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Earlier in the summer, I posted some tips from a travel expert on finding affordable hotel rooms big enough for my entire family. Our kids are adult-sized and can no longer fit into one room with us. Someone from KOA campground saw that post and I found myself on the phone being talked into trying one of KOA’s new deluxe cabins on Cape Hatteras.

Normally when I camp, I like to go way out into nature. But these cabins are more of an alternative to a hotel than they are rustic camping. Except they are much more roomy than the typical hotel room. The deluxe cabins are available in many KOAs across the country. The one I was considering has two bedrooms, one with a queen-sized bed and the other with four bunks. It also has a full kitchen, AC, power, and linens. It all sounded pretty good. So I said sure, packed up the family, and hit the road for a quick end-of-summer getaway.

I’m writing this post from the deck of one of these deluxe cabins as I gaze out at the ocean. My kids are inside watching TV. And, much as I am not the RV camping type, I’m now a convert.

When we arrived, we drove past the pirate playground and “big bounce” play area. My too-old-for-that-sort-of-thing teens were unimpressed and gave me quite a bit of grief for dragging them along. But then we located our “Deluxe Cabin” ($190 a night, with a two-night minimum) and they started to change their tune. After they’d tested the two TVs, checked out the bunk room, unloaded the food into the full-sized fridge, and explored the wrap-around deck with gas barbecue and plenty of seating, they were happy. In fact, unlike most hotel rooms, it had plenty of power outlets in all the right places for charging our cell phones, computers, and other personal tech. “This is awesome!” Ava declared. “I could live here!”

So I went online to see if the KOA deluxe cabin option would solve any of our future travel plans. And it just might! I want to visit my sister in Massachusetts. There is one on Cape Cod. I’d like to drive the entire East Coast. And it looks like we could find a deluxe cabin for that entire route except for big cities. I could even have stayed in one when we hiked the Smokey Mountains earlier this summer. In some locations there are more options for accommodations, too: Airstreams, teepees, yurts, tree houses, and more.

I will probably get a KOA membership before our next road trip. It may save us a bit of money and make travel more comfortable.

Christina Tynan-Wood writes the Family Tech column for Family Circle, and is the author of “How to Be a Geek Goddess.”You can find her at GeekGirlfriends.com, as well as here on Momster.com.

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