Why We Traveled from Pennsylvania to Idaho to Buy Our RV (Instead of Buying Local)

Pennsylvania is our home base…but we are full-time RVers.

And when it came time to upgrade to our next RV, we drove all the way across the country to Idaho to do it.

Not exactly the “normal” way people buy an RV.

Most people assume you find a dealership near where you live, go check out a few units, and make a decision from there. It feels easier, more convenient, and honestly, it just feels like the way you’re supposed to do it.

That’s what we thought too.

Even traveling full-time, it still felt like buying “closer to home” would make things simpler. If something went wrong, you have somewhere familiar to go back to. If you had questions, you knew where to start.

So the idea of planning a cross-country trip just to buy an RV?

That wasn’t part of the plan at all.

But the more we thought through how we actually live and travel, the more we realized something that completely changed our perspective.

And once it clicked, the decision started to make a lot more sense.

Because what seems convenient on paper….doesn’t always line up with how RV life actually works.

What We Thought Made Sense: Just Buy Local

When we first started thinking about upgrading our RV, our mindset was pretty simple:

Find something we liked… and buy it somewhere close.

That’s what most people do, and honestly, it felt like the smartest option.

Even though we travel full-time, Pennsylvania is still our home base. So in our minds, buying somewhere “closer” just felt easier. If anything came up, we figured we’d have a familiar place to go back to. It gave us a sense of security, even if we weren’t actually there most of the year.

And beyond that, it just felt more convenient.

No long travel plans.
No coordinating logistics.
No figuring out how to get an RV from across the country.

Just go look at it… and buy it.

That’s what we assumed the process would look like.

And to be fair, for some people, that approach works just fine. If you’re staying local, camping close to home, and not traveling long distances, having a nearby dealership can make things feel more straightforward.

But the more we thought about how we actually live, the more we started to question whether “local” really mattered the way we thought it did.

Because the reality is, we’re almost never in one place for very long.

And that started to change everything.

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What We Started Hearing from Other RVers

As we got deeper into RV life, one of the biggest things that shaped our thinking wasn’t research…it was conversations.

Conversations at campgrounds.
Conversations with other full-time families.
Conversations with people who had already gone through the buying process.

And we kept hearing the same thing over and over again.

A lot of people didn’t regret the RV they bought…they regretted how they bought it.

It wasn’t always a major issue. Sometimes it was small things like poor communication, confusion during the process, or feeling like they were just another transaction.

But other times, it was bigger.

People talked about feeling rushed into decisions.
Not fully understanding what they were buying.
Or feeling like once the paperwork was signed… the relationship was basically over.

And the part that stood out the most?

A lot of those people bought from a dealership close to home.

The same thing we originally thought was the “safe” option.

It wasn’t that every local dealership was bad…. not at all.

But it made us realize something important:

Buying local didn’t automatically mean you were getting a better experience.

And once we started hearing that consistently, it made us take a step back and rethink what actually mattered in the buying process.

The Realization: You’re Not Actually “Local”

The more we thought about everything we were hearing… the more something started to stand out.

We’re not local.

Even though Pennsylvania is our home base, we don’t actually live there most of the time.

We’re on the road.

Different states.
Different campgrounds.
Different environments.

And when something happens with your RV, it’s almost never when you’re sitting near your “home” dealership.

It’s when you’re traveling.

It’s when you’re on a trip, far from where you bought it.

It’s when plans are already in motion and you don’t have the luxury of going back to the place you purchased from.

For us, this summer is a perfect example.

We’re planning to spend a lot of time up in the Upper Peninsula – hundreds of miles away from Pennsylvania.

So even if we had bought our RV “locally”…..what would that actually change?

We wouldn’t be able to just swing back to that dealership if something came up. We’d still be relying on remote communication, figuring things out from a distance, and finding support wherever we were at that moment.

And that’s when it really clicked for us.

The idea of a “local dealership” only works if you’re actually local.

But in RV life… you’re not.

Once we realized that, it completely changed how we looked at the buying process.

Distance stopped being the most important factor.

And we started focusing on something that mattered a whole lot more.

What Actually Mattered More Than Location

Once we stopped focusing on where we were buying from, we started asking a much better question:

Who are we actually buying from… and what is that experience going to look like?

Because at the end of the day, buying an RV isn’t just a transaction – it’s the start of a relationship.

You’re making a big financial decision. You’re trusting someone to walk you through systems you may not fully understand yet. And you’re hoping that if something goes wrong later… you’re not on your own.

That’s what really started to matter to us.

Not distance.

Not convenience.

But trust, communication, and support.

We wanted to know:

👉 Are we going to feel taken care of during this process?
👉 Are we working with people who actually understand RV life?
👉 If something comes up later, are we going to have real support and not just a service department number?

Because the truth is, you can buy an RV from anywhere.

But the experience you have during and after that purchase?

That’s what sticks with you.

And that’s what ultimately led us to Bish’s RV.

Not because they were the closest option…but because they felt like the right one.

Why We Chose to Go All the Way to Idaho

At some point, this stopped being an idea for us… and turned into a decision.

We had to choose where we were actually going to buy our next RV.

And instead of defaulting to a dealership near our “home base,” we made a very intentional choice:

We planned a cross-country trip to Idaho.

Not because it was convenient…but because it felt right.

We loaded up our current RV, hit the road as a family, and turned the entire experience into part of the journey. What could have been a stressful process actually became something exciting and another chapter of RV life.

Originally, we planned to trade in our RV when we got there.

But once we started talking through options, we realized we could get more value by putting it on consignment instead. That was something we hadn’t even fully considered before and it’s a perfect example of why having the right people guiding you matters.

There was no pressure. No rushing.

Just honest conversations that helped us make a better decision for our situation.

And that’s really what stood out the most.

We didn’t feel like we were just there to “complete a deal.”

We felt like we were working with a team that actually cared about getting it right.

Even the logistics that might seem overwhelming, like traveling that far, coordinating everything, figuring out next steps, ended up being way smoother than we expected.

Because we weren’t doing it alone.

And looking back, that trip to Idaho wasn’t just about upgrading our RV.

It was about choosing a better experience from the very beginning.

What Felt Different About the Experience

The biggest difference for us wasn’t one big moment…it was how everything felt from start to finish.

From the very beginning, the communication was clear. We weren’t chasing answers or waiting days to hear back. Every question we had, big or small, was taken seriously, and we always felt like we knew what was happening next.

And when we got there in person, that feeling didn’t change.

Nothing felt rushed. Nothing felt pushed.

We had the time to walk through everything, ask questions, and actually understand what we were stepping into. It didn’t feel like a transaction, it felt like a process we were part of.

One of the biggest things that stood out was how much they focused on making sure we were comfortable, not just excited.

Because excitement is easy when you’re buying an RV.

Confidence is what actually matters.

And that’s what we walked away with.

Not just a new RV, but the feeling that we made the right decision, not only in what we bought, but in who we bought it from.

If You’re Thinking About Buying an RV, Here’s What We’d Tell You

If you’re in the early stages of looking for an RV, it’s completely normal to default to what feels easiest.

Most people start by searching for a dealership close to home. It makes sense. It feels convenient. It feels safe.

We thought the exact same thing.

But if there’s one thing we’d encourage you to do, it’s this:

Slow down… and zoom out a little.

Instead of asking, “What’s closest to me?”
Ask, “Who is actually going to take care of me through this process?”

Because the reality is, you’re not just buying an RV.

You’re stepping into a completely new experience. One that comes with questions, learning curves, and moments where you’re going to want real support.

And that support doesn’t come from proximity.

It comes from people.

The right team can walk you through decisions you didn’t even know you needed to think about. They can help you avoid common mistakes, explain things in a way that actually makes sense, and make sure you feel confident, not just excited when you move forward.

And the wrong experience?

That can leave you second-guessing everything before you’ve even taken your first trip.

So if you’re considering an RV… especially something like an Alliance…

Don’t feel like you have to limit yourself to what’s nearby.

Talk to people.
Ask questions.
Find a team you trust.

And if you’re not sure where to start, we’re always happy to be a resource and share what we’ve learned along the way.

Final Thoughts: It Was Never About Distance

Looking back, traveling from Pennsylvania to Idaho to buy our RV probably sounds a little crazy at first.

And honestly… we get it.

It’s not the most convenient route. It’s not the quickest option. And it’s definitely not what most people would do.

But for us, it was never really about distance.

It was about making the right decision for our family.

It was about feeling confident in the process and working with people we trusted.

It was also about setting ourselves up for a better experience, not just on day one, but long after we drove off the lot.

RV life is full of decisions like that.

Ones that don’t always make sense on the surface… but make all the difference once you’re living it.

So if you’re in that stage right now (researching, comparing, trying to figure out your next step) just know this:

You don’t have to rush it.
You don’t have to settle for what’s easiest.
And you don’t have to go into it alone.

Ask questions. Take your time. Find the right people.

Because when you do… everything else gets a whole lot easier.

And as always, don’t forget to Create Your Own Detour.