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We're considering a trip to the US this summer, and as part of that, maybe renting an RV for 10 days, probably from las vegas, but having some doubts due to practicalities (having to book camp sites, hassle of hookups, heat/air conditioning etc.)
Any advice/suggestions/tips?
(I expect there'll be plenty of people saying dont go/boycott the usa etc - I'll ignore all of those 🙂)
> I expect there'll be plenty of people saying dont go/boycott the usa etc
Make sure you've got all your accommodation booked ahead of time...
Also probably be a good idea not to have any tattoos.
Never hired but FiL had one out there. Theirs was huge which did limit where they could go. Lots of national and state parks have size limits. You also need to commit that you can turn around or get through on any given road. Usually ok as there are a lot of big vehicles over there, though. One useful tip is that you can overnight in Walmart carparks. Not the most glamorous but handy if you are racking up the miles and need somewhere to stop. There's a big RV scene so usually lots of nice places to stop and dedicated parking spaces at attractions. Have a good trip. There is an understandable hate at the moment but USA is a great place to tour. Some proper wild and remote areas and stunning scenery. From Vegas you are in striking distance of Utah which has some amazing places.
Don't admit to intending to work either. From the link above.
"Both claimed they were touring California but later admitted they intended to work "
Though to be fair a bit of hard questioning was always a risk for anyone who didn't fit the standard profiles. When I arrived at San Francisco for a bike tour in 2017 I got the third degree,
The immigration officer went right through everything. How long was I staying for? Who was I meeting? Did I have relatives here? Where was I going in the USA? Why? - Bike Touring. Why? - seeing the scenery. What did I like about the scenery? Whereabouts in Nevada? Whereabouts in Utah? Was I working? What was my occupation? Was I married? Why wasn't my wife here? Did I have children? What age were they? was looking after them? What model of bike was I riding? Is that like a racing bike? How much cash did I have with me?
What finally seemed to swing it was when I suggested (very politely) that if he checked his computer he would see this was the 4th time I had arrived in the USA on my own for extended visits bike touring.
But who knows what triggered it though. Maybe the fact I'm not on social media was suspicious? I'm not on twitter, facebook, instagram etc. That said the other 9 or so times I have entered the USA I was through in a couple of minutes.
The ICE seem to have gone batshit-crazy recently, deporting US citizens, including one child suffering from cancer, without warning. (see USAtoday, from oldnpastit's link above). I've lived in the US, and visited many times, but wouldn't go near the place in the current climate.
Never had any issues at all at immigration in the USA (of course things maybe worse now) but I will reflect later in the year on this. (Under a few administrations Inc last Trump.)
Had more trickyness in the likes of Singapore etc
There are always scary cases but I've a feeling all this will turn out to be exceptional stories.
Enjoy your trip. Parents in law hired an RV but can't say much apart from book things well ahead of time.
(I expect there'll be plenty of people saying don't go/boycott the usa etc - I'll ignore all of those 🙂)
Is there a particular reason to visit the US? If you've got family in Nevada for instance it would be rather tricky to visit them on a trip to British Columbia or New South Wales, but if there's nothing which can only be done there I'd be seriously considering the alternatives.
Not terribly helpful I know, but if you're just after an RV trip somewhere really nice I would thoroughly recommend NSW, stunning scenery, really friendly locals and an absolute doddle to do, just a bit longer on the plane first.
Must admit we were mildly apprehensive about visiting USA but it’s been completely normal so far. Denver is always a pleasure to go through immigration, they seem so happy to see a foreign tourist 🙂
Fruita now and it’s warm and sunny. Some gravel riding to do and pizza to eat…
never hired an RV sorry no advice on tgat. Saw a monster RV on I70 yesterday towing a substantial truck that then had two bikes on a rear rack, so maybe you also want to think about hiring a 2nd vehicle for local trips when you park up 🙂
Don't go.
Immigration was bad enough in 2012 when on a 'full on' Disney trip - over two hours to get in. Had to catch a later Disney bus. Loads of questions and we'd shelled out a fortune to stay in the resort etc.
With the gibbon in charge, I won't go again. Good luck.
I've been 3 times. Just my view given the changes recently.
PS you'll be fine.
Where, exactly, would you intend to visit if you picked an RV up in Vegas? And what size/class would you be considering?
I ask as size makes a huge difference in terms of where you can pitch up. Also, a "Sprinter" (or Transit or RAM conversion) potentially gives you options to get off the beaten path.
Worse case scenario with a large RV is that you'll be limited to purpose built RV resorts which, in my limited experience, are VERY expensive (considering that this is on top of the RV rental price) plus many of the RV parks are nothing more than glorified car parks alongside busy highways AND you probably need to book each night in advance (particularly if you are planning on traveling between July 4th and Labor Day)
When looking a RV rental prices, bear in mind that there will be a LOT of extras on top like insurance, bedding, kitchen utensils, toilets/disposal, mileage (typically they will include 80-100 "free" miles per day).
I've rented Sprinter type conversions and have more often than not camped for free down a forest service road or low cost in BLM or Forest Service campgrounds but both often require a vehicle with better ground clearance and shorter overhangs.
I had a brand new, 24ft Sprinter from Van Craft in Salt Lake City and it was ace.
Are you intending on biking? If so, check whatever you rent either has a garage big enough to get bike(s) in or allow you to mount a bike rack.
If Trump wasn't doing Trump things, I'd be back over there this year doing similar, but f++k him - I'm not contributing any more revenue to the US than I have to for now....
Vlad covers the main points, but we did exactly this in 2018 with a couple of mates and it was ace. I knew the area already fairly well from various roadtrips; but we all flew into Vegas, spent the night there, then went to pick up our RV - a 32' Ford Forester conversion thing. Spent a week trundling around, exploring and generally having an ace time.
From a logistics point of view the key thing to consider is size. Our 32' RV was supposedly good for 10 people; we reckon it could've taken 6 comfortably, and then got pretty squeezed for space. On the flip side, anything over 32' will get turned away from many campsites - and if you can use something a tad smaller it'd definitely be easier.
General rule of thumb is to book your accommodation ahead of time. State Parks will generally be the best; National Parks are very crowded and less good, but in some spots (eg Grand Canyon) are the only option around. Private campsites are much more of a gamble, we found. National Forests (not that there are too many around that area) are also good, but tend to have fewer amenities.
For hookups, if you book far enough in advance you'll have your choice of water/ electricity hookup, and you'll probably want both. If you can't get an electric hookup (we couldn't at Grand Canyon), most places allow you to run your generator until lights out, which is often about 10pm. There are some amazing little state parks round there - Coral Pink Sand Dunes, Kodachrome Basin etc - that give you easy enough access to the big National Parks like Bryce Canyon, Zion etc.
Fortunately most of the roads round there are big enough for big RVs, so that makes things easier.
And we rented our RV through an airbnb-type site for RVs - basically people who own RVs renting them out for the weeks they're not using them. I'll see if I can find it
nicko/vlad - thanks for the tips - all really useful.
To add a bit more detail - 4 of us, 3 adults, 1 teenager -
Wouldn't be going too large - certainly under 30ft.
Pick up in las vegas and do a loop round Utah - grand canyon/monument valley/horseshoe bend/st george then potentially on to yosemite via sequoia park and drop in San Francisco, which would be ~1700 miles in ~10 days.
However, I'm having serious doubts - about the amount of driving/finding sites/hook up/heat/access to national parks - maybe just hiring a big car and do motels is probably going to be easier and less stress...
We've hired four times over 20 years, in California, New England and Colorado / Utah.
Always used Cruise America, and found it very easy to hire and drive the biggest 30' ones they rent out. The RVs have barely changed in that time, and still drink petrol at a frightening rate (10mpg is good).
Love the freedom, but it is curtailed by the need to pre-book spaces in popular spots and parks. Getting a site in Yosemite is like booking tickets for Glastonbury, and last summer we 'commuted' to Yosemite from a site that was nearly 90 mins from the middle of the park - it's the only space we could get when booking 6 weeks out.
There is something idyllic about being in a really remote site in the evening and morning. The silence is amazing, and being close to the bears and the wildlife (stayed in some really remote state campgrounds in King's Canyon and the La Sal mountains). As long as you're not looking to take long showers and use loads of power you can be pretty independent for a couple of days without hookups (the generator works, but it's noisy and disturbs the peace you may have come to find). That said, if it's super-hot the Aircon does need the generator or a hookup to operate - not such a problem if you're up high in the trees.
We've never had a problem with length in the 30' RV, aside from trying to get into Sequoia from the Three Rivers entrance.
Probably on balance, given what you're looking to do - and if without bikes - I'd do the car and motel thing, but the RV experience is fun and different.