The open road offers a unique kind of freedom, but even the most ardent wanderers among us need to stop and celebrate life’s special moments. From birthdays and anniversaries to simply making it through a leveling process on the first try, special occasions call for a celebration, RV-style.
We recently posed a very important question to our dedicated community of road warriors: How do you celebrate special occasions in your RV? This poll was featured in our weekly newsletter, where our readers decide the topics.
A huge thank you to everyone who voted! If you haven’t signed up yet, make sure you do so you can be part of our next round of results and findings—your opinion helps steer the conversation for the entire community.
The Official “How to RV Party” Scoreboard
The results are in from our highly scientific (and utterly crucial) poll, and they paint a beautiful picture of how we choose to mark our milestones. Here’s how the votes stacked up:
| Celebration Style | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Inviting friends/family | 33% |
| Exploring new places | 33% |
| Special meals | 17% |
| Decorations | 17% |
The “More the Merrier” vs. “Let’s Get Lost” Tie
Well, well, well. Look at that—a perfect tie at the top! It appears the RV community is cleanly divided into two equally passionate camps: the Social Directors and the Adventure Seekers. The Social Directors believe a party isn’t a party without cramming an improbable number of loved ones into their 28-foot home-on-wheels, probably while arguing over whose chair gets the one patch of shade.
Meanwhile, the Adventure Seekers see a birthday as the perfect excuse to finally take that sketchy forest road to a boondocking spot with zero cell service, celebrating with a toast of filtered water and the serene silence of being gloriously lost. Both sound perfect, in their own chaotic ways.
A Moment of Silence for Fancy Meals and Decorations
Let’s pour one out for the two options that tied for a respectable, if distant, third place: Special Meals and Decorations. We suspect this is because “special meal” for many RVers means expertly microwaving a slightly nicer brand of frozen lasagna or grilling a burger without dropping it into the campfire.
And decorations? The wind, the rain, the sheer effort of finding the outdoor LED lights that the dog chewed through last season—it’s a brave soul who attempts to string up bunting in a 20-knot crosswind. Your efforts are noted, admired, and considered mildly heroic.
Why We Think the Results Rolled In This Way
The near-perfect split between people and places as the top celebration methods is a perfect microcosm of the RV lifestyle itself. At its core, RVing is about two fundamental desires: the freedom to explore (hence the 33% for “Exploring new places”) and the joy of community (the other 33% for “Inviting friends/family”). Many of us hit the road to see breathtaking new vistas, and what better way to commemorate a special day than by waking up to a brand-new, stunning view?
Conversely, the nomadic life can sometimes feel isolating, making those moments of connection with friends and family even more precious and intentional. Celebrating with them transforms a generic campground into a personalized party venue.
The lower scores for meals and decorations aren’t a dismissal of their value, but a practical acknowledgment of the spatial and logistical constraints of RV living. It’s not that we don’t want a five-course meal or elaborate decor; it’s that we’d rather spend our limited tank space on people and adventures instead of doing dishes and storing boxes of party supplies.
Ultimately, these results show that for RVers, the best celebrations aren’t about things—they’re about experiences and the people you share them with.
