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Renting
an RV
what the rental company does not put in the advert
The advertised daily rate on an RV rental is roughly half of what you will actually pay, and that is not a scam, it is just how the industry prices. If you know where the other half comes from before you book, an RV trip is one of the best family holidays there is. If you find out at the counter, it starts badly.
Where the rest of the money comes from
Mileage. Most rentals include a limited number of miles per day or charge per mile from zero. On a road trip covering real distance this is frequently the largest single line item after the base rate. Ask for the per-mile rate and multiply it by your actual planned route before you book.
Generator hours. Usually charged per hour of use. If you are running air conditioning while parked without hookups, this adds up quickly, particularly in summer in the southwest.
Preparation and kit fees. Bedding, kitchen equipment, chairs, hoses and the outbound cleaning are commonly bundled as separate charges rather than included.
Campground fees, which are entirely separate and vary enormously between a national park site and a full-hookup private park.
Fuel, which is substantial. These vehicles are not efficient and you should budget accordingly rather than optimistically.
Size, and the mistake almost everybody makes
People book the biggest vehicle they can afford because more space sounds better. It is the wrong instinct.
Larger rigs are excluded from a lot of the best campgrounds. Many national park sites have length limits, and the most scenic loops in the older parks were built for much smaller vehicles. Book a forty foot motorhome and a real portion of the places you wanted to go are closed to you.
They are also harder to drive, harder to park, worse on fuel and more stressful on mountain roads.
My advice to families is to book the smallest vehicle that genuinely sleeps everybody, then check the length limits of the specific campgrounds on your route before confirming. That check takes twenty minutes and determines the quality of the whole trip.
Class A, C or a van
Class C, built on a van chassis with the bed over the cab, is the family default and generally the right answer. Manageable size, good sleeping capacity for the length, drives like a large van.
Class A, the bus-shaped ones, are more comfortable and considerably larger, with the access problems above.
Camper vans are excellent for two or three people and cramped for five, but they go anywhere and park anywhere.
Towable trailers are cheaper but require a suitable tow vehicle and a skill set. Not a first-time choice unless you already tow.
What to check at pickup
Do the walkthrough properly and do not let them rush it. You need to know how to dump the tanks, fill the water, switch between shore power and battery, light the water heater and level the vehicle. Film it on your phone while they explain.
Photograph every existing scratch, dent and stain before you leave, inside and out, with timestamps. This is the single most useful twenty minutes of the rental.
Check that the kit you paid for is actually in the vehicle. Count it.
Find out the height of the vehicle and write it somewhere you can see from the driver’s seat. Every year people hit things.
Driving it with children
Plan shorter days than you think. Three to four hours of driving is a good day in an RV. These vehicles are slow, the wind pushes them around, and everybody is tired sooner than in a car.
Arrive before dark. Setting up a site in the dark with children is miserable and easily avoided by leaving earlier.
Book campgrounds in advance in summer, particularly national parks, where sites are released on a schedule and go within minutes.
Seatbelts only work where there are seatbelts. Children are not permitted to wander around while moving, and the sleeping areas are not seats. Check the belted seat count matches your family before booking.
Is it worth it
For a national parks trip in the American west, absolutely. Waking up inside a park rather than driving in from a town an hour away is a completely different experience.
For a trip with a lot of city stops, no. RVs are awkward in cities and campgrounds are far out. A car and hotels is cheaper and easier.
And for a first attempt, keep it short. Seven to ten days is plenty to find out whether your family loves it.
The difference between a good RV trip and a bad one is almost entirely in the route and the campground bookings, and both need doing early. Tell me where you want to go and I will help you get the sequencing right.
Questions people actually ask
What extra costs come with renting an RV?
Mileage charges, generator hours, preparation and kit fees, campground fees and fuel are all typically additional to the advertised daily rate, and together often approach the base rate again.
What size RV should a family rent?
The smallest vehicle that genuinely sleeps everyone. Larger rigs are excluded from many national park campgrounds due to length limits, and are harder to drive, park and fuel.
What is a Class C motorhome?
A motorhome built on a van chassis with a sleeping area above the cab. It is the usual family choice, balancing sleeping capacity against manageable size and drivability.
How far should you drive per day in an RV?
Three to four hours is a realistic day. The vehicles are slow and tiring to drive, and arriving before dark makes setting up a site considerably easier with children.
Do you need to book campgrounds in advance?
In summer, yes, particularly within national parks where sites are released on a fixed schedule and are taken very quickly.
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Written and kept current by Nicole Damiano, ASTA Verified Travel Advisor with Adventures We Seek. If something here is out of date, tell me and I will fix it.
Tell me who is coming and how long you have.
That is usually enough to know whether this is a ship, a train, or a car with the windows down. Working with an advisor costs no more than booking direct.
