Want an unforgettable family road trip vacation? How about an RV trip, for $1 a day?
Interested? Read on …
With the travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, summer vacations for this year is no longer in the plans. With no need for hotels or going on an airplane, RV rental has seen an explosion as a result.
If you haven’t made your next vacation plans yet. Consider renting a Recreational Vehicle for road trip. While not main stream, there is a huge community of RV enthusiasts that swear by their RV’s.
Some great perks of RV’ing versus traditional vacations:
- – Never need to check-in/out or worry about luggage. You got everything with you!
- – Complete flexibility for your itinerary.
- – If you have kids, they’ll love hanging out in the RV on the road.
- – Way more comfortable than a regular car. Taking a nap when it’s not your turn to drive.
- – You can bring your pet along!
- – The outdoors is just outside your doorsteps.
Most people haven’t tried a RV.
After trying it once, they often wonder why they didn’t do it sooner.
We still remember our first RV road trip to the Grand Canyons. We talk about it even more than our trip to Paris or Italy.
What’s that you said about Renting an RV for $1?
When people think about Recreational Vehicles, they think that it’s expensive. And, they’re right.
They’re very expensive to buy, and normally expensive to rent: $150 to up to $500 per day just to rent. Not including gas, parking, and connect fees (for Water, electricity, sewer hookups,) which can be another $50 to $100 a day.
But you can rent a RV, for one-way from Miami to New York for $1/day, with $100 fuel credit.
The trick is to look for RV rental companies that need to reposition their vehicles. They will incentivize people to drive their vehicles to the destination for practically free.
Are there Special Requirements to Rent a RV
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All RV rental agencies will require the renter to be at least 21, some locations age requirement is 25.
Additional drivers sometimes cost extra, around $25 per trip.
If renting outside of US, the drivers will need a valid International Drivers Permit. (You can get that at AAA for $20)
Where can I find these Cheap RV Deals
http://www.imoova.com/
– A consolidator of RV relocation deals. Probably the easiest site to navigate
https://www.apollorv.com/reloc.aspx
http://www.roadbearrv.com/en/rental-deals/one-way-specials
https://www.jucyusa.com/jucy-perks/rv-relocation-specials/
https://www.cruiseamerica.com/rv-rentals/rental-deals/rolling-in-to-arizona
What are the Restrictions
With RV renting deals this cheap, there are some restrictions:
Dates are published less than 1 month out. This makes it hard to plan ahead. But if you have a flexible schedule, you have the best selection of deals.
Pickup and Drop off Dates varies:
The deal will require you to pick up a vehicle and get it to the destination within a window. For example, you must pickup after January 14th, and drop it off at destination on January 31st, for a trip between San Diego and Phoenix. Plenty of time for side trip to Grand Canyon.
There are Miles restrictions:
Each deal will restrict you to the number of miles you can drive, and there will be fees if you go over the miles allowed. The number of miles will always be greater than the distance between pick-up and destination locations. How many miles allowed is always clearly indicated for each deal.
What to consider before renting a Motorhome
If you have found a RV relocation deal that could work for you. Here are somethings to consider:
Vehicle Type and Size:
Make sure you know what type of vehicle is being rented. If you’re renting an RV for the first time, I recommend a Class C RV instead of a Class A. Class A RV’s are much bigger and can be intimidating for a first timer to drive.
A bigger RV is harder to handle, and costs more in gas. A 4-Berth will be around 18 feet long, and will sleep 4 adults, while a 6-Berth will be 30 feet long.
Insurance:
Your primary car insurance will already provide some coverage for rental cars, including rental RV’s. Use a VISA card to pay for the RV rental, as VISA will provide rental coverage. Read your VISA’s policies, to make sure they don’t exclude RV’s. The VISA only covers vandalism and vehicle damage. So I recommend you get the insurance through the rental company to cover everything else, if your primary car insurance doesn’t cover.
Additional Driver:
Make sure the second driver is explicitly named on the insurance and rental agreement. This will cost a few dollars more per day.
Roadside Assistance:
Most rental agencies will have a road assistance phone number. Make sure you know how to contact them in case something goes awry. The RV probably won’t break down completely, but there are a bunch of small things onboard that could go wrong.
Get to Know the Vehicle:
Get to know how to operate everything on board, including the water, electricity, generator before you start driving. Watch YouTube videos to learn how. Figure out how to dump the gray and black tanks. Take pictures of the vehicle condition, to avoid damage cost that you’re not responsible for.
What are the additional costs besides the Cheap Rental Fees
Fuel Cost:
Gas will be about $0.3 per mile. This will vary as gas prices are different from state to state. California will be about 1.5x than in Texas, for example. For a 1,000 mile trip, expect to pay around $300 for Gas.
Positioning Fees:
Since it’s a one-way rental. Factor in the cost to fly or 1 way rental car to get to the rental location.
Parking Fees:
You can park at most Walmart or Cracker Barrel parking lots for free. Expect to pay between $30 to $60 per day at RV campgrounds at National parks, which includes connection fees for your RV to recharge/fill water.
Miscellaneous Fees for the RV:
This will vary company to company, but misc. fees can include the following and how to avoid them:
- – Linens ($10/day) Bring your own towels, and use sleeping bags to avoid this fee.
- – Cleaning fees ($100) Clean the RV before returning it to avoid.
- – RV friendly toilet paper ($1 per day) Buy ahead at Walmart or Amazon.
- – Tank dump fees ($150) The Gray (water waste) and Black (toilet waste) can be dumped at RV dump sites. Check the internet on where to dump before returning rental.
Is Renting an RV Worth it
A RV Roadtrip vacation might not be for everyone. But it’ll be such a unique experience for the first timer that it’ll be a memory that last a life time. There’s nothing that beats waking up in the morning from a comfortable bed, and be in middle of nature.
If you have young kids, they’ll love lounging in the RV while you’re driving, instead of being strapped in their car seats.
Renting a RV is more about the journey than the destination, much like life.
Have you rented an RV before, what are you experiences and do you have any tips not mentioned here to share?
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