Hello, my wife and I have decided a Class C is best for us except for one thing. We really don't want to tow a vehicle but, we also realize it is no fun to RV without a vehicle so you can leave your campsite alone. My question is can you easily rent a car and have it delivered to your campsite? I know this may sound like a dumb question. But, I really would value anyone's opinion on this matter and especially anyone's experience. TIA!
Rent a car at destination advice
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Kirk
Well-known member
That depends on where you are. When in or near a large city you will probably have little difficulty but in small towns and rural areas you may not find any car rental sources. If you stay in state or federal campgrounds you may also have difficulty finding an agency that will deliver to you. The other issue is what it will cost to rent cars on a frequent basis. How much do you expect to use the RV? We used to do weekends without towing a car and it worked well as we seldom needed one but for a week or longer that was inconvenient. We carried bicycles and did OK but we were younger then and much more fit.
Larry N.
Well-known member
When I started RVing I had that thought of renting rather than towing. It didn't take more than a couple of long trip without a toad to discover that, although rental cars are available near most airports served by the airlines and in some other places, the places that we went were rarely such places -- hotel living might be more appropriate for those places where you can rent a car, since the bigger the city (generally speaking) the less likely you'll find camping areas convenient for your intended destination.
Example -- we went to Quartzsite, AZ our first January, and we'd have probably had to rent a car in Phoenix, over 100 miles away.
Example -- We went to visit our son in Baltimore, and it was almost a 30 minute drive from the most convenient camping area (near the PA border) to his house, which is on the north side of the metro area.
Example -- we went on a much shorter outing to Golden Gate Canyon State Park in CO (we live near Denver), and we'd have needed to rent in Denver and have DW follow me in the motorhome with that rental.
Think of the types of places you might go and check for campgrounds and car rentals within reasonable distances.
These two sites can help you find campgrounds of any type anywhere in the U.S.:
Allstays | Campgrounds | RV Parks
Contact us today for full details and contact info in the Allstays.com complete guide to campgrounds, RV parks and parking lots for boondocking, hotels, motels, and much, much more.
RV Parky | RV Parks & Campgrounds Directory, Reviews, Photos
Directory and reviews of RV Parks, Rest Areas, and other RV friendly places in the U.S. and Canada.
So much depends on you...
Ohiosnowbird
Well-known member
We do what you’re wanting to do. We have a class C as well. We haven’t had much luck with the delivery part but we have rented cars in Pensacola, FL, Beaufort, SC, Abbeville, LA. We’re in the process of winter trip planning and have found them available in Murrells Inlet, SC, Savannah, GA, near Saint Marys, GA. So far… We just stop with the RV and one of us drives the RV, the other drives the car. Have to admit the Dodge Charger was fun to drive!
JudyJB
Well-known member
I have been on the road full time for over 12 years without towing a vehicle. I have occasionally rented a car, but nearly always, I just take my 32' motorhome shopping or wherever I want to go sightseeing. As far as leaving my campsite, I just leave my stuff out and have never had anyone take with, with one exception, and that was a young, overenthusiastic camp host. I came back just as he was clearing out my hose, chair, and stuff which he thought was trash. I chewed him out thoroughly and told him he needs to check the list of campers to determine if I had really left!! People with vans occasionally have the same problem, though it is rare.
I now leave a sign on my site along with my stuff that says on one side that the campsite is occupied, and on the other it says I'll be right back. Have never had anything stolen by a fellow camper or their guests.
Most places I go sightseeing have places to park big rigs, as do the bigger stores in towns. Once in a while, I might have to park down a side street, but have almost never have not been able to find parking in a "big box" store.
I now leave a sign on my site along with my stuff that says on one side that the campsite is occupied, and on the other it says I'll be right back. Have never had anything stolen by a fellow camper or their guests.
Most places I go sightseeing have places to park big rigs, as do the bigger stores in towns. Once in a while, I might have to park down a side street, but have almost never have not been able to find parking in a "big box" store.
Thank-you for your reply. Sounds about right. Not sure how much we'll travel to begin with. But, as a newbie, I think I'll work out the tow situation after I become more confident. Thank-you again for answering my post. Peace be with you!
Thank-you Larry! That was quite informative. Appreciate your post.When I started RVing I had that thought of renting rather than towing. It didn't take more than a couple of long trip without a toad to discover that, although rental cars are available near most airports served by the airlines and in some other places, the places that we went were rarely such places -- hotel living might be more appropriate for those places where you can rent a car, since the bigger the city (generally speaking) the less likely you'll find camping areas convenient for your intended destination.
Example -- we went to Quartzsite, AZ our first January, and we'd have probably had to rent a car in Phoenix, over 100 miles away.
Example -- We went to visit our son in Baltimore, and it was almost a 30 minute drive from the most convenient camping area (near the PA border) to his house, which is on the north side of the metro area.
Example -- we went on a much shorter outing to Golden Gate Canyon State Park in CO (we live near Denver), and we'd have needed to rent in Denver and have DW follow me in the motorhome with that rental.
Think of the types of places you might go and check for campgrounds and car rentals within reasonable distances.
These two sites can help you find campgrounds of any type anywhere in the U.S.:
Allstays | Campgrounds | RV Parks
Contact us today for full details and contact info in the Allstays.com complete guide to campgrounds, RV parks and parking lots for boondocking, hotels, motels, and much, much more.www.allstays.com
RV Parky | RV Parks & Campgrounds Directory, Reviews, Photos
Directory and reviews of RV Parks, Rest Areas, and other RV friendly places in the U.S. and Canada.www.rvparky.com
So much depends on you...
Thank-you Ohiosnowbird. We're thinking the same thing. Stop at a place closest to our destination and one drives the car, the other the RV. Thankfully, the Lord has blessed me and I'm not worried about the expense. But, I'd rather stay in an RV, than a hotel for sure.
JudyJB:
Excellent post--thanks so much for sharing!!!
darsben
Well-known member
10 years no towed. Rent a car if I can. Enterprise picks up and delivers, otherwise do the stop and pick up thing. I am in a class A
A Traveler
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 25, 2014
- Posts
- 684
Some of the most unpleasant experiences I’ve ever had on trips was renting a car from Enterprise when I was without a tow car. I hated it.
No more. We’ve got a tow car again. Got the Mini Countryman all set up for towing now.
No more. We’ve got a tow car again. Got the Mini Countryman all set up for towing now.
Isaac-1
Well-known member
We bought our 28 ft class A in 2016, and did not start towing a car until 2021, in that time we traveled about 20,000 miles without a TOAD, sometimes renting cars at destinations, sometimes using uber, taxis, shuttle buses, or just driving our coach around. Like others have said it is highly variable, we used Enterprise a couple of times because they advertised they would pick you up, in the real world this meant they would pick you up if they had enough staff to do so, which may mean waiting half a day for them to come get you at a campground, when their office is less than 2 miles away. Also in some places rental car prices are insane, Page AZ comes to mind where I think the cheapest daily rate in 2019 was nearly $240 per day for a basic econo box car, note this was one of those places where we opted to drive the coach back and forth 8 miles to the campground each day instead of renting a car.
Laura & Charles
Well-known member
You’ll be surprised at how little towing adds to the driving your rig experience. You don’t have to turn wider or any differently with it behind you—it tracks right behind, and inside the track of your rig. If your coach misses everything, your toad will too. Conversely, if your rear wheels clip a curb, your toad will too; so becoming confident is a good idea. In the meanwhile, you might consider electric bikes for nearby sightseeing and groceries and such.
Kirk
Well-known member
Since you seem to be thinking about part-time RV travels, the ability to rent or just drive the RV is at least somewhat practical, but if you do choose to go that route, consider carrying bicycles or some other type of transportation that would extend your access without towing a car. When we got our first motorhome we were weekend and vacation RVers and we took 2 bicycles with us and did fine for several years that way. The longer the periods of living in your RV are the greater the advantage of towing a car becomes.
There is also one other thing to consider, especially as your time spent in the RV becomes longer. When we were on the road full-time and became acquainted with numerous others living that same way, it became apparent to us that some people who choose not to tow get an unflattering reputation for asking to ride along with friends who do tow.
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Isaac-1
Well-known member
To add to this, we are part time RV'ers typically traveling 2-4 weeks at a time, plus the occasional long weekend trip. What we found was that we were spending our limited travel time sitting around campgrounds rather than going out and seeing things due to the hassle of packing up the RV, not because of any interest in being at the campground.
darsben
Well-known member
Sad " friends" had to ask .
CharlesinGA
Well-known member
My first RV was a Winnebago View, 2007, one of the older models generally considered a No-tow-bago, unless its seriously light........... Anyhow, I many times travel with friends and so I would ride with them (Quad cab truck and travel trailer) to go sightseeing or where ever. One trip to the Black Hills before the 2017 solar eclipse, I did rent a car from the only place I could find to rent from, Enter$urprise in Spearfish SD. It was a good experience, but I began to realize the hassles of not having a toad and also could not justify another vehicle to insure, tag and maintain. Finally got rid of the class C and moved on to a truck and trailer.
Charles
Charles
Kirk
Well-known member
You are psychic and just know who needs a ride and where? Or maybe you are psychotic and you want to take strangers for a ride?
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darsben
Well-known member
Your the one who said they wee friends not me. i would not hesitate to give a friend a ride. Perhaps you misspoke or you value friends differentlyYou are psychic and just know who needs a ride and where? Or maybe you are psychotic and you want to take strangers for a ride?
DonTom
Well-known member
If there are two of you, and you both drive, it's usually not too difficult to go to a car rental place in the motorhome and have one of you drive the RV back and the other drive the rental car back to the RV park.
We used to do that often. But now that I am widowed, I just carry an electric motorcycle on my hitch as shown in my avatar here.
I also have a hangup about towing.
-Don- Auburn, CA
