The urge to travel has never been stronger after coming off of years of Covid travel restrictions. But increased demand has led to an uptick in the costs of air travel, hotel stays, gas prices, car rental costs, and more. This may have left you exploring more costs-effective options for seeing the country. One option worth exploring is renting an RV, which can not only save you money, but can also offer freedom of movement, the comforts of home, and a more efficient way to go on those longer tours of the country.
Sound appealing? If so, there are factors you should weigh as you decide whether renting an RV is right for you:
Renting vs. Buying
It is the dream of the frequent traveler and the recent retiree to set out on the road in a brand new RV. But before you buy, you should know that RVs are considerable investments. Not only can they cost as much as a small home, but you have to consider the costs of repairs, maintenance, insurance, taxes, registration, and storage.
For the true road warrior, the investment may be worth it, but for the occasional traveler, renting offers all the benefits without the extra costs and hassles of upkeep. In addition, renting is a great way to try an RV on for size to see if the road life is right for you.
Saving Money
You may be thinking that RV travel is a great way to save money, and in some instances that’s true. But before you rent, consider the occasions where RV rental may be more cost effective. Weighing costs means balancing traditional travel (driving or flying, hotel stays, restaurant meals) against RV travel (camping fees, fuel, eating in, rental fees).
This may seem like a no-brainer, but for a group of four or smaller who are willing to share one hotel room, traditional travel is often cheaper. An informal study by Money.com suggested that traditional travel involving a single hotel room could be 10% cheaper. If, however, you’re traveling with a larger group that require 2 or more hotel rooms, RV rental can save you considerable money.
Type of Travel
Air travel leaves you either fixed in one location or incurring the cost of a rental car to move around. An RV allows you to go wherever you want to go. And even car travel can create the hassle of booking hotel rooms when you move place to place, especially on a long trip. Renting an RV means you always have a place to stay without worries of no vacancy.
RV rentals are also great for those long meandering trips where you’re not sure where you’ll go next. Just get in and drive until you find that campsite where you want to stay. The one caveat is if you are a city traveler. Cities tend to be RV unfriendly.
Freedom
If you like flexibility in your travel, RV rental is definitely the way to go. With an RV, you are not time limited. In other words, you don’t have to worry about a booked reservation. You can pick up and go to the next place whenever the spirit moves you. Furthermore, you are not limited by “civilization.” You can go wherever you want to go whether there are hotels and restaurants or not. Get off the main roads and pull into a campsite or even get off the backroads and try “dry camping.” You’ll still have many of the comforts of home.
Interested if giving the RV lifestyle a try? You can view our Rental Units here https://www.rvcanadaottawa.ca/rv-rentals
–Ivan Young is a writer in partnership with outdoor and recreational fabric retailer Seattle Fabrics.
