This post is a sponsored collaboration between Don’t Forget To Move and RVshare and includes affiliate links. As always, we would never endorse and promote a company that we didn’t fully trust and support. RVshare are rad! And so is road tripping!
There has never been a better time for taking a road trip across the United States. With international travel still on hold, and domestic travel on the rise, what better time than now to visit a new state!
And the age of RVs and motorhomes is upon us once again. Call it a retro throwback to the 1970s, or human beings natural instinct to roam, but more people than ever are packing up their bags, loading up a vehicle and hitting the open road.
What is an RV?
There’s a lot of things to consider when looking at a road trip vehicle. RV stands for recreational vehicle, but inside that little acronym are a lot of different options. By definition an RV is any motor vehicle or trailer that has living space. There are plenty different types of RVs, depending on your needs as a traveler. That includes motorhomes, campervans, trailers, truck campers and pop-up vans.
With this many options it’s hard to know what you need, so before you rush off to search Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace for a used RV, why not consider renting one. Renting the RV you think best suits you not only gives you the opportunity to test out travel life on the road, it also helps you understand what requirements you need to make your trip enjoyable. Your ‘must haves’ in an RV may surprise you!
Booking a RV with RVshare
When it comes to booking an RV for a road trip there’s no better place to look than RVshare. Think of them like Airbnb for renting RVs. But instead of renting a room stuck in one location, you can rent an RV and wake up in a completely different setting every morning.
Especially in such a diverse state like California. You can literally be on the iconic California coast in the morning, have lunch in the lush redwood forests and then overlook the snowy mountains or dry deserts at sunset.
RVshare has every different kind of RV you could want. Aside from the most popular 18ft-24ft type RVs that you might be familiar with there’s also luxury camper vans, airstreams, teardrop trailers and full sized motorhomes to suit any type of traveler.
You can search by the location of where you want to pick it up, trip dates and how many people you need space for. Once the search results pop up you can then filter by price, the size and type of the vehicle, as well as the many different amenities that a RV can have.
Once you’ve found a couple of RVs that you like you can do a deep drive and read reviews, get the specifications on size and see every amenity that it offers. You can also search the RV availability and a simple message interface allows you to easily chat with the owner to ask any further questions.
It honestly makes booking a RV so simple. So simple that we decided to do it ourselves!
Our RV Road Trip Experience
With a burning desire to explore the California coast that we love so much, we jumped on RVshare and started searching for a mid-seized RV to get started. Out of all the years of epic road trips around the world (Northern Spain road trip and Estonia trip being big highlights), this would be our very first time in a RV.
We weren’t sure what to expect, but it turns out driving a 24ft RV isn’t nearly as nerve-wracking as it seems. Driving it was pretty straight forward. It rocked and rolled a little more than our trusty Camry, but that’s pretty understandable considering you’re driving a small house around with you.
Turning and reversing got easier the more we got used to driving the RV. Even though it was twice the length of our van, with a decent backup camera installed we managed to avoid any mishaps.
Benefits of Renting a RV
For anyone who’s been following our adventures you’ll know we’re all about that #VanLife. Back in 2017 we bought an old 1992 Dodge Ram, built a bed, some storage areas and installed solar panels and batteries for power.
And as much as we love our little van, there was a problem. We had no shower, no bathroom and were constantly running out of water when trying to do dishes on the road. You can only get yourself, and your things, so clean living off baby wipes alone. There was also the ‘little’ problem of the bed, which barely fit the two of us.
Even after a day in the RV we were already like… wow, we’ve got some serious space in here. Not only that, but the extra amenities really made traveling in a vehicle a lot easier than our van. It was so nice to have running water to do dishes, a flushable toilet and a full sized bed.
Aside from the obvious things, like a bathroom and bed, we also loved the extra storage space and dining / working table. The storage space allowed us to reduce the amount of clutter and the desk gave us somewhere proper to work. Working remotely means we not only have a lot of things we need to bring with us (camera equipment, computers, etc), but we also need a comfortable work space to be able to work effectively during the day.
We know not everyone is going to be renting a RV to drive around the country and work. However, if you do have things you need to do online then its a huge advantage to have your own private space to smash out that work in the morning before you go hiking through a national park or taking a walk along a quiet beach.
