How an RV Can Provide You With Extra Space for Hosting Your Family This Holiday Season

RV Owners

The holidays are approaching quickly and that means lots of visits from family. If you have family visiting from out of state, you may be wondering how everyone is going to fit comfortably in your home.

This is especially true for those who are having numerous family members visiting at once, and those who live in smaller homes. That said, even those with large homes might want to hold onto their personal space during this busy season.

Obviously, you could find a nice hotel room for your loved ones. However, this isn’t the ideal solution for a number of reasons. Not only is it pricey, but most hotel rooms will not provide your family with a kitchen, separate sleeping areas, and all the other amenities they might require to be comfortable during their holiday celebrations.

This is where an RV comes into play.

A family size RV can be used for driveway camping, providing your family with their own space while also keeping them close. Another option is to find a nearby RV space for rent and park the motorhome or travel trailer there, putting a bit of distance between the tiny home-on-wheels and your own abode.

Either way, your loved ones will be comfortable for the holidays without crowding you and your immediate family.

Can I Park an RV in My Driveway?

Some of the first questions you will need to ask yourself when considering the RV option are, “Can I park an RV on my driveway?” as well as the more specific, “Can you live in an RV on someone’s property?”

These are excellent questions. Generally the answer is yes, you can park an RV in your driveway and have family stay there for a week or two. However, some people may come up with different answers depending on where they live, as well as a few other factors. Therefore, you will want to do a bit of research before jumping in.

First, it’s important to know that parking a motorhome in your driveway is frowned upon by many HOAs (Homeowners Associations). Not only that, but having people camping on your property is actually illegal in some areas. For these reasons, it is important that you look into the laws and rules where you live before inviting anyone to borrow or rent your driveway for their RV.

If you find that parking an RV in your driveway won’t break any rules, you must then take a look at the driveway in question to ensure a motorhome or trailer even can park there.

For example, a driveway with a steep slope won’t be a great place to park an RV because it’s likely that the bumper will scrape the ground. Besides, leveling an RV on a steep slope is nearly impossible.

Of course, the width and length of the driveway must also be considered. Make sure you’ll have a place to park the trailer or motorhome as well as any other vehicles.

Using or Renting a Driveway vs Choosing an RV Space Rental

If your own driveway won’t work due to size or slope concerns, there is also the option of renting another driveway in your neighborhood. Either way, there are pros and cons to parking an RV in a driveway, and for some people, the cons outweigh the pros, leading them to find a more traditional RV space rental.

Here are some of the things you may want to consider when choosing between the two:

  • Having your family on your driveway or in a driveway rental in your neighborhood puts them very close to you. This can be considered either a pro or a con, but should be taken into consideration.
  • Using your own driveway costs nothing, and renting a driveway from a neighbor who considers you a friend will likely cost very little. Meanwhile, most RV spaces for rent in campgrounds will cost more.
  • Unless you (or your neighbor) have special hookups installed, driveway camping means your visitors likely won’t have full use of the amenities offered by an RV. For instance, their water usage will be limited by what the RV tanks can hold. Additionally, they will only be able to use whatever electric appliances can be run off the battery, unless you choose to run a generator. A full-hookup spot in a campground removes this challenge.

Creating Your Own RV Spaces for Rent

Did you do your research and find you can park an RV in your driveway for family to use during the holidays? If so, you might want to rent out your driveway during other times of year too. Not only is this a great way to make some money, it will also give you the opportunity to meet some really cool people as they seek out adventure.

Are you wondering to yourself, “How do I rent my driveway?” Well first, we recommend installing those electric, water, and sewer hookups mentioned above. After that’s done, there are a few ways to go about it.

We recommend listing your driveway on Rover Pass if you plan to rent the space on its own. However, it is also possible to rent your driveway along with an RV right here on RVshare.

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