Hi from a newbie

[richie]

Hi all,

I am Richie, and I am from dear old England.

I am delighted to have found this website, its fantastic!

I love America and I love driving, so I aways knew I had to do a roadtrip, and the only place to do that is in the USA.

To date I have only completed one road trip- a solo effort- from Chicago to LA in 2004. I took with me, Lonely Planet: route 66, and RoadTrip USA both of which are excellent.

Being single, and unable to sell the prospect of a RT to friends, I went solo.
As with every holiday, it had good points and bad points.

I would enjoy everyday from an early rise (5:30 am), all thru the day, and right up until early evening. Its then that a bit of company and a friendly face was what I needed, someone to go to dinner with, and recount the experiences of the day.

That said, I did meet loads of wonderful people, and would do the solo thing again, although I would also like to travel with a friend.

Well, actually, I did do one mini-RT last year. I was xmas-ing with friends in lake City FL, when I drove down to Key West and back, just so I could say I had driven across the seven mile bridge, among others.

Its a fantasy of mine to win a bucket load of cash, buy a $300000.00 RV, and spend the rest of my life travelling the US and Canada.

While I am waiting for that to happen, I may just have to save up for another two-weeker!

On my first RT, I rented a car, and stayed in motels along the way. But I also fancy renting an RV, so i can dispense with having to find motels, and visit some of the camping sites out there.

So, my questions are, can anybody reccommend:

a) a good RV rental company

b) The best RV to rent (for a solo trip- thats the plan for now)

b) A scenic route, for the summer/fall or spring/summer.

Thers is a lot of info out there, but I value the opinion of the experts- you guys!


cheers for now

richie

[Midwest Michael]

Welcome to the RTA Forum, we're glad you found the site.

I don't have much experience with RV's, and other than knowing that it will be expensive, I don't have any recommendations about renting one.

However, I would suggest that renting one could be a much bigger hassle than its worth. I've been camping all over the US, and I've never even set foot into an RV. I think you could find a more enjoyable, much less expensive trip simply by renting a car and spending a little bit of money on a tent and other basic camping supplies. But if you have your heart set on renting an RV, it is a popular topic on the forum, and you'll likely find some good advice by using the search utility.

As far as a Route Suggestion, since you've already done the West, I think a trip in the east could be fun for you. Start in Maine, work your way south through New England and down through the mountain areas like the Great Smokey Mountains. This could be an awesome trip in the fall, as the leaves are changing.

You could also focus on the Northwest, either hitting the Washington/Oregon Coasts, or traveling through area's like Glacier, Yellowstone and Mt. Rushmore/Black Hills.

There are a million possibilities, but those are a couple you might enjoy.

[richie]

Thanks for the advice.

I really like to idea of the Northwest, especially yellowstone, and for me, part of the fun is in the planning!

Its interesting what you say about a car vs an RV, it maybe is the better way for me to go.

All food for thought!

[Mark Sedenquist]

a) a good RV rental company

Here are a couple of articles that you ought to read and consider. The first one is an overview of the types of RVs available, an overview of how and why to rent, a superb checklist of things to consider when picking up a rental RV and an alternative to traditional RV rentals.

b) The best RV to rent (for a solo trip- thats the plan for now)

I think for a solo trip -- I would get a RoadTrek size -- still small enough for normal parking and access and has all of the amentities to make such a roadtrip adventure fun and relaxing.

Happy Planning!

Mark