Advice for first time RV rental and experience

[ascanio1]

Hello to everyone,

We seek any advice that this community is willing and has time to spare to offer to two Italian families, both with one daughter (2 x 4 y.o.) who are renting and experiencing an RV holiday for their very first time.

We want to visit Grand Canyon or Yosemite or Yellowstone or other National parks in the US. We have 2 weeks (any time of the year).

The two little girls are friends and can sleep in the same bed but the two couples would prefer some intimacy (separate compartment?). Of course cost is a parameter and agility of the vehicle a big concern (only one of us has a lorry driving license but unsure if the International Driving Licence will endorse that permit).

We understand that our requirements are contrasting (two separate sleeping compartments vs agility) so we can compromise.

We seek advice on the best rental companies, vehicle size, options to ask for (we want 4 mountain bikes with seats for the little girls), and really any other advice, recommendation, items to consider, what's important and what is not, dangers, laws, regulations, etc., etc..

Basically anything that you would say to friends who are jumping into this experience for the first time and who find even know what questions to ask!

Thank you in advance for your time and expertise that you will share with us.

[ascanio1]

Check list:
-------------------------
1. Check for hidden costs as cleaning fees, full tank fees, mileage, etc.
2. Remember to buy provisions before starting.
3. Remember snacks for little ones (we may not be able to stop when they are hungry).
4. Consider renting a car nearby or consider renting mountain bikes?
5. We should not go on US holidays: higher prices, lesser choice.
6. Ask for TV with Netflix/Hulu?Vudu
7. Class A rides nicer than C
8. Pots & pans, utensils, flat ware, bowls, etc.
9 How do we launder clothes? Camps have these facilities. Remember to plan for it
10. Grilling equipment
11. Ask for an RV with rack for bicycles
12. Plan for sleeping/parking (RVParky+AllstaysApp+ParkadvisorApp)
13. Check driving license requirements (https://www.motorhome-usa.com/driver-license-rv-rental-usa)
14. Downhill: use the driving cautions of my age (low gear, not brakes)
15. Mountain bikes: check rental vs purchase prices: Walmart or Target or online and then gift them to a Church.
16. Racks for bicycles must fit 2 inch receivers, not adjustable (flimsy).
17. Two days between water refill and waste disposal
18. It will take a day to get the RV provisioned and ready and then another day to return it and get to the airport.

[ascanio1]

opnspaces wrote:
I love the idea and know that you guys will have fond memories even if only half of the plan works out. Here's a few ideas I have after reading all the posts.
As will be evidenced below I'm partial to Yosemite. I've been going since I was a child and now my children go with me once a year in spring.
I would go to Yosemite from LAX, it's about a 6 hour drive. When I think if Yosemite I picture it as two separate parks even though it really is only one park. There is high country which is the bulk of the park. It consists of meadows and streams trees and great views. although at that time of year many of the streams will be small or dry. Also the high country is snowed in and closed most of the year and starts opening in June or July. If you go in the summer or early fall the high country is probably the best place to be.
Then there is Yosemite valley which is only about 7 miles long and 1 mile across. Yosemite valley is where you will see all and hear all the waterfalls. There are paved bike trails as well as a free bus system that circles most of the valley. BUT the waterfalls are fed by snow melt and will be mostly dry in the fall. By and large the best time to see Yosemite valley is late March or early April. The temperatures will be mild 68-73F (20-22C) and the waterfalls will be flowing. There are bike rentals in the valley, but honestly the bikes are horrible.

Yellowstone is huge. You could probably spend all two weeks there and feel like you haven't seen it all. Again watch for winter as it will snow.

Grand Canyon... I honestly have never seen it as a huge destination. Yes it's a big amazing looking canyon. But for an RVer I can't imagine it holding more than a day or two days worth of you attention. I would instead consider maybe a trip of Grand Canyon for a day or so and then over to Bryce Canyon and Zion national parks. They are about a 4 hour drive from the Grand Canyon.

Go late March to Late April, the crowds are much smaller as our kids are in school. But be aware our school spring breaks stagger around Easter causing higher prices and larger crowds. so late April would be best. You can go early May, but temperatures start to rise and crowds start to grow. By and large the busiest travel season in the US is between Memorial day and Labor day. That is when the kids are out of school for summer.
Figure
1 day flying into LAX plus getting rentals and shopping squared away.
1 day driving to Yosemite Valley (6 hours) and setting up camp.
4 days in the valley riding bikes, looking at waterfalls and such.
1 (11 hours) day driving to Grand Canyon with a stop at Hoover Dam.
(7 days so far)
2 days at Grand Canyon.
2 maybe 3 days at Bryce and Zion national parks.
1 day driving back to Los Angeles
(13 days so far)
probably a day to donate goods and drop off the RV and such.
(14 days)

WOW! Thank you! What a detailed and passionate note! Very much appreciated.

1. Yosemite in April, but not Easter, sounds a must do to put on our voting list!
2. Grand Canyon is a must! It may not be much to you Americans but to us Europeans it is part of America itself as much as Coca-Cola and Harley Davidson. How can we visit the US and not see The Grand Canyon. We may not do it on our first time around but it is a must, sooner or later.
3. Thanks for the dates heads-up!
4. Schedule planning seems perfect! We are going to keep it as the tentative plan, for now. Thank you!

opnspaces wrote:
On other thoughts.
Consider this a trip for the adults. At 2 and 4 the kids really wont remember the trip so make it one the adults want to do.

Yes. Planning will consider our childrens' needs but they certainly will not have a "vote" in the itinerary!

opnspaces wrote:
I believe most rental RV's have the option to also rent bedding and dishes, obviously at an added cost.

We were given heads-up about this and we decided to go with renting privately owned RVs from reliable websites that offer this service plus insurance.

opnspaces wrote:
We are a bit relaxed on driving in the US. You do not need a special license to drive or tow most RV's. Your regular old license will be good enough unless you are renting a HUGE RV which I seriously doubt you would even find to rent.

Check!

opnspaces wrote:
Most of the speed limits you will encounter on your trip will be around 70mph (112kmh) Typically everybody drives 5-8 mph over the limit in the cities and up to 15 mph in the open country. That being said I would keep it to 5-8 mph over, anything higher is just inviting an unfortunate stop from law enforcement.

Being Italians this will be the hardest advice to follow... Our fellow Italians will look at us with scorn if we don't get arrested for speeding at least once! Jokes apart, I was arrested in Georgia in 1985 for speeding on a rented open Corvette while chasing 2 pretty girls that I had just met at the Gold Club in Atlanta... At that time I was studying marketing at the Coca-Cola Company School for Marketing and I remember my mother's embarrassment and reprimands and my father's (private) compliments and pride that I got arrested doing two very Italian things: chasing girls and speeding! LOL... (I apologise to the moderators if I am not allowed to go OT on these matters).

Now I have a daughter so I will behave... promised!

opnspaces wrote:
It would probably be easier to buy 4 bikes, but the problem is getting rid of them after the trip is over. Same thought for a bike rack. Then again it might be cheaper to buy bikes and a rack and abandon them at the end than to rent them. I would look at Walmart.com or Target.com, (two of the largest retailers in the US) for bikes. You can pick up a 4 bike rack at Target for around $130 Make sure the rack fits a 2 inch receiver, don't buy the one that fits both 1 and 2 inch receivers as the adapter can be flimsy. Obviously you would want to physically visit the stores to purchase though you can usually do a purchase on the website with a ship to store option to pick the stuff up. The great thing about the internet is you can just search for a local charity center (also called thrift shop) to donate the bikes and carrier to as you get back to Los Angeles. These are typically run by Salvation Army, Goodwill and a large host of local churches and such.

This is a very good idea. We checked online and prices are not that crazy. I am sure that we can find a church that can use some extra bikes and the rack we can leave to the RV owner.

opnspaces wrote:
On top of mileage, rentals also typically have additional charges for running the generator and opening the awning.

Check.

opnspaces wrote:
Don't forget Los Angeles is huge (3 hours to drive South to North on a good day) with a host of attractions. The kids are probably a bit young, but a day trip to Disneyland in Anaheim would possibly be a good must see.

One wife suggested it and it is in our check list.

opnspaces wrote:
Good luck with the planning, I would love to visit Europe some day as you have a much longer history than we do.

True. But it is getting destroyed by our politicians so you better hurry! If you ever come, let us know, we live in the South of Italy, in Naples.

[ascanio1]

Questions:


A) In Parks:
1. can we light fires?
2. can we fish?
3. can we hunt (*) small game?
4. can we swim/row in lakes and rivers?

B) Outside Parks, in the wild:
1. can we light fires?
2. can we fish?
3. can we hunt (*) small game?
4. can we swim/row in lakes and rivers?

(*) Assuming that foreigners can obtain a permit and rent rifles legally.
PS: we love your first two amendments! Especially the first one! And the second one is there to protect the first one (ok it's there to protect against Gov. tyranny but it sounds better to say it the way I did)!

[ascanio1]

Matt_Colie wrote:
ascanio1,

While I have tried to digest most of your posts and I have commend your careful planning. Your effort to collect the needed information is also much more than I usually expect. Good Man.

There is, however, an issue that you should also study carefully. This has been an issue with visiting family from Europe. The US is a big place.

Yellowstone is an amazing place, but it is about 1000miles (1600Km) from LAX. That may be a stopper right there. Even with two very capable drivers, that is a long way to go. I strongly suggest that you use all the planning capability you can find to determine your schedule. Yellowstone is about a 5 day park by itself.

The Grand Canyon and Yosemite part of the plan is nearly possible. But remember to include that you will lose a day at each end for the acquire and return of the vehicle.

I wish you luck that is hours of driving without problems and memories that make it all worth the effort.

Matt

Hi Matt, thanks for the advice. I think that the most important advice that i gathered is not to expect privacy and the second one is that America is H - U - G - E and we cannot use european perspective in planning.

We have already scrapped the idea of 1,600 miles drive and we are more realistically looking at two stops only, and not more than 600 miles apart and spending about 5 days in each Park.

Airport to 1st Park = 600 miles
1st Park to 2nd Park = 600 miles
2nd park to Airport = 600 miles

Do you think that this is reasonable?

[ascanio1]

Jebby14 wrote:
keep us posted OP I know I'm following this for my own enjoyment

Apologies for the absence! Hiccup in one of the families requires scheduling to be put on hold. We will keep everyone posted!

[ascanio1]

Chock Full o' Nuts wrote:
Bwahahahaha. "RV" "privacy" and "perfect/flawless" do not belong in the same sentence. RVing is all about adventures, the ones you planned and the ones you hadn't planned. Half the fun of RVing is the little (and sometimes big) situations that inevitably arise. If everyone can remain flexible, resilient, kind, cool, and friendly you'll have a great time. If one or more of you are high maintenance, I foresee an uncomfortable experience.

As for privacy, divest yourselves of that notion. There is NO privacy aboard an RV. Make peace with hearing, seeing, and smelling your friends' every pee, poop, fart, kiss, cuddle, and disagreement. If you can go along and pretend that these things are not happening within 20-feet of where you're sitting, you'll be fine.

I gathered that much by now. Thank goodness no one is high maintenance, to the contrary we are all very simple and easy going. And the unexpected adventures are welcome.

The only challenge is that the two wives do not know each other well and their privacy and bathroom is the only two hurdles left.

As you correctly outlined, these challenges are incompatible with RVing. We have changed strategy and rather than looking for solutions to the privacy & bathroom challenge we (husbands) are trying to find solutions to the expectancies.

We think that the only way to enjoy the experience is to set expectations right from the start rather than trying to manage RV incompatible expectations: the wives will have to bond and become comfortable with closeness and intimacy.

After having read all your precious advice, we have come to the conclusion that we need more time to ensure bonding happens before we embark on this experience.

Chock Full o' Nuts wrote:
Here are some highlights of our years of RVing:

*Ear infection, burst eardrum
*Hit a building, tore off half the roof ($3,000)
*Ran out of diapers in Yellowstone
*Gerbil died in Grand Tetons, transported home in the freezer
*Vomiting & diarrhea x 2 days
*Cornea abrasion
*Bashed the front of the camper ($6,000)
*Nearly ran out of gas in the desert
*Got lost in the Big Horn Mountains
*Buffalo peed on our campsite (5-ft in diameter pool of pee!)
*Lightning strike 10 feet from the camper, made our ears ring
*Life-threatening pneumonia
*Wind tore off the awning ($1,000)
*Rolled our rig & tow vehicle

LOL! I loved the compassion for the Gerbil! Did it get a full funeral back at home?

[ascanio1]

ken56 wrote:
You guys sound like you would be great to meet. Like people on this site RVers are a very social and helpful sort. When here and at a campground don't hesitate to ask someone for help with something if you should need it. Most folk are more than willing to be helpful. Don't be shy to say hi to people. I hope you make many new friends on your adventure.

Hi Ken from Tennessee! We (husbands( are not shy in the least! LOL!!! To the contrary we talk a lot and make friends super easily! We will annoy most campers and you will all probably read some warning posts on this forum:

... beware! Two Italian families rented an RV and are on the loose driving, talking, being messy and making noise like... Italians! But boy, do they cook well!

Looking forward to meet anyone from this forum once we will land on your shores! We will keep you all posted on the dates in this thread.

[ascanio1]

zcookiemonstar wrote:
Maybe you could rent a RV someplace near you for a short trip to get some experience. I know you don't have RV's as large as what we have here but you would get a basic idea of what it is like and what you may need. The sugestion of YouTube videos is a good one. So much info available and seeing it versus reading it sometimes make things easier to understand. You can search for basic RV info or even the parks or campgrounds you want to stay at.

We came to this exact same conclusion a few weeks ago before we had to put on hold the scheduling for a problem with relatives of one of the two families. One family is renting an RV in Northern Italy this summer and we will see what questions that experience generates! The trip to the US has to be put on hold for now. But the advice is still welcome and appreciated.

[ascanio1]

Apologies for the long delay in replying to my own thread. We had some relatives with problems and we may have to postpone our trip. At least one family. However the wealth of information that we gathered from this community is incredible and is super helpful to avoid many first timers' errors that we would have certainly fallen into!

For the moment we cannot determine dates any longer but we are still eager to try the American RV experience...

We are still interested in advice and in building up our check list!

[opnspaces]

I love the idea and know that you guys will have fond memories even if only half of the plan works out. Here's a few ideas I have after reading all the posts.

As will be evidenced below I'm partial to Yosemite. I've been going since I was a child and now my children go with me once a year in spring.

I would go to Yosemite from LAX, it's about a 6 hour drive. When I think if Yosemite I picture it as two separate parks even though it really is only one park. There is high country which is the bulk of the park. It consists of meadows and streams trees and great views. although at that time of year many of the streams will be small or dry. Also the high country is snowed in and closed most of the year and starts opening in June or July. If you go in the summer or early fall the high country is probably the best place to be.

Then there is Yosemite valley which is only about 7 miles long and 1 mile across. Yosemite valley is where you will see all and hear all the waterfalls. There are paved bike trails as well as a free bus system that circles most of the valley. BUT the waterfalls are fed by snow melt and will be mostly dry in the fall. By and large the best time to see Yosemite valley is late March or early April. The temperatures will be mild 68-73F (20-22C) and the waterfalls will be flowing. There are bike rentals in the valley, but honestly the bikes are horrible.

Yellowstone is huge. You could probably spend all two weeks there and feel like you haven't seen it all. Again watch for winter as it will snow.

Grand Canyon... I honestly have never seen it as a huge destination. Yes it's a big amazing looking canyon. But for an RVer I can't imagine it holding more than a day or two days worth of you attention. I would instead consider maybe a trip of Grand Canyon for a day or so and then over to Bryce Canyon and Zion national parks. They are about a 4 hour drive from the Grand Canyon.

So that would be.
Go late March to Late April, the crowds are much smaller as our kids are in school. But be aware our school spring breaks stagger around Easter causing higher prices and larger crowds. so late April would be best. You can go early May, but temperatures start to rise and crowds start to grow. By and large the busiest travel season in the US is between Memorial day and Labor day. That is when the kids are out of school for summer.
Figure
1 day flying into LAX plus getting rentals and shopping squared away.
1 day driving to Yosemite Valley (6 hours) and setting up camp.
4 days in the valley riding bikes, looking at waterfalls and such.
1 (11 hours) day driving to Grand Canyon with a stop at Hoover Dam.
(7 days so far)
2 days at Grand Canyon.
2 maybe 3 days at Bryce and Zion national parks.
1 day driving back to Los Angeles
(13 days so far)
probably a day to donate goods and drop off the RV and such.
(14 days)

On other thoughts.

Consider this a trip for the adults. At 2 and 4 the kids really wont remember the trip so make it one the adults want to do.

I believe most rental RV's have the option to also rent bedding and dishes, obviously at an added cost.

We are a bit relaxed on driving in the US. You do not need a special license to drive or tow most RV's. Your regular old license will be good enough unless you are renting a HUGE RV which I seriously doubt you would even find to rent.

Most of the speed limits you will encounter on your trip will be around 70mph (112kmh) Typically everybody drives 5-8 mph over the limit in the cities and up to 15 mph in the open country. That being said I would keep it to 5-8 mph over, anything higher is just inviting an unfortunate stop from law enforcement. In the cities just go with the bulk flow of traffic and stay out of the far left lane on the big interstates in the cities (4+ lanes in each direction) Just stay in the two middle lanes and you will have the best driving experience.
If you go with the rental trailer idea the speed limit in California when towing is 55mph (again up to 5mph over but I wouldn't exceed that with a trailer in California) also you must stay in the two outside right lanes on the interstates.

It would probably be easier to buy 4 bikes, but the problem is getting rid of them after the trip is over. Same thought for a bike rack. Then again it might be cheaper to buy bikes and a rack and abandon them at the end than to rent them. I would look at Walmart.com or Target.com, (two of the largest retailers in the US) for bikes. You can pick up a 4 bike rack at Target for around $130 Make sure the rack fits a 2 inch receiver, don't buy the one that fits both 1 and 2 inch receivers as the adapter can be flimsy. Obviously you would want to physically visit the stores to purchase though you can usually do a purchase on the website with a ship to store option to pick the stuff up. The great thing about the internet is you can just search for a local charity center (also called thrift shop) to donate the bikes and carrier to as you get back to Los Angeles. These are typically run by Salvation Army, Goodwill and a large host of local churches and such.

On top of mileage, rentals also typically have additional charges for running the generator and opening the awning.

Don't forget Los Angeles is huge (3 hours to drive South to North on a good day) with a host of attractions. The kids are probably a bit young, but a day trip to Disneyland in Anaheim would possibly be a good must see.

Good luck with the planning, I would love to visit Europe some day as you have a much longer history than we do.

[Matt_Colie]

ascanio1,

While I have tried to digest most of your posts and I have commend your careful planning. Your effort to collect the needed information is also much more than I usually expect. Good Man.

There is, however, an issue that you should also study carefully. This has been an issue with visiting family from Europe. The US is a big place.

Yellowstone is an amazing place, but it is about 1000miles (1600Km) from LAX. That may be a stopper right there. Even with two very capable drivers, that is a long way to go. I strongly suggest that you use all the planning capability you can find to determine your schedule. Yellowstone is about a 5 day park by itself.

The Grand Canyon and Yosemite part of the plan is nearly possible. But remember to include that you will lose a day at each end for the acquire and return of the vehicle.

I wish you luck that is hours of driving without problems and memories that make it all worth the effort.

Matt

[Jebby14]

keep us posted OP I know I'm following this for my own enjoyment

[Chock_Full_o__N]

ascanio1 wrote:


The RV part must be perfect and flawless so that we can then repeat the experience and improve on the holiday aspects that were not perfect (Park access, long waits, bad food, bad attractions, etc.).

Bwahahahaha. "RV" "privacy" and "perfect/flawless" do not belong in the same sentence. RVing is all about adventures, the ones you planned and the ones you hadn't planned. Half the fun of RVing is the little (and sometimes big) situations that inevitably arise. If everyone can remain flexible, resilient, kind, cool, and friendly you'll have a great time. If one or more of you are high maintenance, I foresee an uncomfortable experience.

As for privacy, divest yourselves of that notion. There is NO privacy aboard an RV. Make peace with hearing, seeing, and smelling your friends' every pee, poop, fart, kiss, cuddle, and disagreement. If you can go along and pretend that these things are not happening within 20-feet of where you're sitting, you'll be fine. Cultivate a very broad sense of humor for this trip, cuz you're gonna need it.

ETA: Here are some highlights of our years of RVing:

*Ear infection, burst eardrum
*Hit a building, tore off half the roof ($3,000)
*Ran out of diapers in Yellowstone
*Gerbil died in Grand Tetons, transported home in the freezer
*Vomiting & diarrhea x 2 days
*Cornea abrasion
*Bashed the front of the camper ($6,000)
*Nearly ran out of gas in the desert
*Got lost in the Big Horn Mountains
*Buffalo peed on our campsite (5-ft in diameter pool of pee!)
*Lightning strike 10 feet from the camper, made our ears ring
*Life-threatening pneumonia
*Wind tore off the awning ($1,000)
*Rolled our rig & tow vehicle

[ken56]

You guys sound like you would be great to meet. Like people on this site RVers are a very social and helpful sort. When here and at a campground don't hesitate to ask someone for help with something if you should need it. Most folk are more than willing to be helpful. Don't be shy to say hi to people. I hope you make many new friends on your adventure.

[zcookiemonstar]

Maybe you could rent a RV someplace near you for a short trip to get some experience. I know you don't have RV's as large as what we have here but you would get a basic idea of what it is like and what you may need. The sugestion of YouTube videos is a good one. So much info available and seeing it versus reading it sometimes make things easier to understand. You can search for basic RV info or even the parks or campgrounds you want to stay at.