considering renting an rv to drive down the calif coast. cost of rv $200-300/day seems pricey. but, is it fun?
Lots of fun, we sold our RV (Class C Motorhome) after three years, simply too much money to operate so I didn't enjoy it as much as I had hoped. If you have kids it will be a lifetime of memories for them
RVing is great. One very important thing you should consider/look into is RV/camping sights that provide fresh water and sewage connections. I am not sure of the cost but $50 per day should be a good starting point. Some of my fondest memories are from the RV trips I took with my father and brother, memories that will last forever. I hope that helps in making your decision. Oh almost forgot to add....if you are the Captain makes sure your crew knows the rules.
Renting to see if you like it is definitely the way to go. My parents bought old clapped-out RVs when I was a kid and part of the adventure was seeing if we could get there intact. "Name that Stain" was also a popular pass time for the interiors. Working on our Brave's ignition in the middle of nowhere Ontario at midnight is a childhood memory I carry. New ones are amazingly expensive. $100k doesn't even touch something a family of four would consider usable.
I could never get into camp grounds and basically camping. $300 to $400 per day plus fuel, grocery's, etc. Buys you a pretty nice hotel suite and excellent restaurants if you go by car. Its more fun in the twisty mountains with a car. RV's suck. Even when a kid I knew hotels and driving a good car is more fun!
It must be quite similar to a Caravan, right/ As a kid, my family did our vacations in a Caravan. Hated every single minute of it. Hotels are the way to go. Also more relaxing for the person that does the cooking, as cooking in a such small space can not be fun. Better to give your spouse a vacation too, and eat in restaurant!
$400 per day? Where are you camping? Along the east coast unless you're going to one with a built in amusement park it's about 1/10 that ($40-$50 a day). Top end is around $90 a day. I have a '67 airstream trailer that I camp in with the family, we do 5 or 6 trips a year and usually go for 3 or 4 nights at a campground with amenities - pool, playground for the kids, activities for the kids, hiking etc. and our kids (2 and 4) absolutely love it. The adults enjoy it as well, but more after the kids go to bed. I should add, when we camp, we spend very little time inside the trailer unless it's raining. I always chuckle at those that pull up in a big Class A, set up their satellite dish and then 'camp' the whole weekend, never actually leaving the camper. We usually cook breakfast in the stove inside the camper or on a portable griddle outside if the weather is nice, have sandwiches or similar for lunch and then cook dinner over the camp fire. If the weather is bad the inside is roomy enough to be comfortable and air conditioned, but that kind of defeats the purpose of camping, at least for us. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Renting an RV is $400+ per day. For that money Id rather stay in a hotel suite and eat in restaurants.
My dad had an Avion trailer to a Monaco pusher, he got bit by the Rv'ing bug when I was 9 and was cool till I was 13-14.....Every other weekend we would be somewhere else in TX then they took off nationwide with an RV travel group for few months at a time. Lifetime of memories and can be great but you have to enjoy it, like me with boats, car and jet skis. I have them till no fun then get out of the hobby for awhile. If you want to buy there are always a ton of great deals on used ones, I know the Houston market is soft because tons of dealers and units in area.
I've never done it but imagine it would be fun with a group of friends. Just myself and one other I think I would prefer to be in a car. I think I would have constant anxiety driving something that huge.
A few years ago the we (wife and 2 small kids) rented a RV in Seattle and drove all the way down the coast to San Diego, over to Lake Havasu and then back up to Seattle through the interior of CA, and Oregon. Forgot the cost of the rental, for what we spent on fuel alone, you could drive a car and stay in a nice hotel every night. But thats not the point, it was a fantastic holiday!! Pretty much every evening in a different location. An RV is also convenient with small kids, animals etc. Spend a little time doing some research with regards to where you are going to sleep each night, there are some awesome campgrounds. Wife and I always say we're going to do it again.
