Traveling via B&B/hotel vs RV

[georgelesley]

First a bit of context. We have owned nearly all types of RV’s and have RV’ed for well over 20 years. Last year we sold our class A MH and have not bought another RV. We just returned from a 9000 mile road trip with our car traveling thru the Midwest and Rockies staying in B&B’s and hotels.

B&B’s suit our style much better than hotels. However, for quick one night stands, hotels are usually cheaper and are generally a better option for just a place to sleep.

B&B’s usually have a cleaning fee added and sometimes a “service fee”, which hotels do not so staying in a B&B for only one night is more expensive, but if the added fees are spread over several days the benefits of the B&B such as being able to prepare your own meals, often having separate TV’s showers, etc, tend to even the costs out

Both options especially multi day stays in B&B’s require reservations usually well in advance, thus locking you into a hard schedule, whereas hotels are often more flexible and have more liberal cancellation policies.

Contacting the owner/managers of B&B’s is not always as easy as a hotel for maintenance issues. We found some truly excellent, some never responded.

Since B&B’s are individually owned usually, the quality of furnishing and utensils is a **** shoot, some just like or even better than home, some pretty run down. With chain hotels at least the quality is usually more consistent with a particular chain anyway.

We did buy a picnic sized portable refrigerator that we put in the back seat of the car and plugged into 12V. That really made a difference in having the basics available to prepare basic meals.

Bottom line: for one night stands, hotel are usually the best option, like them or not.

For multiple night stays in one place, we much prefer the B&B style.

Cost wise, hotels may be cheaper, but when you factor in meal preparation in a B&B, over several days the costs even out, although some hotels offer some options there as well especially breakfast. We did note that since Covid came along, the hotels with breakfast are fewer and breakfast is often much simpler and less than it used to be, so beware.

One thing we really missed about the RV style of travel was the option of boondocking and the ability to change our plans on short notice. Another was the interaction you can have with fellow RV’ers at a campground. Staying in a B&B or hotel you don’t talk to other people much.

We are also looking into staying at campgrounds that have cabins for rent but have not really found a site that has a good listing of such.

So is another RV in our future? Maybe a small travel trailer we could pull behind our SUV. TBD.

[Lwiddis]

Good analysis of B&Bs vs. hotels. Without an RV I would miss having a potty and sofa available for quick snooze.

[RetiredRealtorR]

We love to travel, and we love to travel in several different ways.

While Class A motorhome travel is usually our first choice, travel by car is something we enjoy immensely.

We love staying off the interstates and going through small towns. And, we LOVE eating in restaurants. The small town cafe's and locally-owned eateries are almost always a treat, and provide many memorable experiences, and have allowed us to meet some great people over the years.

We usually don't do B&B's (primarily due to the inconsistency and extra fees), but try to stick to a few particular hotel chains, primarily for the consistency. Yeah, I know about all this "my own bed" and "who sat on the toilet before me" ... but in 51 years of marriage, neither my wife nor myself has contracted any kind of cooties as a result of our motel stays :C Plus, a nice free breakfast is usually a great way to start the next day (some chains do a much better job with this than others).

Another part of this mode of travel we enjoy is not having to make our bed, clean the bathroom, or do extra laundry along the way.

Traveling by car, we NEVER have to guess whether we can make our way in and out of a particular locale, or if parking is going to be an issue.

That all being said, I don't see us selling our RV any time soon, but sometimes the comfort and fuel economy of traveling by car makes for a very nice, low stress trip for us.

[Nv_Guy]

We recently had to attend an event where we had to stay in a hotel. While the room was nice, we found having to eat at a restaurant to be expensive and a hassle. I found unhooking and setting up was less work than schlepping baggage up to and down from the room.
As far as cost, food would be a big cost savings for us since we rarely eat out when we have our RV. Higher lodging cost is offset by additional fuel cost.
Biggest issue was we also missed our own bed, pillows and bath. While I understand RV travel brings its own challenges for us I don't see a move to hotel /B&B for us.

[bgum]

I have considered selling our truck and RV and traveling by car. We could sell both and purchase a really nice sports car to travel. I am not too enthusiastic about sleeping in a bed and on a pillow used by just anyone. We also like having our own bathroom with us as we travel. Costs either way is not a concern. The older we get the less we use our equipment and the more attractive the prospect becomes.

[Michelle_S]

We like knowing who last sat on the toilet.
We do pull into Rest Areas on the Interstates, but don't use the facilities for the same reason as already mentioned.

[fj12ryder]

Done B&B decades ago when they really were Bed and Breakfast, cheap and plentiful in Europe at the time. They are way too expensive in the US AFAIC, for a simple over night stay.

Hotels work, but hate the feel of a hotel room, and again very expensive if you're somewhere with a draw, i.e. mountains, oceans, etc.

Condos work great for extended stays, but that's not traveling.

Any of the above rely on dining out constantly. I like dining out, but not every night. Traveling by RV is the only way we like to travel. YMMV.