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  1. We’ve used our friends’ pop-up camper. That’s the closest we’ve gotten to an RV trip. I’d love to do it one day, though! And Montana… *sigh* You know how you feel about Ireland? That’s how I feel about Montana.

    1.  @WorkMomTravels I fell in love with Montana while we were there.  Hoping, planning, to visit the mountains again next summer.  🙂  And an RV is live a pop up on steroids.  Truly- it will change the way you road trip!
       
       

  2. We’ve learned that RVing isn’t really a money-saver; it’s a different lifestyle.  While your $1100 in gas was less than a hotel room per night, the additional cost of renting/owning (looks like about $1800 for 10 days in a Class C from your preferred company) plus nightly campground fees of $25+ make it more expensive than many other forms of travel, even when figuring in the savings by cooking your own meals.Some things are hard to put a price tag on, though–sleeping in your own bed each night (no worries about  bedbugs, etc.)–not having to pack like you mentioned–cooking your own (more healthy) meals–enjoying the activities at campgrounds and such.  It’s the different way of travel and different type of adventure, not the cost, that we’ve come to enjoy with our RV.Glad you had a good time!

    1.  @minnemom You are right about the different lifestyle.  We actually were comparing the cost of the RV against flying out to Montana- and renting a car to see sights.  So the RV came in quite a bit cheaper.  🙂  But no, it’s not necessarily “budget travel”.  But we certainly got to do more because we had the RV than we would have had we flown. 
       
      Thanks so much for your comments!

  3. It’s amazing what you learn once you start RVing. We started RVing three years ago and take a trip once a month and still we learn something new every single time. My tip is to get an ice-maker! Comes in handy with a large group on summer trips!

    1. I hadn’t considered getting an ice maker for our RV. I usually fill an ice bucket from home, or buy ice at the grocery store. I like ice, so definitely worth looking in to!

  4. I always laugh when I see the RVs parked at Walmart. However now I understand why people park there. That was nice of the manager to mention the donuts. Finding anywhere safe to park would be nice after a long day of driving. Thanks for sharing!

  5. Great post! My wife and I bought our first rv this past summer never having rented one but tenting with the kids for the past 5 years. That got old quick with the Missus being pregnant with #4. Sleeping on cots in a semi-water proof nylon tent just wasn’t cutting it.

    We went with a 24ft itasca and definitely do not regret our decision. The kids love it, we can travel at our own pace, and eat/sleep in our own space.

    Now we’re hooked and the dreams we have of retirement down the road (pun intended) will most certainly involve RVing.

    Glad to see another fam that’s caught the bug! 🙂

    1. We bought our RV in 2014 – and it’s been incredible! We were glad to have rented one first as it helped up know what we wanted and didn’t want before buying.

      Hope to see you on the road sometime!

  6. How do you go when you want to visit cities ? We are travelling from Australia and will rent an RV for a 10 day portion of our trip. We plan on staying off the beaten track as much as possible, but still would like to be able to at least drive through some cities. By cities, I mean, for example, Richmond VA, Charleston/Savannah.

    1. Hi Jen! What a wonderful adventure you have planned!

      If I’m understanding your question correctly, you plan to visit a few cities and want to know the best way to do that in an RV?

      RVs aren’t really great for city driving- we do it as little as possible. I recommend checking the public transportation options for the cities you plan to visit. Inquire about the parking areas, if they will accommodate RVs (some won’t). We tow a car, but you won’t have that option with a rental RV.

      If you plan to stay do thorough campground research. Few cities have camping inside city limits, so you might need to rent a car if public transport isn’t an option.

      I always recommend contacting the local CVB (Convention & Visitors Bureau) to have these types of questions answered by someone who really knows the area,

  7. My husband was talking about getting an RV to take out on the road this summer, so knowing what you’ve learned from your experiences driving one will be really useful. I liked your tip to keep a rug just outside my door when I stay in an RV park. One thing I’ve been worried about is getting dirt in it after walking outside, so I’ll use this trick to keep my RV clean. Thanks for posting this!

  8. In two weeks, my husband and I are going to be setting off on our first RV trip and so I really appreciate you sharing your experience. I found it very interesting that your kids really enjoyed sleeping above the front seats. We don’t have kids, but I think that is where our cat will be sleeping. However, we will probably use most of that space for storage so that we can keep things out of our way and stay organized.

  9. We are looking to purchase a rv to travel the usa, and roadschool. We have a town and country minivan which we love. Not sure what rv to consider. We will have our 3 youngest girls with us (9,3,and a nb) We cloth diaper so we would like to have a w/d. My hubby is a chef so we’d like to have an oven. My girls want bunk beds. Thoughts?

    1. Hi Amy. Buying an RV is totally a personal preference… Usually if you are looking for a w/d in an RV you’re looking at a Type A (more like a bus) than a Type C, which is what we have, on a van chassis with the overhead sleeper.

      My advice would be to start visiting RV dealerships. Take lots of photos & notes, test drive the RVs whenever possible, and really do your homework.

  10. Jody great article, we actually rented an RV for the first time from the company you listed in your article RVshare. It was the best vacation we’ve ever taken, thanks for the recommendation.

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