead busy lives and they’re looking for easy and simple planning:
- 45% of parents are more interested than other groups in local area travel in an RV trip
- 29% would consider a weekend getaway or long weekend in an RV rental, in addition to longer-term vacations.
- 64% of couples without kids are most interested in long distance travel in an RV
- RV travel also allows parents to relax with a variety of benefits that families can take advantage of while on-the-go.
- 59% say the practicalities of a kitchen are the top benefit of traveling in an RV as a family
- 58% say the comfortable seating
- 57% say the fact that RV travel is so budget-friendly
- 51% say the unique bonding opportunities along the way
- 46% say the ability to offer a separate naptime space
- 40% say the ability to separate quarreling kids
Parents will be the top travelers this year, with 72% saying they’ll be taking more trips this year than last. While travelers overall are evenly divided between going all out this year and keeping things simple, 3 in 5 parents (60%) are planning to go all out with bucket list trips. Nearly half of parents are planning local trips (49%) and international trips (49%), and nearly 2 in 5 (39%) are planning cross-country road trips this year.
The likelihood of considering an RV trip increases greatly among parents with the option to have the RV delivered to their destination and picked up afterwards, with 71% much more likely to consider an RV rental when this option is available.
While most travelers would consider spending 1 (39%) or 2 weeks (25%) on an RV vacation, nearly 3 in 10 parents (29%) would consider an RV for a weekend getaway or long weekend trip. Similarly, nearly half of parents (45%) are interested in RV trips for local area travel, though most are interested in extended local travel (69%) and long-distance travel (53%) in an RV as well.
For family travel, RVs provide a kitchen for picky eaters (59%), more comfortable seating options (58%), and a budget-friendly way to combine transportation and accommodations (57%). Likely for these reasons, parents are particularly likely to choose an RV over other accommodations for multiday festival events, tailgating events, National Park trips, and hobby events.
Popular Events Coming Up
April
Coachella | Apr 14-23, 2023 | Indio, CA
This event hosts a variety of musical artists with backgrounds in rock, indie, hip-hop, electronic dance music, and more. Artists range from huge names to up-and-coming stars.
Camping nearby
May
Kentucky Derby | May 5-6, 2023 | Louisville, KY
This annual, two-day horse racing event is known as “the most exciting two minutes in sports.”
Camping nearby
Derby Park Campground and RV Park
June
Bonnaroo | Jun 15-18 2023 | Manchester, TN
Jun 15-18 2023
Camping nearby
Event Spotlight: Motorsports
Dover Speedway | April 27-May 1, 2023 | Dover, DE
This fan-favorite track is also known as Monster Mile and promises to live up to its name. Experience this track with an exclusive RVshare rental package.
Camping nearby
Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park at Delaware Beaches
Indianapolis 500 | May 28, 2023 | Indianapolis, IN
What some call “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” the Indy 500 is back for it’s 107th running. This race is a fan favorite amongst RVers, and every other racecar lover!
Camping nearby
Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway | May 28, 2023 | Charlotte, N.C.
The historic 64th running of the Coca-Cola 600, known as “NASCAR’s toughest test of man and machine!”
Camping nearby
Charlotte Motor Speedway Campgrounds
Nashville Super Speedway | June 22-26, 2023 | Nashville, TN
Thirty miles from Nashville you will find this super-speedway track. Experience this track with an exclusive RVshare rental package.
Camping nearby
Where will you be traveling in Q2? We hope you’re kicking off the warm weather with a fun adventure. Happy travels!
