RV Travel Difficulties Predicted for 2023

Big RV Travel Difficulties are being predicted for 2023 by real RVers, with many saying they will either sharply curtail their travels or stop entirely.

That's this week's main topic in Episode 425 of the RV Podcast, based on a question we posed on our RV Lifestyle Facebook Page that garnered over 500 answers in less than 24 hours.

You can watch the video version of the podcast in the box below.

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Real RVers listed the major RV Travel Difficulties

The responses were many and varied, but five specific issues really stood out and accounted for the vast majority of answers we got to the fill-in-the-blank question we posted that read: “The Biggest Challenge for RV travel in 2023 will be _____.” 

With over 500 responses in less than 24 hours, it's clear the RV Travel Difficulties expected in 2023 are real hot-button issues for real RVers.

We took all those responses and gathered the most mentions into five categories, with one in particular the clear runaway #1 concern.

The Top Five RV Travel Difficulties

1. High Fuel Prices – That category accounted for 44.6% of the 500 responses we received – 223 mentions in all. Although high diesel prices were cited most often, many were also very concerned about gasoline prices. Many of the respondents said they were drastically curtailing their RV travel in 2023. Some were quitting the RV Lifestyle completely. Many noted that their costs for fuel had doubled last year over what they typically spent a year of RV travel.
2. Campgrounds – The second biggest concern had to do with campgrounds, with 32.4% of our respondents – 162 out of 500 – saying they were either unable to get reservations at a campground or the prices had increased so much that campground overcrowding and expenses were major issues and would affect how often they travel in their RV over the coming year.
3. Inflation in General – Almost 9% cited inflation in general as a deterrent to their normal RV travel plans. They noted increases in food, clothing, repairs, parts, and virtually every other part of travel.
4. RV Repair Challenges – The difficulties in getting RV repairs done in a timely fashion was seen as a significant issue for 2023 by 7.8% of our respondents.
5. Bad Roads – 6.4% said bad roads were their most significant challenge in RV travel. They complained that road conditions everywhere seem to be getting worse, and those bad roads damage their RVs and cause stress.

There were several other RV travel difficulties mentioned, like too many rude campers, bad quality from RV manufacturers, high interest rates, bad or slow Internet speeds making remote work from the RV difficult, and not enough EV charging stations, suggesting to us that some RVers were bringing along EVs as toads, a topic we’ll have to do more investigation of sometime.

Bonus – Read the following for more info:

• A Sad Series of Unforeseen RV Travel Problems
• 15 things RVers Wish They Knew Before They Started
• How to Plan the Perfect RV Trip
• What we LOVE/HATE About RV Travel and Camping
• RV Camping Season Predictions

Here's what our respondents said about RV Travel Difficulties

We were impressed by the responses we received about RV travel difficulties in 2023. Here is a representative compilation of the responses, as posted on our RV Lifestyle Facebook Page.

 From James… You asked. The sad answer is we don't think we will do much RV travel in 2023. We were unable to get Florida reservations in January. Our usual campground increased the rates so much the cost would have almost doubled. We don't see the long trips we usually do. 2023 will be shorter trips for us, much closer to home.

From Ted… RV Travel in 2023 will be much less for us. We just can't afford it. In 2022, the costs for us were about 40 percent more. That is crazy. And they have gone up since we put our fifth wheel in storage in October, and everyone says they will go up more next year. Who can afford that?

From Maynard… The Cost of Diesel! It will be short trips and mostly hanging out at the campground due to the cost of everything else being so high nowadays.

From Cari… getting diesel for camper.

From Leroy… I can't afford $500 or more… to fill my motorhome.

From Ronald… Diesel for my truck!!

From Denise…It's sad to say, but we can’t afford the diesel, food, and camping spot. Everything is now so high.

From Doug… fuel costs, availability and price increase for campsites, finding walk-in campsites, costs for parts and repair.

From Road Trip Mojo… Securing campsites. It was never the struggle it’s been over the past three years. Hoping that eases – and good, “gently (hardly?) used” campers hit the market. We’re ready for an upgrade.

From Karen… Same as 2022! Getting RV out of a hostage-like situation. The RV dealer keeps our RV for months! We wouldn’t take it to them, but we have to for warranty work and recalls! It is interesting how they don’t return calls unless we add something we would like to have done while the RV is there! In that situation, they call right back!

From Suzette… The cost of Diesel or Gas, whichever you use. Getting RV sites and making sure your RV is the proper length for whatever site you go to. Some sites, especially at State Parks, do not have accommodations for larger RVs.

From Nancy… with 30 thumbs up in agreement… Finding a campsite on short notice.

From Arlene…Too many other campers

From Sandy… Finding places to go, can't book too far in advance. Also, it's getting harder as campgrounds fill up with Seasonals

From Andreas with 21 thumbs up in agreement… Finding a last-minute campsite that doesn’t need to be booked a year out.

From Jill… The cost of campsites, gas, maintenance, parts & repairs have all increased so much! On a fixed, limited retiree income, that means way less trips.

From Kelly… Timely repairs, when needed.

From Christina… Cost of fuel. Finding openings at campgrounds. We are already looking for fourth of July and can't find an opening at our usual spots! Affordable campgrounds, some have been upwards of $100 a night, Big companies are buying up privately-owned campgrounds, and the prices are soaring. Timely repairs and finding parts. Food cost. Increases in robberies and break-ins at campgrounds. It's not the fun escape it once was.

 From Viva…Competing for campsites. as more and more people adopt this lifestyle!

From Lloyd… Initial high prices, continuing high interest rates and falling resale values.

From Tom… Costs, site availability, and getting service appointments.

From Stan… Terrible Roads

From Ron… Road conditions beating the crap out of your RV.

From Van… All costs are up. Gas, space rent, food, and other supplies. Also, regular maintenance is very expensive, and the wait list is long. All of it will curtail my travels to fewer and fewer trips.

From Cathy… Getting our motorhome back from the shop – it’s been there since September 22 for warranty work

From Jolanda… Making reservations, no longer able to be spontaneous

From Bill… Finding sites other than those that abusers don’t bother canceling if they don’t show.

From Vanessa… My boyfriend and I just put our van up for sale. We wanted to do vanlife fulltime, but the cost of everything has increased so much that we can no longer afford vanlife.

And… from Brad… Slow Internet speed from Starlink and the increased cost of staying online for remote work. Starlink was a big investment, but after the initial promise has become very disappointing. I don't even have enough speed to do a Zoom call for work while on the road.

But we can all dream and plan ahead —

If you are still going to travel in 2023 – where will you be going? Let us know in the comments!

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