Spring Break: Renting a RV

Spring break is looked forward to by children, teens, college students and parents each year. One wonderful idea, for a spring break vacation is taking an RV trip. This is both family-friendly and fun for college students. People of all ages get excited about new adventures, and an RV can be a major help to easing the spring break planning. Don't worry if you don't already own an RV; there are many places to rent them all throughout the United States. However, before you go to your local RV rental lot, you should come up with some specifications that you need for your trip.

Models

Towable RVs - These are towable by a family car, truck, or van, and can be left at your campsite or other destination if you need to take your vehicle elsewhere while on the trip. Here are some of the models of towable RVs on the market:

Folding Camping Trailers - These fold down for a lightweight tow, allow for fresh air, and sleep up to eight.

Truck Campers - These mount onto the pickup bed of a truck and sleep up to six.

Conventional Travel Trailers - These are available in many sizes and sleep up to ten.

Fifth Wheel Travel Trailers - These are towed by pickup trucks, have two-level floor plans, and sleep up to six.

Travel Trailers with Expandable Ends - These are lightweight for towing, have ends that can pull out further for extra sleeping space, and sleep up to eight.

Sport Utility RVs - These are available as either towable or motorized, have built-in storage space for sports equipment or vehicles, and sleep up to eight.

Modorized RVs - These RVs have living quarters built into a vehicle, but some of the models are still towable.

Type A Motorhomes - These usually have the most room of all types of RVs and also the most amenities. They typically sleep up to six. You may need a Class A license to drive these.

Type B Motorhomes or Van Campers - These drive similar to a typical van and sleep up to four.

Type C Motorhomes - These usually have more amenities than Type B Motorhomes, often including sleeping space above the cab, and these sleep up to eight.

Research

When deciding on what type of RV to rent for your spring break vacation, keep these questions in mind:

- Do I want to take my vehicle along on the trip?

- How much am I willing to spend on an RV rental?

- How far will I be traveling for spring break, and what gas mileage do I need to stay in my price range?

- How many people will be traveling with me?

RV Rental Companies

Once you have narrowed down what model of RV you might want to use for your spring vacation, check out your local RV rental companies for a look at the actual vehicle. Here are some websites of dealerships with locations throughout the United States:

http://www.cruiseamerica.com/

http://www.elmonterv.com/

http://www.moturis.com/

Another great resource is RVRA - the Recreational Vehicle Rental Association. On their website, you can search RV rental locations by state. Here is their site:

http://www.rvra.org/

Trip Ideas

There are many different vacation opportunities that are convenient with RV travel. Using an RV instead of a car minimizes the need for a hotel, so you can save some money for your travels and activities. Here are some ideas for your spring break RV vacation:

- Go camping You can enjoy the beautiful spring delights, but still have the amenities of home with you.

- Go on a road trip. Take a trip to a place you've never visited like a city or a national park, and enjoy the scenic route and various stops along the way.

- Go to the beach. This is a popular spring break trip, and it can be made even cheaper without hotel fees.

- Go on an outdoors adventure, whether it be hiking, mountain biking, white water rafting, or boating.

With a little bit of planning, renting an RV can put a new spin on your annual spring break trip or make a memorable first spring break!

Here are some other helpful sites to look at:

http://www.rv-info.net/

http://gorving.com/

http://www.byways.org/

http://www.gorving.com/pubs/towable_rvs.cfm