My buddy Scott has used my RV several times when friends come in from out of town to stay at his place and ride dirt bikes. The camper parks at his place, and it gives a couple a bit of privacy and a real bed instead of a fold-out couch or an air mattress on the floor. We keep it simple: the guests use Scott’s bathroom inside, so nobody has to haul the camper to a campground to dump the tanks.
The same trick works for the holidays. If your house runs out of beds every Thanksgiving or Christmas, an RV in the driveway gives your guests a room of their own, and the family stays under one roof, more or less.
You don’t have to own an RV, tow anything or drive a motorhome to do it. Plenty of RV owners on Outdoorsy will deliver a travel trailer to your house, set it up, and come back for it when the holidays are over. Here’s how that works, what it costs, and the things to sort out before your guests arrive: power, cold weather, and whether your city allows it.
How it works
On Outdoorsy, choose Delivery in the search bar, open the Delivery dropdown, and pick “No, it will stay parked.” That shows you listings the owner will deliver and set up. From there:
- The owner delivers and sets it up. Delivery is at the owner’s discretion, and so is the fee. Outdoorsy says it’s “set by the Host and can vary based on distance, fuel, and the time required for setup.” You’ll see it once you enter your address.
- The protection is different. A delivered, stays-parked rental comes with Outdoorsy’s Stationary Protection Package, and the RV has to stay put for the whole booking. Move it, and Outdoorsy says coverage is void.
- Roadside help is limited. On a stationary rental, the roadside plan covers 24/7 tech support (for example, “Can’t connect to shore power?”), lockouts and a mobile mechanic, but not towing or tire service. That’s fine, since it isn’t going anywhere.
- Minimum nights are up to the owner, so check the listing before you plan a single night.
RVshare works the same way. It calls these “stationary” rentals and warns that moving one “will result in a denial of all coverage.”
How many owners deliver
We pulled every Outdoorsy listing within 100 miles of 13 cities on October 20, 2026, and checked which owners offer delivery:
| RV type | Offer delivery | Median nightly price (delivery listings) | Typical delivery radius |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travel trailer | 1,961 of 3,383 (58%) | $129 | 100 miles |
| Fifth wheel | 209 of 283 (74%) | $200 | 225 miles |
| Class C motorhome | 819 of 1,694 (48%) | $225 | 60 miles |
Travel trailers are the sweet spot. There are more of them, they cost less, and more than half the owners will bring one to you. In Des Moines, 56 of the 79 travel trailers listed within 100 miles offered delivery, at a median of $137 a night.
| City | Travel trailers offering delivery | Median nightly price |
|---|---|---|
| Des Moines, IA | 56 of 79 | $137 |
| Minneapolis, MN | 167 of 277 | $139 |
| Chicago, IL | 92 of 188 | $135 |
| Denver, CO | 236 of 387 | $130 |
| Nashville, TN | 106 of 137 | $130 |
| Dallas, TX | 176 of 269 | $120 |
| Atlanta, GA | 105 of 224 | $120 |
| Orlando, FL | 312 of 463 | $120 |
Eight of the 13 cities we checked. Nightly base prices before fees, from Outdoorsy listings within 100 miles of each city, October 20, 2026.
What a holiday week costs
Here’s Thanksgiving week in Des Moines: a delivered travel trailer from Wednesday to Sunday.
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| 4 nights at $137 (Des Moines median) | $548 |
| Outdoorsy service fee (fee page says up to 20%) | up to $110 |
| Rental + service fee | about $658 |
| Stationary Protection Package (required) | shown at checkout |
| Delivery and setup | owner-set; shown when you enter your address |
| Taxes | shown at checkout |
Outdoorsy’s fee page says “up to a 20% service fee” but doesn’t say what it’s calculated on; this table applies it to the nightly total.
So the real total is that $658 plus protection, delivery and tax. Get the owner’s delivery number before you compare it with a couple of hotel rooms.
Book early, and read the cancellation terms. Under Outdoorsy’s policy for bookings made since February 2, 2026, every owner’s policy gives a full refund of the rental amount if you cancel more than 30 days before departure. Delivery fees are refundable no matter when you cancel, but the service fee isn’t. If you book more than 30 days out, half the trip cost plus the full service fee is due when you book, and the rest is due 30 days before the trip.
Count back from your delivery date, not the holiday. For a December 23 delivery, cancel by November 22 to get the rental amount back in full.
Pick the right RV for guests
- Count beds, not “sleeps.” A trailer that “sleeps 8” can mean a queen, a dinette that folds down and a couch. That’s fine for kids, but adults will want the real beds. Look at the floor plan in the listing photos.
- A bunkhouse floor plan is ideal for a family with kids. Bunks are actual beds and don’t need to be made up each night.
- Fifth wheels tend to be the biggest towables, and about three in four fifth-wheel listings offered delivery. Make sure your driveway can fit one, length and height included.
- Skip the motorhome unless you want one for a trip as well. You’d be paying for an engine that sits in the driveway all week.
Power: what a house outlet will and won’t run
This is the part most people don’t think about until the breaker trips.
Keystone says 30-amp service is the most common in RVs, and a standard house outlet is usually 15 amps. With an adapter the RV will run, but not at full strength, and the makers don’t agree on how much you can run:
- Keystone: even on full 30-amp power, its 2027 owner’s manual says an air conditioner (up to 15 amps) plus a microwave (about 10) “may trip a breaker.” On a 15-amp outlet, its how-to page says not to run any 120-volt appliances: adapters “should only be used to run the converter.”
- Airstream: more relaxed. It says a standard outlet “doesn’t enable the full use of powered appliances, but it powers most things.”
Scott has a 30-amp RV outlet at his place, which makes it easy. Without one, spring and fall are the easy seasons, because you don’t need the air conditioner. Keystone’s manual says an RV air conditioner can draw up to 15 amps on its own, the whole capacity of a typical house outlet.
The honest answer is that it depends on the RV, so ask the owner what it needs. Three rules worth following:
- Don’t plug into your dryer outlet. Airstream says so in plain words.
- Park close enough to the outlet that you don’t need an extension cord. Keystone’s extension-cord rule (a 30-amp, 10-gauge cord no longer than 50 feet) is for 30-amp service, and it says not to combine adapters with an extension cord or plug cords together.
- Ask the owner to do the hookup as part of setup. They know their rig.
If there’s no outlet near the driveway, ask whether the owner can supply a portable generator. On Outdoorsy, rentals with a generator usually include a base number of free hours and charge for more.
Cold weather
In much of the country, holiday nights can drop below freezing, and an RV handles that differently from a house.
- Most RV furnaces run on propane. Airstream recommends running the furnace when it’s below 40°F outside. It says that at or below freezing, an occupied trailer needs propane available and power on, from the battery or shore power. Ask the owner how much propane is in the tanks and who refills them if your guests run low.
- Ask whether the water is on. Some owners winterize their RVs for the season, which means the plumbing is drained and there’s no running water. That’s fine if guests use your house bathroom, which is what we do at Scott’s anyway: no tanks to fill, and nothing to dump. But you need to know in advance. If the water system is in use, have the owner tell you how to keep it from freezing. Outdoorsy’s coverage excludes damage “as a direct result of freezing, winterization, or lack of mitigation.”
- Test the detectors. Keystone installs a carbon monoxide detector in every RV it builds; make sure your rental’s works. Its manual says to test it before each trip and at least once a week. With the furnace running all night, have your guests check the CO and propane detectors when they move in. If they smell propane, follow the steps in the RV’s manual. Keystone’s include putting out any flames, not touching electrical switches, shutting off the propane, opening doors and vents, getting out, and having the system checked before using it again.
Check your city’s rules (and your HOA) first
A lot of cities limit sleeping in an RV parked at a house, and the rules are all over the map. Real examples from city codes:
| City | Rule |
|---|---|
| Phoenix, AZ | “Every occupied recreational vehicle shall be located in a recreational vehicle park.” There’s no exception for guests. |
| Chula Vista, CA | Visiting guests can sleep in an RV on the resident’s property for up to 7 days in any 30-day period. |
| Edmonds, WA | A visiting nonresident can occupy an RV on residential property for up to 60 days per calendar year. |
| Evans, CO | Requires a guest camping tag, good for up to 7 consecutive days; one tag per quarter, displayed in the RV. |
| Portland, OR | One occupied RV is allowed at a house, but it needs a permanent hookup with power, water and a sewer dump. |
| Des Moines, IA | Trailers, including travel trailers, can’t be parked on any city street at any time ($100 fine). The ordinance doesn’t address sleeping in one on your driveway, so ask the city. |
Search your city’s municipal code for “recreational vehicle” and “occupied,” or call the city’s zoning office. If you’re in an HOA, read the covenants too; many restrict RV parking on their own.
Find a Delivered Guest RV Near You
Search Outdoorsy for travel trailers and fifth wheels the owner will deliver and set up at your house, then compare delivery fees before you book.
FAQ
Will an RV owner really deliver to my house?
Many will. On October 20, 2026, 58% of Outdoorsy travel-trailer listings near the 13 cities we checked offered delivery, usually within about 100 miles. Use the “No, it will stay parked” option under Delivery to see them.
How much does delivery cost?
Each owner sets the fee, based on distance, fuel and setup time. Outdoorsy shows it once you enter your address.
Can I plug an RV into a regular outlet?
Usually, with an adapter, but you won’t be able to run everything at once. Keystone says to use a 15-amp outlet only for the battery charger. Ask the owner what their RV needs, and never use a dryer outlet.
Is a delivered RV insured?
Yes. On Outdoorsy, delivered rentals that stay parked get the Stationary Protection Package. On both Outdoorsy and RVshare, moving a stationary RV voids that coverage.
Do I need permission from my city?
It depends on where you live. Some cities ban sleeping in an RV at a house, some allow guests for a set number of days, and some require a permit. Check your city code and your HOA before you book.
