Planning a road trip across the US and looking for a campervan hire? Finding the best RV to rent is the first, and definitely the most important, aspect of planning your vacation. By finding the best campervan hire, your decisions on housing and transportation are automatically taken care of, since it eliminates the need for a rental car or hotel. And reserving your RV early is crucial, since many rental companies book up in the summer months or ahead of a large event or festival.
Before you make your final decision, though, there are a few things you should first consider when it comes to a motorhome hire. Read on to learn more about finding camper vans for rent, campervan hire rates, and even how to bring your pets along for the ride.
USA Campervan Hire
If it’s your first time planning a US camping vacation, you may be wondering: Where can I hire a campervan? In general, there are three options for travelers: nationwide RV dealerships, local rental companies, and peer-to-peer rental sites.
The nationwide RV dealerships are the most obvious option, since they rent campervans in almost every corner of the country. By the nature of their size, they almost always have the most RVs for you to choose from, but they can also be firm on things like rates and fees due to their corporate policies.
To find local RV rental companies, start by Googling something like “campervan hire near me.” Typically, local companies are more likely to be flexible if you have special needs or considerations. Remember that they often don’t carry as many RVs in their fleets as the larger companies, though, so if you have your heart set on a specific type of campervan, you might not always be able to rent it during your travel dates.
A third option is renting from peer-to-peer rental sites, which work like Airbnb by connecting RV owners with people interested in an easy campervan hire. Since you’re renting directly from the owner of the RV, you can generally get a much better nightly rate than you would with either a nationwide or local company. And since RV owners are spread out across the country, there are literally hundreds of thousands of RVs and campervans to choose from.
How Much Does it Cost to Hire a Campervan in America?
In most cases, you can expect to pay at least $50 per night for a campervan hire USA, and that’s on the low side. Generally, you’ll probably be looking at a nightly rate anywhere from $100 to $250 depending on the type of RV you want and whether it’s a classic campervan hire or a camper trailer you tow behind another vehicle. Luxury campervan hire is typically much more expensive and could cost anywhere from $500 to $2,000, depending on what luxury means to you.
In addition to paying for the cost of the actual RV rental, there are usually other rates and fees that get tacked on to your bill. The majority of the time, travelers must pay a mileage rate corresponding with how far they drive the RV during the course of the rental period. The cost of fuel can also be quite pricey, since RVs and motorhomes are notorious gas guzzlers.
Some rental companies also charge for things like bedding and household items like cookware, while others have fees associated with use of the generator. Before deciding which rental company or RV owner to rent from, be sure to ask about these extra costs and fees. Sometimes, what seems like a great price is actually just a bare-bones nightly rate that doesn’t reflect the true overall cost of renting the RV for the duration of your trip.
If you’re trying to find a deal, you can always ask about one way campervan hire. In some cases, RV rental companies offer extremely low rates for people to drive their RVs from one location to another. This typically happens when they need to move a vehicle in their fleet from point A to point B due to shifts in demand.
If you do seek out deals for one-way travel, remember that you’ll need to base your travel plans on moving from one city to the next. There’s no wiggle room if you’d like to keep the camper for an extra day, since you’ll have a deadline to meet. In general, one-way travel deals are best left to spontaneous travel types and aren’t usually a good option for people who like to make their own itineraries or stick to specific road trip routes.
Family Campervan Hire
The number of sleeping spaces in a campervan or RV is known as a berth. If you’re traveling with two adults and two children, for example, you’ll want to inquire about four-berth campers when you’re emailing or calling rental companies. Remember that campervans are often tight quarters, so if you’re traveling with adults only or elderly parents, you may need to upgrade to something larger.
When renting an RV, sticking with the smallest possible model usually saves you the most money, but it doesn’t usually make for happy campers. If you can comfortably afford to do so, giving yourself a bit more space generally makes for a less stressful, more peaceful trip. Nobody likes being cramped in an extremely small space for hours at a time, so be prudent when you make your reservation.
Pet Friendly Campervan Hire
Can’t bear to leave your furry friends at home while you have all the fun? Luckily, there are many RV rental companies in America that allow travelers to take their pets along for the ride.
Dog friendly campervan hire is becoming more and more popular these days. Most major RV rental companies in the US have started permitting pets to join their owners, but beware that bringing an animal with you sometimes incurs an extra fee. Not all companies have a pet fee, though, so be sure to look for a company or RV owner (if you’re doing a peer-to-peer rental) that will let you take your animal free of charge.