By Mike Willis
A few months ago, I made the cross-country trip to the East Coast with my family. For those who have flown with little kids, you know the “joys” that go along with this endeavor.
Traveling with the entire family can prove to be stressful and expensive. When traveling long-distance, you will have to get transportation and a hotel room large enough to accommodate everyone.
After getting frustrated with high costs, I stumbled upon Cruise America. Cruise America is a business that rents motorhomes.
I reached out to Cruise America and inquired about a Class C unit. Much to my surprise, this arrangement was significantly less expensive than reserving a hotel room and a rental car. I immediately booked it.
Having a home away from home also allows you to go grocery shopping, further adding to your savings. We were able to cook all of our meals for the kids right inside.
We greatly appreciated how comfortable the kids became once they got settled into their new beds. Our trip involved bouncing all around the state, visiting various members of our family. Rather than packing and unpacking vehicles and acclimating the kids with new places daily, we were able to create our little routine on the road.
When traveling, we appreciated having the ability to pull over anywhere and be “home.” At any moment, we could allow the kids to use the bathroom, heat some food, or take a nap. We even attached the kids’ car seats to the bench seat, located at the dining table; this allowed them to have fun playing games and watching their movies while on the road.
Anytime that I went into a store, the kids were free to roam about the cabin. Having some room to run kept them from becoming claustrophobic during our travels. Had we chosen to do the traditional rental car and hotel, we would not have had as good of an experience.
What You Need to Know
As you move forward with the reservation process, you’ll likely be surprised, as I was, by the need to rent linens and cookware. These items will set you back significantly; you could buy them from Walmart for less than Cruise America charges.
We chose to pack most of the items that we would need for our trip. We were not able to fly with linens, so we borrowed those from family at our destination.
You could also bring along your sleeping bag and a travel pillow. These won’t take up much room in your bags and will save you from incurring unnecessary expenses.
When pricing out your motorhome, be sure to have an idea of how many miles you anticipate traveling; this is an important factor as it weighs heavily into the cost of the unit. During certain seasons, Cruise America will offer promotions allowing for generous mileage allowances.
The staff at Cruise America will provide a thorough orientation, familiarizing you with all of the components and operating procedures.
They also have some high-quality videos to view, before arriving. I felt that these videos were a great way to ensure that a new RVer was not overwhelmed on the day that they pick up their unit.
The Takeaway
For your next trip, consider looking into Cruise America. For those who have been contemplating getting an RV, this is a fun way to test the waters. This unorthodox approach to travel could prove to be more enjoyable and easier on the wallet.
If you catch their deals right, you can land one of these motorhomes for just over 100 bucks a day. During peak seasons, that amount could significantly increase, so monitor prices and jump on opportunities when they arise.
For more information on Cruise America, go to https://www.cruiseamerica.com
