Planning a Road Trip and Have RV Questions

Hi D.,
My family & I flew into San Francisco & rented an RV out there & spent a week going thru Yosemite. It was quite an experience - breathtaking scenery, good hiking, fires, etc. BUT, between my brother, SIL, 18 mo old nephew, my mom, SIL mom, and my daughter & I , there were 7 of us in there!! That was NOT FUN!

We did do some cooking in there which is cramped & you have to buy all the supplies (seasonings, etc.). We tried to stick w/ sandwiches, hot dogs & such but did end up going out for food as well.

We obviously slept in the RV but it sure got cold in the mountains (winter type cold). Also, no mention of how old your kid(s) are but my daughter was 3 at the time & was used to being in daycare where they had daily activities & could move aroung. In the RV, while driving, you've got to have them in their car seats or at minimum buckled in at the table/bench. It was too long (1 week) for us!

If you're kids are older they can move around a little bit, play their video games, etc. I'd suggest you plan your trip so you're parked in an RV camp site (maybe go to 2 or 3 sites for a change of scenery) & can hike, site see, move around, etc. Stop into a water park - find ways to get out of the RV & are only using it to sleep.

Been 5 yrs since we went and don't recall the company we used... If I find it, I'll post it.

Best of luck & enjoy the experience - we can laugh about it now :)

Hi D.:
My family of four and our two large dogs rented an RV for two weeks and drove from Woodridge to Canada ten years ago. I do not remember the name of the company but am sure you can find places online. It may have been Cruise America. We had a great time. Since we went camping we were able to take the dogs with us and have great memories. It gets to be alot of work with the constent cleaning and cooking, etc. I do need to warm you to take some precautions when you return from your trip. We had cleaned the RV before and after our use but the RV does not receive any deep cleanings within the cushions, etc. Two weeks after our return we all broke out with head lice. I think they were still alive in the cushions for god knows how long and we were unfortunate to get it. Its kind of creepy. Since both of my girls have very long hair it was a bad experience, but you can come into head lice anywhere, even at hotels. Good luck with the trip. Sorry if you receive this twice, because the first time it did not send. D. Hunsinger, Tiny Treasures Day Care

1) plan on the RV you rent being not as clean as you would expect i.e. you will spent a few hours scrubbing, mopping etc. We lifted the mattresses and found remains of several families in the unit we rented. You will need to bring your own sheets, pillows, cases, towels, etc in addition to any cooking utensils. If they tell you they will be included, do not believe it, you cannot guarantee what will be there.
2)It is really really difficult to hook up and empty the bathroom system and there is no one to help you at the campground stops so be very very certain you know how to do that before you leave.
3)Practice before you leave because if there are tools necessary, you will need to bring them.
4) If you plan to stay overnight at campgrounds, many require reservations, just like hotels.
5) If you plan to sightsee while you have the RV, remember that it is very difficult to find a parking spot for the unit and some parking lots will not allow you to park them. This is why you see many people towing a car behind. You may find yourself circling with anxious children looking for a spot, so allow extra time for that if you have reservations for say breakfast with Lelo and Stitch at Disneyland.
6) During certain weather conditions RVs are not allowed to go through the mountain passes or through the high desert (between LasVegas and Los Angeles) so watch the weather.
7) We rented from Cruise America and they have independent dealers in Naperville and Merriville. They had the best prices and rental agents across the country in case there were problems.
Good luck.

Best of luck, renting a RV it's really expensive. After looking into it myself I found it was cheaper to fly somewhere and pay for hotel vs renting a RV. Of course if you are looking for the experience of it and cost is not much of an issue go for it. We use to have a RV an I often felt claustrophobic and also you have to do everything yourself so it's not really a vacation especially for mom. If you have more than 2 things that have been left out the place then becomes a mess and everyone is always on top of each other. Don't get me wrong it's not all bad but you do have to take in account the cooking and cleaning you'll be doing on your vacation. However you will for sure have fun it is great to spend time with your family and the camp fires in the evening but there will be more work involved than you think. After one season with our motor home we sold it because we all preferred vacationing on a beach having someone else cook and clean for us even if only for a week. Best of luck with you experience!!! There are several places in Illinois and local where you can rent an RV, if I recall I believe there was a place in Mokena or Frankfort called Terry's RV Center that was the most reasonable when I was calling around. Just google RV rentals in Illinois and you'll get about half a dozen dealers.

Dear D.,

My Dad had a RV rental business called Cruise America. It was a profitable business & was located in Villa Park Il. Cruise America is corporate & they moved the rentals closer to O'hare airport. There is a new dealer on Manheim Road that rents out the Cruise America RV's. The only place where we took an RV to, was the NASCAR race, what fun. For more information try Cruiseamerica.com & there is a price sheet & all information. Have a great time RV'ng.