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RV Rentals Surge Across The Country Amid Pandemic

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A new survey shows families are booking RV trips more than ever before.

The national RV rental service, called RV Share, says RV rental bookings have gone up more than 600% since early April.

The survey showed families wanted a trip that allowed limited contact with others and more flexibility for changing plans.

Two local Minnesota companies, RVThereYet.com and Camptastic Rentals have seen a spike in bookings in the last week.

The owner, Jason, said the surge comes after most of his customers canceled their bookings in March. He's now heard from all different types of customers, from athletes who don't want to fly, to families who decided to cancel a trip to Disney and switch gears this summer.

Sara Gunderson, from New Hope, is planning to take her family to the Black Hills and plans to do all their cooking in the RV.

"We'll still be cleaning and hand sanitizing a lot so even if we're in the public parks and nature spots I think we'll take precautionary measures," Gunderson said.

There are a lot of appeals to travel by RV right now. Gas prices are low. Jason said the RVs are cleaned after each rental is returned. One change is that people seem to be booking longer rental windows.

Jason said typical bookings are a a couple of days to a week. He has gotten several inquiries for two-week rental periods.

"I think what people are doing is they're leveraging their time off or a lot of people are working from home successfully so they're able to work while they're vacationing," Jason said.

The RV rentals through Jason's companies can go from $100 to $200 a night, depending on the model and bed occupancy.

If you want to camp in Minnesota, you will have to wait a little longer. Overnight stays at campgrounds are off limits until at least June 1.

Sara said she feels taking the trip is a great way to get out of the house and make memories with her family.

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