You’re not the only one thinking of hitting the road!
56 million people plan on taking an RV vacation this summer. That’s more than double the typical summer average of 25 million. What is so appealing to people after COVID is to enjoy the outdoors, do outdoor activities and de-stress. Most campgrounds do not have Wi-Fi and most campers view that as a benefit.
RV rents start at $55 a day for a small towable camper that sleeps 4 and go up to $1500 a day for a rock star RV that sleeps 8. If you’re thinking of buying, RVs range from under $10,000 to hundreds of thousands of dollars. One of your very first decisions will be what type of RV will work for you. You can tow a trailer (a towable) and the advantage is you can unhook it from the car, and you have the car to use on its own. Or you might consider renting or buying an RV (a drivable). The main disadvantage is that it’s cumbersome to get around in, but when you’re on the road, you have everything and everyone right there with you.
A word about National Parks. They will be crowded and have long lines. Some parks are limiting the number of daily visitors and require reservations to enter the park. The NPS advises travelers to do their research, make a plan and a back-up plan. There are over 400 National Parks in the country so try to go off the beaten path.
Campsites are also booked but don’t get discouraged and keep calling for cancelations. The next time you want to take an RV trip, you will know to book 6 months ahead of time.
Most people who take to the road in RVs prefer quiet, natural settings but it is worth considering the numerous businesses which offer safe, free RV overnight parking. Even without electrical connections and bathrooms, sometimes you may want a safe stop along the way to your destination. Try: most (but not all) Walmarts, Crackerbarrels, Cabela’s, Camping Worlds, Costcos and Sam’s Clubs.
Make a plan!
- Locate your RV. Some of the sites below can help with that.
- Choose the events you’d like to attend and let those dates and locations guide your timeline.
- Get out your list of places you’ve always wanted to go to.
- Set a budget.
- Talk with your family about the activities they’d like to do, and the season.
- Find campgrounds.
- Don’t make your plan too time restrictive – allow for surprises or spur of the moment ideas.
- Consider going one-way and flying home at the end.
- Tech will make your RV life much easier to plan – there is an app for everything from planning your route to ‘must-sees’ in all your locations.
These sites will help you:
Outdoorsy.com – an Airbnb for RV rentals. They offer 24/7 roadside assistance and/or support, insurance protection, RV delivery to your location and much more.
RV Share – connects RV renters with RV owners ‘one road trip at a time’. They have all RV options on their site – drivables, towables and they offer Destination Delivery.
Cruise America is the nation’s largest RV rental firm with 132 locations. They also sell used RVs.
El Monte RV is another large RV rental company and they also sell RVs. They offer RV Trip Planning Resources and other services.
HarvestHosts lets you book campsites at wineries, breweries and private farms for $99 a year with no camping fees, but only for one night at a time.
Hipcamp will direct you to all kinds of campsites – public parks to private farms, for $20 a day. Choose to rent a cabin, stay in a tent, treehouse or space in an RV park, or upgrade to glamping (glamorous camping) in the U.S., Canada and Australia. They have sites in all 52 of the U.S. states, and cover all National, State, Regional and Army Corps parks.
RV Parky offers a search for places to park your RV overnight. You search by zip code and can see notes made on locations from fellow travelers
RV Wizard is a widely recommended RV trip planning tool. It offers a seven-day free trial, so you can plan a trip from our desk.
Cinders Travels has a wonderful checklist of RV travel trips, like ‘cook as much as you can before leaving’ and many more.
Safety is essential for road trips. Here are our recommendations;
