Behind the wheel of the RV craze

The fastest-growing means of vacationing in America is the recreational vehicle. It can be your best friends who have just returned from a three-month trip through the national parks, in a shiny new motor home, and claim it’s the best thing they’ve ever done. It can be your neighbors who have bought a trailer they’re going to use to “winter” in a luxury RV resort. It could be you, getting away from it all, buying a recreational vehicle and taking off to see the great outdoors, the sights of the Southwest or the grandchildren scattered across the land.

But how do you get started? A recreational vehicle is a major investment that can exceed $50,000. Is it worth the outlay? Will you enjoy the lifestyle of the semi-nomad? Will you get restless and claustrophobic, or will you have the travel experience of a lifetime? A bit of analysis is in order.

Here are the advantages:

In an RV, you follow your own flexible time schedule. No fixed reservations, no dependence on others (hotels, trains, planes). You don’t pack and unpack. You cook when you like, eating out only when you wish.

You can take your pets along. You can visit friends or relatives anywhere in the country without imposing on them: Your RV, parked in their driveway, becomes your private guest cottage -- as well as your summer beach house and your winter chalet.

You make friends easily upon arriving at a campground or RV resort. RVers are, in general, enthusiasts who love their lifestyle and like sharing it with new people. They are constantly attending rallies, caravans and camp-outs, and meeting with other RVers to share common interests. “It’s difficult to be lonely in a campground,” one confirmed RVer told me.

RV travel is economical. You can purchase fresh local produce on the road and cook your own meals. Your stay at campgrounds is usually nominal ($10 to $20 a night is typical). And there’s no one to tip.

Here are the drawbacks:

RV travel is not for everyone; it might not be for you. A Philadelphia couple I know who recently spent four months traveling across the country in a motor home issued the following caveats: “Be sure you feel extremely comfortable with whomever you will be traveling with. You’re going to spend long periods of time in close quarters. Be sure you’re an expert driver and enjoy spending long periods on the road. Above all, don’t take this kind of trip unless you’re flexible and able to cope with new situations, which happen all the time. Mechanical breakdowns are not uncommon, and you have to be able to handle them without getting upset.”

Like many first-time RVers, my informants began by renting a motor home to get used to driving a large vehicle and to spending a great deal of driving time together. Now they’re so enthusiastic that they’re planning to sell their suburban home, move into a small apartment, buy an RV and spend at least six months on the road each year. “The excitement and variety of life cannot be compared with any travel experience we’ve ever had--and we’re experienced foreign travelers,” they say. “It’s a new kind of life, a brand-new world we never saw before.”

The first step is to look in your telephone directory under “Recreational Vehicles -- Renting and Leasing.” Or you can call one of the four national companies: Cruise America, (800) 327-7799, www.cruiseamerica.com; Bates International Motor Home Rental Network, (800) 732-2283, www.batesintl.com; El Monte RV Center, (888) 337-2214, www.elmonterv.com; or Altman’s Winnebago, (800) 400-0787, www.altmans.com. It’s also useful to visit the Web site of the Recreational Vehicles Rental Assn. at www.rvra.org. It contains a list of companies that rent RVs, including prices and addresses, in almost all of the 50 states.

Rental costs vary considerably, depending on the type of vehicle, when and for how long you want it, season and other variables.

One way to get a good price is to regularly check the Web sites of the major rental outfits, which periodically post specials. From one company, I secured a quote of $45 a day plus 39 cents per mile for a particularly elegant 22-foot camper trailer that can sleep two adults and two children. One of the grander motor homes -- a 26-foot Alumalite by Holiday Rambler or a 27-foot Southwind by Fleetwood -- will average $800 a week plus low-cost mileage (after an initial number of free miles). But that’s for a vehicle that can sleep six people and is self-contained, with such features as a microwave oven, roof air-conditioning, generator and propane tank (so a hookup is not necessary), power steering and almost everything else you can name.

The most important step is comparison shopping before you rent. Make sure you understand the terms of the agreement, take your vehicle out for a test spin and reserve as far in advance as possible. Indeed, the RV life is becoming so popular that a reservation several months in advance might not be a bad idea.