Russ Lovell, Author at Delivered RV Rentals

Top Campgrounds on the California Central Coast

Posted on January 12, 2018May 17, 2018 by Russ Lovell

If you’re looking for the top campgrounds to visit, any time of year, look no further than California’s Central Coast. Brimming with fun activities, it’s vacation paradise set in the best weather any season can dish out.

So, you own an RV and you want to know where you can go and be in the middle of all the fun. Whether you’re looking for your next weekend getaway, a great destination to hold a family reunion, or you’re shopping for a full blown family vacation, look no further than California’s Central Coast, just North of Santa Barbara.

RV rental set up at campground in Avila — RV Rental at Port San Luis Harbor, Avila Beach, CA. November

The weather is absolutely incredible all year round so other than scheduling around a major storm, you can’t get it wrong. The weather is unbeatable so you’ll be in the right place at the right time. You simply need to work it into your schedule, then make reservations.

What is also amazing, is that the Central Coast is home to thousands of RV owners, many of whom are willing to share their RV with you. So, whether you own an RV or not, you can still experience RV camping with friends and family who may or many not own an RV. Our website, RVPlusYou.com provides delivered RV rentals, right to your campsite, already set up and ready upon your arrival, and at a very affordable price. Check these RV rentals out.

RV set up at Wine Country RV resort — Wine Country RV Resort – RV Rental

Before we get started on which RV park or Campground you want to visit, a quick review of the Central Coast. San Luis Obispo county hosts some of the coolest little beach towns in California. Starting in the North County, Paso Robles is the definition of ‘California wine country’ and it rivals all of the competition, including Napa/Sonoma. Well, in everything except high wine tasting fees. You’ll find very reasonable prices on tastings fees and the wine.

One of our favorite wineries is Frateli Perata, a small family-owned dry farmed vineyard that produces about 2,500 cases a year. All of their wine is distributed through their club, so if you want to bring a bottle home, you’ll have to visit their tasting room off of Hwy 46 West.

Cambria and San Simeon are a favorite destination for tourists worldwide. Both are quaint seaside villages that attract beach lovers, foodies, and hikers alike. One of the really cool attractions is the elephant seal refuge just North of San Simeon on Hwy 1, a must see destination.

Moving down the cost on highway 1 to Cayucos, Morro Bay, and Los Osos, you’ll find little towns that time simply forgot. If you love quaint shops, mom and pop restaurants, or bay side dining, put these three towns on your bucket list. If you make it in time for lunch, try the Bayside Cafe. They know exactly what they’re doing.

As you reach San Luis Obispo, home of California Polytechnic University, you’ll discover absolute magic. Dubbed the “happiest town in America”, and sporting an average 67 degree climate, you’ll know why as you stroll the shops and restaurants of Higuera street in downtown “SLO”. You won’t find better Cioppino than the award winning family recipe at Ciopinot Seafood Grille. Great seafood dishes, and an amazing selection of Pinot Noir wine is what you’ll find at this popular dinner house.

In the coastal valley where SLO is protected by surrounding mountains and Edna Valley is busy producing some of the best Chardonnay and Pinot Noir anywhere, Hwy 1 connects to the 101 freeway and guides you back down toward the coastline, passing Avila Beach, Shell Beach, and Pismo Beach. There doesn’t seem to be a bad view anywhere.

The truth is, once you land in San Luis Obispo County, no matter where you decide to camp, you’ll be in the middle of the absolute best time you can possibly have. And because we’re campers, we’re going to share our top choices, (in no particular order).

Port San Luis Harbor Campground, Avila Beach, CA

Wine Country RV Resort, Paso Robles, CA

El Chorro Regional Park and Campground, San Luis Obispo, CA

Oceano Park Campground, Oceano CA

Avila Pismo Beach KOA, Avila Beach, CA

Pismo Coast Village RV Resort, Pismo Beach, CA

North Beach Campground, Pismo State Beach, CA

Hearst San Simeon State Park, San Simeon, CA

Lopez Lake Regional Campground, Arroyo Grande, CA

Lake San Antonio South Shore Campground, Bradley, CA

Lake Nacimiento, Bradley, CA

4 Hot Tips to Renting Out Your RV More in 2018

Posted on January 11, 2018May 18, 2018 by Russ Lovell

Are you making money with your RV rental side gig? We sure hope so, but if you’re not making enough, or you would like to increase the number of RV rental bookings in 2018, then implement these 4 photo tips to rent out your RV more, and put extra cash in your pocket this year.

Why photos are so important…

The recreational vehicle that you present, is what renters expect. Most people are visual and want to see the experience they are renting. Content and text is important, but content only has a fraction of the impact that photos have. Bad presentations get bad results. Good presentations win, and you’ll rent out your RV more if you present well.

Make your RV stand out by showing potential renters exactly what you’re offering, and the experience they can expect if they rent from you. Below are 4 tips that will lead to more money in your pocket:

Tip #1 – The Big Picture RV Rental Ad

Your first photo is usually the one that is featured on the front of your RV listing on most rental sites. It’s also the thumbnail in social posts when people share with friends. It’s critical because it’s the packaging that renters are browsing. Before they click on your listing, they’re browsing all of your competition and viewing these thumbnail photos. Make sure your photo represents the experience they’re looking for, before you get into the details.

RV Rental in desert with ATV's in Sand — This RV owner captures the experience in this shot and invites the prospect to click and view more details

Floor Plan Toyhauler Desert — This is the featured photo of similar RV rental with similar prices for desert delivery

Tip #2 Photo Quality

Photos illustrate what you’re selling. If yours are grainy, out of focus, or simply too dark you’re going to be passed over. Below are two photos of similarly priced toy hauler RV rentals. Which one is going to be chosen?

Inside toyhauler clear photo — Inside toy hauler RV rental

Grainy photo of inside toyhauler — Inside Toy Hauler rental

Tip #3 Landscape vs. Portrait

Landscape photos are usually better because you can capture the big picture much easier. No matter which you choose, be aware of how it’s uploaded. Most software will upload in Landscape. Choose wisely and rotate if you’ve made a mistake. Spending a little time on fixing mistakes and re-uploading better photos can turn it all around.

Portrait photo of travel trailer — Photo of front page on RV listing. Portrait photo creates smaller image of this travel trailer

Dark photo of motorhome uploaded to featured RV listing sideways — Photo of motorhome uploaded to front page of featured RV listing. Too dark and view is sideways

Tip #4 RV Owner Profile

There is a reason why real estate agents spend a lot of time and money creating the perfect image for their business. Customers always want to know who they are dealing with, and service is everything. People rent from people. In the photos below, which RV owner would you rather deal with? Who would you trust more with your vacation? Make sure you’re putting your best foot forward when you create your RV owner profile.

Profile photo of RV owner who rents out their RV consistently on RVPlusYou

Profile photo of RV owner who has never rented out their RV on RVPlusYou

The bottom line:

If you’re serious about renting your RV and want to increase sales for 2018, put some time and effort into your RV rental listing. Work on the content as well as the photos. A few minutes invested can make all the difference in the world. Want more? See detailed information on winning RV rental listings.

Let’s Get Away with an RV Rental, from RVPlusYou!

Posted on January 3, 2018May 18, 2018 by Russ Lovell

Are you planning a holiday or a vacation with family or friends on a budget? Want to get away for the weekend and avoid the driving or towing hassles? Yes, it’s possible!

If you are preparing for a weekend getaway, a family reunion, going to a festival or even a wedding you can book a Recreation Vehicle (RV) through RVPlusYou rentals online and they can help you set up the RV at your requested location.

Travel trailer set up at Plaskett Creek Campground near Big Sur California — A Typical RV Rental Set up at Destination

An RV often referred as a caravan or a motor home normally includes a kitchen, a bathroom and one or more sleeping facilities. People often rent RV’s for camping or recreation.

RVPlusYou.com

The online booking platform at RVPlusYou.com connects RV renters to RV owners. RV owners, can list their unit with photos, amenities and locations they are willing to deliver. RV renters, based on their requirements, can search the global database of RV owners for the perfect RV. Owners will then drive their RV to the decided location and set it up so renters can simply start enjoying the outdoors at a reasonable rate, and owners on the other hand can earn extra income. You can even book an RV for extra space if, for example the house is full of guests, or for any special occasions.

Win- Win

Risk is virtually eliminated because the renters are not allowed to drive or tow the RV. RV owners control when, where and what rate they rent it out. RVPlusYou looks after the payments and transactions, so there is nothing to worry about. Just sit back and relax! RV renters simply arrive at the agreed upon location and check in! Hence it’s a win-win for both owners and renters.

Protection and verification of parties is vital. At RVPlusYou we ensure all parties are safe, secure and verified! Everyone is required to complete a profile. On top of that, RVPlusYou provides a protection policy to cover both owners and renters.

Flexibility and RV Rentals

An RV can be rented on many different occasions and locations. For example, tourists who fly into the country and want to combine nights in hotels and the outdoors while travelling around America, for a date weekend where you might want something different, and even in crisis where your house might be damaged. Delivered RV rentals can come in handy in many situations.

Costs and RV Rentals

This is certainly a budget friendly alternative as it does not have the same costs as hotels and motels, and it is much cheaper to rent from a private party than one of the big corporate RV rental companies. It allows the flexibility for you to be relaxed and at ease wherever you might be! Please view the website for costs and listings at your destination.

Does Your RV Need Some Attention?

Posted on December 15, 2017May 18, 2018 by Russ Lovell

Lot Rot Can Be Costly: Fire Destroy’s RV’s Due to Lack of Attention

RV’s don’t do well sitting idle. Non-use takes a toll on plumbing, electrical, and mechanical parts. Beyond having to replace expensive parts or perform expensive maintenance, you can also cause some real damage and endanger lives as this KSBY news video shows. Time to give your RV some attention?
KSBY.com | San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Area News

RV's on Fire — Three RVs burn at a storage facility in Goleta. (Photo courtesy Mike Eliason/Santa Barbara Co. Fire Dept.)

Some owners find out the hard way; when preparing for the annual vacation, some RV’s just didn’t like being alone all year long.

Regular attention and maintenance can solve this issue, which is one of the arguments behind the concept of sharing at RVPlusYou.

RVPlusYou shows owners how to avoid problems, create a quality RV rental listing, and earn extra income by renting out their RV, and sometimes it’s a lot of extra income.

You don’t have to share it a lot to make money, but regular use can help avoid costly repairs, adding to the benefit, as this story illustrates. Letting an asset like an RV sit and rot is hard enough on the pocketbook, not using it or allowing others to use it imposes a real opportunity cost on owners as well.

Just 8 rentals per year can generate as much as $5,000; enough for a pretty swell road trip. Oh, and it may save you thousands in costly repair and hassle.

For more information on how you can earn extra income, and keep your RV in shape and ready to travel, check out our free RV Rental Business Guide.

Why RV Rental Companies Should List their RV’s on RVPlusYou

Posted on November 20, 2017December 4, 2017 by Russ Lovell

RV Rental set up at Pismo Coast Village — RV Rental set up in Pismo Beach, CA

Why should smaller privately owned RV rental companies rent out their RV’s to customers who want an RV that is already set up and ready? Why rent through online peer to peer RV rental websites like RVPlusYou?

There are a lot of reasons why it doesn’t make sense for Cruise America, Road Bear, Apollo, and El Monte, all big corporate RV rental companies, to rent through online travel agencies like RVPlusYou. The biggest reason is they don’t need to. Their model is a niche vehicle rental business, as opposed to RVPlusYou which is a niche inside the vacation rental market. It focuses on the “Delivered RV Rental” model.

So, what about the smaller mom and pop RV rental companies? Why should they list their inventory on a peer to peer website? What’s the downside? The short answer is that there is very little downside and a lot of upside. Let’s go through the list.

On the upside:

Marketing – Simply put, RVPlusYou does a lot of marketing and buys a lot of ads. While RV rental companies are in the business of renting RV’s, and hopefully good at it, they’re typically not very good at marketing.
Seasonality – RV rentals are typically a seasonal business for most companies. So what if you could get a few more weeks out of your season? RVPlusYou helps fill in cancellations and broadens the shoulders of your season.
Delivered vs. Driving Rentals – Because renters don’t drive or tow, there is less damage when a professional backs that beast into the campsite. Renters cause damage, period. They also chew up the miles and cause depreciation of inventory faster than delivered rentals do.
Target market – Most RV rental companies attract those who want to drive. RVPlusYou targets those renters who want a comfortable camping experience, need some extra space for family at their home, or they’re attending a wedding or an event. RV rental companies don’t typically spend marketing dollars on these markets.
Cost of Service – Because RVPlusYou charges only a 3% “Host Service Fee”, the cost of a credit card transaction, there is no affect on your business model. All services effectively are free of charge because RVPlusYou charges the renter, “found” customers that are either members of their site, or that they find.
RV Rental Fees – All fees and cancellation policies are set by the RV owner, or rental company when they set their listing. This way, there is no confusion and both parties know what to expect.
Service – The following services are provided at no extra cost for all RV owners and rental companies when they sign up and list:
- Customer support – Toll free service, online chat, and email support 24/7.
- Online Booking Engine – Cuts down on operational time and expenses for most rental operations.
- Reservation and booking software – Maintained and supported by RVPlusYou, used by RV owners.
- Protection Policy – $5,000 supplemental damage, and $300,000 liability

On the downside:

Booking – Renters must book on RVPlusYou. Most see this as a positive, but if you have a unique booking system, other than a phone and a fax, then this might require a work-around for your operation.
Rental Fees – Because the credit card transaction is handled by RVPlusYou, rental fees are not dispersed until the rental period ends. For some, cash flow is sited as problem. But since most of our rentals are last minute “found” revenue, it’s not an issue.

Summary:

It’s free to list and there is no obligation to rent to anyone who inquires. You can activate and deactivate anytime with no long-term commitments. With all this upside and very little downside, why not give it a try? Click here to sign up and list!

All You Need to Know About Starting an RV Rental Business

Posted on October 30, 2017November 1, 2017 by Russ Lovell

Alex Jones Photo – Molding the perfect business opportunity takes dedication and hard work.

Starting your own business isn’t hard to do. It’s turning your business into a productive entity that takes time, money, hard work, and patience. Anyone who’s raised a child to become a functioning and productive productive member of society knows that making the baby wasn’t the hard part, it was raising the child to adulthood that was the challenge.

Starting an RV Rental business is the easy part. It’s the “making it produce” that will take hard work. Fortunately RVPlusYou can help by providing all the information you need to investigate and get started.

Looking for the right business opportunity to mold into a thriving business? Click the photo on the right to download our start up guide, then read on..

The First Bite of RV’ing can Leave a Bad Taste

Posted on October 28, 2017November 1, 2017 by Russ Lovell

Back in April of 2017 I had a nice chat with my dental hygienist; a nice lady with a young family, two boys and a husband eager to buy their first RV to go explore, take weekend trips and vacations. After all, she and her husband had grown up RV’ing and like most of us, they remember those times, as “the best” in their childhood.

I too fall into that category, camping was what we did. It was who we were as a family so I was happy to hear that this young couple would be sharing the “RV camping lifestyle” with their kids.

Being “in the business” so to speak, I had some limited knowledge and a bit of advice. I offered some research and information since I had recently purchased two RV’s, one used and primarily dedicated to rentals and the other new, primarily used for future full time adventures, but still “for rent”. I never got to impart that knowledge because she lost my email. Bummer.

Well, I recently had my 6 month check up and was looking forward to hearing how the search was going. “Still looking? Ready for advice? Oh, you already bought one? Great, how was your summer, where did you go? ” All, sadly were wrong questions. I opened up a flood of sour sauce, a sea of bitter taste that described perfectly what was wrong with the RV industry.

It was an impulse buy, a new 24′ travel trailer, perfect for a family of 4 with two boys and the very first one they looked at. That brand new look, feel, and smell is intoxicating.

There was admittedly a lot of research left undone before they signed the loan papers. If you leave that job up to the sales guy, well you’re going to hear what you want to hear. “Sure, you’re truck will tow it fine”… She explained her experience in vivid detail with every blemish described, not leaving out the strain that the experience had put on her family. My jaw was dropped, literally and figuratively.

After their maiden voyage they came back with a slew of issues. Sloppy workmanship, poor design, lack of testing… it went on and on. They were the kind of issues that plague the RV industry. It’s not just one or two manufacturers either, so I won’t name the model of trailer they purchased but it’s in the top 3 in terms of volume. Just about all brand new RV’s have issues. But when you’re not ready for it, and you’re making payments, and you can’t use it, well…. that leaves a bad taste.

What really struck me wrong, what really made me sad and sick at my stomach was knowing the high she was on before the purchase last April, and witnessing the absolute low she was at now; after the purchase and only one trip in. “I don’t even want it anymore”, was her remark and sentiment. She wasn’t feeling the joy of camping memories, she was feeling duped. All of the positive quips I could muster didn’t budge her feeling that she made a mistake.

Why would they not test the refrigerator before the unit was delivered? Why did the buyer have to experience that and all of the other problems on their fist trip? Why was it in the shop for 6 weeks only to find out that the refrigerator had to be replaced? RV dealers and manufacturers: WAKE UP!

One of the most complete answers to these questions that I’ve found is a paper written by Greg Gerber, editor of the RV Daily Report. The RV Industry Death Spiral is a must read for new RV’ers in my opinion. Knowing is half the battle. At least new buyers can develop a buying strategy that won’t leave a bitter taste in their mouth.

Mark from Missouri wrote a blog piece about his search for the perfect RV. It goes into amazing detail and analysis. Not sure everyone is cut out for this kind of science, but he will never be able to say he rushed into it and made a bad decision.

In my recent battle with the dealer, I explained to the service manager, through clenched jaw, that information is key to understanding what to expect. Without it, you set your customers up for a bitter taste. Why do you want to do that? Why not spend the same amount of time to educate and set expectations. I know the answer…. money. If they don’t close, they don’t get paid. Well, we reap what we sow.

What was my issue? I had purchased a solar power system with upgraded batteries for extended boon-docking. Dummy me, I didn’t do the research and left it to the dealer to educate me. After all, he was an “Authorized Go Power” dealer who sold us our brand new 2017 Cardinal. I wanted it fast and easy.

I was told that I could add more panels. What I didn’t know was that you need to upgrade your solar regulator to handle more amps before you can add more panels. Dumb. If you want to know how that went, you can read all about my RV and the Resi Fridge.

So, here we are with a consumer population eager to jump into the RV lifestyle, and an RV industry ready to pounce.

As consumers we have a responsibility not to give our money to any entity who is not going to provide value in exchange. Whether it’s our government or a private industry, we are ultimately responsible. Caveat emptor. Knowledge is power and sharing that knowledge can make all the difference in the world to those dreaming of the “RV Lifestyle”. Please share.

RV Rentals An Option for Emergency Accommodations – Hurricane Harvey

Posted on August 26, 2017 by Russ Lovell

With thousands of people expected to flee the Texas coast line, the question becomes; where to go?

Harvey is expected to produce as much as 15 to 30 inches of rainfall and isolated maximum amounts of 40 inches over the middle and upper Texas coast through next Wednesday, August 30. Thousands of homes may be flooded during this event.

Rainfall of this magnitude will cause catastrophic and life-threatening flooding, so the question becomes how to accommodate the many families who will flee the hurricane to avoid the danger and subsequent flooding.

Disaster relief will be needed and the government isn’t the only solution.

One solution may be RV Rentals by owner. There are over 9 million RV’s in North America sitting idle in storage facilities, side yards, and other private locations. There are hundreds of thousands of RV’s stored throughout Texas. Why not prepare these units to be used for emergencies?

When it’s time for folks to go back home, RV’s can go back into storage as driveway show pieces, or RV owners can put them to work and earn extra income by sharing. . They are mobile vacation rentals, and disaster relief accommodations.

Most people who own RV’s don’t have time to rent their RV but many do. Surveys show one in ten RV owners want to earn extra income. Why not put that asset to work now to help those who need temporary accommodations due to hurricane Harvey, and in the future by sharing it with others. There are millions of people who either need a place to live temporarily, or simply want a comfortable vacation rental delivered to the mountains, rivers, or beaches for the weekend.

Visit our knowledge base and learn more about how to earn extra income with your own RV or by becoming an RV Vacation Rental Manager for other RV owners.

Best Way to List Your Delivered RV Rental

Posted on February 18, 2017 by Russ Lovell

As for destinations; I always recommend multiple listings. Why? Search engines employ bots to crawl the trillions of

pages on the internet and determine what that page is all about. If you want them to know what your listing page is all about, and you should, then this means means each listing is a location.

RV Rental Delivered to Port San Luis Harbor, Avila Beach, CA

The h1 header that the bots look for on each page is the title on your RVPlusYou listing page, and h2 is the first two sentences of the description. They already know that the website is about RV rentals delivered, but what about your page? You’re giving them the location; where you will “deliver” your “RV rental” to “Las Vegas Speedway”.

Plaskett Creek - Delivered RV Rental — Plaskett Creek – Delivered RV Rental

Same RV, but since the owner will deliver to multiple locations near them, the RV owners list at different destinations that are popular with RV renters. Each listing becomes a destination and to the search engine bots, your listing becomes very relevant to a renter searching “RV Rental delivered to Plaskett Creek”.

So, to set up Vegas Speedway for example:

Login and click on ‘list your RV’ – Go through the process
- Tip – Keep your photos in a folder so you can highlight, drag and drop for upload. Keep content in a word doc so you can cut and paste.
To ‘edit address’, use the ‘pinpoint on a map’ feature:
- Click ‘your RV’s’ from dashboard
- Click ‘manage RV’s’
- Click ‘address and description’ section
  - For title: Make sure you use the keywords that renters use: “RV Rental Las Vegas” (What it is and where it is: Bots will define and feed that to search results when anyone anywhere types that in)
  - For first few sentences: Describe what it is again: “RV rental delivered to Las Vegas Speedway campsite. I will deliver my 30 foot travel trailer to your site and include 2 camp chairs, one table, and my generator”. This reinforces what the bots have defined.
  - Next: Go to ‘edit address’ – Bottom of page near map. Click edit address and then ‘pinpoint on a map’
    - Tip – Place the pinpoint on a road near campground you are listing. Make sure to use the location on the road with best view. Google will pull that location from Streetview. That becomes your listing’s “Destination View”.
    - Again, same listing, different destination!

Do this for each location where you will deliver so the search engine bots will find you and define you.

RV Rental delivered to Babe Lane site #1

What’s in our future? We’re developing a location module with over 16,000 camp locations in the US. Renters will be able to search by location (as they do now) but when they do, rather than finding RV rentals for each location they enter, they will pull up the info on the campground (left side), while on the right side they will see photos of RV’s/owners who will deliver to the destination that they have entered.

When this is done, RV owners on our website will be able to choose a delivery area (X mile diameter) which will include all of those campground and RV park locations. RV Owners

RV Rental delivered to Pfeiffer Campground, Big Sur, CA

then add/delete from the campground list depending on where they will and won’t deliver to; details such as (no RV camping, Your trailer is too big, you don’t like that destination, whatever… you choose your spots). We’ll have the SEO on our site designed such that your one RV listing can serve the area you choose and/or campground(s) that you choose.

Want to take the ride with us? Join us now as an early adopter of our site. Help us design the best RV rental by owner website in the world!

Patrick’s Point State Park

Posted on February 17, 2017November 3, 2017 by Russ Lovell

What an amazing and beautiful place to visit. Patrick’s Point State Park is located just 30 miles North of Eureka, CA

Map: Directions to Patrick's Point State Park — Directions to Patrick’s Point State Park (Click for Video from CampgroundViews.com)

and just off the 101 highway, right on the coast.

There are 121 campsites offered at the park, many are RV accessible but with a size limit of 31 feet. There are 4 cabins available for rent as well, or you can have an RV delivered and set up next to friends.

For detailed information you can visit the State Park website, and for reservations you can visit Reserve America.

If you want an RV delivered, check out RVPlusYou for RV Rentals offered by owner, and delivered to your reserved campsite.