Lulu28

Hi Everyone,

We're from Liverpool, England and are wanting to do a roadtrip across America next year.

We are looking to hire a Rv for upto 6-8 weeks and do are our tour if this is possible?

Does anyone know any websites were we can enquire about the prices of hiring a Rv.

We are deffinately looking to go to Flordia again to do Disney and also we would like to go to the Disney and other themeparks in California. Visiting the Grand Canyon would be a great experience too.

What other states along the way would you recommend a stop at? Or where would you say is a great place to see.

Thank you, and I hope we haven't asked too much =]

DebitNM

I see RV's on the roads here in southwest all the time that are from:

www.cruiseamerica.com/

As for the route, lots of possibilities.

What kinds of sites do you want to see along the way? Do you want to hike, bike, raft while you are travelling? Do you want to go to beaches or mountains or both.

A bit more info will help with suggestions.

Deb

follow_your_bliss

If you're going from Florida to California, or vice versa, you might want to stop in San Antonio, Tx and see the Alamo.

ahc

For other good sites to visit google our National Parks. Some other great areas near to the Grand Canyon are: Bryce Canyon and Lake Powell. Worth checking out Las Vegas even if you don't like gambling just to drive down the strip. New Orleans might also be an interesting city to go through on your way out west to California.

duckqueen

Try the Rocky Mountains. There are Rvs everywhere and it is so beautiful up there plus some fantastic hikes

GBelle

There are several RV websites with chat forums we found useful when we rented an RV for a trip in Alaska. One is http://www.rvtravel.com/rvforum/index.php

If I find the other(s), I'll post them for you.

Gardyloo

I think you'll be rather shocked at the cost of hiring an RV for 6 - 8 weeks. I would strongly recommend doing a couple of scenarios, one involving the RV and others involving ordinary cars plus hotel/motel accommodations. Right now because of fuel costs, hire cars in the US are priced at levels we haven't seen before; by next year the rates may be higher or lower, or you might find that the RV renters are cutting prices to the bone, owing to the high cost of fuel for the beasts. (Of course, our high prices are still child's play compared to petrol prices in the UK, but it's all relative. One doesn't hire RVs for trips of thousands of miles in the UK either.)

As for route, you should just be aware of the many climate zones in North America. The southern tier will be pleasant from March to May, then intolerably hot (and/or humid) from June through September, whilst the northern tier and mountain areas will be cold and potentially snowy from November until the end of March or even April. Driving an RV on snow or ice is not something you'd want to try.

janisj

Few RV rental agencies allow one-way rentals across the country. There are some but they are VERY expensive. Between the cost of petrol (I know, I know, we don't pay nearly as much as you do in the UK ) drop off fees, RV park costs, etc., you'll probably be able to do this trip cheaper/easier by car and staying in motels along the way.

It is MUCH easier to find one way car rentals - but even they often have high drop off fees. You may be better off cost-wise renting a car to tour one area - say the Southeast/Florida, dropping the car, and flying to the next destination.

One serious issue is rental terms/insurance. Most rental agencies has a 30 day limit. So you'd have to do multiple rentals in any case.

Lulu28

Thank you for your replies, we have only just started looking into it today so we have a lot of time and planning ahead of us just trying to get a few basic ideas at the moment =]

traveler24

Gas cost alone from Orlando to LA area would cost over
$ 1,000 if the RV got 10 MPG.
You MUST consult the web site recommended by "Gbelle"--it is very useful ..
My husband is a retired accountant and figured out this senario--
One of our favorite state Parks is near FT. Bragg CA--on the coast..
Figuring gas and state park fee--UNLESS we stayed for
5 nights with our RV..It would be cheaper to stay in nice motel for 3 nights and eat out....
I know "to each its own" In our case because of our fixed income --we drove our hybrid car and stayed 2 nights...

nytraveler

Don't know when you're planning on coming but you should know that the southern half of the country is NOT livable in the summer without AC (which I assume you won;t get in the RV when it is parked at night). (Think 95 and humid in FL and 110 at least in the SW.

GBelle

Here are other RV chat rooms

http://www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/index.php?board=1.0


http://www.rv.net/forum/

Rich

A Motor Home gives you incredible freedon amd flexiblity in travel.

There is nothing like waking up in the morning and looking out at the scenery in any of the National Parks.

The economics are not there, but you will be getting a nice discount with the current exchanmge rate.

Depending on the size of the MH, you will have no trouble with A/C . . parks everywhere can accomodate all but the very largest ones with ease.

Traqveling west from Florida, I would avoid the interstate highways as much as possible and travel the back roads across the FLorida Panhandle, wander about thru Mississippi and Lousiana. New Orleans if you have never been there would be worth 2-3 days.

Texas will offer the greatest opportunity for wandering . . it is a hugh state. You can stop at information centers to get ideas for where you go next. NASA in Houston if that interests you . . San Antonio, Austin are cities in Texas to consider. For more . . http://tourtexas.com/

Carlsbad Cavern in New Mexico then the Grand Canyon would be my reccomendation.

Cross the Hoover Dam into Nevada and see Las Vegas, then into California wherever your nose takes you.

With 8 weeks to wander, there is no limit to what you can see!

I am jealous . .

Rich

Forgot to add . . Kampgrounds of America is a good reference as well:

http://www.koa.com/

GoTravel

I'm wondering if you couldn't buy a used RV for the cost of what renting one would be for 8 weeks.

Lulu28

We are looking to visit around late Novemeber through-out December (is Christmas a big thing in America?) and early January.

We are also a family of 7, 5 adults and 2 children aged 8.

Last Night we looked into the price of hiring a Rv from Cruise America for a large C30 and also planned a route from New York to California that we would like to take stopping in a few states along the way.

Over the next few weeks we're going to look into hiring a car instead as sugguested by a few on here (THANKS) and see which works out the easier option for our family.

It would be a great help if people could give us a few ideas of places they've visited themselves and enjoyed or just genreal great places to see and visit along the way in some of the following states/cities -

New York
Washington D.C
Anywhere between Virgina, North & South Carolina and Georgia
the coast of Alabma and Mississippi
Houston, Dallas, Santa Fe
and finally San Francisco.

(Sorry about the essay post!!)

DebitNM

How will you be:

1- driving an RV [have you done this before - parking, backing up the vehicle etc]]

2- driving a vehicle that size [or any size] on the other side of the road

3 - driving that vehicle, on the other side of the road, in bad weather [ice, snow etc].

4- driving that vehicle, on mountain roads.

Be sure to think this through.

Winters here can be tough driving.

Deb

janisj

Doing this in the winter may be biting off more than you can chew. Most of the SE and Florida and most of California will be fine - but New York, the Atlantic coast, Grand Canyon and other places - anything from decent Autumn-ish weather to full blown blizzards are possible.

Yes - Christmas is a really "big Deal" in the States - though we don't do Boxing Day. New Years is also a big Deal. Plus you have to Factor in Thanksgiving which is a 4-day holiday w/ VERY heavy travel

yk

If you're renting an RV, I'd suggest you do so AFTER visiting New York City and Washington DC; and returning the RV as soon as you get to San Francisco. Driving such a large RV is no fun, and definitely a no-no in a big city!

Your alternative of hiring a car... I don't even know what size of car you'll need to fit 7 people plus luggage! I think mini-vans can fit 7, but there won't be much room for luggage.

traveler2005

Is there any chance to could change your timing? In the winter, you won't see landscaping and the daylight hours are short. Just a thought.

That said, here is a list of top places to see that I think I got from Budget Travel. It might give you a starting point.

Top 15 American spots that every kid should see before turning 15.
• Grand Canyon
• Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island
• Lincoln Memorial, D.C.
• Freedom Trail, Boston
• The Alamo, San Antonio
• Niagara Falls, N.Y.
• Gettysburg, Pa.
• Monticello, VA
• Independence Hall, Philly
• Disney World, Orlando
• Colonial Williamsburg
• Redwoods National Park, CA
• Alcatraz, San Francisco
• Ground Zero, New York City
• Pearl Harbor, Hawaii