Author: praveen.pothuganti@traderinteractive.com

Coach-Net, a provider of emergency roadside services and owner protection programs, has put together a list of rental tips that will help ensure a successful rental experience for a first-time RVer as well as a list of national parks to consider visiting during spring break.

The company stated in a press release, that “renting an RV is a great option that allows families or students to drive to their spring break destination at their own convenience, while also saving money and creating a once-in-a-lifetime travel experience. Yet, for first-time renters or novices, renting an RV can be daunting.”

Coach-Net advises to consider the following key factors when renting an RV:

• Cost – Consider the cost of the rental and verify if the company charges extra for mileage or if it is included in the rental price. Also, know in advance how many total miles the trip will be, and budget accordingly for gas money.

• Insurance – Check your car insurance to see if it covers RV rentals. Additional coverage may need to be purchased from the rental company, and some companies also have minimum age requirements for a rental.

• Preparation – Most RV rental companies offer test drives and information to help inexperienced operators feel comfortable behind the wheel and learn how to check fluid levels, monitor tire pressure, empty sewage lines, etc. When renting an RV, check what type of maintenance coverage plans are available and if they specify working with certain dealers for repairs. Easy, 24/7 access to roadside assistance and technical support is certainly a key to having a worry-free vacation. Coach-Net offers products and services, even for short-term RV renters, that can keep your vacation running smoothly and your family safe while on the road.

• Size – Large RVs can be difficult to maneuver for an inexperienced driver, so take driving abilities into consideration. Also, make sure to consider factors like the number of people, amount of luggage and length of the trip before deciding on an RV size.

• Cooking – Determine what kind of cooking will be done during the trip and if that RV has the capabilities (large enough fridge, included cookware, stove-top burners, etc.). Buying bulk food items and making meals can save money on a trip, if the RV has the storage capacity.

• Parking – It’s a good idea to plan some overnight stops in advance and be knowledgeable about places that are available for parking in the general travel area. Also check and confirm the length and class of RV, and if it can be accommodated at the final destination.

Recommended state parks include:

The 2016 Campers World RV Show, marking its 38th year, will be held at the York (Pa.) Expo Grounds March 11-13.

According to a press release, the event will encompass more than 130,000 square feet of indoor display space with 13 dealers showing over 180 units. Also on display will be 50 campgrounds showcasing their facilities and 10 vendors offering products to enhance the RVing experience.

“With gas prices being down, more people than ever before are discovering the freedom and flexibility an RV vacation affords,” said Beverly Gruber, executive director of the host Pennsylvania Campground Owners Association (PCOA) and the show’s manager. “Great camping memories are part of almost every family’s history and it’s a great stress-reducer.”

Gruber’s enthusiasm is echoed by the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA), where a recent study confirms a family of four can spend up to 74% less when traveling in an RV.

Face painters will be on hand to entertain the children. There will also be games, door prizes, and camping weekend giveaways, a Studebaker Swap Meet and a community craft show.

An added feature this year will be the central Pennsylvania blood drive. The blood bank will be at the show on Sunday from 1-4 p.m.

This article originally appeared on RVBusiness.com.

Whether you’re a first time owner of a RV dealership or an experienced leader of a regional chain, good search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) can boost your bottom line; however, the algorithms used by Google and other major search engines are constantly changing, and that means today’s SEO playbook has little in common with the SEO habits of earlier years.

Here’s what you need to know about how to make an impact and sell RVs online.

Your market is your most important guide when crafting your SEO. For RV dealerships, the most important question is whether you’re a purely local establishment or a regional presence. If the customers who typically buy a RV from your store are all in-town, there’s no sense wasting effort trying to market to other areas (unless you want to expand), but if your customer base is regional, you should make sure to factor that into your keyword and content choices. Make sure keywords related to your market’s towns and notable locations are mentioned on your site.

In the early days of internet search engines, keywords were the only way to increase your search rankings. In response, webmasters began overusing keywords, even going so far as to include streams of invisible keyword text at the bottom of every page. Since then, search engines have implemented a variety of means for detecting and punishing pages that exhibit “keyword stuffing.”

To avoid getting flagged as a keywordstuffer, never go out of your way to pepper your site with keywords. The best way to get your page noticed is to provide compelling content that encourages visitors to read it and share it with their friends and family. If your site is about RVs and written by and for RV fans, then the search engines will notice, no stuffing required. If you think your RV listings and other product information can’t meet this need by themselves, don’t hesitate to start a store blog. A blog that’s written by somebody with expert knowledge of RVs–and is noticed and shared by your customers because of it–can be a great way to drive high quality traffic to your site, and your search rankings will improve accordingly.

The current name of the game in SEO is high value links, and search engine algorithms put the highest value on direct grass roots referrals. For your purposes, that means social media and word-of-mouth engagement with your customers. A visitor who navigated to your site by clicking on a direct link from their social media feed is the current gold standard for search rankings. You should also use your customer’s content whenever possible to meet your SEO needs. Reviews are a great example, especially if you highlight your favorites on the product page. That text is now considered an integral part of the page by search engines, and since it’s written by a real person expressing real opinions, the search engine algorithm is likely to consider it high value content.

Visit RVTrader.comtoday for more helpful tips about selling RVs online.

Let’s face it – most fifth wheels today are cookie-cutter.  Most of them have the same colors (brown, light brown, and a slightly darker shade of brown), floor plans, appliances, etc. and SOMEHOW every single one of them is the best.  Now that’s hard to believe.   

The Crossroads Cruiser doesn’t claim to be the best fifth wheel ever made, but you sure wouldn’t know that if you talked to the folks that owned them.  For many of these people, their fifth wheel is their chance to make memories with their most cherished loved ones, and they’ve trusted us to help make those memories happen for them.  We never take for granted how personal it is to build someone’s dream.  Every nail, every weld, and every piece of wood is a promise from us to you that we hold this honor in the highest regard.

In the end, it’s not the fifth wheel that makes those starry August nights around the campfire so memorable, or the rainy days in May when you thought you could plan the perfect weekend…and it still turned out to be a perfect weekend – just wetter.  It’s not the fifth wheel that makes those memories, but ask around and you’ll find that it sure doesn’t hurt. 

You won’t hear us going on and on about all the things you would expect in a fifth wheel, but we would be honored to tell you about some of the things you wouldn’t.  Give us a try – it’ll be worth it.

Find the Crossroads Cruiser at your local Crossroads dealer, or learn more at CrossroadsRV.com