Seven states, 10 days, for $10

For two years it has been our dream to drive across America, and at a $1 a day we got to live that dream to the fullest.

On Saturday we wrapped up a 10-day road trip and we couldn't be more stoked with our experience which let us travel further and saved us money too.

We really did rent an RV for $1 a day.

How? A relocation deal.

Pretty much in a nutshell some travellers rent RVs on one way trips and then the company needs to return that RV to its original location. Or they get in new vehicles and need them moved, whatever the reason they are definitely deals worth taking advantage of.

The great thing is these deals aren't just in the US but there are great ones in Australia, Canada and across Europe.

We're already excited at the prospect of further road tripping back on home soil.

Pretty simple to find them, just type in the location you want to pick up the RV followed by RV Relocation deals.

The best ones I found were

1. imoova

2. Self Drive Shop

3. Jucy rentals

4. Also try going straight to the bigger rental companies like Cruise America/Canada, they have deals on their websites too.

5. Apollo

6. If you want a full list Thrifty Nomads have a more comprehensive list than I do and a great blog about relocation deals.

Some things to be aware of when thinking of a relocation deal

1. Most deals have time limits to return the vehicle which can vary greatly from two days to 10 or more. Obviously make sure you get enough time to travel around and see what you want. We looked into one from Whitehorse to Vancouver, Canada but they only gave you two days to do it in. A long drive would have meant every second on the road with no time to stop.

2. Limited mileaged. We had 1900 miles which was plenty for Vegas to Dallas even though we didn't take the direct route. It's good to plan a route before you go so you know you have enough. (We actually went over just very slightly from a few wrong turns and we paid $11 for an extra 34miles.)

3. Limited days. Although we were required to complete the trip in ten days the company let us add additional days for about $80 to $100 a day (or normal price). We stayed with ten days as it was plenty for us. Be aware if you accidently go over it could cost you a lot more for a late return.

4. Insurance. Again different for every company. Part of our deal meant that the company put a hold of US $1000 on our credit card. When we returned the vehicle without damage the hold was released. This covered us for any damage on the vehicle and up to $16,000 damage for someone elses vehicle/property. We opted to pay an additional $100 for unlimited coverage. In the end we obviously didn't need it but the peace of mind was worth it.

5. The cost of fuel. Makes your budget go up. Driving the highways skyrocked our fuel costs, on average costing us US$100 a tank, about every second day.

6. What you need to survive! It comes with a bed and a kitchen but it won't come with all your kitchen supplies and bedding. Most companies will offer you 'packages'. We could have got a bedding package for $50 each and a kitchen set for $125. Instead we went to Walmart and Dollar Tree and bought all our bedding, kitchen utensils including a big pan and food for the road too for less than $130 and saved money on all new stuff which we're still travelling with. We also bought and cooked most of our meals which saved us money.

7. A place to stay. RV Parks/Ranches cost between $20 and $40, average about $30 with full hookup and even wifi. National parks are cheaper for $10 to $30, also have water, electricity and a dump site. No wifi ;-)

Where we went!

Click here for the full roadtrip map

Day 1: Lesson 1, never dawdle in a Walmart carpark.

We picked up the RV in Las Vegas at noon and drove to Walmart to get all of our things. Putting everything into the RV a woman seemed to appear from no where and began sobbing that she needed money or her car would be towed. Then an old man walked near the entrance to the RV where Mark was loading water and said "wine is cheaper than water", or "beer is better than water" or something and stayed around peering into the RV. We quickly learnt to keep our doors locked.

We stayed close for the night at Vally of Fire State Park.

Day 2: Zion, walking among giants.

We awoke in Vally of Fire to the most tremenous red rock all around us. It has a lot of hiking trails but we were only passing through. Our main stop for the day was at Zion National Park.

If you're visiting anywhere near Utah then Zion should be on the top of your list. I had it mapped from before we left Australia and was stoked this was on our route.

No words to describe, even this video can't show the sheer size of these cliffs.

Day 3: The Grand Canyon is...well... grand...

We travelled a long distance from Zion to get to the Grand Canyon but couldn't make it in the daylight. We saw lots of RV's and caravans pulled off just to the side of the road amongst the forest and we did the same for the night. We woke up at 5am to make it to the Grand Canyon for the sunrise and it was well worth it! At first I was the only one there. It was still. Quiet. And I was staring into this great Abyss. It was a bucket list tick for sure! Soon we were joined by a second couple and a photographer and we sat and watched the sunrise. Just mesmerising.

We were headed out by 9am and had a long long drive ahead of us.

We took the 89A which stretches past the Vermilion Cliffs, around the Colorado River and through a cliff face before arriving in Page.

We continued to Kayenta and through Monument Valley before stopping in Bluff. In Bluff we stayed at our first small RV park for $34 full hookup.

Day 4: Four Corners National Momument.

Durango was supposed to be our final stop. It is the cutest little town! However in an outdoor store we stopped to look at a map of the area which listed three camp grounds all around the town. Unfortunately none actually existed and we drove ourselves, literally, around like headless chooks. We kept on driving along our route to Pagosa Springs where along the way we found a national park with camp sites. More driving and we get to the road... which was closed! We gave up at 9pm and stopped overnight at the parks entrance. Most likely how we racked up our extra miles.

Day 5: Santa Fe, colour and culture

Ah Santa Fe. Another cute little town with lots of boutique stores, buskers and rooftop bars overlooking the City centre park. As the capitol of New Mexico we admired the traditional clay houses and mexican inspired culture. tayed over night in the state forest. There was leftover snow from the night before but didn't get cold enough on our night so no snow.

Day 6: Yeeeehhawwwww TEXAS!

Amarillo! Texans do it big and loud and they do it well. Pretty much along the whole interstate 40 we saw signs for The Big Texan Steak Ranch and Amarillo RV Ranch. We didn't actually intend to stay there as we're not fans of big RV parks but we were pleasantly surprised!

For Only $32 dollars a night we had full hookup and access to a pool, laundry and wifi. The ranch was owned by the Big Texan and so we could get a free LIMO to the restaurant.

As we were sweeping out the RV and doing our dumping round and water refill one of the park attendants approached us and offered to buy our dinner. We were a little apprehensive after almost being coerced into a ‘free’ Cirque du Soleil show, only after we took a visit to a time share. But this was not like that, we really did get 2 free meals! Just because the ranch has a few complimentary vouchers and as two young travellers in a much smaller RV to those around us were lucky enough to receieve some charity. Hey we weren't complaining.

So the Big Texan. At 7.30pm a limo adorned with bull horns pick us up from our site (apologies for the terrible photo) and we got a running commentary about the restaurant’s history from our driver. The Big Texan is home of the 72oz steak, if you finish the steak in an hour you get it free. The record is held by Molly Schuyler who polished it off in under five minutes! Then preceded to finish another two in under 20 minute total. I dare you to google it, just don’t do it before you eat.

I ordered a 6oz steak (no I didn’t think about trying the 72oz) and Mark the chicken steak. Although watching what we ate we simply couldn’t go past the beef smothered barbecue chips. For drinks we had a beer ‘sampler’ for $6, which was actually four middies of beer, then Mark order the ‘32oz stine’ for $8 which was only the second biggest option can you believe. The last option was a beer tower. 92oz of beer for $20. A man’s dream.

The most Texan thing about it was the portion sizes. We walked out of that place carrying twin food babies.

If you’re not from around these parts and you’re ever driving past a Big Texan. It is well worth stopping for the meal.

Day 7 Oklahoma City at a distance.

The excitement of the trip slows a little at this point as we entered Oklahoma for a short while. We only skirted Oklahoma City as the interstate continued around and south to lead back into Texas. We left the highway just south-east of the City to head for Lake Thunderbird. Lake Thunderbird is only 28 miles from the City and the perfect place to stop. There are several camping and RV/caravan areas. We skipped the first one full of motorhomes and the second site was completely empty! We has a nice patch of woodland, a strip of lake and the orange glow of the sunset all to ourselves.

Day 8-10

Sorry folks not much to tell now. We thought our RV drop point was further into Dallas so we crept to the town outskirts and stayed at Lake Lewisville RV park. Nice enough but a flood has whiped out the WIFI and the park itself was pretty choccas. We enjoyed the lake and rose early to run a few laps of the area. Unfortunately our RV drop off was actually in McKinney, quite outside of Dallas. Had we have known we would have been on the north side of the lake but instead we were on the south and at this point too close to going over our miles to venture too far for more exploring.

We drove to McKinney and holed up at Lighthouse RV park. At first this park looked way too close to the main road and too cramped but luckily we were wrong about our early presumption. The whole area is shaded and with ample space. The bathrooms and laundry were clean, and the park blocked most noise from the road.

Even if we had of stayed somewhere more remote it wouldn’t have mattered as Dallas had a big storm and it rained non-stop for the next two days. We spent the days planning our next leg. Booked Dallas for three nights to settle ourselves and gave us time to book our flight to Canada and make sure our Visa papers were all in order.

And that’s that!

Would I recommend an RV relocation deal? Yes and yes, as with everything do your research, read the Ts and Cs and then the world is your oyster!

See you next from Canada!

#blog #travel