wendyj

After 5 years in the NYC area, my husband and I are ready to move back to California. Both our families are in CA, and with a new baby girl, it just seems silly to be so far away.

So, we plan to sell the house and head to the Bay Area. We will likely hire movers to move our stuff, and I've been thinking that it might be interesting to rent an RV and travel one way across the country. We have friends and relatives to visit throughout the midwest, and we've always wanted to see more of our country.

However, our daughter will be one year old and we have a rather obnoxious cat to transport as well. My thinking is that we would not be in any rush (3 weeks or so for the trip), and we'd make several stopovers to see people in Chicago, St. Louis and Wichita. I also think we'd stop every 4-5 hours for a stretch and run around parks, sites, etc.

Is this an insane idea? Has anyone moved themselves across the country this way?

LoveItaly

wendyi, I have never traveled in a RV. But have traveled with a year old. Think that is when I started getting gray in my hair. And my kids have a very neurotic and obnoxious cat (when he isn't being sweet) so the combination give me a mental headache.

But can understand your desire to make this trip more like a vacation with visiting with relatives and friends.

Guess one question is; will the relatives and friends want to deal with the cat?

Hard question for sure so am afraid I am not much help. Guess it depends on you and your DH tolerence level.

Welcome back to the Bay Area however. Bet your families are excited.

Fodorite018

Like most things in life, its all in your attitude Sounds like you are willing to have fun, so I'm sure it will be fine. We have not done the rv thing, but we have moved cross country many times and the one I remember the most was with a 5 month old colicky child and two obnoxious siamese cats, lol! Just keep the good outlook and enjoy the trip.

utahtea

Renting an RV is not cheap. Renting an RV one way will cost even more. If cost is not a major consideration then I'd say go for it. Make sure that any RV you rent will have a place for your daughters car seat.

I WISH we had an RV when our boys were that young and we went traveling!

We have a motorhome now and it's so nice to travel in. When you stop, your family can move around the motorhome without even having to go outside if the weather is bad. You can cook meals and feed your daughter what she likes to eat at the table in the RV. You can sleep in your RV when you visit family and friends and won't have to put them out or move & unpack and repack luggage.

Our grandson was 14 months old when DS and DIL drove across county to visit us last summer and our dear little grandson LOVES to travel. When they left to go back home, we drove in our motorhome part of the way back to do some camping with them in Utah. We set up our grandson's port-a-crib on the table that makes into a bed and that's where he slept or took naps when we weren't driving.

As for the cat. He/she might feel more comfortable in a portable cage, but many people travel with pets. We use to always take our dog.

Utahtea

GBelle

We rented an RV for two weeks in Alaska. The advice I got was to rent one larger than what is "recommended" to fit x people because they can be smaller than you think when you are confined together for two weeks.

We enjoyed our visit and went with the larger vehicle. It was good advice because the "beds" that convert from the tabletop (for example) really can't fit two growing boys, but rather ONE growing boy comfortably. I can't imagine having two people in that space.

Intrepid1

I would only heed the advice from people who have ACTUALLY DONE the same thing. How could anyone else know for certain?

Enjoy your trip and I second the idea of renting something bigger "than recommended."

LoveItaly

Renting something bigger for X number of people sure makes sense to me. When we had our boat it was suppose to "sleep seven". Well that was true however (a big however) more than four on the boat became shall we say a bit crowded during waking hours. So imagine a RV would be the same situation.

Jayne1973

Sounds like an adventure you will never forget! Do this stuff while your child is young because once they get in school you won't ever get the luxury of such a long roadtrip at any time of year. Even the decision to move will be a much bigger issue because of schools, etc. Have a blast!

gail

If it were me, the basic idea would sound enticing. Then reality would hit me. (Which is why I sometimes do not try things I might enjoy - I get too practical about it - so it depends on how flexible you are.)

Anytime I have moved, the details and anxiety over details would have prevented me from enjoying such a trip. Arrival of moving van with stuff to new home is not something one can usually delegate out - you have to be there when the stuff arrives. Also, there is always a volume of things you do not want to put in moving van - where would you put them in RV.

Would you also have car to drive across country? While sometimes it can actually go in moving van, if you have to drive it there are pluses and minuses - the plus being you can load it with stuff and then have an extra vehicle to drive to store for supplies without hauling entire RV. The minus is that then you actually drive across country alone in vehicle.

Pay attention to poster who mentioned cost of renting RV, especiallly one way. We thought about doing this once and found that driving our own car, staying at cheap motels and eating inexpensively (coffee shops, picnic lunches, takeout for dinner most of the time) was cheaper than renting RV.

And I would also worry about the car escaping RV every time someone opened the door.

All this said, I am always contemplating renting an RV and trying a trip - and then hopefully buying one. So if you have a tolerant and adventuresome attitude - go for it.

Scarlett

LOL, I want to hear more about the "obnoxious cat"

My grandmother bred Siamese cats and had one that she never went anywhere without. I don't know if it is possible to be more obnoxious than that cat! She just crammed her in a large crate and stuck her in the back seat, every time they stopped for a break, she would walk the cat on a leash, which was so funny. This large cross eyed complaining cat on a leash.
I got the impression that it was a lot easier for them to travel with the cat than it is for us to travel with a dog, and of course, a one year old has her own set of needs.
While you will have to adjust to all of those needs, I think it would be fairly easy and very much fun to take that trip in an RV!
When I was small up until I was about 13, we used to drive to Arizona to visit family...from NC. in a car. with my brother. I know the meaning of Hell of Wheels.
Good luck and Have a great time

wendyj

Thanks for all the replies!

I've checked out a few sites that offer online quotes for RV rentals, and was shocked at the price, especially for a one-way drop off. Upwards of $3500. However, one site I checked offered deals for people who want to go one way during a certain time of year (transferring their vehicles to other locations). And, one company offered a NYC > SFO bargain during the time we'd like to go. So, I'll have to look more into that.

It's a good idea to rent a larger RV than we think we need; I've never spent any time in one, but I can imagine they get rather cramped after a while.

Gail, you raise good points about our car and the moving truck. While my parents can probably meet the moving truck, it will still be a concern. And the car. Mmmm...not sure about that either. Could we tow it behind us? I've seen this on the road before.

And as for our obnoxious cat, she's really a very loving animal who is rather insistent with her need for affection. I imagine she will probably meow constantly for the first several hours while she adjusts. A large crate is a good idea. I think she would feel safer in it. Our relatives/friends would probably not mind the cat too much - they are all animal lovers.

Whew. This is a lot to consider...in addition to the stress of moving. But, I don't plan on making a cross country move ever again (one never knows for certain, of course), so this opportunity just seems too good to pass up!

Thanks again for the advice, and more is always welcome.

Anonymous

The larger the RV, the more difficult it will be to maneuver, drive and park. Especially, the more difficult it will be to park at your friends' homes that you plan to visit. And of course larger ones will be more expensive to rent and to provide gas for. How many nights will you realistically spend in it? How much space does a 1-year-old need? My own inclination would be to get the minimum size that would meet our basic needs.

Towing a car behind an RV is a whole 'nother set of skills, equipment, risks and complications; I'd be surprised if a rental company would permit this.

Scarlett

When we moved from NYC to Fl , the truck would have taken our car too. But we drove down with the dog.
But here in Fl, I see people on the highway with RVs every day, pulling their cars behind them.

Dori

My parents travel in an RV all the time with a German Shephard and THREE cats! The cats get used to it pretty quickly and pretty much just lay around on the bed like they would normally. No need to cage them. Just make sure when you open and shut the door the cat doesn't escape. I think it sounds fun.

Alisa

I would ask your friends about the cat. Some people are allergic, others have pets that do not take to new animals....

I have a few family members that NEVER travel anywhere without their animals, which IMHO is inconsiderate, especially when allergies are involved.

kamahinaohoku

I just looked up RV gas mileage on Google, and based on 7 miles per gallon (they quoted between 5-10 mpg average), using $2.00 per gallon, it's going to cost you over $700 just for gasoline.

I think it also depends upon the month(s) you plan to travel. It's fine to think that every 4-5 hours you'll stop at a site and walk around, but if it's in the middle of July, you'll probably never find a place to park.

wendyj

Mmm...I am starting to wonder if we'd be better off in our Jetta Wagon with the cat in a large crate in the rear, and maybe a uhaul carrier thing on the back of the car for the things we don't want to send with the movers, as well as our luggage.

My main concerns are cost - $3500 for rental, plus at least $700 in gas - plus, towing the car behind us and navigating the roads with such a load.

While I'm still fascinated by the idea of an RV, I have to wonder if it might make our plans more complicated.

wendyj

in fact, just looked up a uhaul quote for a 4 x 8 trailer, and it's $356 from new jersey to california. We'd have to find hotels that accept pets when we aren't staying with family (and yes, I will ask them before bringing our pet into their home).

utahtea

Yes, RV rental is expensive. I would check futher into the one way deal offered if you decided to go this route. The two big names in RV rental are Cruise America and El Monte.

Most of todays RV's get 10 MPG. We have an older one that only gets 7. But then you have to figure in the cost of eatting out, & motel rooms are more expensive than campgrounds when you're not at family and friends. How many times do you want to have to drag all your stuff up to the motel room and then back to the car, packing and unpacking every night? This could get very old after 3 weeks. If there are only two adults, the cat and the baby girl, you won't need a motorhome larger than 24 - 27 feet. Before we purchased our motorhome, we rented a 24 foot. There were two adults and two teenagers and we had plenty of room.

I don't think the rental RV will allow you to tow a vehicle. To my knowledge, the rental RV's don't have hitches. That probably won't be an option.

Utahtea

Jayne1973

You might check Red Roof Inns for pets-- I have a relative who raises dogs and I think she used to stay there.