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Six things NOT to do when renting an RV
Forget your trailer park misconceptions: If you're planning a long haul road trip, either in the U.S. or abroad, renting an RV may be your most cost-effective way to travel.
At least that's what my husband and I found when we took a 24-foot-long campervan through the South and North islands of New Zealand last fall. Not only did we have more freedom to go where we wanted without waiting for buses or trains, we saved money on eating out - and had fun meeting other travelers at our campsite each night.
RVing does have its pitfalls, however, and we noticed plenty of them on our week-long trip. Here's a few things that could inject a sour note into your open road opus:
Rent the biggest vehicle you can find. You might see this trip as a time to indulge your Big Rig fantasies. But you're much better off renting a smaller campervan that handles well, particularly if you're going anywhere that involves twisty roads or mountain overpasses. Smaller RVs are also better on stretches of open highway, where strong winds can push your vehicle around the road.
Ignore vehicle briefings. Our campervan came with a DVD that cut off halfway through the instructions. "We'll figure it out," said my husband, who was eager to hit the road. Ha. Those 15 minutes we saved by leaving the parking lot early were nothing compared to the hour it took us to figure out how to dump out the sewage. Never again.
Pack too much stuff. Most campervans have elaborate storage systems, with cubby drawers, hidden compartments and spaces under seats to place your things. Which you'll need, because if you don't put your hiking shoes away, they will become projectile missiles during the next curve in the road.
We passed several RVs that looked stuffed to the brim, with stressed-out people in the driver's seat. Only bring the basics; most RVs come with all of the dishes, silverware, bedding and towels that you'll need.
Fail to check your surroundings. The scene unfolded like one from a Chevy Chase movie: Our mouths screamed "Nooooo" as a neighbor pulled out of his campsite with his RV electrical cord still hooked up to the outlets. The resulting noises were not pleasant. If you're absent-minded, write your debarkation routine on a slip of paper that you review each morning.
Annoy your neighbors. RVers are an early bunch, with many hitting the road before dawn. You'll be the star of the holiday park if you invoke MI6 agent stealth and leave noiselessly, without rattling all of the recycling bins (you know who you are).
Once you've selected your campsite for the night, it's also considered poor etiquette to walk too close to your neighbor's vehicle. Saying hello at the communal BBQ pit is fine, lurking outside someone else's windows isn't. And when that van is rocking, definitely don't go knocking.
Plan a packed itinerary. Sure, you could take 72 hours to criss-cross Arizona. But where's the fun in that? Plan two-day or three-day stops at RV parks so you have time to leave the vehicle and see the sights. Otherwise, you might as well fly.
Travel writer Chris Gray Faust writes about Value Luxury Vacations on her website, Chris Around The World.
We passed several RVs that looked stuffed to the brim, with stressed-out people in the driver's seat. Only bring the basics; most RVs come with all of the dishes, silverware, bedding and towels that you'll need.
Fail to check your surroundings. The scene unfolded like one from a Chevy Chase movie: Our mouths screamed "Nooooo" as a neighbor pulled out of his campsite with his RV electrical cord still hooked up to the outlets. The resulting noises were not pleasant. If you're absent-minded, write your debarkation routine on a slip of paper that you review each morning.
Annoy your neighbors. RVers are an early bunch, with many hitting the road before dawn. You'll be the star of the holiday park if you invoke MI6 agent stealth and leave noiselessly, without rattling all of the recycling bins (you know who you are).
Once you've selected your campsite for the night, it's also considered poor etiquette to walk too close to your neighbor's vehicle. Saying hello at the communal BBQ pit is fine, lurking outside someone else's windows isn't. And when that van is rocking, definitely don't go knocking.
Plan a packed itinerary. Sure, you could take 72 hours to criss-cross Arizona. But where's the fun in that? Plan two-day or three-day stops at RV parks so you have time to leave the vehicle and see the sights. Otherwise, you might as well fly.
Travel writer Chris Gray Faust writes about Value Luxury Vacations on her website, Chris Around The World.
Filed under: Camping
Reader Comments (Page 2 of 2)
Cora Cashman Feb 14th 2012 10:27AM
Lloyds comment was a very good point. 3 years ago I rented a uhaul truck to move 2 miles away. I was making a left hand turn at a light and 3 things happened. First I forgot that my current vehicle doesn't clear intersections as quickly as my sports car. Second I forgot that it was much longer. Third I had a very costly accident that resulted in major damage to both vehicles. Fortunately I had accident forgiveness except from the police officer that wrote me the ticket!!! I thank God that nobody was hurt. So I HIGHLY RECOMMEND taking a driver course for large vehicles if one is available.
Harry Hurt Feb 14th 2012 10:42AM
I would rather stay at a cheap motel, provided it is family owned, and is bed-bug free. I have found that the personel are much friendlier, and do not expect a tip for every little old thing. The big hotels are too expensive, and sometimes the personel are not the nicest people. And I would rather walk down the street to a decent restaurant, than to pay the higher prices at an in-hotel place.
Ellen Feb 14th 2012 10:41AM
I see the author was traveling in New Zealand. When we were there a couple of years ago, there was a lot of negative feelings toward people traveling in RVs , expecially the small camper vans (the ones that don't have their own bathrooms). Apparently people thought they could set down for the night pretty much anywhere and were leaving nasty messes for property owners to clean up.
So another thing to remember: park only in legitimate camper parking areas and clean up after yourself!
We chose to just rent a car and stay in various hotels and B&B's which worked fine for us.
Wanda Feb 14th 2012 11:16AM
We've traveled via about every transportation mode for decades. The writer did an excellent job of pointing out "how to's" and only a novice or a know-it-all would not appreciate what was said. If you want a detailed RV guide, go buy one. Regardless what anyone writes on this subject, it will always be edited or trumped by another person having *different* experiences.
Chris Gray Faust has done a great job choosing "six things..." when the reader *gets* that Chris was not given unlimited space.
Kenneth Walters Feb 14th 2012 11:40AM
Be careful renting a RV, one company I know, will not give you credit for early return, but will rent it out again for the rest of your time slotted. Be careful of bad fuel in the tanks as well. I was blamed for putting gas in a diesel rig. We had to show fuel receipts showing that we put the right fuel in. THis was a nightmare, and I will never rent an RV again. This happened in Ventura Calif.
Marion Mitchum Feb 14th 2012 12:42PM
We have rented two RV's 23 years apart. The first time back in "87". We rented the biggest unit we could get. It was a nightmare and yes we could have stayed in a nice motel and rented a car more cheaply. The next time in 2010 we rented from Cruise America and got a little 25' unit. This was one of the best vacations we ever had. The unit was easy to handle, everything worked perfectly and we stayed at State Park Campgrounds which was very inexpensive. You have to do a lot of planning but I would not hesitate to do this again and enjoy every minute of the trip.
Kasey Feb 14th 2012 6:29PM
We rented motorhomes for 10+ years. What a nightmare, I was never so happy to finally move on. Rental customers were the rudest bunch of people I ever met. They know it all (Rookies!), don't listen to a word you say. They complained about everything! Animal hair was THE worst!, food/candy in beds, mud, flies, beer spilled, fish smell in fridge, etc. Then expect to not be charged for a minimal cleaning charge. 7 guys tailgating for a weekend and $25 clean up and you thought the world came to an end, hmmm 7 / 25= $3.58 per person or lets see DO IT YOURSELF, labor is not free, a clean return puts a BIG smile on the face of the person renting to you! Wreck it and deny. Come in with expired driver license and alcohol on breath. Drive 4,000+ miles and front covered with bugs, not easy to get off... should be free too HA! Call for directions 3+ times. Do your homework people, PLAN AHEAD, watch the video, read the handbooks provided if you have a problem. Oh and the generators on board are a certain wattage, not the a utility company lol! It's a camper, not a Cadillac. Do not treat the person renting you a camper like a peon, chances are they know """WAY MORE"" than you do since it's their business! and do not expect to pay cash! YOU are not the only person renting a motorhome. In the summer we were slammed with phone calls, pickups, and the dreaded drop offs. Man this list could go ON and ON.. LOL. But I will stop there. Ahhh I feel better. :)
DW Feb 14th 2012 12:56PM
A helpful note on RV-ing..
Place a note on your steering wheel when:
1. You raise the TV antennia
2. Connect your power cord.
3. Connect your water hose.
4. Connect your sewer hose.
5. Attach anything to the outside of the RV.
The note will be seen the following morning PRIOR to starting the RV.
Also make sure you have someone watching the outside when attempting to back into a campsite. Follow the campground instructions when leaving your campsite. (Exiting a campsite in the wrong direction can cause damage to the CG equipment or the RV depending on the CG layout)
Have Fun and Happy Camping!
Gregg B. Feb 14th 2012 12:46PM
We full-timed in a 35' motorhome for 4 years. Able to see all 48 lower states, stay as long (or short) a time at each stop as we wanted. Belonged to two camping clubs, many of the stays for up to two weeks, was free. We had sold our house and had a lot of stuff packed in the motorhome when we started. Many of those items that we thought were needed, were deposited at Goodwill, etc. along the way. Wouldn't have traded those 4 years for anything. We may have averaged 7 mpg, but that was towing a vehicle, so, not so bad.
Rob Feb 14th 2012 2:07PM
Actually the larger Class A RVs handle much, much better than those "campervans" mentioned because they are specifically designed to handle the weight and displacement. They have heavy duty CAT engines, air brakes, big rig tires and full heavy duty bus chassis...
Class A's (bus type) drive much more solidly than the C's..Those El Monte or Cruise America Class C vehicles are simply 12 or 15 passenger van chassis with oversized, overweight campertops placed on top. Those van chassis are very light duty and have the same engines, tires and brakes that are standard on a van. The result is a lot of blown tires, a very spongy, unconfident ride. From a maintenance standpoint campervans and Class C RVs are a nighmare.
Two years ago I rented a 34 foot camper from Cruise America (www.cruisamerica.com) and it smelled like a combo of smoke, puke and urine. Still cost me $2000 when all was said and done...
Last year I rented a very nice 40 foot diesel pusher from Allstar Coaches ( http://www.allstarcoaches.com/tradewinds.html ) and everything was included - in motion satellite TV, all hospitality kits, UNLIMITED generator use...It was more expensive, but IMHO well worth it. They have really nice new clean motorhomes with all the optional equipment and NO nickel and diming.
When renting an RV, especially if you don't do it that often SPLURGE if you can...I learned that when it comes to RV rentals you really get what you pay for. I definitely reccomend Allstar http://www.allstarcoaches.com
BHirsh Feb 14th 2012 2:21PM
And most important, always, always ALWAYS remember to pack a GUN.
Without one you're a bleating sheep just waiting for the wolves to show up.
birddogwatkins Feb 16th 2012 9:48AM
I failed to mention that many first class motels offer a free nights stay on a night for night booking.We just racked up 900,000 miles of leisurely travel and have saved a bundle sans RV.