Earlier this month, we needed to travel to Florida for our close friend’s wedding but were faced with really expensive flight options as the SXSW festival was underway here in Austin. A group of us friends were brainstorming over drinks on how to get to this destination wedding, and one friend yelled out “ROAD TRIP”, and then another friend said, “I’ll one up you, how about we RV!?”
We all thought the idea was amazing, but there was one major problem…none of us had an RV. From there we starting looking for a way to actually get an RV and luckily found Outdoorsy. In no time we found the perfect RV through Outdoorsy (think of them as the Airbnb of RV rentals), and started to break down the costs associated with RV travel. That night, we decided it was the perfect option, the group cheered, and we started to plan our journey. Psst… check out our sweet rig!
Here are some of the benefits of road tripping with an RV rental – you may also want to check out this helpful article on RV travel FAQs:
1. RVs are economical
Taking a trip with friends usually includes a flight, hotel room, car rental, plus lots of food and drink spend. The great thing about an RV is that your rental includes your travel plus your lodging. In whole, this ends up saving a lot of money. Our RV rental sleeps 10 people, which is the equivalent of 3 hotel rooms! Additionally, since the RV had a full kitchen, we spent about $30 in groceries per person for food on the trip, and still ended up with a LOT of leftover food once we were home.
2. You can sleep while traveling in an RV
On our road trip, we stopped in New Orleans when traveling both to and from the wedding. After staying out until about 5am on Bourbon street, we were so thankful that the RV had such terrific (and comfortable) sleeping arrangements for those of us who weren’t driving. Us girls popped in a chick flick on the flatscreen and took some epic naps. We were rested and recharged for whatever adventure was up next! Even Gavin got some rest while our friend G took a turn behind the wheel. You are definitely able to get wayyyy more comfortable than you ever could in a car or plane (even if you can afford that first class life!).
3. You can even get work done while RVing
Have laptop, will travel! We brought our wifi hotspot in our Outdoorsy RV rental and it allowed all of us to knock out some work (or mess around on social media) with very limited interruption. We don’t know how often enough we buy expensive in-flight wifi while on a plane and the connectivity is so slow that you can’t get anything done. This was definitely not the case in our RV.
4. While traveling in an RV, you see things that you would normally miss
One of our favorite parts of the trip was the fact that we were able to stop whenever we wanted. This made discovering unique spots along the way a major treat. While in Mississippi we scoped out a restaurant that was on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives and noshed on some authentic, home-cooked etouffee. We even tried a burger topped with their etouffee! We were also pumped that this road trip allowed us the opportunity to try a spot in New Orleans that was recently named one of the best new restaurants in the country. The Turkey and the Wolf did NOT disappoint.
5. You can drink while you travel in an RV
As long as you are not in the cab of the RV, you are free to kick back, relax, and enjoy a cold one. Some of our highlights of the trip including getting icees from truck stops and adding in some vodka, hitting up the drive through daiquiri place in New Orleans, and somehow turning the card game Uno into a drinking game.
6. An RV road trip makes lasting memories
Ralph Waldo Emerson is attributed with the quote that “life is a journey, not a destination” and we have to agree that it holds true with road trips as well. Being able to spend quality time with friends on the road meant a lot of inside jokes and laughs. Especially as adults, it’s rare to be able to spend so much quality time with your friends. Our road trip felt like a giant co-ed sleepover without parental supervision (bring on the booze!).
Check RV Rentals in your Area:
Now that you should be sold on why you need to take an RV road trip with your friends, check out this post with some details on what you need to know before renting an RV.
7 Comments
Sue Pottenburgh
July 6, 2019 at 4:11 amGood article.
Karen Reinsberg
September 19, 2019 at 4:20 amThank you, Sue!
Dave
July 22, 2019 at 3:46 pmThe rental market is ridiculously high. I have looked into renting a travel trailer and while the nightly cost looks appealing, adding on all the fees adds at the end raises costs extremely high. For instance, a nightly rental for a 20 feet trailer is $75. For 3 nights, that $225. Then add in the $75 cleaning fee, plus more for insurance. Then, some renters will charge you per mileage if you go over 200 miles. So all in all, it adds up quick and not so economical. Very economical if you have 5 adults splitting the bill as in your case.
Karen Reinsberg
September 19, 2019 at 4:19 amYeah, there is surely a bigger cost savings when you get a larger RV and bring a group. Depending on where you are going it can add up to big savings compared to buying a flight and many nights hotel.
mike
August 12, 2019 at 11:32 pmHey Dave, If the renting party spends 1 hour orientation and then another 30 minutes at drop off and then another 2-3 hours cleaning the rental inside and out what is there time worth?
Tell me as you spend a total of $100 a night and you get to take it with you wherever you go and don’t have to shell out $20,000 to buy one and keep the maintenance and repair plus the tax and licensing and the insurance.
I rent motorhomes where i charge $100 sanitize and prep fee along with tank chemicals and Toilet paper and spend 4-8 hours preparing each one for rental and give another 1.5 hours in pickup orientation and drop off of a half hour. A combined total of up to 6-10 hours of my time as when my wife does it her salary job pays here $70 an hour. So an RV facility charges $160 an hour and a call up cleaner gets $75-$100 an hour.
Most people in there early years start out in tents and I suggest you do the same Dave as it along with the gear may cost you under $150 plus $300 is cheap to rent a trailer.
Adam Golightly
October 13, 2021 at 8:27 pmMy cousin has been thinking about renting an RV to go on a trip because he wants to be safer. He would really like to get some help from a professional in order to be safer. I liked what you said about how they can relax in the back because they won’t be driving.
Eli Richardson
November 2, 2021 at 8:20 pmIt’s great that you talked about how renting an RV comes with cost-effective benefits! Recently, my wife and I decided we’d like to go on a road trip with my sister’s family. We’re very excited about the trip, but neither of us has an RV, so we’ll be sure to follow your advice and look for a rental one! Thanks for the tips on how you could save money by staying in a rental RV instead of paying for a hotel room.