For families, this is a great (and surprisingly affordable) option! Not only does everyone have room to move, but you save money on hotels, meals, snacks and miles on your personal vehicle. With an on-board bathroom, built-in refrigerator, beds, tables, places to charge electronics, etc, it might be a great option! Whether you're looking for a cross country road trip or a weekend at a New York State Park, I highly recommend giving this a try!
Cost: A typical RV rental is a nightly rate (much like a hotel) and costs about the same as a lodging at around $75-200/night on average, depending on the size and quality of what you're renting). Basically, if it has wheels, it costs more.
Cost-Effective and Efficient: Although you will have to pay for additional gasoline and campground costs, the ease and simplicity of just packing up your things in drawers instead of suitcases, stocking a small kitchen with meals and snacks, having wiggle room to move around, and (of course) nightly marshmallow s'mores by a campfire might be worth the additional cost.
For larger families: This is definitely the way to go for long trips.
For families with young kiddos: Picture it... On-hand sippy cups, a consistent refrigerator for breast milk/formula, a private place to pump, the east of packing a high chair, and significantly less potty stops will make for a much easier vacation.
Car Seats & Seat Belts: Do you have to wear a seat belt in a moving RV? Do the kids? The short answer is -- not, not really. But they should at least be seated (although mine will want to walk around because of the novelty of being able to do so!). Most RVs come equipped with seat belts in the dining area, and young kids should be in a booster/car seat.
Tips for RV-ing with young children: https://saferide4kids.com/blog/traveling-children-rvs/
Pets: Can you bring your dog, cat, fish, bird, ferret, hamster, and turtle tank? Sure! Why not!
Where do you rent an RV locally (and affordably) in Western New York? Your best bet is to follow the links in the ads below. RV Share and Outdoorsy are the most popular.
My experience: I rented a 22 foot travel trailer from RVShare from a Western New York couple for $55/night. I paid extra for them to deliver it to the site I reserved Letchworth State Park. They set everything up for us, so we only had to bring what we needed to stay for the weekend. Everything was clean and sanitized, and it couldn't have been a better decision. The site was so positive, in fact, that we ended up purchasing an RV almost exactly like the one we rented. It was the perfect pandemic escape for my family of 4. :)
Making camping reservations: Whether you are into the natural setting of a state park or the fun and activity-filled setting of a privately owned campground, the best place to start to find your camping reservation is www.reserveamerica.com. This is the best search engine to find the campgrounds in the area you want and on the days you want. If you want a dog-friendly site with electricity, for example, there's a filter for that.
