High-lights from Gilles F.’s motorhome rental in Chicago
The “convenience kit” was well equipped and in excellent condition, although we didn’t really need to cook in the USA. In terms of utensils and dishes, they were minimal but still got the job done.
The bed was good quality and clean (read: new), and you don’t need to take the time to make the bed in the traditional French fashion; just a cover-sheet, top-sheet and comforter…a comfortable American bed.
The RV ran strong, with excellent performance as well as reliability. Be easy on the brakes, as we are used to hard breaking and higher speed limits in Europe (Germany for example…), the RV had decent brakes, but not great. The fuel economy can turn out to be significant in terms of budget; however, it depends on your style of driving. My 26 year old son wasn’t able to come close to 8 mpg, while his dad was able to get better than 10 mpg in the same distance…
In terms of distances, in order for us to reach all of our “objectives”, we drove over 150 miles per day, which was a bit much. I recommend sticking to an average of 150 miles per day to best enjoy the trip and have time to “mingle with the locals.”
We brought along a small electric coffee maker (110 volt), which made our mornings a little more pleasant...the RV had some 14 or so 110 volt wall plugs, which receive power when you are connected to an electric hook-up at a camp site. There were also plenty of 12 volt plugs for recharging the batteries in our GPS, computers, etc.
KOA campgrounds offer great service, clean restrooms, revitalizing showers, a small but pleasant pool, and a shop with all of the little necessities to troubleshoot any problems: fuses, bulbs, pipe fittings, gas, etc. In all of these campsites, there is either free wifi, or paid wifi with a username and password (for better performance); make sure you ask when making your reservation. Also, ask for a spot in the shade if you’re staying for longer than just one night, or not leaving early in the morning.
To ease the formalities when checking into a campground, it’s best to arrive with a sheet containing all the information they will need: type of vehicle, types of hook-ups needed, number of passengers, identification, address, etc. This way you will already have the responses to all the questions in writing.
Also good to know: you can arrive late at night and self-register by taking an open spot on the list displayed at the entrance and scratching down the number of the spot you are taking. They will check the list and settle up with you in the morning.
Overall an excellent trip full of learning moments, which we take as our best souvenirs. The service and top-quality assistance of CampingCar-Online/Ramble Campervans were key to the successful enjoyment of our trip.
