Oct 24, 2007
An autumn oddity: cheap RV rentals for drivers who will bring them from place to place
Each fall, RV rental companies need to move vehicles from "summer" pickup locations to "winter" rental spots. Rather than incurring the cost of shipping the vehicles around the country, the companies rent them to customers willing to do the driving -- and offer remarkably good prices for their cooperative efforts.
Through December 15, El Monte RV (tel. 888/337- 2214; www.elmonterv.com) is renting RVs at half price for the first seven days on certain itineraries, including trips from Vancouver to Los Angeles, from San Francisco to Las Vegas, and from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, or Dallas. The company throws in 500 or more miles free with the deal, and of course the usual one-way drop-off charge -- normally $300 and up -- is waived. Rates vary depending on RV model, but with the half-price reduction, customers can expect to pay around the same as for an SUV rental.
Cruise America (tel. 800/371-8042; www.cruiseamerica.com), another RV renter, arguably offers an even better relocation promotion. Through the early fall, it offered RV rentals at $24 per for drivers picking up vehicles at various spots throughout the country and dropping them off in the Phoenix area. Unfortunately, that promotion is all but sold out now. But the company has announced a new one-way deal for later in the fall. After refurbishing vehicles in Arizona, Cruise America needs drivers to bring them to various locations -- including Denver, Orlando, Salt Lake City, and the San Francisco Bay area -- and again is offering rates of $24 per day, provided drivers don't surpass the time and mileage constraints. (You're allowed nine days and 3,000 miles if heading from Phoenix to Orlando, for example.) The offer is good for RVs picked up after November 5. Be warned that taxes and fees are extra, and hefty charges can be the result of going above the allotted miles and time frame.
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Through December 15, El Monte RV (tel. 888/337- 2214; www.elmonterv.com) is renting RVs at half price for the first seven days on certain itineraries, including trips from Vancouver to Los Angeles, from San Francisco to Las Vegas, and from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, or Dallas. The company throws in 500 or more miles free with the deal, and of course the usual one-way drop-off charge -- normally $300 and up -- is waived. Rates vary depending on RV model, but with the half-price reduction, customers can expect to pay around the same as for an SUV rental.
Cruise America (tel. 800/371-8042; www.cruiseamerica.com), another RV renter, arguably offers an even better relocation promotion. Through the early fall, it offered RV rentals at $24 per for drivers picking up vehicles at various spots throughout the country and dropping them off in the Phoenix area. Unfortunately, that promotion is all but sold out now. But the company has announced a new one-way deal for later in the fall. After refurbishing vehicles in Arizona, Cruise America needs drivers to bring them to various locations -- including Denver, Orlando, Salt Lake City, and the San Francisco Bay area -- and again is offering rates of $24 per day, provided drivers don't surpass the time and mileage constraints. (You're allowed nine days and 3,000 miles if heading from Phoenix to Orlando, for example.) The offer is good for RVs picked up after November 5. Be warned that taxes and fees are extra, and hefty charges can be the result of going above the allotted miles and time frame.
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Labels: american west, roadtrip, rv
Sep 19, 2007
Would you believe there's a website that lets you pack a tent and sleep for free across the country?
FreeCampgrounds.com (www.freecampgrounds.com) is a community-based bulletin board listing more than 1,700 places where you can camp for free across the country (though it is definitely strongest out West). Now obviously, unless you're an avid outdoors person or driving a campervan, this may not be your kind of full-time travel tactic. But interspersing motel stays with a night or two spent camping can be an excellent way to save money on a long road trip.
Since the site is designed with an RV crowd in mind, many of its entries are for friendly, customer-seeking stores that allow overnight parking in their lots, from Wal-Mart and camping suppliers to truck stops such as the Flying J. But it also has a healthy listing of state parks, Bureau of Land Management parks, and other outdoorsy camping spots, making it an excellent tool for anyone willing to throw a tent in their car's trunk in order to take advantage of a nearby opportunity for a free night's sleep.
Any member can post a listing of a free place to spend the night, providing details on whether the free spot is an official policy or merely tolerated at the destination, the nearest town, the level of noise, a rating of how scenic it is (the parking lots fare poorly on this one), a list of any amenities offered (mostly restrooms and RV hookups for water, electric, and dumping stations), as well as helpful comments by other users.
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Since the site is designed with an RV crowd in mind, many of its entries are for friendly, customer-seeking stores that allow overnight parking in their lots, from Wal-Mart and camping suppliers to truck stops such as the Flying J. But it also has a healthy listing of state parks, Bureau of Land Management parks, and other outdoorsy camping spots, making it an excellent tool for anyone willing to throw a tent in their car's trunk in order to take advantage of a nearby opportunity for a free night's sleep.
Any member can post a listing of a free place to spend the night, providing details on whether the free spot is an official policy or merely tolerated at the destination, the nearest town, the level of noise, a rating of how scenic it is (the parking lots fare poorly on this one), a list of any amenities offered (mostly restrooms and RV hookups for water, electric, and dumping stations), as well as helpful comments by other users.
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Fifty years ago, 
Arthur Frommer is generally acknowledged to be the nation's foremost travel authority. He is the founder of the
