RV Rentals In Demand This Summer

The Crowe family had big trips planned for this spring and summer—Sydney, Grand Cayman and Maui. Coronavirus canceled everything. Two months into the quarantine, cabin fever set in. As hiking trails and beaches opened, the couple came up with a Plan B, do a first—hit the road in an RV. “It seemed the best route to take because we’d be able to stay socially distant from others and have everything, we need in one place,” says Anna Crowe.

In May, Anna, husband Wayne, sons Liam and Kaelan, along with their two Labradors set out in a stylish 24-foot Mercedes-Benz Forest River Sunseeker decked out with a kitchen, dining area, a bathroom with a shower and two full-size beds. They left San Diego and spent three and a half days traveling to Carmel-by-the-Sea via Malibu, Paso Robles and Big Sur.

Oh, the memories, walking the beach in Malibu and falling asleep to the sound of waves crashing a few feet away, the hikes, Carmel’s charming downtown. “I enjoyed watching the world go by, while sitting comfortably at a table with my kids, sleeping under the stars, having food, water and shelter no matter where we went, and the open road. It was even more powerful seeing so much nature and changing landscapes after months of quarantine,” she says.

The only downside, admits Anna, is “it’s tight quarters for sure, so any time you drop an item on the floor or the table is messy, everything looks chaotic. You have to keep tidying up. It’s a small price to pay!”

Wayne wasn’t sure how to hook up to the site the first night, so they had to bug the people staying a few feet away from us. “That was a little stressful at first, but it ended up being pretty painless.”

The frequent flyers are sold on road trips. In August they’ll head out again, this time to Yosemite National Park. “It’s been on our list. Now that we know how to navigate a motorhome, it’s the perfect way to get there.”

For sure this summer and fall it’s all about the RV renaissance. Just one barometer of the popularity is RVShare.com, a peer-to-peer RV rental marketplace. CEO Jon Gray says RV bookings have nearly tripled since last year and have increased by more than 1,000 percent since early April as travelers opt for a safe, cost-effective means of travel. 

Check out the full article from The Daily Beast here.