Q and A with The Travel Mom

We chatted with Emily Kaufman of the Travel Mom who recently took an RV vacation with RVshare. Emily has built a loyal community of travel enthusiasts on thetravelmom.com who love to watch her adventures and learn all her travel tips and takes on the latest travel news. This was her very first RV rental, so we asked her some questions about her trip. We hope hearing her experience encourages you to give the RV life a try for yourself. Be sure to check out her video below that talks about what it was actually like to rent and drive an RV!

1. What were some of your initial concerns about renting an RV that turned out to be no big deal? What ultimately made you comfortable with the process?  My biggest concern was “would I be able to drive it?” That turned out to be something I wasted my worry about.  I took a few practice laps around the side streets in my neighborhood and got comfortable enough to go out on the busy road pretty quickly.  I actually drove on the freeway and in the mountains too. 

2. What was the rental process like on RVshare.com? The rental process at RVshare was simple and easy to understand.  I like being able to find vehicles close to me by searching based on locations.  There were so many to choose from. 

3. Where did you go on your trip? My first trip we went to Sedona, Arizona and my second was to Lake Arrowhead in California. 

4. How did you choose where to go? I chose to go to Arizona over Thanksgiving because it is an easy drive and there’s so much to see outdoors.  Lake Arrowhead is less than two hours outside of Los Angeles and a whole different world so for an easy road trip we chose visiting there.  

5. How did you decide where to park the RV for the night? We planned ahead about where to park the RV so we wouldn’t be in a position to have to search for someplace once we arrived. 

6. How did you decide which kind of RV would be the best fit? Were you debating a few different kinds? I knew I wanted something big enough to accommodate four adults but not too overwhelming. I looked at a middle of the road RV and had a lot to choose from. 

7. What was your favorite thing about the RV itself? My favorite thing about the RV is that it is a great home base for all kinds of adventures. The entire world is right outside the door. Whether it is hiking in the mountains, surfing at the beach or watching the sunset by the lake, there are so many things to enjoy. 

8. Was it difficult learning how different RV hookups work, such as water and electrical? I had to pay really close attention to the owners so I could learn how everything worked. Fortunately, they were patient and taught me to do it all. I struggled with one part and the owners made themselves available on the phone to assist me. 

9. Did all of your campsites have hookups available or did you ever dry camp (camp with no running water or electricity)? We dry camped in Sedona and went to a RV Park with all the hook ups in Lake Arrowhead. 

10. Would you say an RV is comparable to a house or hotel rental in terms of comfort and convenience? I don’t think you can compare staying in a RV with staying anyplace else. It is a totally unique experience. 

11. What did you love about staying in an RV? I loved the simplicity of staying in a RV. 

12. What was your least favorite part about RVing? My least favorite part is cleaning up. Lol

13. Anything else you’d like to share? My only regret with RV travel is that I didn’t discover it earlier. 

Think you’re ready to give RVing a try? Check out our Step by Step Guide to Renting an RV with RVshare and then head over to RVshare.com to find the perfect RV for your trip!