Can't Get Into Camping? RVShare Lets You Try Out #Vanlife

In case you didn’t realize, summer is here. [Unsticks thighs from horse saddle.] Between schlepping your AC unit up and out of storage, huddling in an overheated heap in front of your open refrigerator, and assuming the (non-sexual) sweaty starfish position on your bedroom floor, you probably haven’t had time to plan your summertime dream vacation. Well, fear not, soon-to-be traveler, we’ve got your back—you’ll be posting corny Instas and disgracing your ancestors with road-trip TikToks in no time. 

Why? Because it’s time to rent an RV, of course.

Now, you might have a skewed vision of what bopping around the country in an RV is like. This, friends, is due to some sort of organized propaganda scheme perpetrated by Hollywood to convince you that RV travel is some sort of forced-family-fun nightmare (think: RV or We’re the Millers). Contrary to popular belief, RVs are actually très sweet, and offer a ton of advantages over a traditional, hotel-filled sojourn. You also don’t need a special license to drive most of them. 

In the past, you had to trot down to the local RV emporium (I assume) and haggle with shady RV dealers to let you roll down the interstate for the weekend. Fortunately, like all things after the year 2010, there’s now an easy-to-use website that solves that exact issue. Let us introduce you to RVshare. 

If you want to get technical about it, RVshare is the world's first (and largest) peer-to-peer RV rental marketplace. In other words, it’s essentially the Airbnb of RVs; like the popular home rental platform, it lets users rent out their homes, apartments, and miscellaneous wild abodes to other users. With RVshare, it’s similar—owners of RVs, campers, and everything in between are able to list their vacations-on-wheels on the platform and offset the cost of ownership by renting them out. (Which is pretty smart, considering most RVs sit unused for an average of 90 percent of the year.) Renters can also avoid the hassle of dealing with RV dealerships and rental services, and are able to secure rides near their final destination, or have them delivered straight to their door. 

Um, because they slap? First off, if you’ve never cruised down the highway in a massive vehicle, it’s awesome. There’s a reason that your townie friends from high school all bought Jeeps and lifted the suspension a foot. (Besides, you know, the obvious one that you’re thinking about.) You’ll also never have to stop for a bathroom break while driving, and the loo in your RV is sure to be a whooole lot nicer than any roadside gas station accommodations. 

Besides being king of the road, though, RVs are a great way to get out and explore parts of the country you’ve only seen in North Face ads. Want to go to a national park or nature preserve, but don’t want to rough it in the woods? Rent an RV. Trying to convince your significant other to come camping for the first time? Rent an RV. Some of the more modern models take “glamping” to a whole new level, and it’s a great starting point for the first-time camper. We’re talking full kitchens, master bedrooms, expandable side panels, awnings, laundry, living rooms, flat-screen TVs, showers, lounge areas, and more stuff that you probably don’t have in your current railroad apartment—including, but not limited to, the ability to drive it across the continent.

For renters, the platform makes figuring out what kind of RV is right for your specific vacation a breeze. Just use the filters to determine whether you want a drivable or towable model, whether you want to pick up your RV or have it delivered to your home, and pretty much anything else you can think of. 

Don’t really wanna blast down the highway in a vehicle the size of a whale? No problem—RVshare has a delivery option, which means you can drive your non-massive car to the campground or vacation headquarters of your choosing. Stepping behind the wheel of an RV can be intimidating, so in addition to delivery, RVshare provides stationary rentals, which allow you to rent from an owner's home or property.

For owners, it takes the stress out of renting out your vacation vehicle using a “Gentleman’s Agreement” and a Polaroid picture of a handshake to any Joe Schmo on Craigslist, since RVshare’s Worry-Free Guarantee protects your payment, security deposit, and more should anything go wrong. It also takes the hassle out of having to… ask your neighbor to borrow their RV? Has that ever been a thing? Honestly, there really wasn’t a good way of renting RVs from private owners until RVshare came around, which is why its existence is so cool. Instead of hitting up Randy and asking him to lend you Big Bertha for a weekend (his RV, not his wife), you can simply check the listings in your area, book a unit, and set sail (metaphorically, not sure if any RV models have sails). 

The company also hooks you up with liability, comprehensive, and collision coverage backed by two A-rated insurance carriers. Oh, and RVshare also throws in 24-hour travel concierge and roadside assistance with every rental booked through RVshare at no extra cost. That means if you get a flat or you have any questions about your RV (is this thing seaworthy?), someone is always there to give you a hand. 

Anway, enough boring specs—we’ve got gnar to shred. Let’s queue up some driving tunes and get truckin’. 

2008 Ford Sunseeker, $79/night at RVshare

2021 Thor Freedom Elite 30FE, $265/night at RVshare

2020 Dutchmen, $140/night at RVshare

2020 Winnebago, $375/night at RVshare

2020 Bunkhouse Jayco Redhawk 31F, $99/night at RVshare

Siri, play "Route 66." 

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