More and more Americans are becoming interested in RVs as a hobby, and while that’s a good thing, many folks often make mistakes on their first few trips. After all, an RV is not the same thing as a regular car, and they can’t be treated the same. Here’s a look at three of the most embarrassing RV mistakes you should avoid at all costs.

Planning your route poorly

As Outdoorsy wrote about, bad route planning can be a bad thing for multiple reasons, especially when you’re on an RV road trip. Off the bat, while popular apps like Google Maps are helpful for most drivers, those apps aren’t very helpful for RV trips, according to Outdoorsy. Those maps do not necessarily create the best routes that an RV should go on, and as a result, they can lead to some harrowing and embarrassing situations. 

Outdoorsy said that RV owners should consider buying a specialized RV GPS so that their route is as ideal as possible. That being said, getting lost isn’t the only possible embarrassing result from not planning your route well. Campanda said that finding the right RV campground and making a reservation there ahead of time is critical to not being forced to find a new resting spot in the middle of your trip. As such, it’s very important to plan your route with those campgrounds in mind.

Not learning about RV campground etiquette 

While recreational vehicles are mobile homes, most RV owners will end up parking their RVs at a campground on most occasions, and as a result, it’s helpful to follow the campground etiquette that seasoned owners are familiar with. For example, a simple thing that many veteran owners do that newer RV owners may not always do is making sure that their curtains are pulled down when it’s nighttime. 

Like Campanda wrote, since RVs tend to be parked close together at campgrounds, anyone who leaves their curtains up will allow others to see into their RV. This can lead to embarrassing or creepy situations, so it’s simply in everyone’s best interest to pull their curtains down for the night. 

There are plenty of other campground rules that new owners ought to familiarize themselves with, too. For example, each campground or park may have different rules, and it’s up to owners to read and learn about them ahead of time, according to Campanda. Another common rule is to simply avoid walking into another owner’s campsite as that can be seen as rude or as an invasion of their privacy. There are more rules, of course, but generally speaking, they all revolve around not being rude to the other campers on the grounds.

Ruining your RV experience by going too fast

Like both Campanda and Outdoorsy talked about, RVing is hard, and many people will end up quitting the hobby. This can be embarrassing as these vehicles aren’t cheap, and it may not feel great to spend so much money on a hobby that you don’t enjoy. 

But, as Campanda and Outdoorsy said, the easiest way to enjoy your recreational vehicle is to not rush things. While getting to where you want to go is important, the great thing about RVs is that they allow people to enjoy the outdoors more than a regular car would. As a result, the journey is just as important as the destination, and rushing toward the destination can ruin the RVing experience for many.

That’s why it’s important for new RV owners to slow down and enjoy the scenery. After all, RVing is a hobby, and if you’re not having fun doing it, then you’re going to regret it afterward.