We recently met a couple from Switzerland who are RVing in the U.S. for four months with their two children. They have RVed for years in Switzerland in a 22-foot RV and knew that they wanted to do the same in the U.S. Michael said that their 22-foot RV is considered large in Switzerland.
Cheaper to buy than rent
As Manuela and Michael researched options, they realized that renting an RV for four months was extremely costly. It was cheaper to buy an RV than rent! They began looking for one last year and found a fifth wheel online outside Washington, D.C. You can imagine how skeptical the owners were when the buyer was from Switzerland and offered to send him the money. After much discussion and a face-to-face Zoom call, the owner of the fifth wheel realized it was not a scam and the deal went through. Then the couple needed a truck and lucked out when the fifth wheel owner said he would sell them his truck, too.
A trip like this takes lots of planning
There is a lot more pre-planning involved than just buying an RV and truck. They needed travel visas, but those are only good for three months, so they had to apply for immigrant status from the U.S. Embassy in Switzerland. Michael learned an expensive lesson when trying to rent a car in the U.S. with his insurance papers and International Driving license. He needed his passport, too, and that was back in the RV, hours away.
Two weeks ago Michael flew into Washington, D.C., picked up the RV and truck, and headed to Harpers Ferry for a shakedown trip. A week later, his wife and two children followed. Now they are headed out to the Outer Banks and will travel south to Florida, across the southwest to the California Coast up to the Bay Area. I asked what they will do with the RV and truck. They don’t know yet, but have four months to figure it out.
As usual camping entertainment, I watched as he backed the fifth wheel into his site and was impressed with how well he did. Little did I know that it was the first time he’d done it!
Homeschooling
The kids are on spring break, but after that, Manuela will home school for the remainder of the trip. The school that they attend in Switzerland provided all the materials.
I was happy that they spoke perfect English and asked them about it. She said there are four official languages in Switzerland. Her family speaks Low Swiss German. In school, the kids speak High Swiss German. They all start English classes when 10 years old.
RVing in Switzerland is popular with a few differences
RVing is popular in Switzerland and they said the campgrounds are very similar to the U.S., with electric, water and dump stations, but much, much smaller sites. They said our 40-foot motorhome wouldn’t get through the streets, much less into an RV park.
They answered my husband’s questions about renting an RV in Switzerland and traveling. Yes, it is very possible and I could see his wheels turning!
Interested in RVing in Switzerland? The most common RVs to rent (and buy) are camper vans. There are many RV rental options. Click here to check it out.
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Having camped in Germany, The Netherlands, Denmark and Austria in everything from a backpack tent to a small Casita sized camper, I say “Go for it.”
Planned well, it can be the adventure of a lifetime.
We were expats in Switzerland and often traveled by train. We relocated to Detroit, car capital of the world. How I miss train travel! I’d enjoy a follow-up article on the Swiss family, especially their thoughts on Florida and the plains. Switzerland is about the same size as New Jersey, so I’m also interested in their travel time plan, the number of miles or kilometers and hours they consider a day trip.
We have met many Swiss families in rental RVs camping their way across Texas heading for California and then the Pacific NW, where they would turn in the rental unit and fly back to Europe. In all cases the children were proficient in English, and at least one parent. Fascinating and friendly people.
It’s risky buying a RV for 4 months then finding a buyer for it. Truck probably easy to sell.
Thank you, Nanci! 🙂 One meets the most intetesting people when RVing, huh? 🙂 I hope that they enjoy the Outer Banks. It can be quite breezy, making one wonder if RV slide toppers will get ripped to shreds. I wish them much fun and enjoyment, as well as safe travels! 🙂