Has anyone rented an RV and gone on a road trip to see what it's like in other parts of the US? I'm thinking about doing this, but I'm wondering how expensive it would be. Is it worth it? I don't want to fly because I won't be able to see as much.

My only experience with an RV (Jamboree, 27 feet) was from Winter Park, Florida (near Orlando) to the Keys (couldn't park it anywhere near Old Town in Key West, which makes sense)...the kids loved it and I will admit it was an adventure...but, I remember it swayed alot and there's alot of work involved in hook-ups, etc...it was very expensive for the few days that we had it...at the time Cruise America was around and before they let us drive off we watched a short video on how to drive it, etc....it really is like having your home on your wheels...you have to cook, clean, etc...for many folks that's a perfect vacation...I do have one fond memory of the KOA in Fiesta Key which was right on the Gulf of Mexico...it was beautiful.

Sue-They allow you like 1,000 free miles and charge you mileage on top of that. I checked into renting one for a week to go to Florida and it was $600-800 1,000 free miles and a charge for mileage after that and they don't get very good gas mileage. What you need to figure out is how much you would save on hotels and eating out vs. renting one. Look in the yellow pages and call a couple of dealers in your area to see if they rent and how much.

Another thought is to rent a conversion van. Again, look in the yellow pages and talk to a couple of dealers that rent them.

We rented a motorhome one year. We had done a total of 15 years of camping in our tent-trailer and travel trailer but wanted to try a motorhome before we bought one. We had a really great experience. My friend has rented a motorhome three times and has had great experience.

We do a road trip every year and have crossed the US a couple of times. An RV is one of the best ways to do it. You don't have to pack and unpack. Most Walmarts will let you park overnight in their parking lots for free. RV's have stoves, refrigerator and microwave so you can save money by not eating out. You can also have meals in the most beautiful locations.

Things to consider are the cost of the rental, the cost of the extra milage and the cost of gas! If you are going to want full hook ups at RV parks that cost can all up too.

Have you thought about driving the RV one way and then flying back.

Utahtea

Sue, do a search for RV Rentals. I had websites saved, but when looking for them now - I've apparently deleted them. There are rental spots all around the country besides Florida ... I looked into the NW US. Even Cincinnati, where I live, has rentals. You will find varying prices, sizes, types, etc.

Hi Sue,
We did two RV trips when our son was 10 or 11, and both were great experiences. This is a good way to go if you have kids because you can stop wherever you want, eat wherever you want, use the bathroom wherever you want, etc. We enjoyed our trips to the New Mexico region and up around Idaho because of all the beautiful national parks, where we took advantage of campgrounds. Much to our surprise, we also had great experiences in KOA campgrounds, many of which served bar-b-que and and showed outdoor movies in the evenings. Some even had swimming pools. While we were in the southwest we met a lot of retired "snowbirds" who were mostly friendly, helpful folks who gave us a lot of advice about how to handle the RV. You also can't beat the pleasures of an air-conditoned unit in the middle of Chaco Canyon in the summer. My husband had to drive the thing, so I can't report on that aspect, but if you're not in a hurry it makes for a memorable trip. Those were some of the best family vacations we ever had.

Sue. We spent ten years criss-crossing the US and Canada in a motorhome with our three daughters. The motorhome provided us with the opportunity to visit 49 of the fifty States (yes, we drove the Alcan to Alaska and flew to Hawaii, of course) and all the Provinces and most of the Territories in Canada. It also made it possible to really see and experience these places. Our first motorhome trip was in a rental unit to see if this kind of travel was for us. We went up the Pacific Coast to Vancouver stopping and staying wherever we chose. We followed the Frazer River to Abbotsford and loved Fort Langley. We crossed over to Banff, up to Lake Louise, walked the Glacier on the way to Jasper and then took the Yellowhead Highway out to Prince Rupert stopping at Barkerville, Fort St. James, Fort Frazer and the Ksan Indian Reservation in route. At Prince Rupert, we caught a ferry back to Vancouver and, then, back down through Washington and Oregon by a different route to home. Wonderful three week trip and great to have toilet, refrigerator, shower, stove, table, etc. readally available for our kids. This was in July and by the end of September I purchased a 27 foot Itasca. We never looked back. Every year we researched a differnt area and mapped out a trip for the next summer. We never made advanced reservations except for, perhaps, ferry trips or special places we wanted to stay. Part of the beauty of motorhome travel was the ability to stop or stay wherever we chose. On our last trip, our oldest daughter was seventeen and she and our other two daughters still talk about experiences we had on those trips whenever we get together.
I am not sure you save a lot of money traveling this way maybe a little, especially when you are renting. But if you realy want to see the country there is no better way. What you get is convenience and flexibility.
Certainly, the decision to travel by motorhome was one of the best decisions we ever made for our family. Try it. I think you will like it.