I just bought a travel trailer because:
1. We wanted one and have had a couple before and have always enjoyed them.
2. I was curious about the same thing.
We just started last week and haven't had anyone pick it up yet, so I can't speak to that.
What I can attest to is RV share as a platform. It's awesome. They take 25%, I think that decreases as you go maybe, but that money provides so much guidance, rental checklists, ID verification, records of transactions and conversations, and even insurance for you and your renter. We just listed last Thursday and we have had several inquiries and one booking.
It works a lot like vrbo or airbnb in the reservation system itself, calculating taxes, fees, and damage deposits. You can customize with your own preferences as fast as age limits, payment options and whether or not to offer delivery and set up for an extra fee.
With just the one weekend rental we have so far, we'll cover the payment and storage cost.
And, I'm confident most of these and any new inquiries will convert to bookings in September. If we just have weekends booked, that will net us about $1000 profit for September.
My only regret is not doing this in the spring. I have been wanting to get into STRs, but just can't financially pull the trigger yet. I saw this as a good learning tool for the hospitality industry, so perhaps I'll be better prepared when we can commit to buying an STR. And I plan to use at least some of the profit to save for the down payment.
Some tips:
Get a smaller, lighter camper with as much sleeping capacity as possible. One of the reasons we bought brand new is the new use of Murphy queen beds being used in the new models. This is genius. You get max sleeping capacity and max floor space at the same time.
Get a family-friendly bunk house model. I really took our boring RV rental and turned it into the "ultimate family reconnect" experience. I included cozy bedding, cards and board games for all ages, outdoor chairs, marshmallow roasting sticks, as well as a welcome pack including a variety of hot drinks and s'mores ingredients for the cooler nights, which will be coming next month.
I also decked it out with nice bedding, extra hooks for hanging towels, robes, jackets, etc. and even hung some small pictures with industrial-strength velcro. Which means I can switch out these small, cheap and out of the way touches of home (like $6-$12 at hobby lobby) with the seasons.
Of course, we also spent about $200 loading it with cheap plastic dishes, silverware, utensils, a few pots and pans, and a cheap baking pan set. Also towels and those decorative touches.
In the cargo area, we put a tub with beach/lake towels and a couple of small, blow-up floaties. We live near several lakes.
I have high hopes for the fun venture and it seems to be off to a good start! But, if it all goes to pot, we still have an awesome camper:)
