Renting an RV
 

We are planning a 5-week trip to the Midwest and are trying to find the best way to travel to multiple cities to see family and friends. We have a very small car which would be great for gas mileage but we're thinking a standard RV rental might be a better option.

Have you ever rented an RV and if so, could you recommend a reputable dealer.

Thanks for your feedback!

Things to consider...........Renting an RV will cost you about a thousand bucks a week. Campground stays average about 40 bucks. My motorhome gets around 7 miles to a gallon.

VillageChicken, you gave good advice. Our motorhome gets similar gas mileage. A small, mini motor home might be a better rental choice. Our friends have a small diesel that gets almost 20 mpg. We bought used because they are expensive to rent but, to us, it's traveling in luxury. You don't need to carry your bags into a hotel each night, and you can pull over anywhere you like and make lunch or take a nap --and we do! Our family members who rent use CruiseAmerica and they have been happy with them.

Just for the heck of it I checked cruiseamerica and a 25 ft mini motor home was 1250.00 for 14 days + $.34 per mile. Not a bad deal I think. Nearest rental is in Gainesville. I think you will need to add gas to that figure.
We travel for four years in an RV out west and saw the cruiseamerica equipment everywhere so they must be reliable.

For an extended rental like that, I'd think you could do better finding a good late model motorhome for sale, use it for your trip and resell it for close to the same price. Don't forget to add $40-80 per night for campgrounds, and incidentals like LP. We love RVing, being able to travel with our furry-kids, but it is certainly not the cheap way to vacation. You have to love the lifestyle for it to make sense.

Thanks everyone for your good advice.

The most economical would be your vehicle and nice motels. RV is an entirely different lifestyle that will take some experience. Some like it some don't. If you don't have Experence with a RV and want to try it, renting makes a lot of sense. Safe travels.

Never RV'ing is one of my life's disappointments. We had planned to retire, buy a medium RV and travel the US. Then....gas went crazy, campgrounds went crazy, and on top of that my husband no longer drives, so.....

Don't know anything about CruiseAmerica, but as mentioned, they're everywhere, so probably a good choice. If you do it, enjoy. How about come back and give us a summary of the trip!! :)

I agree with above. I had a motorhome some years ago when my girls were around 10, 11, and 12. At that time it was cheaper for 5 people with campgrounds and food. But for 2 senior people, it is cheaper and definitely more comfortable to stay in hotels. Handling a Rv is no easy task in traffic and winding mountain roads and, of course, it is a gas guzzler. Have a great trip whatever you decide.

Renting an RV
 

There have been some excellent points made since my last post. Most notably that, if you've never RVed before you may not really like it, and last thing you want to do is figure that out on a 5-week epic voyage! You might want to rent one for 3-4 days and camp somewhere not too far from home. My favorite campground is just an hour up the road from you, Disney's Fort Wilderness Campground. It's a wonderful campground on Disney property (actually one of the first resorts built there) with tons to do even without doing anything related to the parks. If you feel you're "roughing it" at the Fort, you are certainly not ready for most state parks (most have no sewer, and many no electric), for instance. In fact, if you're interested, I know a fellow who rents campers and delivers them to the Fort, hooks them up, and provides all the sundries you need (except food) for a lot less than Cruise America, but then you'd miss out on some of the "tests" to see if RVing is a good fit (driving, backing into a site, setting up). But it might be a good baby step.

Santa, could you pm me with the info on the man you know who rents/sets up at Disney? This is something that we have been looking for! Thanks!

Hey, I rented from them in Gainesville for a trial weekend in an rv and enjoyed myself!
They're pretty laid back folks in a small operation, so availability is very limited.

Renting an RV
 

double post, sorry

I've gotten a few requests from folks wanting more info about renting at Disney. There are actually three folks I know who do this: one does pop-ups (for a real sense of roughing it) and the other two have large fifth-wheel camping trailers. Check out makecampingeasy.com, campatthefort.com, and fortcamperrental.com. All three are great folks and will bend over backwards to make sure you have a great vacation. To learn more about Fort Wilderness itself there is no better resource than the forums at FortFiends.com. HIH

Santa,
Thanks so much for the web site links to camping rentals at Disney. I've never thought about renting a unit that was already set up. That is great info.

Incidently, as I remember from some of your previous posts, that you were still looking for a place here in The Villages. Have you found your "dream" home yet? Hope so!!!!!