The cheap and easy way to rent an RV

Do you like the idea of camping, but the thought of sleeping in a tent is not so exciting? Do you sometimes wish you could just get away in an RV for a few days, but don’t know where to even begin with looking for an RV to rent? Let me tell you about the cheap and easy way to rent an RV.

This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Please see my full disclosure policy for details.

I love camping. My friends and I used to take camping trips all the time in our single and early marriage days. We’d load up the tents, camp chairs, coolers filled with food and head out for a weekend filled with making meals together, and late night visits around the campfire.

My husband and I continued the tradition of camping after we got married. We used to tent it, but after having a couple of kids the tent started getting a little squishy and I was kind of over sleeping on a cold air mattress. We go on an annual camping trip with a group of people from our church. A few years ago I was researching our options for renting a trailer for this particular trip. I really didn’t want to stay in a tent again and everyone we know that has a trailer was going to this campout. The problem with most RV rental companies is that there are not very many of them in our area and they are at least 30-45 minutes away. They also didn’t have very convenient pick up and drop off times and they were so expensive!

I found the solution with RV Share

After a little more research, I came across a site called RV Share. With RV Share you rent RVs from the actual owners of the RVs, not a huge company. It’s basically like Airbnb for motorhomes and travel trailers.

We loved our experience with RV Share! We found a cute little trailer to rent a few miles away from where we live and the owners were great to work with. They did a thorough walkthrough of the trailer with us when we picked it up, showing us how everything worked and where things were located. They were flexible on pick up and drop off times which was very helpful to us. We also got a great rate on the trailer rental which saved us money on our trip expenses. Our experience with RV Share was so awesome that we rented again through them the next year for our annual camping trip. We are rented a little bigger trailer and our experience with the owner was great. Again the owner was very helpful and flexible on pick up and drop off times. The travel trailer suited our needs perfectly.

How it works to rent an RV with RV Share

• Enter the area you would like to search. You can either look in or near your town or near the town you will be camping in. Your search will show you available RVs within a few miles or up to 50+ miles away. I personally like to only consider listings within 10 or 15 miles because I want it to be convenient for pick up and drop off. Depending on the area you live in, you may need to broaden your search.
• Next, select the dates that you would like to rent the RV for. There will be times listed for when the RV must be picked up and dropped off by, but a lot of times the owner is flexible on those times.
• Select the type of RV you would like to rent. You have a choice of trailers, 5th Wheels, or motorhomes. You can also select how many people will be staying in the RV. This will help narrow down your search as it will only show bigger or smaller RVs depending on the size you need.
• You also have the option to set a maximum price that you would like to search for. Each listing will show the price per night on the home page, but there are also weekly and sometimes monthly rates. Please note that the initial rates do not include taxes, insurance and any other additional fees.
• Once you find an RV that you would like to rent you will contact the owner by sending them a message. They will message you back to confirm and let you know the total rates and then you are able to book your rental. Everything is done through the RV Share site including paying for your rental.

Tips to make sure you find the exact RV you need

• When I am searching for a trailer, I will only look at listings that show at least a few pictures of the trailer inside and out. I have specific things that I’m looking for, like bunk beds and a tub in the bathroom because we have kids. I also want to make sure that the trailer looks clean and well taken care of. If the listing only shows pictures of the outside or a layout map of the trailer I will not even consider it.
• I check to see if the listing has reviews from previous renters. If there are good reviews saying the trailer was clean and the owner was great to work with, I’m more likely to rent this trailer. If there are listings with reviews that say that the owner was not easy to get in touch with or was not flexible, I will probably not put that trailer on my list of possibilities to rent.
• Sometimes the RV listing will have a list of items that are included in the rental – bedding, towels, dishes, cookware, paper goods, etc. This varies by listing and not all rentals will include any extras since that is not required. If there is something specific that you need for your trip and you don’t see it in the listing, you can always double check with the RV owner to see if it is included in the rental.
• Most listings will have a cleaning fee, but I would still make sure the RV is nice and clean when you return it. The place where we attend our annual campout is very dusty. After a weekend of camping and kids going in and out of the trailer, there was just a little bit of that dust everywhere. With each trailer we rented I made sure to wipe down everything and make sure the bathroom was clean before we returned it. The owners were very appreciative. Another thing to note is that you will be charged a damage fee when you pick up your RV. That fee will be refunded to you if you return the RV clean and in the same condition it was the day you picked it up.
• RVs can book up fast, especially for a holiday weekend, so it is a good idea to book your RV in advance to make sure there is one available. I recommend booking a month or two in advance if you know it’s going to be a popular weekend for RV rentals.

Rent an RV for your next camping trip

RV Share is the new, easy way to rent an RV and make sure your next getaway is enjoyable. Are you ready to go camping? Click the link below to book your RV.

For more tips and ideas on how to make your camping trip easy and enjoyable check out my post:

Tips and tricks for camping meals and prep

Happy camping!