Out Traveler: RVing Made Simple — Even For Newbies

In June 2022, Go RVing hosted a Media Summit at the Harpers Ferry Kampgrounds of America. One of the event's attendees, Paul Heney, a correspondent for Out Traveler, describes his experience at the summit camping with his husband, son, and dog in an RV secured through RVshare. See what he wrote below!

My husband Lance, has been a little obsessed with the concept of RVing ever since he saw a TV segment where Oprah and Gayle set up a pop-up camper in Yosemite National Park. We’ve talked about trying this type of travel for years — and watched with interest as the industry expanded greatly throughout the pandemic. I even bought Lance the RVs & Campers for Dummies book for his last birthday. (He responded by pretending to look for his supposed other gift of an actual RV around our neighborhood for days afterward.)

So, when we had the opportunity to try out an RV for a weekend in beautiful Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia, we jumped at the chance. We secured our RV through an innovative company called RVshare, which allows nonowners to rent an RV or camper and enables those interested to try the lifestyle out before they buy.

All of the RVshare owners are individuals, not fleets owned by companies, so RVshare is a sort of Airbnb for campers. You can search based on location, type of RV, size, price, whether it’s pet-friendly, and for specific things like whether it has a microwave, television, or electric generator. Even more useful, you can search for a “deliverable” RV that owners bring to your preferred campground on the assigned date, hook it up, level it, and prep it so it’s waiting for you when you arrive.

The company says that fully 40 percent of its users choose this option and forego having to drive or tow the RVs themselves. For us, this meant we only had to pack our 15-year-old son, the dog, and luggage into the car and drive the easy five hours to the gorgeous Harpers Ferry Civil War Battlefields KOA Holiday campground. When we arrived all we had to do was to walk in and get settled. 

Today’s RVs are worlds beyond the models I remember as a kid. Luxe kitchens with fancy backsplashes, modern appliances, adjustable and flexible lighting, real showers, and comfortable seating areas are the norm now, along with larger beds and comfortable mattresses. Slide outs extend outward from the sides of the RV once it is parked, and these really add to the available square footage inside.

View the full article from Out Traveler here.