Gen Z is turning the American road trip into a group activity, and the RV sits right at the center of it. Young travelers are booking rentals and campsites less for the view than for the company: neighbors two sites over who turn into travel companions by the second night. For a generation raised on screens, a full tank of gas might be the fastest way to find your people this summer.
Campgrounds have always packed people close together, but Gen Z is leaning into that pull differently than past generations did. Growing up online means most connection happens on a schedule, through an app, or behind a screen. Camping skips all of that: you show up, pitch a tent or park an RV, and the people around you are just there, no planning required.
Gen Z Campers Build Friendships That Last
Among all generations, Gen Z campers are the most likely to form lasting campsite friendships, with 43% saying they keep in touch after their trips. Boomers still talk to their neighbors more often, but Gen Z is the one building bonds that actually stick. Three in 4 campers now call campgrounds a real “third place,” somewhere outside home and work where community just happens.
2 Anniversaries Turn 2026 Into a Road Trip Year
Two major anniversaries are stacking the calendar this year, and both feed straight into road trip season. Route 66 turns 100 in 2026, with festivals and caravans planned across all eight states the highway crosses. That milestone lands in the same year as America’s 250th birthday, with programming running at parks and historic sites nationwide through the rest of the year.
The National Park Service is adding its own incentive on top of that. Entrance fees will be waived nationwide on Aug. 25, right in the middle of National Park Week and smack in the middle of late-summer travel season.
RV Parks Saw a Real Surge This Summer
You can already see this playing out in the numbers. RV park supply near this summer’s World Cup host cities more than tripled within 50 miles of those cities compared to last year, even as hotel bookings in some of those same markets came in below forecast. Campground and RV park operators leaned into the gap, pushing more listings onto booking platforms to catch travelers hotels weren’t reaching.
Cost is still real, though. Gen Z campers face the toughest price sensitivity of any generation, even though they spend more per day than anyone else once they’re out there. Renting an RV beats buying one outright, but fuel, campsite fees and rental costs add up fast on a multi-day trip.
That tension isn’t going away. But it isn’t slowing anyone down either. If you’re weighing a hotel against a campsite this year, remember: one of them comes with neighbors you might actually want to keep.
Jennifer Allen is a retired chef turned traveler, cookbook author and nationally syndicated journalist; she’s also a co-founder of Food Drink Life, where she shares expert travel tips, cruise insights and luxury destination guides. A recognized cruise expert with a deep passion for high-end experiences and off-the-beaten-path destinations, Jennifer explores the world with curiosity, depth and a storyteller’s perspective. Her articles are regularly featured on the Associated Press Wire, The Washington Post, Seattle Times, MSN and more.