1. Attend an FMCA international convention and other Recreational Vehicle shows, where many motorhomes and related products are on display at one location. You can comparison shop, talk with motorhomers and dealers and, perhaps, go on a test drive. At each FMCA convention, a special workshop called “Motorhoming: What’s It All About?” is open to the general public and anyone who wants to learn more about motorhoming.

(RV insurance, motorhome insurance and travel trailer insurance shopping can feel like an onerous task, but it’s one of those things you need to do every once in a while. RV America Insurance can make shopping for RV insurance easier because they represent five top-rated motorhome insurance and travel trailer insurance companies. If you haven’t shopped your recreational vehicle insurance lately you might give them a call today to see if you can save some money on your motor home insurance. RV America Insurance can be reached at 800-400-0186.)

2. Subscribe to Family Motor Coaching to read motorhome reviews, new product info, company profiles, and safety, livability and technical articles. By reading FMC magazine, you’ll learn about the specific types of motorhomes available. Travel destinations and tips for enjoying the lifestyle are included, too. Once you become a motorhome owner, consider switching to an FMCA membership to take advantage of other benefits offered to FMCA members.

3. Rent: If you have little or no RVing experience, renting a motorhome before buying is a good idea. Rental fees range from approximately $90 to $200 per day. To find rental locations, check the phone directory under “Recreation Vehicles.” Or, contact the Recreation Vehicle Rental Association (800-336-0355) at www.rvra.org.

4. Tour: If buying a motorhome for sale, consider taking a tour of a manufacturer’s plant. Many offer tours on appointment, where you can watch various phases of the production process, learn about construction materials and ask questions. List of manufacturers and custom bus converters.

5. Request: The Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) offers a free packet of material to first-time RV buyers.

6. Considering jumping right in to full-timing? Janet Groene’s Full -Timer’s Primer column appears in every issue of FMC and offers valuable advice to those who plan to live and travel in a motorhome full-time. Read a selection of prevously published columns.

7. Read RV-related books, which are available in bookstores, libraries and from online booksellers. Review selected titles.

Combining the comforts of home along with the luxury of traveling and enjoying nature’s bounties, stopping once in a while to explore whatever you like, that makes the ideal vacation, with family and friends. And one of the best ways to do it is to rent a motorhome.

Constructed on a chassis, motorhomes are living units, with all the amenities you have in your home, such as cozy bedrooms, well equipped kitchens and bathrooms, air-conditioners, generators, central heating – everything, in fact, to make road-tripping not only exciting but also comfortable.

There are a whole lot of companies that provide various types of motorhomes, with different designs, sizes, and colors. So you can choose one according to the number of people traveling in it, and to suit your taste. Some of these companies are: Fleetwood, Tiffin Motor Home, Buddy Greg Motor Homes, Winnebago Motor Homes, Fleetwood Motorhome, Damon Motor Coach, Cruise America, Roadtrek, Poulsbury, EL Monte RV, Abel RV Rental, Bates International Motor Homes. All of them have functional and luxurious motor homes on offer, which you can check out.

Before actually renting a motor home, you need to decide exactly what you need. For instance, there are three types of motor homes that you can choose from: Class A, Class B, and Class C. Each of them is designed to suit varying needs. While Class A, which is the bus type, is larger and roomier than the others, Class C is known for being the safest, equipped with seat belts and air bags. But, many people find Class B the most convenient, because its size allows you to park it practically anywhere you wish. Designed for various conditions and local roads, the sizes of motorhomes range from 22-32 feet, and can even be larger, if you want.

You also have the choice of picking between gas powered and diesel powered motor homes. While diesel, of course is more fuel-efficient, it is also far noisier. Whereas gas powered motorhomes are less noisy, while also being faster.

Before giving you a motorhome on rent, most rental agencies will require that you have a valid drivers’ license. Many motorhome rental agencies have their own websites where you can check out the motorhomes they have on offer, and also reserve them online. You may have to make a minimum down payment, varying from 150-500 dollars, or sometimes even more.

The rental charges of motorhomes can also differ according to the time of year you rent them in, while in some months, such as June-August, normal rates may be charged, you can get discounted rates during the other months of the year. You will need to check out the rates with the agency you book your motorhome from.

So, whether you want to travel across unending freeways, drinking in the splendors of the great outdoors, or get off from the beaten path and experience its rustic, earthy beauties, why not bundle into a rental motorhome with the family, and start rocking and rolling?

On the way, there are many camping sites you can stopover at, many of which are equipped with full service washrooms and sewage disposal systems along with heated swimming pools, where you can even take off on foot, hiking up pine tree filled mountain trails or even go fossil hunting, or perhaps lie back baking on a sandy beach licking a meltingly cool ice cream cone.

There are two main categories of recreational vehicles (RV’s); motorized and towable. Motorized RV’s include Class A, Class B, and Class C motorhomes, along with truck campers.

CLASS A MOTORHOME
Class A motorhomes are the king of RV’s and are the most expensive. They can easily cost more than a house and can be very luxurious. I dream about owning one someday, but not right now. I’d have to sell my house to buy one and there’s no way all my stuff would fit in a Class A motorhome! But it doesn’t stop me from touring the inside of them at every camper show I attend.

Favorite Class A motorhome at a show earlier this year had all-leather seating, granite kitchen countertops, cherry cabinets, a lighted cherry hutch in the living area, a king size bed in the bedroom, a built-in tv, hardwood floors and an awesome navigation system that my husband nearly drooled on. It was a beautiful motorhome. It came with a beautiful price tag
too. The “show special” price was nearly $300,000.

Most class A motorhomes today have at least one slideout to give you more interior room while you are camping.

Some disadvantages of Class A motorhomes? To me the biggest disadvantage is the same as the biggest advantage – that it’s a self-contained unit. When you’re at your destination and you need to drive to the store for a few supplies you can’t unhook the camper and drive to the store. You have the take the entire camper with you. It can be a problem maneuvering it in some parking lots and in congested traffic areas. To deal with this problem, many people tow a vehicle behind their class A motorhome.

CLASS B MOTORHOME
Class B motorhomes are typically called camper vans or conversion vans. They are small compact units that usually sleep two or three people, sometimes a few more.

Camper vans came into their own in the 1960’s and 1970’s when people put bedding and other essentials in their vans so they could have a mobile lifestyle (you can still see some of the “retro” VW vans on the road – what my parents called “hippie” vans and what thought were very cool). Companies then started to crop up to offer professional van conversion services.

Today’s camper vans look a lot like a normal van except they usually have a bubble top to accommodate being able to walk around the van more easily. A drop floor may also be installed in order to gain even more vertical area so you’re not bumping your head on the ceiling. The back seating areas are removed and in their place are typically a bed (often a convertible that doubles as a couch), a small kitchen, a small bathroom area and some storage areas.

Because a Class B motorhome for sale is van-sized, it’s easier to maneuver and drive where needed. It also makes them versatile since they can be used as both a camper and an additional family vehicle if you want. They fit in most garages and fit in regular parking spots. Their gas mileage isn’t bad either, somewhere between 13 & 20 miles per gallon depending on the size, weight, engine, and your driving habits.

CLASS C MOTORHOME
As a general rule, Class C motorhome are smaller than Class A motorhomes but larger than Class B motorhomes. Does that seem confusing? It kind of is. But the easiest way to identify a Class C motorhome is that they almost always have the bed over the top of the cab of the vehicle, although there’s not always a bed in some of the new motorhomes. Sometimes it’s used for storage or for an entertainment center.

Class C motorhomes are almost as easy to maneuver through traffic and camping areas as Class B motorhomes. Larger Class C motorhomes can tow a small vehicle if desired.

TRUCK CAMPER
A truck camper is the most economical choice for a motorized camper but it is also the smallest, although you might be surprised at how much function is packed into a small unit that fits on the back of a pickup truck.

Unlike Class A, B, and C motorhomes, you usually cannot get to the living area of the truck camper from the cab of the truck. Access is usually at the back of unit.

One of the attractive features of a truck camper for sale is that it can be removed from the truck when you’re not camping so the truck can be used for regular driving and hauling.

It’s unusual for the camper and the truck to be sold together. Usually people already have the truck and then find a camper to fit it.