Guest FAQs

How do I book a vehicle?

The rental process is intuitive and works like many car and hotel reservation sites. Start by visiting https://www.outdoorsy.com and entering the desired location and dates.

Browse your RV options on the results page, and use the filters to refine your search. You can view any listing to see available add-ons, amenities, photos and vehicle descriptions. When you’re ready to reserve, make sure you’ve created an account on Outdoorsy, then click on “Review Request” or "Instant Book" and tell the Host a little bit about yourself and your plans. 

While waiting for a response, be sure to upload your driver’s license for the driver verification process and complete your profile. Once you receive a confirmation, you’ll need to log back into Outdoorsy to finalize and pay the reservation deposit. This is a good time to look over all the fine print (i.e. restrictions, cancellation policies, etc.) so there are no surprises.

Stay in touch with the Host leading up to your departure, since they’ll likely be a great resource for RV info and trip suggestions. Take the opportunity to clarify the finer points of the rental with the Host, like:

• Add on services or items: Camping equipment, grills, and bike racks

• Generator and/or mileage: Daily limits, overage rules, and usage fees

• Pet policies: Pet-friendly availability, size limits, and occupancy fees

• Long-term stays: Special rates or requirements for rentals over 30 days

• Handoff logistics: Finalizing pick-up/drop-off times and locations

• Delivery and setup: Stationary setups, delivery options, or one-way trips

• Trip extensions and cancellations: Host-specific rules on extending or shortening a booking

• Roadside support: What to do if you have an emergency on the road

How do I know the Hosts on your site are genuine?

Our community thrives on transparency, honesty, and accountability. That’s why we try to collect as many ratings and reviews as possible to give Guests insight into each Host. By reading all reviews for the Host you want to rent from and asking that Host detailed questions about your trip, you’ll ensure your rental is exactly what you expect.

Are the charges in CAD or USD?

Yes, any reservations completed for vehicles registered in Canada will be charged and paid out in CAD, even if you travel into the US from Canada.

How much do I need to pay to reserve an RV on Outdoorsy

At Outdoorsy, we are committed to providing a transparent booking experience. To better align our payment schedules with our refund windows, we have updated our payment terms.

Whether you pay in full at checkout or split your payments depends on two factors: when you placed your booking and how far in advance your trip starts. 

Please review the sections below to understand the terms applicable to your specific reservation.

Outdoorsy Legacy Payment Terms

If your booking was first created before February 2, 2026, then you've booked under Outdoorsy's Legacy Payment Policy. This means that your Reserve Amount depends on the: 

• The Listing’s Cancellation Policy: Whether the Host chose Flexible, Moderate, or Strict.

• Lead time: How many days are left between your booking date and your departure date

Outdoorsy New Payment Terms

Starting February 2, 2026, we’ve simplified how you pay. Instead of having different rules for cancellation policies, your payment schedule is now based entirely on how far in advance you book. This aligns your final payment date perfectly with your cancellation deadline, so you always know exactly where you stand.

If your booking was first created February 2, 2026 or later, please see the new payment terms below:

If you’re using PayPal to book (Legacy and New Payment Terms):

If you choose to pay with PayPal, the full amount of your booking is required upfront at the time of reservation. This applies regardless of your departure date or whether your booking falls under Legacy or New Payment Terms. The 50% deposit (split payment) option is only available for credit card transactions.

At what point can I see the Host's address? And when can they see my email address and phone number?

You’ll see the full address for RV pickup when the reservation is confirmed on our platform. Until then, only the city/state are displayed.

Please note that for platform security purposes, your phone number and email address will not be visible to Hosts until after the booking grace period for cancellations has expired, which is generally 24 hours after booking confirmation. If the booking was requested less than a week out, the cancellation grace period is one hour. Please note that there is no grace period for cancellation on same-day booking requests. Hosts and Guests can always message each other via the Outdoorsy messaging platform.

What if there’s an issue with the rental?

Our Hosts are great folks who do all they can to make sure the pictures and descriptions they have for their RVs are 100% accurate. As a Guest, the RV you pick up should be exactly what you expected based on the online listing.

In the rare event that you find something amiss when you pick up your RV rental, we do everything we can to help you out.

For example, if the RV condition doesn’t match the description (including cleanliness), if the RV is not in a safe and roadworthy condition, or if the RV or any of its components are not working as expected at any time during your trip, please reach out to Outdoorsy Customer Support.

Along with notifying us, please take photos and/or videos of any visible defects.

NOTE: Any refund requests or damage disputes submitted after the trip has concluded may be denied if Outdoorsy and the Host were not given notice of the issue(s) at the time they were discovered, and if the Guest did not properly document the issue.

We highly recommend that you use the digitized key exchange process to take in-app photos of any damage or issues you encounter to ensure that all issues are properly documented. 

How many people are allowed to drive the vehicle?

There isn’t a limit to the number of drivers, but each driver must pass our driver verification process, and a Protection Package must be purchased for the Guest to be covered by Outdoorsy’s insurance policy.

The primary Guest who registers and agrees to the Outdoorsy Terms of Service is ultimately responsible for any additional drivers insured through Outdoorsy’s policy as well.

What if I want to extend my reservation?

If anything changes with your original trip dates, either prior to or during the trip itself, contact the Host immediately to get their approval.

If the Host approves of the date changes, you can click “Suggest new dates” on your Trips page (outdoorsy.com/trips) and send them over to the Host to approve. The Host can also do this from their Dashboard.

NOTE: The date change is not confirmed until the date change is suggested and approved on your Trips page. Once this occurs, you will see the revised dates show up on the booking.

If you are in the middle of a booking when changes need to be made, please contact both the Host and Outdoorsy’s support team as soon as possible.

What if I need to cancel my reservation?

If you need to cancel your reservation, make sure to familiarize yourself with the Host's cancellation policy. Outdoorsy upholds all Host cancellation policies as set on their listings. You will need to cancel the booking yourself on your Trips page, as it will not be considered a cancelled booking until this is done. If you have any issues cancelling the booking yourself, please contact Outdoorsy as soon as possible.

Purchasing Trip Protection on your booking is a great way to help protect against the risk of a covered illness or personal emergency derailing your plans. Please note that this coverage is only available for purchase by U.S. residents. Click here for more information about Trip Protection and what kinds of events it's designed to cover.

Are there any restrictions on pets?

A lot of our Hosts are pet lovers, but may have restrictions on pets in their vehicles. Check the rules section of each listing to see if they’re “Pet Friendly”.

How do refunds work?

If a refund is due because of a cancellation by the Host, it can either be released back to the Guest’s payment method on file or converted into Outdoorsy travel credits to be used on a new booking. If a refund is due because of a cancellation by the Guest, it’s automatically released back to the Guest’s payment method on file — in line with the reservation’s cancellation policy. If the refund is due to negotiations between the Guest and Host, or due to services not provided, a Host can request a refund for their Guest. In this case, please contact Outdoorsy as soon as possible.

COVID-19 and cancellations

We’re currently unable to adapt our policies for COVID-19. Though we made exceptions in the past, our original cancellation policies are once again in place. This is for the protection of our valued Guests and dedicated Hosts.

Before booking a planned vacation or last-minute getaway, please examine the Host’s cancellation policy thoroughly and research how COVID-19 may be affecting your travel destination. Purchasing Trip Protection on your booking is a great way to help protect against the risk of a covered illness or personal emergency derailing your plans. Please note that this coverage is only available for purchase by U.S. residents. Click here for more information about Trip Protection and what kinds of events it's designed to cover.