10 RV Tips for a First Timer
Are you interested in planning the ultimate RV road trip adventure but don't know where to start? These tips and lessons learned will help the first time RVers plan the perfect road trip without unwelcome surprises.
We had no previous experience with an RV before this trip, so we put together some tips from a first-timers perspective. These are all things that would have been helpful to know in retrospect and we would definitely consider before taking another RV trip.
Don't travel with more than two people in one RV
We took this trip with my parents, so there were four of us in one RV. The RV we rented was 30 feet long and supposedly sleeps something like 8 people. RVs are really only made to fit two people comfortably. There isn't enough room for 4 people to move around, make dinner, shower, change, etc. We made it work, but it felt very crowded.
More people makes it more likely that someone will wake up in the middle of the night and have to go to the bathroom. We found that in an RV, when one person woke up, everyone woke up. The RV shakes when someone walks and the bathroom is usually close to someone's bed.
Additionally, the sleeping arrangements are usually best for two people. There's one queen size bed that's the most comfortable to sleep in. After that, there's a bed above the cab that isn't nearly as comfortable and couches/kitchen tables that convert into beds.
The bottom line: we would never recommend trying to travel with more than 2 people in an RV.
Be careful renting through peer-to-peer sites
We rented through a popular RV rental site called RV Share. It's a peer-to-peer site that's similar to Airbnb but for RVs. We liked the flexibility it had. There are more types of RVs to rent and the prices tended to be cheaper than going through a big company like Cruise America.
Unfortunately, renting from an owner instead of a company means it's up to that owner whether they have maintained the RV. We ended up stuck in Oklahoma for 2 days because the owner didn't do proper maintenance which resulted in transmission, tire, and alignment problems. Then, with two weeks left in our trip, the side door broke and was stuck closed. The owner didn't want to pay to have it fixed, so all 4 of us had to climb in and out of the front doors.
Going through a big company may be more expensive and have less options, but it also means there's more accountability that the RV is maintained. There's also a chance of being able to swap out for a different RV if maintenance issues do arise.
Take advantage of having a mobile kitchen and bathroom
This was one of our favorite parts of RV life. Because our accommodation was always with us, it was possible to make the most of what would have otherwise been down time. Some of the places I showered included: a Target parking lot, multiple gas stations, and many trailhead parking lots. We would also start making dinner if we were waiting for someone to shop or finish hiking. Anthony loved being able to pull over on the side of the road in the middle of no where to go to the bathroom too.
Bigger isn't always better
The RV we rented was on the bigger side. We thought this would give us more space. While this was partially true, it came with its drawbacks as well.
Bigger RVs are harder to drive and harder to park. We made it work, but finding parking often led to stressful situations. They're also incredibly noisy and bumpy while driving. Some park roads have length restrictions that meant we couldn't drive on them.
There are a lot of people out there that swear by a van over an RV and we understand why now. A van gives a lot of the same freedoms of an RV, but its smaller size is much more flexible.
Look for alternative accommodations to RV parks
RV parks come with all of the amenities like hookups, laundry, and WiFi. As first timers, we thought these would always be necessary. Our experience with RV parks was that they felt very cramped and not very nice.
There are many free sites to stay at that don't have the hookups or the WiFi. Some parks offer something in the middle with partial hookups. Finding alternatives to RV parks would save money and provide a much prettier and more relaxing place to stay.
Driving in cities isn't ideal, but it's possible
Most of our trip was spent exploring parks which typically aren't as crowded or busy as cities. We did go into cities to get takeout sometimes though. The pandemic probably made it slightly better than it normally would be, but we were usually able to find an empty parking lot to enjoy our food at.
Bring Febreze
No matter what size the RV is, it's still an enclosed space. The bathroom is going to smell and the best thing to help with that in our experience was Febreze. It's not perfect, but we usually didn't have too many issues with bathroom smells after using Febreze.
Bring a hand-held vacuum
The RV felt like it was dirty all the time. We only brought a broom and dustpan with us and my mom swept pretty much every night. The floor still felt dirty. I think a vacuum might have helped some. We didn't wear shoes in the RV, but it didn't seem to matter. The dirt still gets in.
Bring a squeegee
Most campsites are not level. If the RV doesn't come with leveling blocks (ours didn't), it's a hard to get the shower to drain. A squeegee would have been a lot easier than using our feet to try to get the water down the shower drain.
Use the stabilizers
RVs have stabilizers that can be put down on the back of the RV. On our first night, we didn't think it was necessary, so we didn't put them down. This was a mistake. Every time someone moved in bed, the whole RV shook. The stabilizers don't stop all movement, but they do help.
Final thoughts
There were a lot of things we really liked about renting an RV for five weeks. Not having to unpack at all and having our accommodations with us at all times was really nice. There are areas of the country and world in which I think this is the ideal way to travel. In those more remote areas, we would consider doing it again, but we would definitely learn from our first experience.
