How to Choose an RV

While a vacation home is a wonderful purchase, there is the disadvantage of having to always go to the same location every year. For those vacationers with wanderlust, an RV (recreational vehicle) might be a better choice. A home on wheels, these rolling vacation homes can be taken anywhere there is a road! With comforts like air conditioning, television and queen-sized beds, RVs may be more luxurious than you think.

Instructions

1. Consider a Type A motor home. This is the largest and most expensive type of RV. These RVs are bus-like in appearance and have a bathroom, kitchen, dining area, living area and a bedroom. Some may have "slide-outs" to make the living area larger when the RV is parked. Since the Type A motor homes are usually 40 feet our larger, many owners choose to tow a separate vehicle behind the RV. Class A RVs are generally luxurious and have many extras, such as captain's chairs for the driver and passengers. Their greatest disadvantage is their low fuel efficiency and cumbersome size.

2. Research a Type B motor home. These RVs are smaller than Type As, and they have van fronts and chassis. They still have many amenities of a Class A, such as air conditioning, a kitchen, a bathroom and a dining/living area. The front of the van opens to the back of the RV, so you can walk easily from the driver's seat to your bedroom. Class B RVs have limited towing capacity.

3. Look at a Class C motor home. These RVs look like large cargo vans. The "bedroom" is the sleeping area above the driver's seat. Space is more limited than a Class B motor home, but air conditioning, a bathroom and a small kitchenette are possibilities. Class Cs can tow cars, trailers or boats.

4. Check out a Fifth Wheel RV. Hitch this trailer directly into the bed of a large truck to tow it. Fifth Wheels are very roomy and offer all the comforts of a Class A motor home. Disadvantages include parking difficulties, not being able to get into the RV from the driver's seat and the hassle of hitching and unhitching the trailer from the truck.

5. Compare a travel trailer to the Fifth Wheel. A travel trailer is very similar to a Fifth Wheel, except that the travel trailers are usually smaller and less expensive. Any vehicle with a hitch can pull a travel trailer, which has the advantage of fitting more family members in the vehicle pulling the trailer since it does not have to be a truck.

6. Use a pop-up trailer. These are some of the cheapest and lowest-frills campers and usually do not have bathrooms, kitchens, air conditioning or dining areas. Pop-up trailers have canvas, mesh or plastic sides that compress down to a small "box" and can be towed behind a van, car or truck. Disadvantages include set up and take down time, plus the fact that no one can enter the camper unless it is "popped up." Advantages include cost and towing ease.

7. Try a camper trailer. If you have a pickup truck, this small camper (for one or two people) fits directly into the bed of the truck. While relatively inexpensive, these small campers provide little room or amenities, but many people find this a preferable alternative to sleeping on the ground in a tent.