Florida to Vegas! Help!

[Louby24]

Hi,

We are two 40 something couples looking to rent an RV in Florida starting with exploring the keys and driving across to vegas. Stopping and exploring along the way. We are in the uk and need to start somewhere so thought here looks like a great place to find out from some "professionals"!!

What is the best way to to start would you say?

We are looking at September 2024. 16 ish days. Can go up to 20.

How much per night approx is average rental.

Do you recommend booking parks to stop at in advance for every night?

Are there places to "park up" free along the way? Or does every stop need booking and arranging in advance?

We had this rose tinted view of starting off in the Everglades and doing our thing at our own pace and I've had a little read and am not sure this will be the case! Although, correct me if I'm wrong!!

Anyway, would be great to hear from anyone who has done it. Any hints tips or recommendations would be amazing!

Thank you so much, from across the pond in the uk

With love and thanks in advance Louby Lou xx

 

[DonTom]

We are two 40 something couples looking to rent an RV in Florida starting with exploring the keys and driving across to vegas.

From what I heard here in the past, you will need a reservation for an RV in the Keys, perhaps for close to a year in advance! So that will be your first step. The Las Vegas area should be no problem. But it can still be very hot in Las Vegas in September.

I spent some time in the Everglades a year in a half ago and I didn't even try to go to the Keys. Florida is best in the Winter, perhaps the same for Las Vegas. But then both places fill up with the snowbirds--the people with RVs from the cold northern states.

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[Louby24]

Hi! Thank you! Are there any RV companies you can recommend?

 

[Bobtop46]

El Monte RV or Cruise America for rentals. If you fly into Miami there are rental locations.
16- 20 days is a brisk pace.
As mentioned Vegas can be hot in September, as is Texas and most of the South.
Recommend Reservations as much as possible, search the forum here for ideas on "free" places to stay, and limitations.
Rentals vary from KOA $60+ a night to state parks (reservations way in advance) $35 a night. Some Mom and Pop places are reasonable.
Another consideration is how you plan on getting around without driving the RV and finding parking in some places i.e. Key West.

 

[Isaac-1]

16-20 days to get from Miami to Las Vegas in an RV is ambitious, having time to stop and see things along the way is not realistic in my opinion, you may be able to stop and see some of the major highlights along that route in that number of days, but don't expect much else. Add on visiting the keys which are south of Miami, and you are looking for an even more ambitious trip.

Miami to Las Vegas even without the keys is over 2,500 miles of driving, most of us around here average about 50 miles of actual driving per hour during a travel day, ie 10 hours from pulling out and hitting the road in the morning, and you will drive 500 miles, realistically for first time RV renters, expect to manage no more than 5-6 hours on the road per day, at least 1 hour to break camp in the morning and 1 hour to set up in the evening, likely more than that if you are dealing with electrical hookups, dumping waste tanks, etc. So a reasonable estimate is 250-350 miles per day on travel days, or in other words 7 to 10 days on the road not doing any tourist stuff worth mentioning just to get from Miami to Las Vegas.

Do you really want to spend about half of your vacation driving all day long and just getting to see the US from the limited access interstate highway, if you take the secondary highways, it would take even longer. Everything happens slower in a motorhome, it takes longer to get packed up converted to driving mode, longer to maneuver into and out of fuel stations, longer to fuel ,etc.

p.s. I second the bit about most of your route being hot in September, hot enough that you will not want to sleep without air conditioning

 

[Isaac-1]

Just a follow up on free RV parking, there are a lot more free camping / free overnight parking options in the western US (Texas, and further west than there is in the eastern US), in Florida even roadside rest areas have a 3 hour maximum parking time, where Texas allows up to 24 hours in all roadside rest areas. The one bit of advice mentioned above that I would partly disagree with is, I don't see any need to get advanced reservations when traveling across the US, particularly in September, though you might want to call ahead, or book online for a stop for the night midway through a travel day. Expect to pay about $50 per night for commercial RV parks away from popular tourist areas, though there are some tricks you can use to get that down to about $25 per night on average and still getting electrical hookups using discount programs, staying in municipal and other government operated campgrounds, etc.

My wife and I did a 3 week long 2,800 mile loop trip from Louisiana to the Badlands of South Dakota then over to Hannibal, Missouri on the banks of the Mississippi river then home in May, which was more driving than I would prefer to do in the allotted time, but it was the time we had available so we decided to go for it. It was a bit rushed, and there were fewer tourist days than I would have liked, but overall it was an ok trip. Our overnight costs ranged from free for 5 nights of the trip mostly off grid camping near the Badlands, up to $54 per night for 3 or 4 nights, the rest were mostly between $17-$25 per night, staying at parks that accepted the Passport America discount cart ($44 annual membership cost, though they often run discount sales), as well as various publicly operated campgrounds, such as a fair grounds in rural Kansas, and a State Park in Arkansas.

 

[DonTom]

16-20 days to get from Miami to Las Vegas in an RV

Yeah, as you know, I did a similar trip that took me around 90 days.

My best trips are when I have no idea when I will be back home. That is most of my trips since I retired.

But I realize many people do not have that choice and must rush anything. IMO, that is not a total waste of time as one may know what they want for next time--what to see again and what not to see again.

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[Isaac-1]

Don, I agree people have limited time, that is why we did a 2,800 mile loop from Louisiana to the Badlands of South Dakota in May, however in our case we had already visited many of the closer sites along that drive multiple times, so could afford to do 2-3 long travel days at each end of the trip without missing much that we had not seen multiple times before. In the case of the OP I think they would be far better off to cut the mileage for the trip in half, and actually have time to stop and see stuff along the way other the gas stations and highway rest areas.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

The USA is huge by European standards and 16-20 days is too little for even a whirlwind trip like that. Miami to Las Vegas is 2500 miles plus any scenic side trips. For comparison, roughly half again the distance from London to Moscow! And so many scenic wonders and interesting things to do along the way. 250-350 miles per RV travel day is a reasonable estimate and you won't want to travel every day

The big US RV rental firms are El Monte and Cruise America. Their websites will give you actual quotes on rental costs and options.

In some popular areas reservations will be almost a necessity, but in many others you can either just drive in or maybe call ahead 2-6 hours to guarantee a site. You can usually get a site if you stop by late afternoon, but by early evening places may fill up. There are phone apps and online web sites to locate campgrounds of all sorts, i.e. commercial, state & local government parks, and even free spots.

 

[LarsMac]

September is not the best time to be in the Florida Keys. (Or pretty much anywhere else in South Florida.
The upside to that is that there will not be big crowds in the Keys, then.

But, it will be hot, humid, and mosquito infested, and probably rainy.

Best time to go to South Florida is some time in the Autumn(Late October through November, before the Snowbirds start running south from the coming Winter.

For September, I would recommend cutting straight to Vegas, and rent an RV there.

 

[Kirk]

Miami to Las Vegas even without the keys is over 2,500 miles of driving,

Or to convert that, it will be more than 4000 Km if you go by the most direct route and do not swing off in order to visit the many attractions that you will travel near to.\

El Monte RV or Cruise America for rentals. If you fly into Miami there are rental locations.

If you are thinking of a one-way rental, these are your best options.

 

[Larry N.]

16-20 days to get from Miami to Las Vegas in an RV is ambitious, having time to stop and see things along the way is not realistic in my opinion, you may be able to stop and see some of the major highlights along that route in that number of days, but don't expect much else. Add on visiting the keys which are south of Miami, and you are looking for an even more ambitious trip.

Miami to Las Vegas even without the keys is over 2,500 miles of driving, most of us around here average about 50 miles of actual driving per hour during a travel day,

The USA is huge by European standards and 16-20 days is too little for even a whirlwind trip like that. Miami to Las Vegas is 2500 miles plus any scenic side trips. For comparison, roughly half again the distance from London to Moscow! And so many scenic wonders and interesting things to do along the way. 250-350 miles per RV travel day is a reasonable estimate and you won't want to travel every day

And I hope you were thinking of a one-way rental, since the round trip will be difficult to do in 20 days, even if you see very little except the roadside passing by. And little was mentioned above about how tired you'll be after several days of nothing but traveling and sleeping, plus keep in mind that travel in an RV is more tiring than in a comparable trip by car, though it is also more satisfying. BTW, as Gary says, there is a LOT to do and see and enjoy along the way. You could spend 3 months on that route and not see everything that's available, including The Great Smoky Mountains, Dollywood, Nashville and the Grand Ole Opry, many gigantic lakes with boat rentals available, the Ozarks, Branson (Country Music's second home, after Nashville), Mammoth Caves in Missouri, and I've not even scratched the surface of what's around.

As indicated by many above, it would be a lot smarter to pick a different area to explore, perhaps at one end or the other. So if you want to see Las Vegas, fly there and rent to go to the various National Parks in Utah and Arizona, and you'll still be pushing it if you hit more than two or three of them.

Perhaps you could plan two trips, with one of those areas first and the other on the next trip. So many choices...

 

[NMDriver]

If you are planning a one way trip I think it is perfectly doable without any problems. However, If you want to see the Keys rent a motel room and car, do not get the RV until you are ready to travel west.

I have towed a trailer from Las Cruces to Key West (2200mi) via mostly secondary roads in 8 Days traveling about 300 mi per day. It was a leisurely trip and I did not need to call ahead for reservations except in the Keys. AZ, NM, & Texas (1500) miles of your trip) are full of Mom/Pop RV parks, rest/picnic areas, and State parks. Louisiana again has many small RV parks off of the interstate. Mississippi and Florida have good rest areas and truck stops along the interstate and secondary roads. We found many out of town gas stations had overnight parking.

We lolly gagged along and did a few tourist stops, ate long lunches, etc. I find very little of interest East of the Pecos river, but I do enjoy the food & people, just not the country, ticks, chiggers, mosquitoes, etc. Yes, I have lived there for months/years at a time (Alabama, Texas, S. Carolina, Maryland, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Virginia). There are places worth seeing I suppose, just not that interest me.

If you use the google recommended route you will be fine weather wise once you get to the TX panhandle and begin to gain elevation.

My main piece of advise is, do not discuss religion or politics with anyone in the US.

 

[NMDriver]

One more thought. I am not sure why you want to rent an RV versus renting a car or van, but the costs and additional problems of an RV would not be worth it. It is not a less expensive way to travel and has issues with parking, shopping, fueling, and waste disposal that a car and motels do not have. I do enjoy my RV but I would not use it for a trip that was essentially sight seeing. Further, for me, part of the pleasure of sight seeing is eating at the local eatery. I do not save money by cooking in my RV unless I am parked somewhere for a longer stay.

 

[SeilerBird]

This is why your plan will not work. Europeans always dramatically underestimate the size of the US. Here is a comparison of the UK and the USA:




If I were you I would fly to Vegas, rent a car and go visit the Grand Canyon and Yosemite.

 

[Tulecreeper]

The OP hasn't returned since Aug 23rd. He's in the wind.

 

[alzettl]

I'd recommend starting with a reputable RV rental site like Cruise America or Outdoorsy; prices average $150–$250 per night, depending on the RV type. Booking popular parks (especially in the Keys) in advance is smart, but you can mix in free spots like Walmart parking lots or Harvest Hosts for flexibility.

 

[jackiemac]

The OP was planning on travelling in September of this year so advice now won't be useful for her.

 

[Derby6]

Wonder if they did it?