# Starting at the Beginning



## akobrien (Oct 11, 2015)

Hello RV Community. My name is Allie and I'm starting with General RVing and hoping to get some guidance because I have no idea where else to start. My family and I would like to rent a RV (Class A or C) for the Christmas holidays. We live in Pensacola - my husband is a Navy pilot and just got home last week from a one year deployment to the Middle East. We had always hoped to do a family vacation traveling in an RV to the Grand Canyon - I know, not very original. My son is a Sr. in HS and this is his last year at home, and my husband is going to actually be home for Christmas this year so we feel like this is the year to do it. I was thinking we would drive from Pensacola to say, Oklahoma City, and pick up and return the RV there. I think it would be fun to travel Route 66 and stop at ghost towns, etc along the way to the Grand Canyon. I'm opening this up to the RV wide community - how do I start to plan this? Where do I look for RV Rentals (that are not the Cruise America rentals). What's a good rate to pay? How much should we budget for gas? I don't expect to have these questions answered but if someone can point me to a resource, website, person, book, that can make this planning process as easy and cost effective as possible, I would greatly appreciate it. We have been talking about purchasing a RV when he retires from the Navy in 2017, so we're looking at this as sort of a trail run!


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## LEN (Oct 12, 2015)

Who to rent from ????? I don't know. At Xmas time the GC is hit or miss, it will be cold possible snow, more than you want to deal with in an RV. We have RVed in the area AZ for 8 years now and two years ago in April was the first clear enough weather in the winter/spring to do the Canyon. As to gas, map your route for mileage and divide by 7 times the fuel cost, should be about $2.50 per gallon. Also you WILL want RV parks most likely and this is $30 to $50 a night for a night or two at a stop. I would drive the southern most I route to Texas or AZ for the RV pickup and return, less chance of severe cold/ice/snow. How many in the family, age for sleeping, most likely a C would be best to get around in.

LEN


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## BarneyS (Nov 17, 2015)

First of all, thank you so much for your and your husbands service. 
I am sorry but I think the time frame you are planning this adventure is not a good one.  That time of year, in the areas you will be trying to RV in are cold, snowy, icy, and dangerous at times.  In addition, most RV's, especially the ones you could rent, are not set up or capable of operating in cold weather for long periods of time without extensive preparation and planning.  A night or two in below freezing temps are one thing but  an extended vacation would be very difficult.  I would not attempt it and we have been RVing for over 40 years.  

Perhaps, since your husband just returned from a deployment, you can plan a trip like that at a better time of year since he most likely will not deploy again for a little while.  If you decide to do it during Christmas, perhaps you could stay South and enjoy a RV vacation there.  Lots of things to do and see in the South.  The only problem with that idea is that people like me who live in the North spend the winter months in the warm South and you may have not as good a selection of places or sites to stay in. 

Thank you again for your service.  My wife and I were married at the NAS Pensacola almost 60 years ago. 
Barney


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