While you may think that renting an RV is much like renting a car, the truth is the two could not be much more different. Renting an RV is far more complicated than renting a car, but fortunately, we’ll walk you through some simple tips that you can use for your advantage if this is your first time renting an RV.
Here are the top tips for renting your first RV:
Plan Your Budget
First and foremost, you need to plan your budget. In fact, this is arguably the most important part of preparing for any RV vacation.
In addition to the cost of the RV rental itself, your total budget also has to take into account fuel, food, overnight parking, camping fees, your rental and security deposits and RV insurance (more on this later), and so on.
Determine What Your Must Haves Are
As points out, it’s essential for you to carefully research what type of RV you want or need. Some families are fine with just a basic bare bones RV, while others are willing to spend extra money for something more luxurious. Make a list of the must haves that you want in your RV before going to a dealer.
Only Rent From An RV Dealer
Examples of different places you can rent RV’s from include RV dealers, car rental agencies, or private party. Out of these options, an RV dealer will be by far your best and safest best. The reason is not only because they have more RV’s to choose from, but also because there is less than can go wrong with an actual RV dealer instead of a private dealer or a car rental agency.
Don’t Forget About Insurance and Additional Deposits
Whenever you rent an RV, you will also need to pay rental and security deposits, as well as possibly insurance. These are two expenses that few people think about when renting an RV. Most RV rental dealers are going to require you to make a deposit as soon as you make your reservation. However, this deposit money will be applied to your overall final rental cost.
Some RV rental dealers will provide the insurance themselves and then charge you a small fee, while others will not offer insurance and you will be required to purchase it on your own (which you can easily do via your car insurance company).
You will also need to pay a security deposit as well, but this will be refunded to you in full assuming that you return the RV to the dealer completely undamaged and on time.
Renting Your First RV
Renting an RV may be more complicated than renting a car and therefore may seem like a more intimidating process to you, especially if you’ve never rented one before, but hopefully these tips have helped to simplify things for you by teaching you what you need to focus on.