Travel Trailer Rental: Answers to Your Questions

There is a special place in my heart for travel trailer rental. That’s not really a surprise. My family and I lived in a Keystone Passport travel trailer and traveled around North America.

I would love for many more people to experience the freedom of living in a travel trailer for some period of time, and one excellent way to do that is by taking a closer look at the travel trailer rental (aka camping trailer rental) option.

In case you weren’t aware, RV rentals in general are taking the country by storm and becoming more and more popular every day. There’s a reason for that! It’s a remarkable and unforgettable way to experience the great outdoors with the ones you love.

Let’s talk a bit about a few things:

• Why you should seriously consider a towable travel trailer for your rental
• What exactly is involved in the rental process
• What you need in order to make the best RV rental choice and have the best experience while RVing

We understand that you may be unsure that renting a travel trailer is the right option. Maybe you are still thinking it would be easier to stay in a hotel, find a bed and breakfast, or rent a cabin for a rustic experience.

Or maybe you’re considering a different kind of RV rental. Class A RV rental, Class B RV rental, and Class C RV rental are all options available if you are interested in a driveable RV experience.

So let’s handle all of the questions that may be buzzing around in your head to help you think through all of the different RV rental options.

Where Can I Rent a Travel Trailer Near Me?

One of the most popular option that offers an easy way for you to select from a vast selection of RV types, pick up locations, and price points is Outdoorsy. This peer-to-peer marketplace connects RV owners with campers, outdoor enthusiasts, and adventure seekers.

I do have to say that Outdoorsy is top notch when it comes to providing a world-class RV rental experience. Outdoorsy is the #1 site for RV rentals and they have thought of absolutely everything, helping to guide you through the rental process step by step while making sure that you are informed and protected.

What do I mean by “absolutely everything”? Well, for starters, Outdoorsy rentals include 100% free roadside assistance, 24/7 customer support, 5-star ratings, and RV delivery!

I don’t know about you, but I find that when all of those details are covered, I have greater peace of mind which allows me to enjoy the experience itself much more.

No one wants to rent an RV but spend the whole time stressed about all of the intimidating details!

And, if you’re already an RV Owner but won’t be on the road for a while, you can list your RV as an available rental for other road travel adventure seekers. Check out the option to Become a Host on Outdoorsy. Hosts earn an average $185 per night when their rig is rented.

Want a taste of what Outdoorsy has to offer in some popular RVing locations around the country? Let’s take a look at that right now.

RV RENTALS IN LOS ANGELES

Maybe you’ve been thinking about visiting the Los Angeles area and exploring all it has to offer. Check the Outdoorsy or RVezy marketplaces to see the wide range of travel trailers, fifth wheels, and pop up campers available for rent.

Here is one particular travel trailer rental in the LA area that jumped out at me as a great deal. Take a look below!

This is a 26-foot travel trailer (toy hauler style) that includes the following features:

• Able to sleep 7 adults on 3 queen beds and 1 full bed
• Electric bed and electric sofa in cargo area
• Upgraded appliances
• Basic kitchen utensils included (easier on you!)

And just take a peek at the inside of this unique rig:

I don’t know about you, but I would jump at the chance to rent this one for a week…or a month!

You can see our picks for the top 10 RV Rentals in Los Angeles.

RV RENTALS IN DENVER

You might be thinking to yourself, “Well…California isn’t really my thing. I need mountains. I want to go to Colorado!” Believe me, I’m right with you there. I happen to LOVE Colorado (we used to live there).

for this example, let’s step it up a notch and see what a fifth wheel trailer rental (aka apartment on wheels) in Denver could look like for you.

This particular 43-foot beast-of-a-rig has all of this to offer you:

• Sleeps up to 10 people on multiple beds, including 4 bunk beds and a loft area for kids
• Delivery to location of your choice available (if you know you don’t want to tow something this large)
• Party deck and THREE awnings for enjoying all the outdoor living you can handle
• This one also offers the truck for rent as well if you want to go that route. It’s the full deal!

And just wait until you see the inside of this beauty:

There are a lot of Fifth Wheel RV rental options in Denver on the Outdoorsy marketplace.

I wasn’t lying when I said this was an apartment on wheels! It is a true beauty that would provide you with everything you could possibly need for a getaway adventure sure to create lifetime memories. It’s definitely something to think about.

Can a Camping Trailer Rental Be Delivered to My Location?

One interesting development in the RV rental world makes renting a travel trailer far more possible, and convenient, for potential renters out there.

The fact is that you do not have to own a truck that can tow a travel trailer or fifth wheel trailer in order to rent one and experience RV living! Pretty cool, right?

More and more travel trailer owners now offer to deliver the travel trailer to a destination of your choice and pick it up when you’re done. (We’ll talk more about the benefits of this option in answers to the questions below.) That means that you can simply drive your own small car to the RVing destination, enjoy the RV living experience and have the option to freely explore the area without having to worry about driving a large vehicle or towing the travel trailer.

Essentially, you get the best of both worlds by choosing this path. It might be the perfect option for you!

What Is the Best Way to Rent an RV?

You may not be aware that there are actually different business models used by different types of RV rental companies in the U.S.

DIRECT RV RENTAL COMPANIES

RV rental companies that fall under this category have been around for many years. A few example companies you might be familiar with are:

• Cruise America RV Rentals
• El Monte RV Rentals
• Road Bear RV Rentals

In this model, all of the RVs are owned and maintained by the company itself, not by individual RV owners. With this option, you might experience a more predictable and streamlined RV rental experience. However, you will often pay more money for the same type of experience than you would with the second type of rental model. In addition, you will likely have a much more limited range of RV choices compared to peer-to-peer rental companies.

PEER-TO-PEER RV RENTAL MARKETPLACES

In the past 6-9 years, multiple peer-to-peer RV rental companies have taken the RV rental market by storm. You are likely familiar with the top names in this category:

• Outdoorsy RV Rentals
• RVshare RV Rentals

These newer peer-to-peer RV rental platforms provide you with the widest range of RV rental choices on the planet. How many choices? Here are a few examples of the number of total RV rentals (of all shapes and sizes) currently available on Outdoorsy in some popular RV destinations:

• Los Angeles, CA – Over 1,000 RV Rentals Available
• San Francisco, CA – Over 1,000 RV Rentals Available
• Denver, CO – Over 1,000 RV Rentals Available
• Austin, TX – 926 RV Rentals Available
• Portland, OR – 819 RV Rentals Available
• Orlando, FL – Over 1,000 RV Rentals Available
• Nashville, TN – 423 RV Rentals Available
• Honolulu, HI – 250 RV Rentals Available

Pretty amazing, right? Just about any popular destination you can think of, Outdoorsy will have exactly what you are looking for. And they have more locations coming online all the time as they continue to rapidly expand.

When you’re ready, Outdoorsy will certainly be ready to help you find the RV rental that’s perfect for you!

Why Should I Consider a Travel Trailer Rental?

Like anything else in life, you will find there are both pros and cons to renting a travel trailer instead of a driveable RV. Depending on your situation, however, you may very likely find that the pros heavily outweigh the cons.

Let’s kick off our discussion by focusing on the potential pros.

MORE LIVING SPACE AND COMFORT

If you spend any time at all looking through RV rental options at Outdoorsy, you will quickly understand that renting a travel trailer is going to give you far more space to stretch your legs and lounge around for a lot less money.

Drivable RV rentals, like Class A RVs and Class C RVs, can easily cost you $250-$400 per night. Many of those options will provide you with far less living space (especially the Class C RVs) than a travel trailer that you can rent for $100-$125 per night in many cases. That’s a huge difference!

So whether you choose to tow the travel trailer yourself or have it delivered to your location, you will still be able to enjoy the additional space and comfort that the travel trailer rental option provides you with.

ENJOY RV & OUTDOOR EXPERIENCE WITH LESS RV TRAVEL

Here’s the truth: If you are interested in doing more living and lounging in the RV in one location rather than traveling several hundred miles to another destination, the travel trailer option is absolutely going to suit you better.

Just think about this scenario: Let’s say you and your family really wanted to visit the Denver, Colorado area and have the RVing experience while exploring the beautiful natural surroundings of the Rocky Mountains. You might think that your best option is to fly into Denver, rent a Class C RV, and spend a week exploring in that RV.

But think about this possibility: What if you were able to drive your vehicle to Denver instead of flying (likely a huge savings), then arrange for a travel trailer owner to deliver the travel trailer to the RV park of your choice and get everything set up for you?

Then you simply drive your own car to the location, step inside the travel trailer and actually enjoy the relaxation of the RVing experience while you focus on exploring everything around you!

AVOID MUCH OF THE STRESS AND MESS

You see, the travel trailer option (with delivery to your location) allows you to avoid:

• The additional expense of airline tickets if your destination is within driving distance for you
• That stress and worry of driving a large vehicle you are unfamiliar with over long distances and in unfamiliar locations
• Additional expense of a Class A, Class B, or Class C RV rental (when compared with typical travel trailer rental costs)
• Pain, frustration and uncertainty of getting the RV properly hooked up at multiple RV sites and safely unhooked each time

As you can see, if the RV living side of the equation is more what you are interested in, renting a travel trailer or camping trailer may be the perfect option for you. You can still get in that road trip experience in your car (a great way to make memories) while avoiding the stresses of traveling by RV or towing an RV.

How Does the Cost of Renting a Travel Trailer Compare to Renting Other RV Types?

Even though we already touched on this topic above, I want to give you a bit more detail here. The actual costs involved with the different types of RV rentals you may be considering vary greatly and will include these primary expenses:

1. Nightly RV rental fee
2. Insurance costs (specific insurance plan chosen at time of booking)
3. Fuel costs (if any)
4. Delivery fees (if any)
5. Mileage fees (if any)
6. RV park or campground fees (if any)

RV RENTAL FEES

The RV nightly rental fee can vary greatly from a small travel trailer ($75-$120 average) up to a Class A motorhome ($300-$450 average). As we covered above, going the travel trailer or fifth wheel route most often gets you far more living space and overall comfort for your rental dollar.

INSURANCE COSTS

Your insurance costs will be calculated at the time of booking based on the insurance level you choose. You will not see a massive difference in insurance costs from one RV type to another like you do with the rental fees.

As an example of options, Outdoorsy offers three different insurance plans: Peace of Mind (best coverage), Essential (moderate coverage), or Risk Taker (minimal required coverage only). You are able to choose the option that works best for you.

FUEL EXPENSES

You should not underestimate the impact that fuel costs can have on your total trip cost. Believe me, I know this very well from our extensive travels while towing our travel trailer.

Fuel costs can vary greatly from a Class A (often diesel engines getting 6-9 mpg) to towing a small travel trailer with your vehicle (possibly 9-16 mpg). Definitely be sure to fully plan for that expense ahead of time.

If you choose to have your travel trailer delivered to your location and not actually tow it around, then you can completely disregard this expense and use that money elsewhere. Bonus!

DELIVERY FEES

Delivery fees (if you choose that option) will be selected by the RV owner but are most often less than the cost of an additional day’s rental. (Some owners will even include free delivery to RV parks and other nearby destinations.) When you compare that relatively small additional expense to the potential size of your fuel bill while towing, delivery starts to make a lot of sense.

MILEAGE FEES

Your mileage fees (if you drive or tow) can also vary greatly depending on the type of RV rental and the owner’s preference. Travel trailer and fifth wheel owners will often include unlimited mileage with their rentals, while Class A, Class B or Class C owners will most often allow 100-200 miles per day and then charge from $0.29 to $0.59 per mile if you go over that mileage limit. Be careful…that can add up fast!

RV PARK OR CAMPGROUND FEES

If you choose to stay at an established RV park or campground with hookups, you will have an additional daily fee on top of your rental fee. This is true regardless of which type of RV you will be staying in.

In most cases, the only difference in these fees will depend on whether you need a 30-amp electrical connection for your RV or a 50-amp connection (50-amp is normally a few dollars per day more expensive).

Any of your Class A RVs, many of your larger travel trailers and most fifth wheels will require the 50-amp plugin option. Smaller travel trailers (primarily 26-30 feet and under) will likely only require a 30-amp electrical connection.

By the way, you can also purchase an inexpensive RV electrical adapter for 50-amp RV to 30-amp electrical service, or for 30-amp RV to 50-amp electrical service. This will make things simpler and keep more options open to you.

Can I Rent a Travel Trailer Monthly?

Do you have some epic RVing plans spinning around in your head? Are you thinking of an extended stay in a travel trailer or fifth wheel?

If so, you will not have any problem finding a monthly travel trailer rental option out there that’s right for you. In some cases, you will be able to get a massively discounted rate when renting for the month, even as low as $50 per night instead of the more standard $100-$125 per night. But you might have to do a bit of searching to find a great deal like that.

Renting a travel trailer for a full month is definitely something you should look into if you truly want to get the full RV living experience…and especially if you are considering the full-time RV lifestyle like we experienced. That month will tell you everything you need to know!

What If Something Happens to the Travel Trailer While I’m Renting It?

As we mentioned above, your insurance costs will be calculated at the time of booking based on the insurance option you decide is appropriate for you. As an example of different insurance options, Outdoorsy offers three different insurance plans:

1. Peace of Mind (best coverage)
2. Essential (moderate coverage)
3. Risk Taker (minimal required coverage only)

You are able to choose the insurance option that works best for you based on your financial situation and level of “risk tolerance”. But rest assured that whatever insurance coverage you decide you need will be available to you on any RV rental platform you choose to use.

Believe me, I understand that there are many decisions to be made and many factors involved in renting a travel trailer. It can be completely overwhelming if you have never been through the process before, so take your time, move one step at a time and be sure you make the decision that is right for you.

But I can also tell you this: You will not find a better RV rental experience online than what the folks at Outdoorsy will offer you. They have covered absolutely everything from A to Z and ensure that your rental experience goes as smoothly and cleanly as it possibly can.

Nothing will get overlooked, nothing will be forgotten, because they have this process down to an exact science and they have the best RV owners in their marketplace waiting to help you put together the RVing experience of a lifetime.

So what are you waiting for? Jump in and put on your RVing pants (not included with your rental), because it’s time for some adventure!

Todd Bonner

Todd loves a competitive game of table tennis, a breathtaking hike, and exploring new places. He lived and traveled in an RV with his family as they traveled throughout much of the US and parts of Canada. Todd has extensive knowledge about RV travel, safety, and accessories and has shared many of his stories here on TREKKN. When he’s not busy launching and building small businesses, you may find him staring at pictures of Glacier National Park (probably his favorite spot on earth).