I'd fly to your first stop and do 3 stops from there then fly back. Like, fly into Vegas and head to Bryce or Grand Canyon then go to Santa Fe or Taos.

We have friends who found it way cheaper to buy a 2007 camper for $35k cash and then sell it after a few trips.

The whole endeavor, however, just seems like a huge hassle.

I'd only do this in Alaska.

OP, try crating your dog in the car and/or asking your vet about car sickness options if you haven’t.

I have wanted to do a trailer/RV vacation for a while, but it just isn’t cost effective for any sort of actual distance.

Look at it and then did the math. We could fly first class, stay 5 star, pay pet fee and pet sitting and save money over renting RV.

Anonymous wrote:They get like 10-13mpg. You’ll pay through the nose for fuel costs, plus mileage and generator use fees. I wouldn’t use one for a long road trip with lots of driving.

When I've researched doing this, this was one of my main issues. In addition, I was always challenged by the fact that you have to take the RV everywhere, which would be hard in some cities or smaller places. Or, if you are at the RV campground but realize you need to go the pharmacy or grocery store, you're stuck (unless you're pulling a camper).

They get like 10-13mpg. You’ll pay through the nose for fuel costs, plus mileage and generator use fees. I wouldn’t use one for a long road trip with lots of driving.

I rented an RV through Outdoorsy and it was a great experience. However, our dog absolutely hated the RV. She is usually an easy car rider - no anxiety or illness - but something about the motion and noise of the RV had her climbing the walls. We hadn't brought a crate and we ended up having to cross-tie her between some chairs because it was really unsafe. YMMV.

I chose a Class C camper (all-in-one, like a U-Haul) because I've never driven a towed trailer. If you know how to haul a trailer, or can learn, you could have a regular car trip with the dog riding in the towing vehicle, plus it's more convenient to get groceries or see the sights if you can leave your camper parked at the campsite.

A rental tv vacation sounds fun in theory but it’s pretty expensive. Most companies allow x miles a day (it’s usually about 100 and you’re charged by the mile if you go over). You also have to pay at campgrounds and ones that have hookups so you can use the amenities of your tv, are even more expensive

It’s also close quarter living. I could only do this if I were solo traveling. I wouldn’t even be able to take it if I were with DH on the trip. I like space.

I did a ton of research on this as I wanted to do it but no, it’s not for me, I’ll take the hotels on a road trip.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well as long as the dog is comfortable….

Think about it this way. The dog exists to make us happy. He does his job well and makes us very happy. Hence if we can take him on vacation, we will all be happy. So it’s really all about us! The little one in particular misses him awfully when we travel without him.

Fido here. I’m happiest when on a private jet, not a dumpy living room on wheels. Please take note.

Anonymous wrote:Well as long as the dog is comfortable….

Think about it this way. The dog exists to make us happy. He does his job well and makes us very happy. Hence if we can take him on vacation, we will all be happy. So it’s really all about us! The little one in particular misses him awfully when we travel without him.

Interested in hearing from someone who's not snarky (NP here). I have the same questions & also own a dog. I tend to think the dog would react differently in a moving living room, but I'm unsure.

Well as long as the dog is comfortable….

My kids are interested in renting an RV to take a long road trip with our dog next summer. The dog isn't crazy about car trips, but the feeling is that he'll be happier with a moving living room. Has anyone done this? How much was the RV rental? Was the gas insane? Was the RV in decent condition?
I'm vaguely familiar with this, because my family had a camper when I was a teen, so we spent a lot of time in RV parks.