Eager to travel and get away for the weekend but concerned about the pandemic? Why not rent an RV for the weekend! Road tripping is one of my family’s favorite way to travel. It’s a great way to road trip in style.
We’ve been on lots of road trips, and while I love the bonding experience it allows me and my family to have together, I’ve never been a big fan of the cramped quarters, trying to find a hotel at the end of the day, or the questionable accommodations you get when you can’t find a hotel easily.
That’s why renting an RV is such a great option right now, being we are limited to what family activities we can do. When you go road tripping in an RV, you’re essentially traveling in a house on wheels, which means more comfort, more freedom, and a lot more space!
Rent an RV for the Weekend – A First-Timers Experience
No matter how long you plan on being on the road, to rent an RV for the weekend is the perfect way to dip your toes into the RV lifestyle to see if it’s right for you. Even if you’re sure you want to do lots of RV travel, renting affords you a less stressful option to get used to RVing. By renting for your first trip or two, you’ll be able to focus on learning how RVs work, how to drive them, how to use hookups, and other necessary knowledge without having the added expense and logistical upfront hassle of figuring out where to store an RV how to maintain it, and other things associated with RV ownership.
Benefits of RV Rental
Some great benefits of renting an RV include:
- Far less upfront expense while you explore the RV lifestyle.
- No need for storage.
- No maintenance worries.
- Control your space and its cleanliness vs. a hotel room.
- Space to bring your favorite trip items with you.
- More freedom in your travel to make unscheduled side-trips without worrying about getting to a hotel.
- Bring your pets instead of boarding them.
- Get out of the house and still easily social distance.
- Campgrounds offer a huge amount of space to enjoy the outdoors.
Renting an RV
Renting an RV isn’t very far removed from renting a car. It’s just on a larger scale. When you rent an RV, you’ll want to take the space you need, the type of RV you’d like, and amenities into account. It might seem daunting, but GoRVing makes it easy.
Visit Go RVing
Go RVing makes renting an RV a snap. Just visit their website and click the “Where to Find” tab. After that, click on “Rentals”. Then you’ll put in your city and state starting point. With that information, GoRVing will give you a list of local RV dealers that offer RV rental options. After that, it’s simply a matter of browsing through the various makes, models, floor plans, sizes, styles, and features on the various websites.
Visit a Peer-to-Peer Rental Site
If you live in an area without an RV dealership, try a peer-to-peer RV rental site. These sites specialize in renting RVs from individual owners. Don’t worry, renting an RV from a reputable site of this nature is totally safe. Sites like Outdoorsy have exacting standards when it comes to owners, cleanliness, disinfecting, and mechanical operation, making them exceedingly safe to use. Another option is www.ElMonteRV.com. The process is the same – enter your city and state, the dates you want to travel, and the type you think you want to rent.
Motorhome or Travel Trailer
When you go to these RV rental sites, you’ll see that you have the option to rent either motorhomes or travel trailers. Motorhomes range in size from the 30-foot and longer behemoths you often see to smaller versions that are built on truck chassis. Travel trailers range in size, as well. They can be quite large, almost as large as motorhomes, or very small, offering enough space for a couple. Motorhomes are a better option for those who don’t have experience towing.
Make Sure There’s Enough Room
If you choose a motorhome, be sure that there’s enough room for your family to both ride and sleep comfortably. Generally speaking, motorhomes seat as many people as they sleep, so it’s easy to decide on space requirements. When choosing a trailer, be mindful that there is enough room for everyone to sleep comfortably, and remember that people should NEVER ride in the trailer while it’s moving.
Keep Your RV Ducks in a Row
Finally, be sure you keep all your ducks in a row when it comes to the rental process. Be sure to read the contract fully, especially the fine print areas. Some rental companies charge extra if you exceed a certain number of miles or use the generator for a longer than specified time. When renting an RV, you’ll also want to know about return policies, as some companies have fees if you don’t empty the RV tanks or return the RV without cleaning it.
Be sure that you get a tour of the RV if you’re renting from an RV dealership, along with a hardcopy of instructions regarding how systems work. In addition, always take advantage of available tutorials on how to drive the RV and use its systems. It generally only takes from 30 to 60 minutes to learn how to operate the vehicle and use its systems. It’s helpful to use your phone to take short videos of how things work for later referral.
Finally, you’ll need insurance. You can generally get insurance through the rental agency, and you can also check with your insurance company for a quote.
Have it Delivered – Peace of Mind!
There’s one more option when it comes to renting an RV – delivery. If you want to try the RV lifestyle, but you’re hesitant about driving one on the open road, you can rent an RV and have it delivered to your chosen destination. The rental company will bring it out to your site, hook it up, and you’re good to go. Be aware that you’ll still need to understand how systems like the generator, AC, and other such processes work.
Don’t forget to ask is bedding, kitchen supplies, and the like are included. Some companies offer these as part of the rental package, and some charge extra for them.
To Rent an RV for the Weekend is a Great Choice for Getting Away from it All
Whether you choose a motorhome or a trailer and driving or delivery, renting an RV is a great way to get away from it all and have so much more freedom than you normally would on a road trip. With RVs, you can take your time, stop where you want, and never worry about a hotel room again. You’ll also have tons of space on your trip, cutting out the kids getting irritated with one another and you get irritated with their irritation!
In general, renting an RV definitely will up your road-tripping game considerably, and makes the entire process so much more fun. If you’ve been mulling over renting an RV, I encourage you to give it a try. You’ll never look at road-tripping the same way again.
If you are looking for even more tips on renting an RV, head over to Exploring New Sights for more tips!
Tell us, would you rent an RV for the weekend? Share your experience in the comments, we would love to hear!
Note: Please follow state and national safety guidelines for COVID-19 precautions, and call ahead to check the status of business operations.
My husband has always wanted to rent an RV. This post gave me plenty of good information.
Awesome so happy to hear that Tara!
This is my dream come true because I have always wanted to try RVing and never knew how. If I can rent one for a weekend or week I can see if we are compatible and happy in an RV.
To rent an RV for the weekend is a great way to start, Melissa.
Yes, I would love to rent an RV! This is on my bucket list for my next road trip.
It is one of my favorite ways to travel!
I’ve been seriously thinking about renting an RV for the weekend. Thanks for these super helpful tips because I honestly wasn’t sure what was involved!
So happy these tips helped, Kate.
What awesome plan, and you are right, rent an RV for the weekend is a great way to get away! We did that a cople of years ago, when we went to Yosemite, and it was a fantastic trip.
It is a great way to get away with the family.
Thank you so much for the tips! we were just thinking about renting an rv for at least a weekend (but we actually wanted to do it for 2 weeks) so we can travel to some places close to home. It would be so much fun!
That would be even better!
We had a RV rental planed to visit Chicago (were in California), but the SIP put our plans on hold. I think a weekend get away is the way to go. Thanks for the tips. Perfect timing for us.
I highly recommend renting an RV for the weekend!
These are all such wonderful tips. I’d love to rent an rv sometime. Probably not this year, but thinking about it next year.
Awesome! This year would be perfect as we are limited to so many travel destinations now.
Definitely my dear renting an RV is such a great option right now. Thanks for your advice
You are welcome, Johanna!
We’ve been thinking of taking a trip to the Keys with our family. It’d be nice to snag an RV to take everyone.
This would be an awesome idea for you. Kids would be so comfortable,
These are really awesome tips! Saving this!
So happy you liked these tips, Toni.
Thanks for the tips! I’ll keep this in mind for our next trip.
Of course, Lyanna! You are very welcome!
Que cool! Gracias por todos esos tips… para mi este siempre será un buen viaje, hace un tiempo lo hice con mis hijos
Por nada, Andrea! Me alegra te hayan gustado.
I would love to rent an RV to go travel for a few weeks! Thanks so much for these tips!
You will love it Erin!