Is RV Road Trip really worth the hassle?
A resounding YES! A motorhome is such a novel American experience – be it the ease of long drives in a super spacious motorhome, freedom and convenience offered by wide roads and enormous number of RV parks across the country.
Nothing like driving afar in comfort of an RV.
Courtesy: CruiseAmerica
How to book your RV?
• You could use a traditional RV rental portal like CruiseAmerica or a peer-to-peer RV rental platforms like rvshare.com or outdoorsy.com.
• We used Cruise America for its trusted name, consistent policies and hassle-free insurance and had a fabulous First RV rental experience. Note that they mostly offer Class C RVs.
What are the RV classes to choose from?
• Class A – They are the largest (can reach up to 45 ft) and the fanciest RVs but need a commercial driving license (CDL) to drive.
• Class B – Also known as camper vans, these are much smaller (suitable for 1-2 people) and offer very limited amenities.
• Class C – These are the best motorhomes for first timers – they could range from 20-35 ft, haul 3 to 7 people and can offer great luxury too.
We rented above 7-seater Class C RV from CruiseAmerica.
• Travel Trailer – Large towable containers filled with many amenities and you could tow them via any SUV. Could be challenging to steer due to the excessive swing.
• 5th Wheel – Similar to a travel trailer but feature a goose-neck connector which needs a flatbed truck to tow. Much easier to maneuver though.
How to book an RV campground?
An important factor while booking RVs is “hookups” –
• Full hookup means the campground has fresh water, electricity and sewage connections. That’s obviously the most recommended for the first-timers. And if you are worried about the sewage discarding process, it is truly a one-click operation in a full hookup.
• Partial hookups usually have just fresh water and electricity.
Our full hookup campsite
We stayed at the KOA site in Scottsburg and had an awesome time throughout. Ours was a full hookup pull-through KOA patio site with a fire-pit, picnic table and a gas grill.
Other options to book RV sites –
• Hipcamp (known as Airbnb of RV sites, plenty of options to rent RVs from owners).
• Bookyoursite is another popular option and has affiliations with thousands of campsites across US.
• ReserveAmerica and Recreation.gov are the government-owned portals and have the biggest database of federal lands. In my experience, these offered much low-priced options as compared to the others.
Tip: ReserveAmerica has a larger inventory of sites including state and private parks, but recreation.gov is easier to navigate and book once you narrow down the campground.
What did our large 7-sleeper RV from Cruise America look like?
The 30-ft RV boasted of sleeping capacity for 7 people, shower, toilet, small kitchenette with a gas stove, micro-wave, HVAC system, generator, propane gas tank and a decent size refrigerator.
#MildlyInteresting The fridge works even while driving, via propane. Once you connect the electricity hookup, it switches to electric.
Fridge was of decent size, Courtesy CruiseAmerica
As for seating areas, we had 9 in total – 4 around a table (which kids hogged during the ride!), 3 seats on the side bench and 2 in the front.
Seating area in the RV with the table, Courtesy CruiseAmerica
For sleeping, we had the overhead bed, a large bed at the rear and 2 makeshift beds in the middle, totaling sleeping capacity of 7.
Overhead bed in front of the vehicle, Courtesy CruiseAmerica
Curious about the full setup? Here is the floor map:
Courtesy CruiseAmerica
RV Road Trip from Naperville to Scottsburg, KY
Well, driving a 30-ft vehicle is not exactly fun but once you are behind the steering wheel for an hour or so, it isn’t so bad.
I-294 was at its usual Friday evening best, doing its best to delay our efforts to get out of the city :/
The traffic tailed back all the way up to Indiana
Despite the gigantic frame, the RV felt quite steady even with the speeds of 70+mph on the interstates.
And the kids enjoyed the whole 7-hour ride immensely since they sat around a table with whole lot of planned activities for their first RV road trip!
Seating area hogged by the kids, Courtesy CruiseAmerica
Our portly wagon needed refueling after a few hours of driving.
We could use a regular gas station but would highly recommend using ones suitable for truckers – this was a bit of a pain to wade our 30-ft motorhome through.
Having dinner at the gas station parking lot
It was around midnight by the time we reached our KOA campsite at Scottsburg. We swiftly connected the 3 lines – sewage, water and electricity and went for a shut-eye.
KOA at Scottsburg, KY
The KOA site sprawled across 30 acres and had amenities like natural lake, salt water pool, mini golf, live music and so much more.
There were large Kentucky farms all around with almost zero highway noise.
The salt water pool was a huge hit among kids.
So was the natural lake with kayaking and boating options.
Being a weekend, they did the s’mores and campfire near the lake.
If you are outside, there’s gotta be cornhole sets.
We tried a few games of mini golf as well.
Kids were drawn to the giant chess board for a minutes before going back to their gadgets :/
There was giant outdoor bowling area as well.
And as the sunlight dwindled, the grilling festivities began.
For our last day, KOA resort owners were kind to let us stay an extra hour so that kids can enjoy pool one more time.
Another view of the resplendent Scottsburg KOA site.
And we headed back to our home.
Awaiting the next RV adventure
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