I would be keen to hear views / experience on this too. We were thinking of a similar type of (long term !) trip, flying into New York then on to Philadelphia and hiring an RV there to tour Appalachians / West Virginia / Ohio / Niagara Falls and back to New York.
made inquiries ourselves while we were in florida this year and were quoted round the $1.000 a week mark inc. mileage charges. just checked with cruise america, the biggest rental company and they work out pretty much the same, not sure about the mileage charge though. they do have an office in montreal and can do way way rentals, extra charge off course. beware however those beasties gulp gas at 8 mpg !
I was about to post a similar request myself when I saw this.
We are going to stay with my brother and his family in Virginia Beach, but are wanting some time in the Appalachian/Blue Ridge Mountains. We drove along the Blue Ridge Highway several years ago in October and it was amazing. Now we fancy camping, but practically would be looking at a cabin type set up. I was looking at sites last night...has any one any experience of sites in this area?
whiskyforme, arthurdent ......One place I would reccommend from a previous visit is the Finger Lake wine region south of Niagra Falls in New York State. Beautiful scenery, decent wine and a lot of fun. Try Bully Hill Vineyard if it is still there!
Also Hershey, near Harrisburg (as in the chocolate) is a lot of fun too for a stopover. My brother lived there for a while...reminds me a bit of Willy Wonkas, as the town is all chocolate themed.Also has a theme park if you have kids (or you are a big kid!).
If you want an exerience/adventure of a lifetime and like seeing animals in their natural habitat, and want to avoid crowded campsites (and they are in Aug. USA) fly direct to Vancouver, hire a 30 ft.Class C M/H and make your way up the Alaskan Highway to Fairbanks. Lots of smaller rental companies in the Vancouver area - check with Canadian Tourist Board. Drop off M/H there and fly back to Vancouver or you can book a ferry which takes you through the 'Ínner passage' calling at remote towns en route. Travelling the Alaskan Highway is a trip to take slowly through wilderness country and I would suggest no more than 120-150 miles per day taking about ten days from start to finish. Small places to explore every 50 miles or so and camp sites to die for - some you'll have to yourselves. Some you may have to share with bears!! (Do not feed them!)
We did a price comparison for this type of holiday a few years ago and when you take into consideration the cost of vehicle hire, fuel, campsite fees, insurance etc it was cheaper - and more comfortable - to stay at Howard Johnson, Ramada or Days Inn hotels/motels for our trip. These establishments are far from stuffy and formal and you have as much freedom to come and go as you please as you have with a motorhome and as the rates are all room only, you're not compelled to eat at the hotel. Eating out is so cheap in the States that to even consider self-catering is a bit of a nonsense IMHO.
These chains employ a daily "walk in" rate which is far cheaper than any published rates and if you take a handful of business cards with you, you will also get a corporate discount. Most rooms sleep up to four people and the rate is per room, not per person.
We did this for a three week holiday in the Boston/New England area during August. We were also able to take advantage of a free upgrade from Hertz from a medium saloon to a Ford Thunderbird and we know that the entire holiday cost us less than renting a motorhome for the three weeks.
I strongly recommend looking into this before committing yourselves.
Vic
Post last edited on 02/01/2009 15:01:01
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: America east coast/RV hire etc
