Just a few years ago, many people saw RVing as something one could only do after retirement or the dreaded family road trip. Fast forward to the tiny living trend of today, people are looking for better ways to spend their precious vacation days that allow them to experience multiple cities and towns without the hassle of checking in and out of a hotel room.
For years, renting a recreational vehicle was merely for space reasons but the lifestyle has become a convenient way of life for those wanting to hit the open road while avoiding bills that come with a house. Many companies have caught onto the trend that even those who aren’t looking to buy an RV are looking for ways to rent vehicles that provide convenience and accessibility.
Mighway is one of these companies. After realizing the major pain points in the RV industry, the executives came together with an idea that would change the way people would experience road life altogether.
Mighway began in New Zealand in 2015 as a way to give the nomadic people what they want: a convenient lifestyle that was available to anyone without the commitment of buying an RV themselves. The company decided to solve the problems the RV travel industry had with their business model. First, they would provide more commercial rental vehicles at convenient locations. By locating more RVs in convenient locations, RV renters could easily be connected with their RV without the hassle of extra driving to and from smaller or inconvenient locations. Second, RV owners weren’t seeing a return on their investment during the off months; so Mighway’s model would solve this.
In order to solve their first problem, Mighway had to first solve a secondary problem. Most RV owners don’t spend their entire year traveling in their vehicle. Many leave their RVs sitting in the driveway during their off months that they spend at home instead of on the road. By allowing RV owners to rent out their vehicles, Mighway solved two problems with one model. Mighway’s CEO, Dave Simmons says that the company gives both sides of the market what they want, “Mighway allows owners to see their vehicle out on the road being enjoyed, while also helping them collect cash, not dust.”
“Mustangs in Reno visit an RVer up close and personal at her rig.” [Photo Credit Alex Duffner]
RV owners that rent their vehicles through Mighway also see a level of customer service that is hard to find anywhere else. With 30 years in the RV rental industry, the company provides owners with the option to be completely hands-off during the rental process. Rachel Simpson, Content Marketing Executive, expanded on their managed services for RV owners, “Mighway will handle all customer interactions and cleaning while their vehicle is stored at our secure location between rentals.” Every RV rented is covered with comprehensive insurance coverage and an Owner Guarantee to ensure that if any accidents or damage incurred while out with a guest won’t leave the owner out of pocket.
With much success in New Zealand, the company expanded into the U.S. to give more people access to the RV lifestyle in 2017. Mighway decided that growing into American markets meant a slight change to their RV rentals to suit the needs of Americans better.
The main difference between American Mighway rentals and New Zealand RVs is the length of the vehicle itself. The first difference you’ll notice is definitely the size – a motor home for six people in New Zealand tends to only reach about 22 feet, which is more of an entry level Class C size in the States! New Zealand is a much smaller country – it’s about the same size as the state of California – so you get to see and experience a lot of things in shorter distances.
Americans in particular have always enjoyed getting together in large numbers for sporting events, festivals, and reunions which made for the perfect market for RV rentals. Simmons says, “We’ve seen huge growth in customers renting RVs for music festivals, by far the most popular of which is Burning Man in Nevada, as well as sporting events for tailgating.” Connecting travelers with efficient ways to see their favorite bands or teams was just the beginning for Mighway stateside.
Those who rent from Mighway don’t just hit the road to see a thing or two. “We see a lot of people who simply want to experience the RV lifestyle on a weekend getaway with their family and friends. RVs are most commonly rented for camping trips and road trips as they give people the freedom to travel exactly where and when they want, without being bound to hotels and campsites, while still allowing people to go out and experience the outdoors with accommodating comforts inside the RV to spare!” Simmons continues, “The RV lifestyle is addicting! We are also seeing our customers renting with Mighway sometimes go on to buy their own vehicles!”
Those who have rented from Mighway have traveled across states to see numerous places and share experiences with their family and friends all with the freedom and accessibility they want. The most common RV rentals for Mighway come from California as people travel the entire state to see National Parks during their peak seasons. Places like Las Vegas are also a fan favorite in order to witness the beauty of nature in the Southwest. During winter months, Simmons says that many choose to rent from Mighway in Texas or Florida to avoid the cold weather.
Whether an RV renter is a newbie or a veteran, Mighway provides a service that many have found difficult to offer on such a large scale. For many it all starts and ends with the passion Mighway executives and team members have for the RV lifestyle itself. “We’re passionate about sharing the RV experience with as many people as we can,” says Simmons, and it truly shows in their business model. Mighway allows both the renter and rentee an opportunity to benefit from RV travel.
By giving others the opportunity to experience RV life, Mighway is growing the RV industry in ways that RV sales lots cannot. The ‘try before you buy’ model has allowed for true return on investment for RV owners and the experience of a lifetime for travelers who have never been RVing before. Because of Mighway, the RVing community is growing and bringing generations young and old together on the road for new adventures, memories, and experiences.