Wandering the great outdoors in comfort, style, and luxury is what most of us travel-loving humans want. We may act all macho in front of our friends saying that we could easily stay in a jungle, forest, or any remote destination with hardly any amenities and survive on nothing more than what the land offers. But the truth is that harsh and uncomfortable adventure trips get tiring really quickly and not all of us want to go through all that hassle and discomfort.
This is why RV Van rentals have gained such immense popularity in North America where vast open roads, acres of national forests, and plenty of natural attractions seduce adventures out of their homes and into natures embracing arms. An RV offers that freedom to set out to remote destinations without having to worry about discomforts such as sleeping on the ground, doing your business in the bushes, or cooking over a campfire.
You also don’t have to rely on a flimsy tent to keep you safe and protected from the elements in case the weather takes a turn for the worse or worse if you come across wildlife. With an RV you can simply drive where you want to go and once you are there it’s like you have with you a home away from home.
Today, RVs come equipped with all the modern tools, equipment, and amenities needed to keep you safe and comfortable. Modern RVs are equipped with beds, TVs, a gas-powered stove, a toilet, lights, heating, a fridge, chairs, a table, and plenty of cabinets to store all the essentials you would need on your adventure holiday. Having an RV is the equivalent of owning a small house on wheels!
It is no wonder then that in North America at least the RV culture is here to stay. But the real question is whether you should own an RV or simply rent one when you fancy an outdoor adventure?
Renting VS Owning
The answer to this predicament lies in how often you are planning to use an RV or 5th wheel. If you are an outdoors person and simply love exploring and traveling than you would be better off buying an RV that you could call your own. But what about all those people who want to experience the RV lifestyle for themselves but can only do so once a year at best. Should they still look to own one or should they rent instead?
Most families in America take a vacation once a year for a period of often two-weeks. Traveling internationally with the entire family can be expensive so most average American households prefer setting off in an RV to new and exciting destinations within North America. After all, it is a lot less expensive and can be just as much fun as a foreign vacation if not more.
And on the subject of expense, traveling in an RV can actually help you save a lot of money. Since RVs come equipped with all the amenities you would find at home don’t need to spend money staying at expensive hotels and eating out at diners or restaurants.
Your RV has everything you need to cook meals for the entire family and depending on the model you choose to own or rent; easily accommodate two to four people. You get comfortable bedding a fully functioning toilet and the ability to park your RV at the many RV parks found all over North America. These campsites are tailor-made for RV enthusiasts and often come equipped with additional amenities such as electric, water, and sewage hook-ups.
Staying at an RV campground you are also likely to meet a lot of other nature-loving enthusiasts and can enjoy a wonderful time socializing with like-minded individuals.
If you aren’t a hardcore camping or outdoors person or are new to RVs in general it is always recommended that you rent instead of own. Owning and maintaining an RV brings with it many challenges and if you don’t know what you are doing it can end up costing you a lot of money. RVs are usually massive vehicles and if you don’t plan on using it much it’s just going to sit there in your driveway collecting dust and being nothing more than an expensive paperweight.
The other con of owning an RV is that it depreciates in value quite quickly. And that makes sense as an RV is an extremely personal vehicle and buying a second-hand one isn’t what most customers are looking for. Even if you have bought an RV and used it only once or twice and look to sell it off you can lose almost 20%-30% of its book value. Since RVs are not cheap that can add up to quite a loss.
It is also not easy to maintain an RV. With so much going on in one vehicle keeping it clean and tidy at all times can be harder than you think. Having an RV is like owning a second home. An RV needs to be cleaned just as often and as thoroughly as a home. This means sweeping, vacuuming, dusting, changing the bedsheets, removing the trash and sewage waste, and much more. Also if anything does go wrong with it the cost of fixing it can often add up to quite a substantial amount.
Renting an RV also has its own set of pros and cons. Yes renting will be much cheaper than buying but if you intend on going on a lot of outdoor adventures that cost can quickly multiply and end up being more than what it would have taken to just buy an RV outright. Also, many people who are not used to RVing find the vehicles to be too big and difficult to drive on the road.
However, an RV van rental offers a fix to the size problem as these mobile homes tend to be a lot smaller than traditional RVs and motorhomes and also a lot more affordable. RV vans may be smaller in size but they still come with all the comforts you would want during your camping holiday. Also, as they are smaller they offer much better mileage and are a lot easier to drive and park.
