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I was reading the other thread about RV vacations and am interested in RV Rentals. My husband and I have been kicking around the idea of renting one for a vacation next year. I would like to hear from people who have rented RVs. What was it like? Pros and cons? How are they to drive? Hook up at campsites? and so on.

My husband and I have been wondering about doing this too. How much does an RV really cost to operate? How difficult is it to handle the sewer connections and flushing, etc.?

Here is a website to help you out: www.rv.org You might also want to do a google search and type in rv. You will find tons of info.

As I said in the other thread I didn't like the experience...it was a 27 ft. (Jamboree) rv...there's a swaying motion from side to side that you can feel when you're in the middle or the back of the rv...toilet hook up is just plain gross as the area is swarming with mosquitoes and flies...I also think it's more like a working vacation especially if you dine in...you still have to shop, cook, and clean up...I had 2 children with me so there's even less time to relax...the kids loved it though...I will say that the KOA in Fiesta Key was a nice property...we were right on the Gulf of Mexico and the water was warm and the view spectacular especially at sunset...it's also not inexpensive...I rented from Cruise America in Orlando (this was several years ago) and before they let me drive away, (too soon I think for anyone) I had to watch a short video on how to handle it, etc....they also required a cleaning deposit, which is fair...I can't remember the exact total, but I do remember that the 5 day rental was over $1500.00 with the rental fee, insurance, gas, and campsite fees...I'm pretty sure there was also an excess mileage charge tacked on, but I can't remember how many more miles I exceeded than the contract stated...things may be different now...I have friends who are serious campers (tents, etc.) and they laugh at me when I complain about my camping experience because they don't think of it as a real camping experience...it was for me though...give me room service anytime.

Merilee-What the hell are you talking about? Swaying motion? Obviously you didn't have the thing leveled and set up right. Toilet hookups are not that bad. What a whiny, pathetic person you are. To Helen and J-Check your local yellow pages and rent one for a weekend before you decide to rent one for a longer period of time.

Here are links to the two RV rental places that I know of. You can get an idea of what it will cost to rent one. http://www.cruiseamerica.com/ http://www.elmonte.com/ We had a really good experience with Cruise America and my friend had a really bad experience. My friend has had many good experiences with El Monte. Since you read the other thread you know why we love our RV. To rent one is expensive. You will get anywhere from 8 to 10 miles per gallon. Most RV rental places give you so many miles per day or week. If you go over those miles then they charge you extra. Some charge extra for generator hours. I don't drive, but my DH does and he doesn't mind driving one. It doesn't take that long to do the hookups. It takes a couple few minutes to hook up the electrical, sewer hose and water. Some private campgrounds even have cable. If you like to take long hot showers, you might find the waterheaters in the RV won't cut it. You also need to be hooked up to sewer and water to take long ones. You won't find hook up campsites at National Forest and very few National Park campgrounds have full hookups. Some private campgrounds in recreational areas can be expensive. It is more work than going to a hotel and eating out, but we prefer this kind of adventure. I guess it depends on what you want and like to do. Many people will rent an RV before they buy one to see if they like this mode of travel. My friend does it because in the long run it's cheaper than buying one, paying insurance and storage since she doesn't have a place to park it. They also don't go as much as we do. Let me know if there are other questions you have. Utahtea

I had always fantasized about traveling in an RV. Finally, my husband decided to fullfill this one dream. \ We rented a Class C (barge) in Seattle and drove it for a week in Oregon and Washington. What I learned: 1. Camping a community thing. People who love it, travel in groups. 2. Campgrounds are ugly. No views, Motel 8 is a better place to sleep. I don't mind hiking to a place of beauty and tenting but, driving an RV to a parking lot or a field with 100 other rigs is not my thing. 3. If you like driving a bus, you may enjoy driving an RV. 4. A conversation with an RVer is about the size of their rigs, and their equiptment. ARGHH

Hi X! Just thought I'd post a reply to let you know that while driving on an open road in an rv with the wind blowing you do feel a slight swaying motion in the middle of the vehicle. It was also mentioned in the instructional video because they do handle differently (obviously) than a regular car...Cruise American prepared the rv before letting us leave...as for the toilet hook up, I've heard that rats do prefer the stench of their own holes, so that must by why it didn't bother you.

Herself is right about camping being a community thing. People do travel in packs and there is a certain lingo that goes along with it. My fiancee went along with me on a couple of trips and I respect her opinion that she finds it a very uncomfortable way to travel. She prefers airplanes and hotels and that's okay with me. I did the hook-ups at our campsites and she watched and thought it was a less than pleasant thing to have to do (toilet). I give her and the other lady who posted (but didn't like it) credit for trying. Usually belly achers won't even try. They start complaining at the very mention of the idea. Be nice.

A word about rv's and movement. Truck traffic creates what we rv'ers refer to as air turbulence which can practically blow a land yacht around like a sailboat in a windstorm. Also if you're driving on low land with nothing around you and there's wind or water nearby you will feel it. Your workload will increase with an rv. Empty tanks of blackwater (sewage) are offensive to people who are not used to it. The sewer hose isn't much more sturdy than the one on a clothes dryer. You're also going to discover just how many things hang lower than 11 feet when you try to back up or park.

This brings me back to my childhood. We RV'd everywhere. Sometimes just family, other times with groups. Now that I have my own family RVing is something I would never even consider. Not my idea of a vacation.

RV sales have skyrocketed since 9/11. And today's modern rvs are like rolling living rooms. Don't knock it until you have tried it...