We have done both: a two-week RV rental with five children and a series of trips in a rented 12-passenger van with hotel stops. The cost difference was smaller than expected. The comfort difference was larger. Here is the honest comparison.
Sleeping Six or More: The Real Comparison
A 30-foot Class C motorhome sleeps 6–8 people with a mix of a rear queen bed, a cab-over bed, and a convertible dinette. The cab-over bed is typically accessed by a ladder and is not safe for children under 6. A 12-passenger van sleeps zero — you are stopping at hotels, Airbnbs, or campgrounds with tent capacity. The RV advantage is enormous for flexibility: you stop when children fall asleep, you do not have to move a sleeping child into a hotel room, and you never pay for accommodation separately. The van advantage is that you are driving a normal vehicle on normal roads and parking in normal spaces.
Car Seat Installation in RVs: The Overlooked Problem
This is the detail most RV rental guides skip. RV passenger seats are often not certified for car-seat installation under FMVSS 213 standards. A typical Class C motorhome has forward-facing seats with lap belts only in the rear seating area, which are not approved for child-restraint installation. The only location in most RVs where car seats can be legally and safely installed is the cab-area seats — typically two seats, sometimes three with the center cab-over position. For a family needing three or more car-seat positions, this is a disqualifying limitation unless the specific RV model has been confirmed to have compliant belt geometry in additional positions. Verify this with the rental company before booking.
Cost-Per-Night Math
A 30-foot Class C RV rents for roughly $175–$300 per night from mainstream rental companies (Outdoorsy, RVshare, Cruise America). Add campsite fees ($30–$65 per night at full-hookup sites) and fuel (Class C motorhomes average 8–12 mpg). A comparable hotel for a family of 7 requires two rooms at $120–$200 each. Over a 10-night trip the RV total might be $2,800–$4,000 including fuel; two hotel rooms run $2,400–$4,000. The gap is narrower than the RV usually appears. The RV wins on flexibility; the hotel wins on comfort and connectivity.
Which Is Right for Your Family
The RV makes more sense when: children are all above car-seat age (or you can confirm compliant seat positions), you are traveling to destinations where campsite availability is high, and your family genuinely enjoys proximity for extended periods. The van-plus-hotels approach makes more sense when: you have multiple children requiring car seats, you are traveling to urban destinations with limited RV parking, and your family values having separate sleeping spaces at the end of a long day.
