Tent trailer or motels?

Okay folks, so I pondering heading out from Seattle to Yellowstone -Deadwood - Mt Rushmore - Badlands NP, back through Cody and return to Seattle in 14 days at the end of this month. I am hoping to be in Cody WY for 4th July celebrations. Yay!

Perhaps this isn't the appropriate forum (and my apologies if not), but for those in the know, what would you suggest would be best a tent trailer or motels for accommodation?

I have booked absolutely nothing at this point in time, and like all previous trips, my husband and I have left deciding when and where to go pretty much to the last minute!

We have four kids 2-8 who love travelling around and seeing new places.

What are your thoughts on the best way of seeing this part of the country?

Cheers,

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

There certainly isn't one answer to this question.

A trailer would have lower per-night costs, with camping fees being about half of a cheap motel. It also lets you stay closer to nature, and sitting around a campfire can be nice during a vacation.

Going the motel route would cost less in gas, and certainly you'll have a lot more manuverability driving a car without a trailer. You'd get to have a bed and a private shower every night, as well as the other things that go with a motel room.

I'd say your costs would end up being pretty close overall, so it just depends on the kind of trip you are looking for.

When my kids were younger, we did the truck/camper route. As they got older, we did ditch this and started to do more tent-camping. It's easier to do this when they're older and, well, cheapskate me, likes to save a buck wherever I can as long as I still have a fun trip.

I really think kids and camping go well together. It's a lot more fun for them to be able to run around and play in the campground, burning off energy, than it is for them to be in a motel room. Even if the hotel has a pool or some other recreational area for them to play in, they typically can't "let loose" the same way they can in a campground. So I definitely lean toward saying that you should do the pop-up camper!

Of course, this means you have to be comfortable enough with towing it to do this on a long trip.

So, really, only you can answer this question but, hopefully, we've given you some things to consider.