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Cruise America Review: What We Really Think

Cruise America, as a corporate rental company, strongly contrasts with popular peer-to-peer rental service providers like RVshare and Outdoorsy. And looking for the best RV rental service, you are likely wondering whether Cruise America is a good place to rent an RV from.

To figure out whether renting an RV from this company is worth it, we need to cover a lot of details, including rental options, fees, penalties, insurance, and whatnot. They are important for our points that we will present to you in the end, as well as for your understanding of what Cruise America is.

Let’s begin with the rental options offered by Cruise America.

Cruise America Review

The primary rental options offered by Cruise America is the traditional round-trip rental where you rent an RV, drive it to your destination, spend your vacation, drive back, and pay the fees. This rental has a minimum duration of 7 days.

Aside from this, however, Cruise America also offers one-way and long-term rentals. Let’s overview them a little more in-depth.

The other big player in the RV peer to peer rental space is RVShare and Outdoorsy you might want to check out our in-depth review of them here and here .

One-way rental

With one-way rental, you can pick up an RV at one Cruise America location and drop it off at another, without having to drive the RV back to the location where you took it from.

One-way rentals can be cheaper than round-trip rentals, with the rates sometimes being as low as $1/night. However, there is a drop fee associated with one-way rental – usually between $250-650 – as well as some other fees that we are going to talk about a bit later.

With peer-to-peer RV rental, people very rarely rent-out their RV for one-way trips. The vast majority of the rental offers are round-trip. Thus, the one-way rental option certainly is a plus for Cruise America.

On the other hand, Cruise has “more than 120 rental locations” in the United States and Canada, which is very little given that they are servicing almost the entire North America. So even though one-way rental has some nice benefits, you will be rather limited with drop-off locations.

It should be also kept in mind that Cruise America won’t always able to provide RVs for one-way rental due to certain RV number requirements at each location.

Long-term rental

Cruise America also offers long-term RV rental. In fact, they offer this type of rental for both temporary housing needs for individuals and for business uses. The pricing for these rental options is set on a case-by-case basis, so you’d need to contact Cruise America and provide them with all the details of your trip so that they could set a fee.

As a corporate rental company, Cruise America has its own RV fleet.

One very common complaint with Cruise America is their poor selection of RVs. And indeed, even though they do offer RVs of different sizes for rental, they only have a couple of Thor Majestic class C motorhomes, which are basically reinforced variants of Thor Four Winds RVs.

Cruise America has 4 RV rental options to offer – Large, Standard, Compact, and Truck Camper. These options differ by their amenities and comfort, and we think we should briefly overview them so that you know what you are dealing with.

Cruise America seeks to always maintain their RVs in good condition for rental, so you could be sure that you are getting a problem-free RV from them. Even if mechanical breakdowns do occur while on the road, Cruise America has an assistance and reimbursement program, which we will cover a bit later.

Before moving on to overviewing the RV offers, we’d like to note that Cruise America provides quite a lot of information on their RVs. Compared to offers available on peer-to-peer rental websites, it may be much easier to make an informed decision with Cruise America.

Cruise America doesn’t dive too deep into the specs of their RVs – which they maybe should – but they do provide you with some crucial information in regard to floorplans and key amenities.

Large RV Rental

The RV in this offer is a 30 feet class C motorhome, the Thor Majestic 28A. This motorhome offers up to 7 sleeping spots. Among the amenities provided with this RV are:

• Air conditioning.
• Shower & freshwater toilet.
• Gas cooktop.
• 4KW generator.

A thing that Cruise America also lists among the comfort features of this plan is pet friendliness. This actually is a feature of all the rental plans, and it is among the things that we like about Cruise America. With peer-to-peer rental, not everyone is going to allow you to bring along pets.

Cruise America also allows towing with their 30 feet class C motorhomes. However, there are certain limits to towing:

• Cruise America doesn’t provide hook-up services or towing equipment.
• The towing weight needs to be within 2,500 pounds of tow weight restrictions.
• A daily towing charge is imposed if you tow a vehicle to Cruise America’s RVs.

Keep in mind that before rental, Cruise America requires that you declare the intention to tow prior to departure from a rental center.

Cruise America also allows customers to attach a bike rack to the receiver hitch free of charge. The customer needs to again let the rental center know about the intention of mounting a bike rack so that the RV’s locking pin can be removed.

Standard RV rental

With Standard RV rental, you get a 25 feet Thor Majestic 23A class C motorhome.

The amenities are very similar between the Standard and Large RV rentals. One difference should be noted though – at the moment of the review’s writing, Cruise America provided customers with generators only in the US, so do keep that in mind if you want to rent an RV from them in Canada.

Aside from that, 25 feet RVs sleep up to 5 people.

Compact RV rental

With the Compact RV rental option, you are getting a 20 feet Thor Majestic 19G motorhome. The RVs in this plan offer up to 3 sleeping spots.

Like it was with the Standard RV rental plan, Cruise America only provides US customers with RV generators. And aside from some differences linked to the smaller size – like smaller water or fuel tank sizes – the Compact RV rental doesn’t differ from the previous two options.

Truck Camper RV rental

With the Truck Camper rental, Cruise America basically provides you with a Ford F-150 truck with a truck camper mounted on top. Aside from the much smaller size, one crucial difference in this option is that the RVs don’t include a generator, as well as can’t be used for towing.

On the other hand, the interior amenities in the Truck Campers are very nice, essentially corresponding to those of the previous rental options. And like the Standard and Compact RV rental options, you are getting 3 sleeping spots out of this thing.

RV rental rates

Compared to peer-to-peer renting, Cruise America certainly offers a couple of good things for the money. However, there are also some downsides that you should know about. Cruise America’s payment system is a bit convoluted compared to peer-to-peer renting, and there’s a lot to know about.

One thing that we and many other people dislike about Cruise America is the variety of fees they impose, as well as the variety of upsells they offer.

Aside from that, what we personally don’t like is that Cruise America has all the fee info scattered throughout their website instead of having it easily accessible in one place. Not only that, but we actually had to go to third-party websites to get some of the fee information.

Overall, here’s what you will have to pay for when renting from Cruise America:

• Reservation deposit.
• Nightly fee.
• Mileage fee.
• Environmental fee.

In addition, there are some charges that you may or may not need to pay:

• Generator fee if you use the RV generator.
• Early Bird Departure Special fee.
• Optional kit fees.
• De-winterization fee.
• Towing fees if you use the RV for towing.
• Certain penalties for failing to comply with the rental conditions.

As you can see, Cruise America has many service fees, and this is a big reason why people prefer to opt for peer-to-peer rental services. If you will indeed be renting an RV from Cruise America, we’d advise you to find out about all the possible fees directly from them since we may have missed something, and things may change over time.

Cruise America requires that all the payments be made with Visa, MasterCard, and American Express credit cards. In the US, they also accept Discover Cards. The credit card needs to bear an imprint of your name that matches the driver’s license. The cardholder is required to be listed on the contract as the primary renter or an additional authorized driver.

Upon the return of the vehicle, Cruise America accepts stored value/prepaid/gift cards.

Now, let’s overview all the aforementioned charges one by one.

Mandatory fees

The very first thing you are going to pay for with Cruise America is deposits. Cruise America requires you to make two kinds of deposits – a $300 reservation down payment and a refundable $500 security deposit.

The reservation down payment will be applied toward the rental charges. As for the security deposit, it is used to cover any excess charges that occur during the trip. Upon return, extra charges are balanced against the security deposit.

If you didn’t use up the $500 security deposit, Cruise America will issue a credit to cover the refund. If you aren’t using a credit card, Cruise America will issue a check and send to your home address. Cruise America doesn’t do cash refunds.

Speaking of cash, the $500 security deposit needs to be paid with a credit card. If you are using any means other than a credit card, the security deposit charge will be $1,000. Keep this in mind in order to avoid quite expensive surprise costs.

A thing to note is that for certain rental applications like Bonnaroo or Burning Man, Cruise America may impose increased charges at their own discretion. In addition, they may require you to make a full prepayment in advance for rental events like auto race events, music festivals, or gatherings in remote areas.

Per-night fees

Cruise America imposes per-night fees which vary from season to season. On average, it seems that the nightly fee is around $90-100. It may be lower or higher depending on the season.

Given that Cruise America rents out RVs for at least 7 days, your fees per night will likely quite easily exceed the $300 down payment deposit.

Cruise America calls their daily rental rates Flex Rates since they vary over time, and sometimes quite significantly. If you book an RV early and there are plenty of them available, the daily rental rate will be lower for you.

If you need a change after booking and confirmation (aside from changing party size and adding pre-paid items), the rate will be recalculated using the most current Flex Rate. This Flex Rate will be compared to the Flex Rate that you’ve booked an RV with. The higher rate of the two will be selected as a new Flex Rate.

Mileage fees

Aside from a nightly fee, Cruise America applies estimated mileage charges to your rental in advance. Mileage charges are per night based on 100 miles for round-trip rentals and 250 miles for one-way rentals. In other words, you will be charged 100 miles per day with round-trip rental and 250 miles per day for one-way rental.

At the end of the rental, you will be refunded if you’ve driven fewer miles than you’ve paid for. Conversely, you will be charged $0.35 per mile if you have exceeded the estimated mileage.

Cruise America offers pre-paid mileage packs as well – the 100-Mile Package for $28, 500-Mile Package for $140, Unlimited Miles Package for $750, and Unlimited Miles Plus Package for $1000.

The Unlimited Miles Plus Package includes unlimited mileage, one personal kit for each passenger, one vehicle departure kit, and unlimited use of the RV generator for 21 days. Past 21 days, Cruise America will charge you with $29 per day. The same applies to the Unlimited Miles Package.

All the costs above are excluding taxes. Since these will likely depend on the area you will be renting the RV from, it is difficult to say how much tax you will have to pay.

Environmental fee

Cruise America imposes a $5 environmental fee per rental. As Cruise America writes, this fee’s purpose is to offset a “wide range of environmental expenses” associated with the proper disposal of shop waste, filters, tires, batteries, etc.

Optional fees

Generator fees.

Cruise America also imposes a generator fee of $3.50 per hour. This fee will be collected upon return based on the onboard running time meter. There is also an option of purchasing unlimited generator usage at an $8 daily rate.

Keep in mind that the generator is not required for normal RV operation, so you don’t have to operate it while traveling. A generator will be required only if you decide to run the RV electrical appliances while on the road. You can power all the appliances at campgrounds with electrical supply systems.

Early Bird Departure Special fee

Cruise America offers an optional Early Bird Departure Special for a $350 fee. The Early Bird Departure Special allows you to depart from a rental location as early as 9 AM instead of the regular 1 PM.

You will then need to return the vehicle at the specified date between 9 AM and 3 PM. Regular renters need to return the vehicle by 9 AM and in no case later than 11 AM.

The Early Bird Departure Special needs to be reserved at least 30 days in advance and prepaid. In addition, keep in mind that Sunday departures/returns aren’t allowed.

Optional kits

Cruise America also offers a couple of optional kits for borrowers. These kits are the Vehicle Provisioning Kit and the Personal Kit.

The Vehicle Provisioning Kit includes kitchen-related items like bows, forks, knives, plates, and many other things. The Personal Kit includes items like bath & dish towels, pillows with pillowcases, etc.

The Personal Kit costs $60 per person, while the Vehicle Provisioning Kit costs $110 per vehicle. All items must be returned clean to Cruise America.

De-winterization fee

In locations with colder winter weather, Cruise America winterizes their motorhomes from around mid-October to late March. When winterized, you cannot use the RV’s water and holding tanks. Due to this, if you chose to have the motorhome de-winterized, you will need to pay an up to $40 fee.

Towing charges

If you plan to tow a car or boat behind the motorhome, keep in mind that Cruise America imposes towing charges of $25 per night.

Aside from the charges we’ve described above, there are certain penalties that borrowers will need to pay should they fail to comply with the rental terms.

These penalties include, but aren’t limited to, the following:

• Housekeeping charges of up to $250 for returning an RV uncleaned.
• Reservation changes are charged at $50 per change from second and subsequent reservation changes. The first change is free of charge.
• Dump charges of up to $50 for not emptying the RV holding tank prior to returning the vehicle.
• The RV is overdue after 11 AM on the return date. If you fail to return the vehicle on time, you will be charged a fee of $25 per hour after 11 AM of the return date.
• You are responsible for any damage or equipment loss, except mechanical wear. The penalty for damage or equipment loss is limited to $1,500 per occurrence or incident.
• $200 – 46 days or more prior to departure.
• $600 – 16-45 days prior to departure.
• $850 – 8-15 days prior to departure.
• $1050 – 1-7 days prior to departure.
• Full rental charges – departure day and no-shows.

Cruise America rental deals

Cruise America from time to time offers rental deals and discounts. For example, for departures between September 4, 2019, and December 31, 2019, from any of Cruise America’s North American rental centers, a mileage rate reduction of 50% applies. Another deal is 300 free miles for departures by December 31, 2019, in the US.

Offers are typically not combinable with others, but they do offer some remarkable value. These were examples of deals available as of June 2019, but Cruise America will surely introduce others in the future as well.

How Cruise America handles RV maintenance & breakdowns

Overall, it seems that Cruise America keeps a good eye on their RVs. They appear to be quite strict when it comes to RV condition, so you could be sure that the RV you are renting from them is in a good state.

But for cases when the rented RV breaks down, Cruise America offers nice support to the clients.

Roadside assistance & repair reimbursement

In the event of mechanical breakdown on the road, Cruise America provides the around-the-clock Travelers Assistance Hotline. For authorized repairs, your expenses will be reimbursed by Cruise America. Alternatively, Cruise America may directly pay for the repairs.

According to the conditions of Cruise America, any vehicle service expense over $75 requires authorization from Travelers Assistance, where your problem will be documented in a customer service log.

For repairs costing under $75, you may have repairs done, but you will need to keep the receipt with you for reimbursement. Rental centers will reimburse receipts under $75 without a service log. If a repair service costing over $75 isn’t documented by Cruise America, you will not be provided with a reimbursement.

Aside from that, engine battery jump-starts require approval from Travelers Assistance, so keep that in mind.

Long service time reimbursements

If as a result of a breakdown the RV is in repair for 12 hours or less through no fault of yours, Cruise America may refund you a portion of the daily rental rate. If the repair requires more than 12 hours, certain living/transportation expenses may be reimbursed by Cruise America as well. However, you will need to immediately report the breakdown to Cruise America.

Cruise America provides up to $30 a day per party for transportation expenses and up to $30 a day per person for lodging. Total provisions are limited by Cruise America up to $3000 per tour. To receive reimbursement, you will need to provide all receipts for your expenses.

In certain cases, Cruise America does not reimburse for repairs, transportation, and lodging. Cruise America does not cover expenses associated with the breakdown of the RV generator, AC unit, refrigerator, microwave, appliances, and cruise control since these aren’t needed for the basic operation of the RV.

In addition, Cruise America doesn’t reimburse damage caused by collision or accident. Plus, failure to call Travelers Assistance immediately after a breakdown will make the reimbursement void.

There are certain travel restrictions as well. The areas that fall under Cruise America’s restrictions are:

• Death Valley and other desert areas.
• Alaska and Manhattan, New York City, in the US.
• Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Newfoundland in Canada.

If issues occur in specified areas, Cruise America coverages will not apply. In fact, you may be held responsible for all vehicle damages associated with driving the RV in the restricted areas.

Aside from that, Cruise America prohibits entry of their RVs to Mexico, so be mindful of that.

How Cruise America handles tolls and traffic violations

Cruise America also has specific procedures with regard to tolls and parking/traffic violations.

Cruise America has a policy for All-Electronic Tolling. If you didn’t know, with All-Electronic Tolling, the picture of a vehicle’s license plate is taken and then used to determine who will be billed.

In some cases, a process called reassignment is utilized by Cruise America. The company basically transfers your information to the relevant tolling authority. Then, you will have to handle the fees yourself.

For other cases, Cruise America will pay the tolling authority directly. However, Cruise America will impose a $10 administrative fee on you and charge the credit card you used for rental. The administrative fee is per rental.

For other tolling services like EZ Pass lanes or Fastrack, it will be your responsibility to use a corresponding transponder in order to avoid any fees or penalties.

Parking/traffic violations

Cruise America handles parking and traffic violations in a similar manner to tolling. However, in cases where they pay the fines for you, you will be charged a $35 administrative fee per rental.

At rental return, you will be responsible for reporting and paying for any parking or traffic violations. If you fail to report a parking/traffic violation at return, Cruise America will charge an administrative fee of up to $250.

Cruise America rental coverage

A very nice thing about Cruise America is that they offer coverage options for their customers in case of accidents or mechanical breakdown. We’ve overviewed mechanical breakdown coverage above, but there’s more to the coverage provided by Cruise America.

All in all, Cruise America offers:

• Up to $1 million Supplemental Liability Insurance (SLI) against claims made by third parties for property damage or bodily/injury caused by the operation of the RV. There are certain exclusions to the SLI, a part of which is contained in the rental contract.
• Expense reimbursement of up to $3,000 in case of long service times, which we overviewed earlier.
• Responsibility of up to $1,500 for vehicle damage or loss per occurrence. If you do not abide by the terms of the rental contract and fail to promptly report any incident, you will be fully responsible for the damage or loss of the RV.

RV departure & return at Cruise America

The RV departure time at Cruise America begins at 1 PM. For Early Birders, as we mentioned above, the departure starts at 9 AM and ends at 12 PM.

A common point of complaint among users of Cruise America services is that it can take several hours before you actually leave the rental center. Early Birders may be able to avoid waiting for hours, but they aren’t insured from it as well.

As for RV return, regular renters are required to return the vehicle by 9 AM and no later than 11 AM. As we mentioned above, Cruise America imposes a $25 fee for each hour past 11 AM. At the same time, no refunds will be made if you return the vehicle early or if you pick it up late.

For Early Birders, which we again mentioned earlier in the material, the return time is between 9 AM and 3 PM. Failure to return the vehicle in this time frame will incur an hourly $25 penalty.

Keep in mind that departure and return times on Saturday may vary because some Cruise America locations close earlier.

Customer interaction

Customer interaction is another area where Cruise America is notorious. If you look around for user reviews, you will find that quite a considerable number of people have complained about the customer support of Cruise America in various areas, starting from the quickness of service and ending with the inability of the company to resolve issues.

A testimony to this may be Cruise America’s frankly quite low BBB rating , which indicates how the company is expected to interact with customers. There have been so many complaints about Cruise America that BBB has even put alerts on the company profile page, indicating noticeable issues with customer service.

What we really think of Cruise America

With everything above in mind, we’d like to present to you the advantages and disadvantages of RV rental with Cruise America, as well as what we really think of Cruise America.

So, the advantages are:

• A good amount of information provided on the RVs.
• Well-maintained RVs.
• One-way and long-term rentals available.
• Pet-friendliness.
• Reimbursements for mechanical breakdowns and long maintenance.
• Quite advantageous deals.

What we didn’t like about Cruise America.

• The plentitude of fees makes rental quite pricey.
• Poor selection of RVs.
• The customer interaction isn’t always spot-on.
• Quite uneasy to find fee information.
• The minimum rental period is 7 days.

As a corporate RV rental company, Cruise America isn’t going to provide you with much flexibility. They have a mechanism that works and doesn’t really take into account your specific needs, unlike peer-to-peer rental platforms.  You have limited options when it comes to fees and RV selection. Their customer service also isn’t spot-on.

On the other hand, they do have some benefits like one-way rental, a comprehensive reimbursement policy, and occasional deals. So we can’t say that Cruise America is a bad place to rent an RV from.

In the end, we’d say that those who want to quickly rent an RV may want to go for Cruise America since it has an established policy that is designed to ensure hassle-free rentals. But if you want flexibility and don’t mind spending a lot of time finding the right RV, you’d want to go for a peer-to-peer platform.

If you’d like to see how Cruise America is rated against other RV rental companies you might want to check out our review of the best RV rental companies .

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What Our Customers Say.

Place your trust in a fuel company that has been working with large businesses, small businesses and the government since 1946. We built the CRUISE Americard to stand out as the best available option for your needs because we want you to choose to do business with us today and tomorrow.

Nebraskaland Bronx, NY

“We have used the CRUISE Americard for several years. The flexibility makes our drivers far more efficient and saves us time and money. The customer service is excellent. We recommend CRUISE Americard to all fleets.”

Maria Neumann, Owner

Water Damage Recovery Inc/WDR Restoration San Leandro, CA

"We've had a few VERY BAD experiences with gas cards. With 25 drivers, there is always a missing card, a lost password or some other craziness. Cruise Americard has been a great partner, there system is easy to navigate, payments are applied immediately (they don't just cut you off), passwords can be reset. Definitely recommend."

John Stevenson, Owner

John Stevenson Plumbing, Heating and Air San Diego, CA

“I was stranded on the road and remembered I could use my Cruise Americard for tow services. One call and I had a tow truck coming to me and was back on the road quickly. I would do anything for Cruise Americard, I can’t say enough!”

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Thinking about setting sail on the open seas for fun, food and relaxation? Well, today’s cruise ships can suit almost any sensibility and budget.

And just as you have many cruise options to choose from, there are numerous credit cards you could choose to pay with. Cruise line-specific cards might seem like an obvious choice, but they aren't always the best. Flexible rewards credit cards have more redemption options, often provide heftier bonuses for new cardholders and usually earn more points in many categories.

Here are NerdWallet's best cards for cruises, why we like them and why many co-branded cruise credit cards may not be your best bet.

» MORE: NerdWallet's best travel credit cards

Top credit cards for cruises

Chase sapphire preferred® card, capital one venture rewards credit card, bank of america® premium rewards® credit card, u.s. bank altitude® connect visa signature® card, the platinum card® from american express.

Branded cruise line credit card options

Why we like it: It earns 2 points per $1 spent on travel (including cruises), as well as bonus rewards on a variety of popular spending categories, including dining. And its points are worth 25% more when redeemed for travel. Plus, it offers travel protections.

Bonus: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

Annual fee: $95 .

Details: The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is a traveler favorite because of its solid rewards rate, versatile Ultimate Rewards® points and a midtier price point. Points earned from the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card are easy to redeem. Just use them to book travel directly in the Chase portal for a solid value of 1.25 cents each for hotels, airfare, rental cars, cruises and experiences. (Or transfer points directly to many large travel partners like Marriott, United, Hyatt and Southwest.)

Though it can’t be done online, you can also use Chase Ultimate Rewards® points to book a cruise. Log in to your Chase account, navigate to the travel portal and search the "cruises" tab. A few cruise options will display there, but you’ll have to call Chase's Cruises and Tours department to book. And even if you don’t see a great cruise option in a search, you may be able to book cruises that aren't listed when you call Chase.

If you book a cruise with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card , you’ll enjoy travel protections if the trip is canceled, interrupted or delayed.

» MORE : Full review of the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Why we like it: It earns 2X miles per $1 spent on all purchases, including travel and cruises. Miles are easy to redeem, and the card gives some travel protections, too.

Bonus: Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.

Details: You’ll earn 2X miles on every purchase, every day. And while you may mistakenly think that miles can be redeemed for airfare only, Venture miles are actually incredibly versatile. You can use your miles as a statement credit to cover travel purchases, book new travel directly through Capital One or cash out miles for gift cards. All of these redemption options give you the ability to lock in a fixed value of one cent per mile.

It’s easy to use rewards to book a cruise. After you’ve found the best option for you, book it on any website using your Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card . Then, use your miles to cover some or all of the charges. Or you could opt to cash out Venture miles for gift cards for Carnival, Princess, Disney and Royal Caribbean cruises, to name a few. Alternatively, you could book a cruise directly through the Capital One travel portal using miles.

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card offers travel accident insurance and offers up to $100 in credit toward the application fee credit for TSA Precheck or Global Entry .

» MORE: Full review of the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Why we like it: It earns 2X points per $1 spent on travel and dining and 1.5X points on everything else. Points are worth the same no matter how you redeem them. Plus, you’ll earn more with an eligible Bank of America® account.

Bonus: Receive 60,000 online bonus points - a $600 value - after you make at least $4,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening. .

Details: The Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card offers solid rewards earnings and gives flexibility when you redeem said rewards. Earning potential gets even better if you’re a member of Bank of America’s Preferred Rewards ® program, which is open to those with at least $20,000 in combined balances in Bank of America® or eligible Merrill accounts. Depending on the size of your account, you can get a rewards boost from 25% to 75%.

Bank of America® has one of the broadest definitions of "travel" of any credit card issuer. Use your Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card to pay for the cruise, airfare, parking fees and some ship excursions, and you’ll earn at least 2X rewards on the purchases. Points can be redeemed for a credit on your statement, gift cards, a deposit into a Bank of America® or Merrill account (checking, savings or 529 plan) or travel booked through the Bank of America® Travel Center. Each point is worth 1 cent, no matter how you use them.

Book with your Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card and you’ll get trip delay reimbursement, trip cancellation coverage and other travel assistance services.

» MORE: Full review of the Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card

Why we like it: It earns a standout rate of 4X points per $1 spent on travel (including gas), and it will insure your cell phone while you’re cruising (and when you aren’t).

Bonus: Earn 50,000 bonus points when you spend $2,000 in eligible purchases within the first 120 days of account opening. That's a $500 value redeemable towards travel, gift cards, cash back, merchandise and more.

Annual fee: $0 intro for the first year, then $95 .

Details: The U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card is the midlevel option in the family of U.S. Bank Altitude cards. Use the card to book your cruise and you’ll earn a hefty 4X points on the bill. Plus, the card earns 5X on prepaid hotels and car rentals booked through the Altitude Rewards Center, 2X on dining, streaming services and grocery store purchases, and comes with a $30 annual credit on streaming services.

U.S. Bank points are worth 1 cent each and can be redeemed for travel (including cruises), cash back or gift cards. (Points earned from the U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card , though, cannot be transferred to its premium sibling, the U.S. Bank Altitude™ Reserve Visa Infinite® Card . That card allows holders to redeem points at a higher value of 1.5 cents each for travel through U.S. Bank.)

The U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card also comes with cell phone protection, so your phone is protected on the high seas and on dry land. Use the card to pay your cell phone bill and you’ll get secondary cell phone insurance for a damaged or stolen phone.

» MORE: Full review of the U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card

Why we like it: It comes with boatloads of luxury perks, extensive travel protections and bonus credits.

Bonus: Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.

Annual fee: $695 .

Details: While you won't get the highest possible value when redeeming points for a cruise (points will be worth just 0.5 to 0.7 cent each this way), The Platinum Card® from American Express can be a great card to book your trip with and carry while you cruise.

Cardholders of The Platinum Card® from American Express are entitled to the benefits of the American Express Cruise Privileges Program when they book at least five nights. You’ll get access to benefits like a credit of up to $300 redeemable toward dining and spa services onboard, plus amenities like wine, champagne and chocolate. Terms apply.

The Cruise Privileges Program works with a dozen major cruise lines, like Royal Caribbean, Holland America and Crystal. When you call this specific department at American Express and book with your card, you’ll earn 2X points on the price of a cruise. Terms apply.

The Platinum Card® from American Express also comes with luxury travel perks that can make your journey to the cruise ship more pleasant when you enroll, like automatic hotel elite status and airport lounge access. Plus, the card comes with an annual credit of up to $100 at Saks for pre-cruise shopping. Terms apply.

When you pay for your trip with The Platinum Card® from American Express , you’ll be covered for trip delays and cancellations, lost luggage and emergency medical assistance, and you’ll get primary rental car coverage, too. Terms apply — see rates and fees .

» MORE: Full review of The Platinum Card® from American Express

Branded cruise line credit cards

There are many cruise line-specific credit cards that can be appealing to brand loyalists. Some offer exclusive perks and discounts that you won’t find anywhere else, and most don't charge annual fees. Since many cruise lines have partnerships, the rewards earned on some cards are interchangeable among several cruise brands, too.

But the truth is, for most people, these cards aren't the best option for cruises. In general, co-branded cruise line cards are underwhelming. They tend to offer subpar welcome offers and ongoing rewards, confusing redemption options, and, of course, the biggest drawback is that they lock you into using your credit card rewards solely on a cruise. When compared with other "flexible currency" cards, their value pales in comparison.

More on these cards:

Carnival World Mastercard : Offers a low promotional APR on purchases and on balance transfers, and gives a 10% statement credit when you book a Carnival shore excursion prior to your trip. But its tiered rewards redemptions can be hard to navigate.

Norweigan Cruise Line® World Mastercard® : You can redeem points not only for cruise-related charges, but for airline tickets, cash back and more. This card is eligible for Bank of America®’s Preferred Rewards program, meaning you can earn a 25% to 75% boost in the rewards rate if you have an eligible account with appropriate funds.

Princess Cruises Rewards Visa® Card : This card offers an introductory 0% APR on balance transfers, and points can be redeemed for onboard credits and amenities as well as other travel, like airfare and hotels. But the amount of points needed to redeem varies by how large your cruise purchase is, making the program confusing and cumbersome.

Holland America Line Rewards Visa® Card : Like the Carnival- and Princess-branded credit cards, the Holland America Line Rewards Visa® Card features a tiered redemption program, meaning the value of your points depends on what you choose to redeem them for and the amount of your purchase. Rewards are worth 1% to 2.5% toward Holland America purchases or 1% toward purchases on other cruise lines. You can choose to do a balance transfer and receive an introductory 0% APR.

Royal Caribbean Visa Signature® Credit Card : This is a run-of-the-mill co-branded card that earns 2X points per dollar on qualifying cruise purchases and 1X points on all other purchases. In addition to a small bonus, it offers a $50 discount on Royal Carribean’s Air2Sea program when you spend $3,500 on purchases in the first 90 days.

Celebrity Cruises® Visa Signature® Credit Card : Like its sister card (the Royal Caribbean Visa Signature® Credit Card, noted above), the Celebrity card offers a bonus and earns 2X points per dollar on qualifying cruise purchases and 1X points on everything else. Points earned on both the Royal Caribbean and Celebrity versions of the card can be redeemed for purchases on either cruise line.

Disney Credit Cards : Disney cruises are among the most popular (and often priciest) of cruise options. There are two versions of the Disney card: the Disney® Visa® Card and the Disney® Premier Visa® Card . Both earn Disney Rewards Dollars that are worth $1 each when redeemed toward eligible Disney goods or services, and both cards offer an introductory 0% APR.

The information related to the Disney® Visa® Card and Disney® Premier Visa® Card the credit card has been collected by NerdWallet and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card.

on Chase's website

1x-5x 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases.

60,000 Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

on Bank of America's website

1.5x-2x Earn unlimited 2 points for every $1 spent on travel and dining purchases and unlimited 1.5 points for every $1 spent on all other purchases.

60,000 Receive 60,000 online bonus points - a $600 value - after you make at least $4,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening.

Find the right credit card for you.

Whether you want to pay less interest or earn more rewards, the right card's out there. Just answer a few questions and we'll narrow the search for you.

The best credit cards for booking cruises

Editor's note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.

There is one common question we get from TPG readers who are cruise enthusiasts: What are the best credit cards for booking cruises?

It might seem logical that the best way to earn rewards on cruise bookings is to get a cruise line cobranded credit card . However, these generally don't offer as solid of a value as the best travel credit cards .

For example, the Royal Caribbean® Visa Signature® Card currently offers a sign-up bonus of 25,000 bonus points (worth $250 in onboard credit) after you spend $1,000 within 90 days of account opening and an ongoing rate of 2 points per dollar on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises purchases. This might seem like a good bonus, but you can actually get a much better value from the welcome bonus on most general travel credit cards.

The information for the Royal Caribbean Visa Signature Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

If you want to get the most value from your vacation purchases, here we explore the best credit cards for booking cruises and why you always want to pay for your vacation at sea with a credit card.

For cruise news, reviews and tips, sign up for TPG's cruise newsletter .

Why use a credit card to book your cruise?

At TPG, we recommend using a credit card whenever and wherever possible so you always earn rewards on your purchases. When it comes to cruises, you'll get some serious benefits by booking with a credit card.

Earn points and miles

A cruise is a significant expense, which means it's an opportunity to earn significant rewards. You can use a cruise booking to help you hit a spending requirement and earn a valuable welcome bonus on a new card or earn rewards to put toward future travel by using a card that earns bonus points on travel purchases .

Protect from billing mistakes

We've all experienced billing mistakes and the headaches that come with them. If you use cash or a debit card for your cruise, a billing mistake can mean money is already gone from your account before you realize there's an issue. By using a credit card, your money is safe while you work to get the issue resolved .

Protect your spending

Many travel rewards cards come with trip delay and cancellation insurance , so you'll be protected if your travel plans go awry. If you plan on doing significant shopping while on your ship, you can use a card with purchase protection to ensure your item arrives safely home.

Related: Everything you need to know about cruise insurance

When deciding which credit card to use for booking cruises, you'll want to consider the rewards a card earns on cruises and benefits like travel and shopping protections. You can also benefit from a card's more specific perks, like statement credits for travel and airport lounge access.

With this in mind, we recommend these credit cards for booking a cruise:

The information for the American Express Green Card and U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

American Express Green Card

Welcome bonus: Earn 40,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $3,000 in your first six months of card membership, worth $800 according to TPG valuations .

Annual fee: $150

Why it's great for booking cruises: The Amex Green earns 3 points per dollar on travel purchases , including cruises. This means you'll earn bonus points on the cruise booking as well as any airfare or hotel purchases you make to get to and from your cruise. You'll also get trip delay insurance * that covers you up to $300 per trip (maximum of two claims per 12-month period) and purchase protection † for up to 90 days after you make a purchase.

*Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for details. Policies are underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company. †Eligibility and benefit levels vary by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for details. Policies are underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

The information for the American Express Green Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

For more details, please see our full review of the Amex Green .

Related: Who should (and shouldn't) get the Amex Green?

Bank of America Premium Rewards credit card

Welcome bonus: Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first 90 days of account opening, worth $600.

Annual fee: $95

Why it's great for booking cruises: The Bank of America Premium Rewards credit card earns 2 points per dollar on all travel purchases, including cruise line purchases as well as hotel and airline purchases. You'll also get travel protections such as trip delay/cancellation/interruption insurance and purchase protection for up to 90 days after your date of purchase.

And if you're a Bank of America Preferred Rewards® member, you'll earn an additional 25%-75% rewards bonus on every purchase — giving you an even greater return on your cruise spending.

For more details, please see our full review of the Bank of America Premium Rewards credit card .

Apply here: Bank of America Premium Rewards credit card

Related: Everything you should know about Bank of America's Preferred Rewards program

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Welcome bonus: Earn 75,000 Capital One miles after spending $4,000 in the first three months from account opening, worth $1,388 according to TPG valuations .

Annual fee: $95 (see rates and fees )

Why it's great for booking cruises: The Capital One Venture Rewards earns 2 miles per dollar on all purchases, including cruise bookings. You can redeem the rewards you earn for a statement credit to cover travel expenses, including cruise line purchases. You'll also get travel and emergency assistance services.

For more details, please see our full review of the Capital One Venture Rewards .

Apply here: Capital One Venture Rewards

Related: 7 reasons to get the Capital One Venture Rewards card

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

Annual fee: $395 (see rates and fees )

Why it's great for booking cruises: Like the Venture Rewards, the Venture X earns 2 miles per dollar on all purchases, including cruises, and comes with several travel protections. What makes the Venture X stand out is that it can make your trip run more smoothly with additional perks like complimentary airport lounge access, a statement credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry and a $300 annual credit for travel booked through Capital One Travel.

For more details, please see our full review of the Capital One Venture X .

Apply here: Capital One Venture X

Related: Is the Venture X worth the annual fee?

Chase Sapphire Preferred

Welcome bonus: Earn 60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening, worth $1,230 according to TPG valuations .

Why it's great for booking cruises: The Chase Sapphire Preferred earns a valuable 2 points per dollar on travel purchases , including cruise bookings. What makes this card stand out is its impressive travel protections . When you use it to book travel, you'll get protection against lost or delayed baggage, as well as trip delays, accidents and cancellations.

For more details, please see our full review of the Chase Sapphire Preferred .

Apply here: Chase Sapphire Preferred

Related: Why the Chase Sapphire Preferred is perfect for the average traveler

Chase Sapphire Reserve

Annual fee: $550

Why it's great for booking cruises: The Chase Sapphire Reserve earns 3 points per dollar on travel purchases, including cruise bookings. You'll also get a slightly better suite of travel protections than with the Sapphire Preferred, plus airport lounge access and a credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry. Perhaps the best perk on this card, however, is a $300 annual travel statement credit automatically applied to travel purchases, meaning you can get $300 back on your cruise booking when you use this card to pay.

For more details, please see our full review of the Chase Sapphire Reserve .

Apply here: Chase Sapphire Reserve

Related: Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Sapphire Reserve

The Platinum Card from American Express

Welcome bonus: Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $8,000 in the first six months of card membership, worth $1,600 according to TPG valuations .

Annual fee: $695

Why it's great for booking cruises: You won't earn bonus points on cruise bookings with this card, but you'll get access to the Amex Cruise Privileges Program , where you'll receive onboard credit and an extra onboard amenity for each cruise booking. Plus, the Amex Platinum earns 5 points per dollar on flights (when booking with the airline or through Amex Travel on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year) and comes with comprehensive airport lounge access , so it's also great for booking travel to and from your cruise departure port.

For more details, please see our full review of the Amex Platinum .

Apply here: Amex Platinum

Related: How to maximize benefits with the Amex Platinum

U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite Card

Welcome bonus: Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $4,500 in the first 90 days of account opening, worth $750.

Annual fee: $400.

Why it's great for booking cruises: The Altitude Reserve earns 3 points per dollar on travel purchases and comes with up to $325 in annual credits for travel purchases. This means you can get $325 back on your cruise booking when you use this card.

For more details, please see our full review of the Altitude Reserve .

Related: Best credit cards with annual travel statement credits

Bottom line

Using the right credit card to book your cruise allows you to rack up some serious rewards on your booking and protect yourself against a wide range of mishaps. Whether you're focused on hitting a valuable sign-up bonus to help fund your next trip or earning bonus points on your onboard cocktails, you can feel great knowing your card is working hard while you're kicking back at sea.

For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.

Planning a cruise? Start with these stories:

• The 5 most desirable cabin locations on any cruise ship
• A beginners guide to picking a cruise line
• The 8 worst cabin locations on any cruise ship
• The ultimate guide to what to pack for a cruise
• A quick guide to the most popular cruise lines
• 21 tips and tricks that will make your cruise go smoothly
• 15 ways cruisers waste money
• The ultimate guide to choosing a cruise ship cabin

For rates and fees of the American Express Green Card please click here . For rates and fees of the Platinum Card from American Express please click here .

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Home » Manage Money » How Much Does It Really Cost to Rent an RV?

How Much Does It Really Cost to Rent an RV?

Embarking on an RV adventure can be an unforgettable experience, filled with freedom and exploration. But before you hit the open road, here are 10 essential insights to ensure your journey is both smooth and memorable.

Jeff Rose, CFP®

Jeff Rose, CFP® is a Certified Financial Planner™, founder of Good Financial Cents , and author of the personal finance...

Holly Johnson

Holly Johnson is the founder of Club Thrifty, a personal finance and travel resource geared to families who want to...

• Updated: September 25, 2023
• 16 Min Read

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GoodFinancialCents® partners with outside experts to ensure we are providing accurate financial content.

These reviewers are industry leaders and professional writers who regularly contribute to reputable publications such as the Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.

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Our expert reviewers hold advanced degrees and certifications and have years of experience with personal finances, retirement planning and investments.

As a child, my mom and stepdad would take me on RV trips all across northern California and Nevada during the summer.

I remember it being some of the best memories of my childhood. I knew that when I got older that an RV trip was in store for the Rose family. I just didn’t realize it would come this soon…..

A few summers ago, the five of us hopped into a rented RV for 14 days, with the only planned destination being the Grand Canyon.

Everything else was meant to be an adventure, and it sure was.

Many people were asking me questions about what it takes to rent an RV and how much it costs, so I knew that I had to do a recap post on it.

So if you’re ready to join me and Cousin Eddie and go off on your own RV adventure, here’s what you need to know…

“That There’s an RV” – Cousin Eddie, Christmas Vacation

Table of Contents

10 things you must know before your 1st rv trip, 1. where do you rent an rv.

Great question, because I had no idea either. The first place I went to do research is where everybody does a lot of research nowadays: Facebook . I asked on Facebook where is a good place to rent an RV. I had a few people in my area suggest a local RV dealer. Perfect.

I called them, and on my first attempt, I got an answering machine. Hmmm. Trying to figure out why a business in the 21st century doesn’t offer a live person to talk to. That’s okay. I live in southern Illinois. I get it. I left a message telling them I’m very interested in renting an RV, please get back to me as early as possible.

A day goes by. Another day goes by. A week goes by. Another week goes by.

Nothing. I still have plenty of time before I want to rent the RV, so I thought, “What the heck, I’ll give it a try again.”

I call again. Guess what? Answering machine. Really? I left another message explaining that I called a few weeks ago, was still interested in renting an RV, and I’d love for somebody to get back to me.

Time goes on, and I get busy with other things, forget about it, and realize that another few weeks have gone by. I once again share on my Facebook profile: how many chances would you give a business to get back to you? I think I updated the comment to the same feed, seeing what the people would say that they knew and had rented from this dealer before.

Once again, I got positive feedback that they had great experiences with the individual; not sure what’s going on, but to give it one more shot. Reluctantly, I agreed. I called back a third time and finally got a chance to talk to somebody who I think is the owner.

I talked to the guy for about 10 minutes, telling him what I wanted. He says he’s busy at the moment, but he’ll get back to me with some information by the end of the week. At the end of the week comes nothing. Monday rolls around. Nothing. Tuesday rolls around. Nothing.

At this point, I’m done. I immediately go to Google and type in “Rent an RV,” and I come across Cruise America . I read a few reviews, and it seems like what I’m looking for. This is perfect. 

I call the toll-free number, and guess what happens? I get to talk to somebody. Immediately. I tell them what I’m looking for, and they explain everything in great detail.

I’m taking notes, writing down numbers, and I’m excited. I’m actually making progress. I tell them the time frame of when I’m looking to rent the RV, and they tell me that starting in June is their peak season, and that’s when prices go up. 

If I’m able to reserve the RV and actually begin the rental in May, then I would get a lower price and save money . It worked out perfectly since my oldest son would be done with school on Friday, May 30.

I agreed to pick it up on May 31. At this point in time, all I have to do is put down a $300 reservation deposit. Since I’m gung ho on the idea of renting the RV, I go ahead and lock it in, and I can’t wait to share with my wife the exciting news.

2. How Much Does it Cost to Rent an RV?

According to Cruise America, the cost of renting an RV depends on the following factors:

• The cost per night the rental company charges. During peak vacation months such as July and August, those nightly rates can vary.
• Then you figure out how many miles your trip will take. Most RV rental companies charge a certain amount per mile. That’s from 35 to 50 cents per mile.
• You’ll then multiply the number of nights you’ll be renting the RV by the nightly rate and add that to the mileage times the cost per mile. For example, if the nightly rental rate is $99 and the total mileage traveled at, say, 35 cents per mile, a five-night, 500-mile trip would be $670.
• Most RVs come with a generator, so there is a relatively small charge associated with the generator. During warmer months, generator use will increase as the onboard air conditioner is used more.
• In determining how much it costs to rent an RV, you should also consider the cost of kitchen utensils (pots, pans, etc.) and bedding. If the RV rental company provides those items, there will be a fee; however, you usually have the option of bringing your own utensils and bedding. In that case, of course, there is no fee charged for those items.

At the time we rented our RV, here was our estimated cost:

• 14 Nights: $938.00
• 3000 Miles: $1020.00
• State Tax 5%: $97.90
• Total Miles Included With Rental: 3000 miles
• Total Charge: $2055.90
• Security Deposit: $500.00
• Less Reservation Deposit: $300.00
• Balance Due on Pickup: $2255.90

Below is the confirmation email that I received from Cruise America that explains their refund policy as well as some additional costs.

• Your down payment is fully refundable up until close of business 7 days prior to travel or if booking within a week of travel on close of business on the day booked.
• Pickup time at our locations is 1-4 PM, and drop off time is 9-11 AM (Saturdays the times can be different).   
• We do require a security deposit of $500.00,  separate from the rental cost.  This comes back to you at the end of the trip as long as the vehicle comes back in the same shape you picked it up in.  We also refund unused miles that were prepaid in the reservation.   
• Generator use fees are $3.50 per hour. Most people using generators for their electricity average about 2 hours per day.  If you are plugging in at a campground or other area, you will not need the generator for electric use.
• Insurance for drivers 25 and older and 24-Hour Travelers assistance is included in the rental price. 
• Please call the location a few days ahead of time to arrange your pick-up appointment.

Rates include all taxes and travel assistance. Cruise America rentals are covered by free insurance with a $1,500 deductible policy. For additional coverage, you can upgrade to their Zero Deductible policy.

It was comforting to find out that I didn’t need any additional RV insurance or auto insurance coverage! 

According to Google Maps, hitting the Grand Canyon and back would be roughly about 3000 miles. I probably should have guestimated that we would use it more, but I thought that was a safe play. Turns out that we actually traveled 3440 miles.

At .34 cents a mile, that was an additional $149.60. Not great, but really not that bad. We opted to buy the kitchen set, which included a skillet, pots, pans, plates, bowls, silverware, et cetera. 

That was an additional $100, and the reality is that we didn’t need it. We never cooked in the RV other than using the microwave, so really, that was pointless.

Luckily, we were able to keep the set, so we brought most of the stuff home and donated the rest. Since we didn’t cook, we didn’t use a lot of propane. Actually, we only used one ounce of propane, which was $20. The reason we had to use that was that our refrigerator ran on propane, so that’s where that cost came into play.

We only used four hours on the generator, and at 3.50 an hour, that was an additional $14. Why the four hours? Typically, the only time we needed the generator was whenever the RV was really hot, and we needed the AC kicked up a bit, especially in the back. We predominantly used this in Texas and New Mexico whenever the heat was at its highest.

What About Gas?

This was the expense that I was most concerned about. I had no idea what to expect and how much I would be spending on gas. I read that RVs will get anywhere from 6 miles on the gallon up to 12 miles to the gallon, so I wasn’t all that hopeful. 

We put a total of 3440 miles on the RV, needing a total of 397 gallons of gas. The average price per gallon was about $3.50, and our total fuel bill for the entire trip was $1,400.67.

I knew it was a lot, but I didn’t realize it would be that much. I tried to keep our gas tank above or around the halfway mark most of the time, and on average, that was about $100 to fill up. A few times, it got down to a quarter tank, which was the lowest I ever let it go, and those times, it was roughly about $150. 

I couldn’t imagine making an RV trip when gas was north of $4 a gallon. The highest that we had to pay was in Williams, Arizona, at $3.89 a gallon, and the lowest that we had to pay was in Tucumcari, New Mexico, at $3.35 a gallon.

3. What About Other Costs?

In addition to gas, campground fees, generator costs, et cetera, other costs include the random stops that you want to hit while you’re traveling. 

For example, we hit up a few national parks while we were driving, including the Petrified Forest in Arizona. It was $20 just to drive through there. If we hadn’t done the pink jeep tour at the Grand Canyon, it would’ve cost $25 to get into that national park.

On the way to Flagstaff, Arizona, I happened upon a sign that boasted about the largest meteor crater in the United States, and of course, I had to stop. After we drove six miles off the road in the RV, we got to the place only to find out that it was $12 a head to get in.

At that point in time, we basically felt stuck, but they did give us a military discount, so we decided to see it. I’ll tell you, I definitely think it was worth it, but these are the type of costs that you really don’t anticipate but you know will occur, especially on a road trip. 

One thing I have learned is that having one of the best travel credit cards is a must-have for trips like these. When you’re forking over $3,000 or more for the rental, plus paying for everything else that pops up, it makes sense to earn something in return.

If you’re someone who travels all the time, I would probably suggest a top travel card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card . With this card, you’ll earn 2X points on travel and dining, plus 1X points on everything else. 

Plus, you’ll score a 50,000-point signup bonus worth $500 in cash-back or gift cards after spending just $4,000 in 90 days. This is the perfect card to get right before you take off on any journey around the country.

4. How Hard Is it to Drive?

I have driven a five-ton truck in the military, so I was comfortable driving the RV, but the five-ton was only driven in short distances, never for an extended road trip. The one thing that I was impressed by was that the RV was able to get up and go. 

In Oklahoma, northern Texas, and also Arizona, the speed limit was 75, and it was easy for me to get the RV at that speed.

What I didn’t anticipate was how much the wind coming across the interstate or highway would affect the driving. It almost felt like the alignment was off because every time I would let go of the wheel, it would sway pretty hard.

After a while, I realized it was the wind that was pushing the RV, making it extremely difficult to drive. Predominantly I was driving with my hands at 10 and 2, with my hands clenched because every little wind gust I would come across would push me on the shoulder. 

Things were always interesting, too, when a semi-trailer would come up and pass me on the left, creating a sort of wind vacuum that would also push the RV.

Because of this, I typically didn’t drive more than four to five hours a day, taking the necessary stops. The longest I ever drove was when we were trying to get from Colorado Springs to Topeka, Kansas. It was eight hours of driving, but it took us 12 hours to complete.

5. Where Do You Stay?

I have a lot of clients who have RVs and will travel all across the U.S. Everyone I polled about where to stay mentioned that they typically stay at KOA Campgrounds . KOA Campgrounds are kind of like the Holiday Inn of RV parks. 

A majority of the ones that we stayed at always had a pool, a playground, Wi-Fi, laundry facilities, gift shops, and sometimes even food. The one in Flagstaff, Arizona, even had an Elvis Presley impersonator.

The costs there are anywhere from $35 up to $45 per evening, depending on what all hookups you need. If you just needed electricity, it was cheaper, but if you also needed sewer and water, then it would be a little bit much. We never had an issue getting to a KOA campground where they had no room available.

I could see though, that if you were near a tourist area like the Grand Canyon, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to call ahead. We stayed at the Williams, Arizona, KOA campground on a Friday evening, and that was the most packed of any of the KOAs that we stayed at ever were.

On the way back home, we met up with some of my wife’s friends who have stayed at several campgrounds before, and they wanted to stay at the Yogi Bear campground, otherwise known as Jellystone, which is located just outside St. Louis.

The campground price was just about the same as $45 per night, but it was definitely a lot more kid-friendly. The rates do vary depending on which location you are visiting, the time of year, and what you need for hookups. 

They had a nice pool and a huge playground, and plenty of activities for the kids. When we checked the map for Yogi Bear Campgrounds, they are predominantly in the Midwest and East Coast rather than more on the West Coast, so we didn’t get a chance to stay in any until near the end of our trip. 

The only one that we encountered was in Colorado, but we were not at a point where we were ready to stay.

6. Is It Better to Do an RV or a Camper?

At about the halfway point of the trip, I remember asking my wife, “So, what do you think is better? Taking the SUV and staying at hotels, having an SUV and towing a camper, or the RV?” We started talking about the pros and cons of each.

With the SUV/hotel idea, obviously it would be much more expensive, but you could cover the ground a whole lot faster. What would probably be the most annoying thing was the number of potty breaks that we had to take with the kids – as every parent knows, your kids are not on the same potty schedules, so there had been multiple stops having to take care of business. 

Plus, with snacks and drinks, they also become annoying having to furnish our kids with those, especially if we’re trying to cover a lot of ground.

The camper would also be similar. Since you’re not allowed to ride in the camper when you tow it, you’d be subject to all the same potty breaks and snack breaks that you would with the SUV. The only benefit would be that at the campground, you’d be able to unhitch from the camper and tour some areas that wouldn’t be accessible in a camper or RV.

With the RV, our kids were able to take potty breaks when needed, and with the fridge right there, had plenty of juice and snacks whenever they wanted. This allowed us a lot of uninterrupted driving time.

Driving in traffic was definitely interesting, but it wasn’t impossible with the RV. The most annoying thing was parking. Oftentimes, we would have to park several blocks away from our destination if we were trying to eat at a local diner, but overall it wasn’t too bad. 

If your plan is to stay in a national campground and never really tour, then it shouldn’t be that big a deal.

7. How Much Stuff Can You Bring?

A lot. The one annoying thing about where the RV pick-up location was is that it was 2 1/2 hours away. That means we had to load up the mini, including our extra carry-on bag that goes on top of the mini, to get everything packed up and loaded.

We were afraid that we might not have enough room in the RV, but by the time we got everything unpacked out of the mini and uploaded in the RV, we realized that we had plenty of room.

We had four full-sized suitcases, chairs, toys, food – everything that you could think of – and we still had plenty of room in the RV. Most of the bigger stuff you had to keep stored in the outside compartment of the RV, so you couldn’t access it while driving, but that never really proved to be an issue.

8. Can You Really Live in That Thing?

Ha, ha. I’m pretty sure that this was a question that my wife was wondering before we went to go pick up our new home on wheels. Since we survived the two-week RV excursion, I’m happy to say yes, you actually can live in this thing.

The 25-footer ended up being the perfect size for a family of five. The wife and I took the Queen (it felt more like a twin) bed in the rear. Our two oldest boys slept in the converter bed that was above the driver and passenger seat.

Our youngest son slept by himself on the converted bed that also served as the dining room table. He easily could have fit up top with the two older brothers, but we did have a fear that he may roll off and fall, which actually did happen to both our youngest and our middle son during the trip. Don’t worry; they’re okay.

One of the things that helped the most, at least for me going to sleep each evening, was running the air conditioning/heating unit.

Why is that? Because the noise of the unit would drown out our kids’ giggling or any other noise outside our campground. 

Whenever it would shut off, you could hear absolutely anything, including our neighbors talking, and that would generally wake me up. The AC unit served as a nice white noise background that would let me sleep through the night.

What about eating?

Our RV came equipped with a propane four-burner stove and also a microwave. The refrigerator was a little bit larger than a mini-fridge but was able to fit plenty of milk, juice, bottled water, Gatorade, and other snacks for the boys. 

Every time that we would visit a new town, we liked to find the local eatery, so we actually never used the stovetop.

One time one of the boys accidentally turned the knob to the stove, and the RV reeked of propane. I read another review of another family that stayed in the RV and tried cooking, and they said it was like cooking in an oven. I could definitely see that being in such cramped quarters.

The bathroom. I think everybody always wants to know, okay, how big is the bathroom? Great question. I’m six foot, 210 pounds, and I could barely squeeze into the bathroom. I never took a shower in the RV, but my wife and boys did. Each campground that we stayed at had showering facilities, so that’s typically where I would take my showers.

 9. What About Your Doo-Doo?

Oh, yes. Where does the doo-doo go? When we picked an RV, the guy at the rental place gave me a very brief overview of how to empty the pooper. 

I thought I understood, but I do remember asking him the question, “Do you think I really have to empty it if we’re only going to be there for two weeks and we only use it when we have to?” That basically meant that if I could avoid emptying the pooper, I was definitely going to try.

The RV has a gauge that shows you different levels, and different tank levels. After the fourth day, I realized that eventually, it would have to happen. I was going to have to empty the pooper. 

Luckily, we met a nice couple at the campground in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and the husband showed me how to do it. The next morning I had my first test, and it was a success.

Fortunately, I didn’t get sprayed or dripped on, thank goodness. Emptying the sewer is definitely one of the less glamorous aspects of using an RV, but it’s definitely not that difficult. I’m not sure how I pulled this off, but for the entire two-week rental, I never actually used the RV bathroom for the number two purpose.

It might be a bit too TMI, but I felt much more comfortable with using the campground facility versus the RV. Our boys, of course, had no shame or issues taking care of business inside the RV.

10. What Will You Miss the Most?

Going on a two-week RV trip, you tend to wonder the things that you would miss while you’re gone. Here are the 10 things that I missed the most.

• Two-Ply Toilet Paper . Do I really need to explain myself on this one?
• Loofah . At first, I felt like I could just carry the loofah to the campground showers and then carry it back, but then it was just another thing to carry on top of a change of clothes, toiletry bag, shampoo, soap, et cetera, so I stopped. The loofah was definitely something that I missed when I got back to take my first shower after being in the RV for two weeks.
• Decent Wi-Fi . We got spoiled at the first campground in that we were able to stream Netflix on our boys’ iPads, and we had fast enough internet for our laptop. As we got further on our trip, every campground offered Wi-Fi, but the speeds were questionable. I felt like it was 1996 again – worse than dial-up.
• When you’re in an RV, there are no kids’ bedrooms. You’re literally 15 feet from each other. Our boys like to wrestle, play and giggle, which often kept us up late at night. This video shows you exactly what that’s all about.
• Cross Fit . I don’t like to run, but I knew I needed to do some type of workout while I was gone, especially with the amount of food I was consuming. I missed my cross fit gym and throwing my Olympic weights around.
• Barbell Pull-up Bar . I love doing deadlifts and power cleans, and I missed the set I had at home. Every campground had a decent playground, but only one of them had one where I could have done pull-ups. A nice pull-up, pushup, and running workout would have been great.
• Small Group . At our church, we have a monthly Bible study, and I love the couples that are in our Bible study. We have great discussions and share our struggles and triumphs in trying to be a better Christian. Being apart from them for two weeks was definitely something that I missed.
• I remember her saying something like where the heck are you going to put that thing? Without garbage disposal in the RV, bringing the juicer definitely would have been a pain, so I didn’t bring it, but I definitely missed it.
• A Toaster . We could have brought a toaster, and it would have been fine. One of my favorite easy snacks is peanut butter and jelly, but I like mine toasted. Not having a toaster took away from my favorite treat.

Renting an RV – Trip of a Lifetime

On Day 11g, I remember that both my wife and I were a bit homesick, and we missed our king-size bed and down comforter. Despite that, we can both say that we and our kids had a blast. This trip was about making memories, and the hundreds of pictures that my wife took are a testimony of how many memories we created.

I asked her if she was ready to go on another RV trip, and for now, she needs a 365 break to think about it. I’m not sure if we’ll go on an RV trip next summer, and I can confidently say that we will go again.

Have you ever rented an RV? What was your experience renting an RV?

FAQ - How Much Does It Really Cost to Rent an RV?

Apart from the basic costs, anticipate expenses like gas (with varying prices per gallon), entrance fees to national parks or attractions, and unexpected costs like kitchen sets if you opt for them. Having a travel credit card can also help manage some of these expenses.

If you have experience driving larger vehicles, you may find it easier. However, factors like wind gusts can make the RV sway and feel challenging to control. Long drives can be tiring, especially in windy conditions, so plan your travel with breaks.

RV trips are cherished because they offer freedom, flexibility, and the unparalleled experience of the open road. They allow travelers to bond, explore unknown terrains at their own pace, and create lasting memories, all while having the comforts of home right with them.

The beauty of an RV trip is that you can have both. With an RV, essential amenities are always within arm's reach, making things like snack breaks and restroom stops a breeze. Yet, the open road offers endless opportunities for spontaneous detours, exploring hidden gems, and camping in nature.

Absolutely! RV trips are especially memorable for kids, as they can watch the landscape change, play games, and have all their favorite snacks on board. While there might be challenges, like ensuring younger kids don’t fall off the bed, the overall experience is enriching and fun for children.

About the Author

Jeff Rose, CFP® is a Certified Financial Planner™, founder of Good Financial Cents , and author of the personal finance book Soldier of Finance . He was a financial planner for 16+ years having founded, Alliance Wealth Management, a SEC Registered Investment Advisory firm, before selling it to focus on his passion - educating the masses on the importance of financial freedom through this blog, his podcast, and YouTube channel. Jeff holds a Bachelors in Science in Finance and minor in Accounting from Southern Illinois University - Carbondale. In addition to his CFP® designation, he also earned the marks of AAMS® - Accredited Asset Management Specialist - and CRPC® - Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor. While a practicing financial advisor, Jeff was named to Investopedia's distinguished list of Top 100 advisors (as high as #6) multiple times and CNBC's Digital Advisory Council. Jeff is an Iraqi combat veteran and served 9 years in the Army National Guard. His work is regularly featured in Forbes, Business Insider, Inc.com and Entrepreneur.

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72 comments.

Thanks for the thorough review of costs and the experience. It helped me to confirm that RV-ing a vacation is not something that I want to do.

Thanks for article, very informative. Looking into the same thing!

Wow, Jeff, thank you for this post! We have a 25′ Cruise America reserved for a two-week trip from Chicago to the Grand Canyon in just a couple weeks, so it was great to compare with your experience. (Dog, no kids.) We’re able to take advantage of CA’s off-season rates, including .17/mile. But I was just looking at nationwide average gas prices and realized how much we can expect to spend there. Ouch, indeed. I’d been ignorantly thinking we’d get around 15mpg, but your 8.66 was a needed dose of reality. Also appreciate all your other tips and advice on KOAs, emptying the black tank, showers, side-trips, etc. – Dave

I enjoyed this journey. It did bring realistic cost to mind. It is not cheap to do this. My wife and I want to get a RV to travel around over the next 10 years. Across the US , Alaska and through Canada. I just don’t know it I want to spend the $$ or not. Retirement decisions are so tough.????

Thank you for sharing

First I want to say, “Great article!” My husband and I are planning for a 14-day trip to Utah’s Mighty 5 +Grand Canyon with our 3 kids; 3, 8 & 10. This article was a perfect motivator! I’ve looked a lot into RV rental and decided to go with the 25′ RV from Cruise America (mostly because of the lower price tag compared with other RV rentals). One question – where/how do you place a carseat in the RV? Thanks again for the tips, suggestions and experiences in this article!

Great read. I have owned a 36′ motorhome with 3 slides, that my husband always drove. We also always towed a car on a tow dolly. I always wanted a class C rv so I could drive it too. Not sure if I would also want to tow a car behind though. Thanks for sharing.Very informative.

Thanks, that was really helpful. We are thinking of taking an RV from Michigan to the West Coast in a few years and this will help us budget money.

Hi Jeff, Thank you so much for taking the time to write this blog! It has answered so many of my questions. I’m thinking of taking my two girls from Connecticut to California (where my family lives) this coming summer. The only company that I could find online that does one way trips is the same company that you used so this was perfect for me to get an idea of what the cost will be. I’m sure I’ll pay a premium for one way and I’m taking a month to do the trip but your mile count and info on gas, KOA costs etc. are invaluable!!! Thank you again! I’m excited about planning our trip and after reading this, I feel like it’s actually doable! Now I can use your info as a guideline to start researching and planning my itinerary. Happy New Year! –Kim

Hi I read your story sounds great I trying to talk my husband into doing the same trip we have a camper but it stays in the campground all year it’s not road worthy anymore I live in NY and I want to travel on a trip of a lifetime thank you for your it was great to read Chris

I am a mobile RV tech in Sedona AZ and an avid RVer. A couple of tips:

Many of the tech skills that you need to operate any RV are outlined on line either in forums or YouTube. However, Jeff is correct in saying that it can be hard to find good WiFi in most RV campgrounds, so you may have to run to the local fastfood places – McDonald’s, Burger Kings, Walmarts, or internet cafes to view the videos or do the research when you have a problem operating the RV.

If you are going to visit 4 or more National Parks, purchase the annual pass for $80. You will come out way ahead as this pass gets you into all national parks and monuments for 1 year from date of purchase. We just returned from Yellowstone which is $35 per vehicle per day.

Good tips, thanks Brett!

Jeff, thanks for writing out such a thorough description of your experience with RVing. It can get complicated!

If you were to do it again, would you rent from a private RV owner like with AirBnB? I ask because I help out with the private RV owner community at www.outdoorsy .com, which generally offers less expensive RVs with more amenities. Some owners even include cleaning and kitchen supplies.

Thanks for the interesting read about renting RVs! It’s interesting to learn that there are a lot of available places to stay with an RV such as campgrounds with different amenities to boot. It seems nice to have either the camper or the RV since the only difference is that there is less interrupted driving time in RVs. I’ll try renting either an RV or a camper this coming summer for our trip. Hopefully, it’ll end up being a lot of fun for my kids!

Jeremy, I’m sure your kids will love it, it’s like they get to pick their own fort to camp in. Let us know how it goes!

Thanks for the great RV info. I’d like to do a (one way!) trip this coming Summer. Will take my best sales skills to convince the Missus…

Love the Cousin Eddie impersonation!

I found your 10 tips when I was researching renting an RV. I enjoyed the straight forward description, plus the humor that you used. We will be thinking real hard about renting an RV. I ‘m glad your family had a great trip.

You gave your family something that they will remember for a life time.

We enjoyed your article. We felt like we were on the trip with you.

There are a lot of private owners of RV’s who rent them out on RV rental websites and the costs can be quite a bit lower. Happy Road Trips!

Great writeup. Extremely hilarious and brutally honest. Did not realize it was a quarter as expensive as it really is!!!! I may wait til we retire. Your wife has the most amazing legs BTW!

Thank you for being so detailed! We are a family of 7 so I could totally envision what you were describing. Thank you for including the gas cost. This gave me a lot of information I couldn’t find elsewhere as I am planning our summer getaway! Thank you for sharing!

Thanks for sharing the details of your trip! I found your link by searching for RV rentals and it provided a very realistic idea of the costs. When I was a child, my good friend brought me along on an RV trip from San Diego to the Morrow Bay Area. Also, my parents used to take us on a cross country road trip every summer in our car (California to the east coast). It was really difficult traveling so far in a car, but we stayed in hotels or with friends every night. I would love to combine the two ideas and do a cross country trip with my kids in an RV. Thanks again for the post!

Hi Jeff. I enjoyed your article. Im now retired, never RVed but Im getting a little bored (it’s only been one month and Im looking for things to do). Ive been playing around with the idea of hitching my SUV to a 17 foot Casita and just going around the country–actually thought I should rent first, but considering buying. Anywayyy, I would be traveling solo as my family are all grown up and have better things to do and I was wondering if you met any solo RVers on your travels and if they were happy (or not) with traveling alone. Thanks, Ken.

@Ken I don’t recall coming across too many solo travelers. Then again, we were doing our best to keep our 3 boys under wraps so we were a bit preoccupied. 🙂

I am a retired female. I have been traveling solo for nearly 3 years. There are plenty of us out there. Most times, if I am feeling lonely or bored, I just strike up a conversation with someone. I dress to blend in, therefore no one knows I am alone.

It’s a great piece of sharing your experience, which answers a lot of my concerns. I am grateful for your effort. I am also planning on a 30-day RV road trip. Can you tell me which is a cheaper way to do it, buy-use-sell or rental? Any information is appreciated, thanks!

@Pengyun It’s hard to say because there are so many variables. I would think renting from a private owner would be the most affordable way to go.

@Penqyin, I have 6 RV’s, Class A, B, C’s for rent in Grand Rapids MI that you can take anywhere in the US. Check out my site at www. DavesRVs .com Thanks, Dave

Hey Jeff we just went on our first RV trip and it was awesome. I have to say it’s been my families favorite vacation in the last 10 years. We got a really good deal from a private owner on the rvshare website. I found the price at the end of the day to be a little cheaper renting from a private owner. Here’s the website we rented through in case anyone else wants to check it out: https://www.rvshare.com

Great Article, really reflects what renting an RV is like. I especially enjoyed the part about missing the juicer. My thoughts exactly XD. Life is just not the same without my avocado flaxseed smoothie in the morning! We used these guys www.campanda.com because they have locations everywhere even in calgary which is where we wanted to pick up the coach!

Hi Jeff, That was some great information! We are traveling from Australia to LA in December and plan to RV it around for about 12-13 days. We have never done it before so were wondering about the cost of the generator? Since we will be traveling in winter, will we need to run it all night for warmth! What if we park at a campground? Does the generator basically just keep the power on? Sorry, not sure how it all works. It will be hubby and I and our two kiddies 8 and 6.

Thanks kindly.

@ Bonnie From my understanding having the power hookups is huge so you don’t have to run on the generator. All the campgrounds we stayed at offered power so it was never an issue and we ran our air conditioner all night.

If I recall correctly, we would have been able to run on the generator for at least one night (maybe two?) before having to recharge.

Most RVs can run heat without the use of the generator. Ours uses the 12V battery to run the heat, the heat consumes propane, but the propane lasts for many nights on one fill-up (weeks of nightly use in moderate climates). If you were camping where there are no hookups, you will need to start the generator for about an hour once every day or two, to recharge the 12V battery.

Hope this helps, Josh

Great article. My family and I (wife and 4 teenagers) took a 10 day RV road trip from SC out to Colorado and back a few years ago. Had an awesome, family bonding, memory making time. My best advice is to take Duct Tape and buy the Insurance offered where you get the RV. Be aware that there is no depth perception on the older RV backup cameras, therefore you are likely to back into a mountain while doing a 9 point turnaround on a narrow canyon road – like I did in Sedona. Had to duct tape the whole back side of the RV all the way home from Arizona to SC. Hey, if Duct Tape is good enough for NASCAR, it is good enough for me.

I have a question I am hoping someone here can give me an honest and unbiased answer to. How safe is it to travel in an RV and stay at KOAs? I am a single 46 year old woman with 2 teenage daughters. I am thinking about taking a RV along the Ca coast from San Francisco to Seattle next summer. I had a friend tell me I was crazy for wanting to take my daughters on the open road alone. Am I?

@Lana I always felt safe in all of the KOA’s we stayed at. Even more so at the locations that were closer to tourist areas as those KOA’s were much more crowded with a ton of family activities.

Travel is such fun, and we’ve done lots. A few reminders: comfort is important when traveling, whether it’s a tent or r.v. Bring things that you know you ‘need’..the toaster is one. The chef’s knife you love. The cast iron fry pan you make steak on. good rain gear, good hiking gear and clothes for both hot and cold climes. Bring the bed clothes you love..that neck pillow, the comforter..yes! We ended up buying a cheap camping gazebo on one trip to cook under. Plan for wind and rain. As for pets, you can’t leave pets alone in most campgrounds. Sometimes other campers are rude and noisy..even irresponsible. It happens. and remember, warn the kids to be not afraid, but aware, of snakes. Share the wilderness, right? And make new friends.

Great article. But for me have to pack up suv travel 2hours leave my car would be hard. Rather be able to pack from home. Sounds really expensive yet all vacations are. I as going to buy one but after joining an rv site and asking a lot of questions I’ve decided not to. It’s always been my dream but even renting cost more than my Disney trip and we went to all the Orlando parks even swam with the Dolphins. I guess if I was rich I could make this dream come true but for the average joe can’t afford either.

Great article! Another good resource for finding an RV rental is https://RVshare.com it’s like the Airbnb for RVs. You can rent RVs directly from private owners.

Thank you so much for this thorough account of your RV trip!! It was very helpful. My hubs and I are planning on taking our 4 young kids out West to visit family this summer. It was a blessing to read through your experiences and this has helped me very much in learning more about the whole process. God bless you and your sweet family.

Awesome post. We are about to venture into the rv world. We are looking at buying a used one.@15,000 or renting. Are kids and grands live on the east coast and we on west. Would like to travel many states while we are in our retirement. Being retired truck drivers we got to see the world through the windshield now I want to enjoy it.

Really good post Jeff. I’m a Chinese and living in Missouri currently. I saw some American movies about RV trip like we’re the millers and saw a lot of RVs when I m driving in interstates. An RV trip is one of my dreams since driving and sleeping are my favorite things. Your post reminds me there are also some annoying things of an RV trip. But I can find that, you enjoy your trip pretty much. Hopefully I can have a wonderful RV trip like yours with my family or friends one day

By the way, don’t you think an RV towing an SUV is the best option?

@HD Definitely having a car behind the RV would be very convenient! 🙂

Thoroughly enjoyed this account. We are partly retired, and looking to buy an rv. I grew up every summer visiting west, family in california and utah. About 12 of those years were in 2 camper vans, ford econoline, and later a vw. Slept 6! It had the canvas popup on top, where my 6 ft brother slept. Another canvas sling below him, and my parents below that! The canvas sling bed over the front seats held me and my 4 yr old brother. The fridge held an iceblock. Toilet was a pullout box with lid and toilet seat, with strong plastic bag inside. We went throughout Mexico, remote fishing villages on Baja, through Canada, etc. We got to every u.s. state at least twice before I was 12, except alaska, hawaii, and florida. Best gift my dad ever gave us. So, we plan to buy a Roadtrek or Pleasure Way Class B 18 ft van. Funny, we just did a guided 9 day tour of Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce, Sedona, Vegas, with friends. About $2000. each. Had a blast. Thank you again for your great account!

Also, my dad loved KOA Campgrounds, even back in the 60’s. It was our job to read the maps and campground book(big like a phone book), and find a place to stop each night. I remember one morning waking up close to a cliff edge, over a rushing river.we had pulled over late, off a country road!

Sorry… the tour was via hotels with a tour company.not camping. Beautiful area to visit!

Incredibly helpful! I am looking to take an RV trip as soon as I receive my diploma. Thank you for the detailed post.

So helpful!! We are renting an RV to go to Colorado to visit our son for a week. The reason we decided to rent the RV is because we are taking along our 3 dogs! No hotels will accommodate us and this way they can be with us at all times. I did a cost comparison to renting the RV vs. hotels. Your blog helped me figure out some of the costs, (ie: gas) Also gave me some insight on the space. In preparing for our trip I have referred back to this several times! Thanks so much for sharing!

Great post. Being grandparents, and hopefully retired in 5 years, we are anticipating trips with the Gkids. Just looked at RVs this past weekend and I wondered “what if we just rented for the occasional trip instead of buying one”. Why pay all the storage and maintenance fees if we only do one a year or so? Anyway, your trip story opened up more discussion and provided a better trip cost analysis and planning.

Thank you so much for your post, we are looking to rent an RV during the Christmas holiday to drive from NJ to FL and this is so informative. Flights are so expensive during the holidays and it seems like it would be the same or even cheaper to rent an RV than Fly for a family of 5. I do have 2 questions one is I see you mentioned you traveled with dogs how did you do with them when you stationed somewhere? was it ok / safe to leave them in the RV for a few hrs if you were sightseeing etc? I assume you would leave windows open etc correct? Also we would be headed to Orlando would we have to be stationed daily at a campground or can we park RV at a residential location if we are visiting family etc? Any further information you can share would be great. Debating on flying/hotel expenses or renting an RV to travel instead in. Also do you know anything about the ones that pull / tow your own car so we can move in our car while in FL vs the RV?

Very informative post! Thanks!

I really enjoyed your story it is a dream of mines to rent one for 14 days and travel from Jonesboro Ga to Las Vegas staying different campsite it would really help if you could email me some of your info on where to rent cause some of the place I have been checking is really to much but I want this trip so back it called the family journey so really it to site see please help me thank u so very much.

If all the headaches and costs provide a superior experience over the ease of motels — why not do away with the majority of the costs and use a tent?

Our family can NOT stop laughing! Your post is not only extremely informative, but also an absolute loving challenge! We are so ready to do this in the summer! Thanks for answering all of our questions.

Hi Jeff…I have done 3 similar trips..2 with class C and one with Class A from El Monte RV. Each had slide outs. Traveled with adult son, granddaughter and my spouse….and 4 dogs. Your travels mimicked mine. I would not rent without the slides. It made for much better room with all of us. The adventures, the conflict resolutions, the sharing…you cannot put a price on it and well worth not staying in a hotel or a singular place for a week. It was always fun spending a day or 2 at a site to get to know people a little. I was astounded at how helpful other RVers were along the way with sharing hints and time. El Monte reduced our costs with some discoveries..poor tires, out of alignment issues on various rigs.

Good article. We are retired military and travel in our RV about 9 months a year. We love the lifestyle; reminds us of PCSing adventures.

Regarding other vacation options…have you ever tried the Armed Forces Vacation Club? Before we got into RVing that was our go-to travel resource. $299 for week-long condo rentals all over the world.

Loved the article ! I have been wanting to take a trip in a RV, but after reading this, IDK….The cost is higher than I expected, although I really want to do it some day, I don’t know when that will be. Usually this time of year we (my husband and I), as our children are grown, are lying on a beach in the Riviera Maya. That is much less expensive and we do stay at gated resorts that are four to five star. In 2013 our home of thirty+ years burnt to the ground and we are still not home yet. I don’t know what is in the cards for us, but one day, yes, I would love to do this. I enjoyed reading your article, thank you so much for posting. Your family is beautiful !

Great article. We’re taking an RV trip to Red Rock State Park, AZ from San Antonio, TX area for spring break 2015. We’ll have it for 8 nights. I figured out the cost except for the gas. This really helped. Lucky for me gas prices have gone down about $1 a gallon since your trip.

And speaking of cost, my trip will cost about $3500 and I’m sure we could do it for half that if we stayed at hotels or cabins at some of the state parks. We travel a lot and even renting a house with nice amenities, as someone else mentioned, can be much cheaper than an RV. But, the experience will be worth it I’m sure. I’m definitely looking forward to no potty stops, less fighting and no passing electronics and food to the back seat.

Some questions I do still have are, do I need my own cleaning supplies like cleaner, broom, dust buster, mop? My kids will be 8 and 5 when we travel. The crumbs and dirt on the floor will drive me crazy! Also, do you leave your car at the RV place? Is there an extra charge for car storage?

@Lana Yes, you will need to bring your cleaning supplies. I think they provided a broom and dust pan, but that as it. We had to sweep it out minimum once per day, usually twice.

We did leave our car at the RV place and there was not an additional charge for this.

And yes, you will save a ton on gas! #jealous

I was laughing to my wife the other day while at the gas station, “Do you know how much we would have saved in gas money if we did the RV trip this year?”

We’re taking a trip next summer and definitely balanced the cost of RV vs. Hotel. The big difference for us is we live in Souther Cal and we want to travel around National Parks in Colorado, Wyoming, and the Dakotas, so we’re foregoing the 2,000-mile round trip and flying cheap to Denver to kick-start the trip. We would need to rent a car anyway, so this evens out the cost difference between doing RV and cheap hotels.

We also are traveling 6 together – my wife and I, two kids (4 and 6) and my parents – so having the large RV with separate “bedroom” becomes even more reasonable, considering we’d have to get two rooms or pay more for an extra-room suite. All in all, our flight and RV rental for six people, 10 nights, comes to $3,400. Add in all the costs mentioned in the article (we’ll have about 1,700 miles on our trip, so less gas and a lower mileage fee; we also plan to eat cheap cooking for ourselves, since we’re used to cooking outdoors anyway) and it’s likely to come close to $5,000. Considering we can hop on a cruise ship locally and have an easy yet fun trip for <$500 person, the RV trip will certainly cost more… but we're sure it will be worth it!

We would like to get an RV one day and I had thought about renting one in the meantime, at least once. From your post, it would be very expensive for us. One thing we like to do, is to rent a house, like we did in Florida. We had kayaks and bikes and the owner waived the $100-$150 (sorry I can’t remember the exact figure) cleaning fee because we cleaned it ourselves. It was a beautiful home, with tile flooring and its own private pool. I think the cost for the whole week was $600 or $700 something. Also, when we stay in motels, we usually pay less than $100 a night. We also like bed and breakfasts when it’s just my husband and me. Just thought I would pass along these thoughts.

I just don’t see how this is cheaper than staying at a hotel. I guess if you are getting two rooms perhaps.

It may not be cheaper. But it’s convenient to wake up in the RV right at the national park or other ‘away from city’ environment. I was going to buy an RV, then decided to rent…..but after reading this, I have to think about it all over again! My wife and I enjoy sitting out in the woods w/a campfire. Price is not a concern, and they all seem priced comparable to me w/the exception of owning which would be more.

This is really interesting! I had been thinking about this – or rather, my husband had been bugging me about it – but was curious about the costs! Not going to lie, I expected the fuel bill, but no the rental costs. It seems like there might be better vacation value elsewhere.

Campsites do not have to be quite that expensive. If you can do without some of the amenities (wi-fi, pools) you can typically stay at state parks for $15 to $35 per night. The higher end usually gets you waterfront sites.

The lack of potty breaks and easy access to snacks seems attractive, but I can’t imagine how hotels would be “obviously….much more expensive.”

If you used a basic hotel site such as hotwire/priceline I’m certain you could find quality hotels in most any locale for under $150/night, probably less than $100 in many places.

Also consider the gas consumption in your SUV would be much, much lower.

I enjoy camping with my family and realize the experience you’d get at a campground vs. hotel are much different, but you also have to factor in the cost that you paid to stay in the RV most nights. IMO this trip would have been much cheaper via hotel.

It most likely would have been not nearly as much fun, but I can’t imagine how using your personal vehicle and mid-priced hotels could be overall more expensive.

Great review! We have been thinking more and more about possible renting or even buying an RV or a pop-up camper. We went on a 2 week road trip around the same time as your family did and we took our Wrangler everywhere. It was cramped!

The RV trip is definitely on our list of things to do, but I’ve always worried a bit about the cost, the hassle of emptying the pooper, and driving that huge thing around everywhere. I think you’ve answered a lot of the questions I might have had – and you gotta love the cousin Eddie tribute photo!

Thanks for sharing such a thorough review of your RV trip. Our family has always wondered what costs were associated with going RVing. I think your article covered the topic well. I definitely think we will try it one day but probably not quite yet since our kids are only 2 and 4, I think it would be more trouble than its worth.

Great article! My wife and I have been wanting to take a vacation like this forever. We want to rent an RV for an Alaskan vacation. Article helped me understand some of the costs and so forth. Thank you!

Great post friends.

Very cool post.

I really enjoyed stalking you guys online during your trip. It was fun. It’s cool to read about the ups and downs of going on a trip like this. This is something I would like to do someday.

RV Renter's Resources

Ready to get started? Whether this is your first trip or you're just looking for a refresher, here's everything you need to make your next trip with a Cruise America RV fun for the entire family.

Remember these helpful hints when you first pick up your RV rental and you're on your way to a successful RV vacation adventure.

RV Orientation

Before you tour the roads and highways of North America, this instructional video will show you the "ins and outs" of a Cruise America RV rental. Watch the video in other languages:

Dansk | Deutsch |  Espanol | Francais   Nederlands | Portugues | 普通话

Renter Assistance Guide

Our Renter’s Assistance Guide gives you tips on safe driving, entering and leaving campgrounds, and operating your RV. You will receive a copy before you leave the rental center. 

Download PDFs

Convenience Kits - Reservations Required

Vehicle Provisioning Kit - $125

Personal Kit - $75 Each

• Bath Towels
• Sleeping Bag/Comforter
• Wash Cloths

Troubleshooting Videos

Our troubleshooting video library can help you solve many of your problems on the road.

You'll find the following helpful videos:

• 120V AC Power
• Emergency Start
• Power Outlets
• Rooftop A/C
• Water Heater

Getting Started

How Much Does Renting an RV Cost?

The cost of renting an RV is a significant consideration when planning your RV vacation. Nightly rates can vary during peak vacation months such as July and August. 

Understanding RV Rental Costs

RV Rules While Driving

Driving a Cruise America RV is easier than most people thing. Before you get going, learn the dos and don'ts of RV driving.

Rules of the Road

RV Driver's License

To drive a Cruise America C Class RV, you must possess a valid driver’s license, a major credit card, and be 21 years old.

See License Requirements

New Vehicle Relocation Deal One Way Specials

One Way Specials

15 Percent Off Deal

More trips. exclusive deals..

Get new trip ideas, itineraries & the latest RV deals every month.

The best credit cards for booking cruises

Editor's note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.

There is one common question we get from TPG readers who are cruise enthusiasts: What are the best credit cards for booking cruises?

It might seem logical that the best way to earn rewards on cruise bookings is to get a cruise line cobranded credit card . However, these generally don't offer as solid of a value as the best travel credit cards .

For example, the Royal Caribbean® Visa Signature® Card currently offers a sign-up bonus of 25,000 bonus points (worth $250 in onboard credit) after you spend $1,000 within 90 days of account opening and an ongoing rate of 2 points per dollar on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises purchases. This might seem like a good bonus, but you can actually get a much better value from the welcome bonus on most general travel credit cards.

The information for the Royal Caribbean Visa Signature Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

If you want to get the most value from your vacation purchases, here we explore the best credit cards for booking cruises and why you always want to pay for your vacation at sea with a credit card.

For cruise news, reviews and tips, sign up for TPG's cruise newsletter .

Why use a credit card to book your cruise?

At TPG, we recommend using a credit card whenever and wherever possible so you always earn rewards on your purchases. When it comes to cruises, you'll get some serious benefits by booking with a credit card.

Earn points and miles

A cruise is a significant expense, which means it's an opportunity to earn significant rewards. You can use a cruise booking to help you hit a spending requirement and earn a valuable welcome bonus on a new card or earn rewards to put toward future travel by using a card that earns bonus points on travel purchases .

Protect from billing mistakes

We've all experienced billing mistakes and the headaches that come with them. If you use cash or a debit card for your cruise, a billing mistake can mean money is already gone from your account before you realize there's an issue. By using a credit card, your money is safe while you work to get the issue resolved .

Protect your spending

Many travel rewards cards come with trip delay and cancellation insurance , so you'll be protected if your travel plans go awry. If you plan on doing significant shopping while on your ship, you can use a card with purchase protection to ensure your item arrives safely home.

Related: Everything you need to know about cruise insurance

When deciding which credit card to use for booking cruises, you'll want to consider the rewards a card earns on cruises and benefits like travel and shopping protections. You can also benefit from a card's more specific perks, like statement credits for travel and airport lounge access.

With this in mind, we recommend these credit cards for booking a cruise:

The information for the American Express Green Card and U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

American Express Green Card

Welcome bonus: Earn 40,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $3,000 in your first six months of card membership, worth $800 according to TPG valuations .

Annual fee: $150

Why it's great for booking cruises: The Amex Green earns 3 points per dollar on travel purchases , including cruises. This means you'll earn bonus points on the cruise booking as well as any airfare or hotel purchases you make to get to and from your cruise. You'll also get trip delay insurance * that covers you up to $300 per trip (maximum of two claims per 12-month period) and purchase protection † for up to 90 days after you make a purchase.

*Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for details. Policies are underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.

†Eligibility and benefit levels vary by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for details. Policies are underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

The information for the American Express Green Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

For more details, please see our full review of the Amex Green .

Related: Who should (and shouldn't) get the Amex Green?

Bank of America Premium Rewards credit card

Welcome bonus: Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first 90 days of account opening, worth $600.

Annual fee: $95

Why it's great for booking cruises: The Bank of America Premium Rewards credit card earns 2 points per dollar on all travel purchases, including cruise line purchases as well as hotel and airline purchases. You'll also get travel protections such as trip delay/cancellation/interruption insurance and purchase protection for up to 90 days after your date of purchase.

And if you're a Bank of America Preferred Rewards® member, you'll earn an additional 25%-75% rewards bonus on every purchase — giving you an even greater return on your cruise spending.

For more details, please see our full review of the Bank of America Premium Rewards credit card .

Apply here: Bank of America Premium Rewards credit card

Related: Everything you should know about Bank of America's Preferred Rewards program

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Welcome bonus: Earn 75,000 Capital One miles after spending $4,000 in the first three months from account opening, worth $1,388 according to TPG valuations .

Annual fee: $95 (see rates and fees )

Why it's great for booking cruises: The Capital One Venture Rewards earns 2 miles per dollar on all purchases, including cruise bookings. You can redeem the rewards you earn for a statement credit to cover travel expenses, including cruise line purchases. You'll also get travel and emergency assistance services.

For more details, please see our full review of the Capital One Venture Rewards .

Apply here: Capital One Venture Rewards

Related: 7 reasons to get the Capital One Venture Rewards card

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

Annual fee: $395 (see rates and fees )

Why it's great for booking cruises: Like the Venture Rewards, the Venture X earns 2 miles per dollar on all purchases, including cruises, and comes with several travel protections. What makes the Venture X stand out is that it can make your trip run more smoothly with additional perks like complimentary airport lounge access, a statement credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry and a $300 annual credit for travel booked through Capital One Travel.

For more details, please see our full review of the Capital One Venture X .

Apply here: Capital One Venture X

Related: Is the Venture X worth the annual fee?

Chase Sapphire Preferred

Welcome bonus: Earn 60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening, worth $1,230 according to TPG valuations .

Why it's great for booking cruises: The Chase Sapphire Preferred earns a valuable 2 points per dollar on travel purchases , including cruise bookings. What makes this card stand out is its impressive travel protections . When you use it to book travel, you'll get protection against lost or delayed baggage, as well as trip delays, accidents and cancellations.

For more details, please see our full review of the Chase Sapphire Preferred .

Apply here: Chase Sapphire Preferred

Related: Why the Chase Sapphire Preferred is perfect for the average traveler

Chase Sapphire Reserve

Annual fee: $550

Why it's great for booking cruises: The Chase Sapphire Reserve earns 3 points per dollar on travel purchases, including cruise bookings. You'll also get a slightly better suite of travel protections than with the Sapphire Preferred, plus airport lounge access and a credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry. Perhaps the best perk on this card, however, is a $300 annual travel statement credit automatically applied to travel purchases, meaning you can get $300 back on your cruise booking when you use this card to pay.

For more details, please see our full review of the Chase Sapphire Reserve .

Apply here: Chase Sapphire Reserve

Related: Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Sapphire Reserve

The Platinum Card from American Express

Welcome bonus: Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $8,000 in the first six months of card membership, worth $1,600 according to TPG valuations .

Annual fee: $695

Why it's great for booking cruises: You won't earn bonus points on cruise bookings with this card, but you'll get access to the Amex Cruise Privileges Program , where you'll receive onboard credit and an extra onboard amenity for each cruise booking. Plus, the Amex Platinum earns 5 points per dollar on flights (when booking with the airline or through Amex Travel on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year) and comes with comprehensive airport lounge access , so it's also great for booking travel to and from your cruise departure port.

For more details, please see our full review of the Amex Platinum .

Apply here: Amex Platinum

Related: How to maximize benefits with the Amex Platinum

U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite Card

Welcome bonus: Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $4,500 in the first 90 days of account opening, worth $750.

Annual fee: $400.

Why it's great for booking cruises: The Altitude Reserve earns 3 points per dollar on travel purchases and comes with up to $325 in annual credits for travel purchases. This means you can get $325 back on your cruise booking when you use this card.

For more details, please see our full review of the Altitude Reserve .

Related: Best credit cards with annual travel statement credits

Bottom line

Using the right credit card to book your cruise allows you to rack up some serious rewards on your booking and protect yourself against a wide range of mishaps. Whether you're focused on hitting a valuable sign-up bonus to help fund your next trip or earning bonus points on your onboard cocktails, you can feel great knowing your card is working hard while you're kicking back at sea.

For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.

Planning a cruise? Start with these stories:

• The 5 most desirable cabin locations on any cruise ship
• A beginners guide to picking a cruise line
• The 8 worst cabin locations on any cruise ship
• The ultimate guide to what to pack for a cruise
• A quick guide to the most popular cruise lines
• 21 tips and tricks that will make your cruise go smoothly
• 15 ways cruisers waste money
• The ultimate guide to choosing a cruise ship cabin

For rates and fees of the American Express Green Card please click here .

For rates and fees of the Platinum Card from American Express please click here .

Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.