You did it! You found the perfect RV for your trip, and you’ve submitted a rental request. But you may be wondering, “What happens after I book my RV?” What can you expect from RVshare and the owner of the RV you wish to rent, and how do you prepare for an RV vacation? Knowing these things will not only help you relax and get excited about your trip, but might also help things go more smoothly, something every vacationer will definitely appreciate.
Since knowing what happens next is so important, we are going to use this article to help you get a better understanding of what to expect after you book your dream rig and before you actually get out on the road.
Forms and Processes
The first thing you should do after you choose an RV is fill out the required forms in order to ensure the RV’s owner has all of the information they need to feel confident in approving your rental request. This includes putting plenty of information about your trip in your initial rental request—be sure to include the number of travelers, whether you have pets, where you will be going, and how long you plan to stay—but it also includes a couple of steps after you submit the rental request.
First, you will want to verify your identity. This does require a driver’s license or passport, so be sure to be prepared with one of these things when starting the process. Don’t worry! All of your personal information is safe and secure. The driver verification is done only to protect the RV owner.
After you verify your identity, be sure to complete your RVshare profile. A completed profile will help RV owners learn a bit about you and whether you will be a good fit for their rental rig.
Choosing a Protection Plan
Another thing you’ll need to do during the booking process is choose a protection plan. Obviously, insurance is very, very important, and RVshare offers some seriously good protection.
That said, we know one size doesn’t fit all when it comes to insurance. Therefore, we offer our renters a few different protection plan options to choose from. The basic plan will be selected automatically, but you can change this during the booking process so you have coverage that suits your needs and leaves you feeling confident and worry-free.
Plan options include:
Basic
- $1,500 deductible
- State minimum liability
- Windshield damage — repair only
- $10,000 campsite liability
- Up to $300,000 in comprehensive and collision coverage based on the value of the RV
Essential
- $1,000 deductible
- State minimum liability
- Windshield damage — repair or replace
- $10,000 campsite liability
- $500 personal effects
- $500 pet injury
- $500 tire and wheel road hazard
- Up to $300,000 in comprehensive and collision coverage based on the value of the RV
Preferred
- $500 deductible
- State minimum liability
- Windshield damage — repair or replace
- $50,000 campsite liability
- $1000 personal effects
- $1000 pet injury
- $1000 tire and wheel road hazard
- $1500 interior damage
- Up to $300,000 in comprehensive and collision coverage based on the value of the RV
Liability Only
Note: This plan is the only insurance option offered for RVs 20 years old and older and does not include comprehensive and collision coverage.
- $1,500 deductible
- State minimum liability
- $10,000 campsite liability
The cost of each plan depends on the RV that will be covered, so you will receive an insurance quote with your RV rental quote. All plans include up to $1M in liability coverage and 24/7 roadside assistance.
Contacting the Owner
Once you’ve submitted your RV booking request (which you can do by clicking the “Contact Owner” button in the “About the Owner” part of the listing) the owner of the RV has up to 24 hours to get back with you. Typically this happens a lot more quickly, but 24 hours is the maximum amount of time you should have to wait. In the rare event that an owner takes longer than this allotted amount of time, the request will expire and you will likely want to put in a booking request with a different RV.
When the owner does get back with you, they might have more questions about your trip, or they might be willing to confirm your booking right away. Either way, their reply will go to your RVshare inbox, which can be viewed on your RVshare account. Be sure to respond right away in order to expedite this process and ensure the RV isn’t booked by someone else in the meantime. This conversation is an important part of the answer to the question, “What happens after I book my RV?”
We also recommend asking questions of your own at this time. Hopefully you’ve already read through all of the information in the listing (if not, go back and read it first!) and you can use this chance to ask any questions that aren’t answered there.
Common inquiries include:
- When was the RV last serviced?
- How old are the tires? Will they be inspected prior to my rental?
- What type of fuel should I use in the motorhome?
- What kind of gas mileage should I expect?
- What is the height, weight, and length of this RV (for route planning and campsite choosing purposes)?
- Where is the registration kept?
- Do you have a how-to manual or any online videos to help me understand how to use the RV?
- Who do I contact with questions or in case of emergency?
Paying for the Rental
After a short conversation to help you and the owner feel more comfortable with one another, the owner can choose to send you a customized quote that will give you a more detailed idea of what the total cost will be.
Once the booking is confirmed, you will need to send payment via the RVshare platform (never pay outside of the platform for your protection). If your trip is more than 30 days out, you may have the option of paying half of the total up front and the other half closer to your trip. That said, in many cases, owners request full payment up front.
30 days before your rental period begins (or immediately, if you will pick up the RV in less than 30 days), a separate charge for your RVshare insurance will also be billed to your card. Additionally, you can expect to see a hold on your card for a security deposit. This will appear two days before your rental period and will be removed as soon as the RV is returned in good condition.
Finding Your Campground
By now, you probably already know where you want to go with your rental RV. In fact, you likely had to provide this information during booking. There’s also a possibility the owner of the RV you are renting asked about where you would be staying. However, if this is not the case and you still aren’t sure where you’ll park the RV during your trip, now is the time to get that taken care of.
Fortunately, campgrounds can be found pretty much anywhere in the country, so finding one near your destination should be doable. That said, because RVing is growing in popularity, it is always recommended that you head to your campground of choice with a reservation in place. Not only that, we also recommend booking your campground as far out as possible, as many of the more popular campgrounds do book up quickly.
When searching for the perfect campground for your trip, keep the following things in mind:
- Location of the campground in comparison to the location(s) of attractions you wish to visit.
- Cost of the campground and how it fits into your budget.
- Size of the campsites versus the size of your rental RV.
- Whether the sites include hookups of any kind, and if these will be enough for you to camp comfortably.
- Whether the campground is kid-friendly if you happen to be traveling with kids (also applies to pet-friendly campgrounds for pets).
- What other amenities are included (pool, playground, dog park, laundry room, etc).
If you aren’t sure where to look for a campground, try websites like Campendium and RV Life Campgrounds, where you can filter campgrounds by location, price, and more. If you’re looking to camp on a budget, state parks and COE campgrounds tend to be good picks. Meanwhile, boondocking is the way to go for a totally free adventure (though you’ll want to make sure the owner is okay with a boondocking trip). Lastly, Jellystone and KOA parks are ideal places for family camping with all the amenities.
Preparing for Your Trip
You have your RV booked and a campsite reserved. What’s left to do? A lot, actually! There are several tasks you’ll want to add to your to-do list in order to ensure you’re fully prepared for your RV adventure. Here are some of the things to tackle rather than sitting around wondering, “What happens after I book my RV?”
Choose Attractions
First, you will want to decide what you’d like to do once you arrive at your destination. Obviously, you likely have at least an attraction or two in mind already, but now is the time to hammer out the details.
How much are tickets, and do you need to buy them in advance? Are discounts available, and how do you get those? What other attractions are nearby, and are any worth adding to your itinerary?
Knowing these things in advance can help you save time and money and make your trip more enjoyable.
Pack Up
You’ll also need to pack your things. What you need to pack will depend on a variety of factors.
First, you’ll need to find out what is included in your rental RV already. Usually, this information is included in the listing. That said, if you can’t find the info you’re looking for, you can always use the RVshare inbox to reach out to the owner and ask.
Obviously, you won’t need to pack anything that is included with the RV, but there are probably still a number of things you will need to pack. Keep the weather in mind (checking a weather app beforehand can be very helpful) and have a good understanding of what sorts of equipment or clothing you might need for the activities you plan to take part in. Then, modify this packing list to suit your needs.
Figure Out Food
One of the wonderful things about traveling in an RV is the ability to cook the food your family loves even while on vacation. Of course, you will need to do some grocery shopping in order to make that happen.
A few days before your trip, sit down and make a meal plan. Use the day before your trip (or the time right after you land at the airport) to pick up the things you need to carry out that meal plan.
If you’re especially organized (and you’ll be driving to your destination), you could even do a lot of the prep work beforehand. This would save you the trouble of doing so while you’re trying to enjoy your getaway.
Departure Form
48 hours prior to your rental period, you will be sent a departure form. This can be found in your RVshare dashboard inbox and should be read carefully. You can also add additional drivers at this time if need be, but keep in mind those drivers will need to be 25 years of age or older with a valid driver’s license. Additionally, they will need to be verified. Once all of that is done, sign the form digitally and submit it.
Pick Up the RV
Finally, you will of course need to actually go and pick up the RV (or meet the owner at the campground if you choose the delivery option). Either way, you will want to use the time spent meeting with the owner to learn as much as you can about the RV. Make sure you understand how it works so you aren’t left fumbling during your trip.
The owner should do a thorough walkthrough, showing you things like how to hook up to electricity and water, how to dump the tanks, and how to put out slides and pull them back in. They will likely show you any little quirks that the RV has (most rigs have at least one). Finally, they might have a book prepared to help you out should you have any questions while you’re out.
Pay careful attention during this walkthrough and ask any and all questions that come to mind (there are no dumb questions in this instance). This is the time to ask the owner how they would like to be contacted during your trip should something come up. You’ll want to save this contact info to your phone. You might also take a minute to save the contact information for RVshare’s roadside assistance to your phone.
Lastly, if you haven’t filled it out online already, you will be asked to fill out a quick departure form before you hit the road.
Hopefully this information helps you get a better understanding of what happens after I book my RV when renting through RVshare. It’s really a very simple process that is easy to follow once you jump in. So go ahead and submit that booking request—we promise you won’t regret the amazing adventure you get in return!
