I wanted to share with you some of the myths and misconceptions about using or renting an RV and what it was like to be first time RV renters traveling through Yellowstone National Park. Here are 10 myths and misconceptions about RV travel. Keep these on hand if you plan on renting or traveling in an RV!
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Myth #1 - I will need a special license to drive this... right?
Truth - No you will not need any other drivers license other than the one you have right now in your wallet. This is a common misconception, probably brought on by how overwhelmed you feel when you look at how much bigger that RV is compared to your everyday car. Driving an RV doesn't require a specialist or even someone with a CDL (commercial drivers license) it just takes a little time getting used to. After about 30 minutes behind the wheel you will realize you are perfectly capable and you will feel like a pro.
Myth #2 - You won't have any privacy on your RV vacation.
Truth - No one likes to travel and feel like they have no privacy the whole time, and trust me the RV manufactures have thought about this. Every window has a shade and most RV's have partitions to section off different areas of the RV. Our RV from Access RV had several ways to create more privacy. The master bedroom had a sliding door that can be locked, the bunk area had a partition that could also be locked and the bed above the cab had curtains you could close. It really felt just like I was at home. If my husband needed to get some work done without being disturbed, he had many areas he could choose from to get work done in peace and quiet.
Myth #3 - (speaking of getting work done) It must be impossible to work or stay connected.
Truth - Now this one really depends on where you are at, and also what you do for a profession. If you are a doctor you probably aren't going to be able to get a whole lot of work done while out on the road. But if you have a job that you can at least do some or all of the work remotely and you stay with KOA or another site with wifi you shouldn't have any problems. Now of course most of us don't want to have to work at all while on vacation, but sometimes it just can't be avoided. Luckily as I stated above you should have plenty of space to get whatever work you have done and get back to your vacation.
Myth #4 - Even if I have a kitchen it won't matter since it will be too tiny and I won't have any space.
Truth - This is one that I was concerned about. A few days before we went to pick up our RV I started grocery shopping for our trip and it hit me!
"What if I buy all this food and I can't even prepare anything in such a small kitchen?" and then "what if all the groceries won't even fit in the fridge?" Luckily once I stepped into the RV all those fears were laid to rest.
I found that the kitchen area was a "slide out" so when we were parked I could make the area bigger with a push of a button! And the fridge and freezer were able to fit everything I purchased at the store and I still had a little bit of extra space. Cooking and preparing food really wasn't that much different than when my husband and I lived in our first apartment.
Myth #5 - I am going to hate dealing with hookups
Truth - I have seen plenty of "funny" movies where someone in an RV is taking care of the hookups and something goes wrong, before you know it... you have waste all over the place and an unhappy camper. Well... thank goodness not everything is like the movies. Taking care of hooking up the power, water and waste was super easy and mess free. If this is a concern of yours, you have nothing to worry about! Access RV even included some latex gloves to use.
Myth #6 - RV's are a huge pain to drive and you will probably run into something.
Truth - When we told family and friends that we were getting a 32 foot RV, they were shocked and immediately wondering how we were going to get in and out of gas stations and pretty much anywhere else we would need to go. Now of course when you choose to rent an RV you don't have to get a 32 foot, there are quite a few sizes that are smaller. Although if you do go with something larger, let me personally reassure you that as long as you are slow and careful it's really quite easy to get into a gas station or anywhere else for that matter. And if you want to be a little more cautious you can also have one person get out and help with guiding. We did this especially when backing out of somewhere.
Myth #7 - RVing is for old people
Truth - To be completely honest this is one myth that I never really thought about. Personally I think traveling in an RV is awesome and a wonderful experience for anyone at any age, but I have heard some say that they feel it's just for retirees. Now I won't lie... there is a huge number of retirees that travel the country by RV. But I really think RV travel is best suited for families, especially families with younger children. There is so much to do in the RV my kiddos were never bored. We would sit at the table and color or do puzzles. The kids could sit on the couch and watch a movie. Little ones can take a nap at any time (as you can see above my little boy took full advantage of this feature)
Also you can feed your family without having to even go anywhere! Unlike when you camp in a tent, kids can be hosed down at any point if they get too messy. Our RV also had a shower outside which was super convenient when we went to Yellowstone Lake and they ended up with sand and dirt all over them. An RV really is the best way to travel with kids. Families love RV travel for its outdoor appeal, flexibility, convenience, comfort, family togetherness, and affordability. What more could you need?
Myth #8 - There aren't that many places to stay with an RV
Truth - There are over 14,000 RV parks that cater to RV travelers. Plus the great thing about RV travel is you can park it almost anywhere. You can even have it out in remote areas that may not even have hotels.
Myth #9 - RV travel will leave me broke
Truth - You might be surprised to find out that RV travel is much more cost effective than other travel methods. When you start to add up airfare, hotel, car rental and food it can start to break the bank. Plus staying in a hotel and renting a car isn't nearly as homey or reliable as having your own kitchen, bathroom, and beds. Nothing beats traveling around all day and still having everything you could possibly need at your fingertips. When we started looking into hotel cost in Yellowstone our jaws dropped to the floor! It's crazy how much you will end up spending just on the hotel, that doesn't even take into account all the meals you will be wasting money on. I loved that we could make meals in the RV while we were out. We stopped at Yellowstone Lake and I made us all sandwiches. If we had to eat at one of the restaurants it would have cost close to $30 for all of us to eat. Preparing home cooked meals in your RV will save you a ton! You can head over here to 5 Star RV Rentals to get a comparison of RV travel vs other travel methods.
Myth #10 - You can't bring everything you will need on your vacation
Truth - I can attest to the fact that we brought everything we needed and then some! My husband kept telling me before we that certain items just weren't going to fit; luckily for me he was wrong. Our Sunseeker had plenty of space! I was amazed at how much cargo room it had. We also brought along 3 bikes with us. You can easily tote along bikes and other big toys, it really is your home away from home!
Be sure to check out more tips and info from the best and highly rated RV rental experts at Access RV.
