One Way Trip; Questions, Advice, Tips

[harrykane140693]

I'm moving across the country in September and thought I'd take the opportunity to see some sites while I do. It's also my only option next to renting a pickup and hauling a trailer with my stuff in it (boring!)

How do I actually go about getting a one way rental? I've found three websites that sort of offer it. One was luxury rentals, way too rich for my blood. Another was cruiseamerica.com. I have to call them to work something out. Another (can't remember the name) seemed to have what I needed despite having to drive three hours at the start and finish to pick up and drop off the RV. I just want to shop around and make sure I get the best deal.

I've made the drive in three days (8-10 hours of driving per day) in the past so I'm allotting ten days. That should be plenty right?

How do I go about finding cool places to stop? We'll definitely be doing some skydiving and scuba diving stops but those are easy to find as are the national parks and big attractions. What about the special places not so well advertised?

For those who have traveled with pets, what do you recommend? I have two cats and two dogs. The dogs are used to car rides of course but the cats, not so much. Do you keep your pets kenneled during all driving? Seems like the safest and most obvious choice but with beds I see my dogs laying down the whole time anyway. Is a 3-4 person big enough?

Any other advice or tips you might have would be great. I have a ton of time to plan this so I want to make it awesome. Thanks!!

 

[Isaac-1]

Maybe if you were to tell us your starting and ending points, along with a general date range (winter is coming soon) we might be of more help.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

You could spend 10 days in southern Utah visiting the five National Parks there and not do them justice.

Back in the sixties, there was a movie made about a group of Americans who signed up for a tour group that promised them 7 countries in 10 days (or was that 10 countries in 7 days?).  These tours used to be popular back then.  People would spend a day in Paris, a day in Rome, etc. and then go home and brag about how they had visited Europe.

The title of this comedy was "If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium!"

Sounds to me like that's the kind of thing you are setting yourself up for.  My opinion (Worth every penny you paid for it!) is you'd be better off driving to ONE -maybe two - locations you really want to see, whether that's Death Valley or Yellowstone or wherever and spend some quality time there.

 

[RVMommaTo6]

Welcome to the forum! Sounds way better than a pickup and a U-Haul! Where are your starting and ending points? That makes a big difference. You say cross country but the sights you'll see from NY to Wash will be different than cross country from Fl to San Diego.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Class C motorhome rentals are readily available for one-way rentals, though there may be a price premium vs return to same location. Major national Rv rentals include CruiseAmerica, El Monte and Camping World. Most smaller or regional rentals don't do one-way, or only do it in their region.  No RV rental could be called "cheap", cause RVs them selves are expensive to bu, maintain and operate.

10 days isn't a lot for what you seem to have planned, e.g. sky diving, scuba, and national parks. And you will be driving further (zig zagging) to make scenic stops, so more actual hours of driving than your previous trip.  You said "across the country", but you can't cross the entire USA in 3 x 8-10 hour driving days, so I'm guess the trip is somewhat shorter than coast-t-coast? Just where are you headed, and what sorts of things do you want to see?  Every place has worthwhile sights, but it takes months are even years to see them all.  We've crossed the USA several times and still mostly just hit the highlights.

Pets:  we travel with a cat and she stays loose but needs a place to feel safe (they get stressed out in a vehicle). Some will hide out under a chair or whatever, while others may seek to cuddle with you or get under your feet. That can be a problem while driving!  You just have to experiment and have a carrier cage handy.  Dogs usually jut lie down somewhere.

 

[Spike1306]

I did a one way rental from Dallas to vegas last year, I think it was around $600 extra on the rental for the one way trip.
That was with El Monte,

Like said above there a few companies that do one way trips and all charge different rates so do your homework and get the best deal.

 

[grashley]

Why one way?  Are you moving?  How will you transport the car(s)? 

The RV is not really made to carry a bunch of "stuff" unless it is pulling a U-Haul.  Weight Limits.

I suggest determining your best route from point A to point B.  Next, cut it into your 10 segments along the route by mileage.  This gives you some idea where you will be stopping each evening.  Within each segment, what is worth seeing?  I like Trip Advisor.  Within a segment, enter the cities on the route and look at "Things to Do".  See what hits your fancy.  I make a file in Notes for the trip.  Within that file, list the segments.  Within the segments, list 4 or 5 things to do, and maybe a couple restaurants.  You will not see all of these sites, but you have pre selected several of interest to YOU.  Get up in the morning, look at the list and decide what you want to see today.

Trip to Nowhere
Day 1
Sites
Wax museum  at exit 45  $10  10AM - 6PM
State park - waterfall  10 miles off exit 88
Scuba site with submerged airplane & school bus  Exit 93  $25  Appointment  618-538-nbde

Food
Jack's BBQ  in Whoville, exit 117 123 Main St open until 10 PM

 

[CamperAL]

Hi harrykane140693,

Based on the info you have given, it would seem that you have a 1500 to 1700 mile trip. That would/should take about 5 or 6 days in an RV. That would leave you with 4 or 5 days to see and do things. Driving an RV isn't like driving a car or truck. You will be tired at the end of the day. I'd recommend taking a few extra days in order to enjoy the trip more.

I'd stop at the beginning of the state when you enter it and pick up brochures on what to see and do. You can also do a search online to see what attractions there are in the various states. Good luck in your pursuit!