RV Community Joins the Sharing Economy

If the call of the open road has you thinking about a cross-country trip to visit the National Parks or travel the historic Route 66, you are not alone.   According to the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association, an estimated 750,000 to 1 million retirees consider an RV home and many more use their house-on-wheels for vacations or winter escapes.  And because many older adults who purchase an RV only use it for part of the year, sharing websites for motorhomes are becoming increasingly popular.

Whether you want to test the waters of the RV lifestyle or simply don’t want the expense and responsibility of ownership, the sharing economy is catching on in the peer camper community.  Many people look to AirBnB or VRBO to book a stay in a home or apartment when they travel but a growing number of websites are also popping up for people to rent everything from a tent trailer to a fully equipped luxury RV.

In Canada try wheelestate.ca or rvezy.com to search for a camper to rent.  Nearly 200,000 people use outdoorsy.com to rent campers in North America and the service also supplies roadside assistance and preferred rates on insurance.  Across many European countries camperconnect.com lists camper vans for hire in the UK, Spain, France and Portugal as well as within the United States.  RVshare.com and yescapa.com are also good sites to check out and airbnb.com has hundreds of trailers and campers listed for rent.

Whatever site you choose, be sure to read customer feedback and ask plenty of questions about insurance, roadside assistance, gas mileage and rewards programs.  Some RVs are fixed in a permanent location while others partner with truck rental services for campers that require a tow vehicle. 

If you have an RV to share or are looking to try something new, the sharing economy is increasingly attracting older adults who are looking to earn a little extra money or explore new experiences without committing to an entirely new lifestyle.  Sounds like a win/win for the adventurous-spirited senior!