RV relocation deals: one-way RVs from $1 a day, on the rental company's schedule
Rental companies need RVs moved between cities, and they rent them out one way for a fraction of the normal rate instead of paying a driver. We read the published terms of five relocation programs and logged every live Cruise America relocation on October 25, 2026: 34 routes at $9 or $39 a night, with 1,000 to 3,500 free miles and 5 to 10 nights to make the trip. The catch is the schedule, which is theirs, not yours.
By the RV Rental Atlas research desk · Published October 25, 2026
Key findings
- $1 a day is real. Travellers Autobarn offers relocations at $1.00 a day, and Imoova lists relocations from $1 a day.
- Cruise America had 34 live relocation routes on October 25, 2026. 16 cost $9 a night (out of Phoenix and Chicago) and 18 cost $39 a night (into Phoenix, Orlando and Chicago).
- The free miles are generous but fixed. Cruise America routes include 1,000 to 3,500 free miles, about 200 to 350 miles a night, and 13 of the 34 add a $400 or $600 fuel credit.
- The time window is short. Cruise America allows 5 to 10 nights; Travellers Autobarn charges its standard daily rate from day one if you extend.
- Fall moves RVs south. On October 25, 7 of Cruise America's routes ran into Orlando and 7 into Phoenix. El Monte RV has described the pattern: warm to cool in spring, then back in fall.
- Most deals appear late. Imoova says most relocations go up 1 to 14 days before pickup, and it gives no refunds after confirmation.
How a relocation works
Rental locations book more trips than their own fleet can cover, or a fleet ends the season in the wrong place. Moving an RV by truck or paid driver costs the company money, so it rents the RV one way at a deep discount instead. Imoova, a relocation marketplace, puts it simply: rental companies offer relocations for as little as $1 a day instead of paying transport companies.
In return you accept the company's terms: a fixed pickup city, a fixed drop-off city, a limited number of days, and usually a set number of miles. Fuel, tolls and campsites are normally on you, though some routes add a fuel credit.
The programs, side by side
| Cruise America relocation specials | $9 a night out of Phoenix and Chicago; $39 a night into Phoenix, Orlando and Chicago. No drop fee. | 1,000 to 3,500 free miles per route; 13 of 34 live routes include a $400 or $600 fuel credit | 5 to 10 nights, with a depart-from and return-by date | Monday to Friday departures only; $2,000 refundable security deposit; $300 reservation deposit non-refundable once confirmed; book by phone; not combinable with other discounts | Cruise America deals |
| Travellers Autobarn relocations | $1.00 a day | Not confirmed | Must be delivered within the set days | Insurance not included (CDW and other cover sold separately); large penalties for late delivery; extensions charged at the standard daily rate from day one | Travellers Autobarn |
| Imoova (marketplace) | From $1 a day | Set per listing; fuel, tolls and parking at your expense, though some suppliers add fuel rebates | Fixed timeframe per listing | Most relocations appear 1 to 14 days before pickup; exact make and model unknown until pickup; no refunds after confirmation; a relocation can be cancelled if the company's need goes away | Imoova |
| roadsurfer Rally | From $199 total for up to 7 days and up to 4 people | 25% more than the transfer route or 125 miles a day, whichever is greater; extra miles $0.90 each; fuel and tolls not included | Up to 7 days on predefined routes | Vehicle category can change after booking; no discount codes; return swept and wiped or pay a cleaning fee | roadsurfer Rally |
| El Monte RV and CanaDream, Canada to US relocation special | Not confirmed | 200 to 1,600 free miles depending on route | Not confirmed | You import the RV into the US for CanaDream: commercial border crossing, stamped paperwork, a $21 border fee, weekday crossings only; VIP cover caps damage responsibility at $1,500 | El Monte RV |
Cruise America figures are from the 34 relocation routes listed on its deal pages on October 25, 2026. Other programs list routes that change daily. Download this table (CSV)
What a $9-a-night trip looked like this week
On October 25, 2026 Cruise America listed a 25-foot or 30-foot RV from Chicago to Los Angeles: 9 nights allowed, 3,000 free miles and a $600 fuel credit, at $9 a night. That is $81 in rent for a 2,000-mile drive, before campsites and the fuel beyond the credit. The same deal pages listed Phoenix to Seattle, Salt Lake City and San Francisco at $9 a night with 2,000 miles and a $400 fuel credit over 7 nights.
When relocations happen, and which way they run
The flow follows the weather and the snowbirds. El Monte RV's marketing director told RV.com that rental firms "normally shift RVs from warm weather environs to cooler ones in spring, and then reverse the process in the fall", giving Miami to New York in April as an example. The Points Guy reports that Apollo, El Monte and Road Bear offer factory relocation deals every spring, which can be booked a few months ahead, and that summer, the peak rental season, brings the most relocation offers overall.
Our snapshot fits the fall half of that pattern. Of Cruise America's 18 routes into its hubs on October 25, 7 ran into Orlando and 7 into Phoenix, mostly from the West and Mountain states, with 4 more into Chicago. We could not find a published month-by-month count of relocations from any company, so we don't chart one.
What it means for you
- Be flexible on dates, not on the drop-off. Pick a direction (north in spring, south in fall) and watch the deal pages daily. Imoova runs a waitlist for new routes.
- Do the mileage math first. Divide the route distance by the nights allowed. If it's 300 miles a day or more, that's mostly driving, not sightseeing.
- Price the whole trip. Add fuel beyond any credit, campsites, insurance and the flight home. Our RV rental vs hotel cost model shows how those add up.
- Read the penalty clauses. Late delivery, extensions and cancellations are where relocations get expensive. Our RV Rental Fine Print Index covers what to look for, and where rental RVs can't go covers the roads that void a contract.
- Compare with a regular one-way. If your dates are fixed, a standard one-way RV rental with a drop fee may still beat a relocation that doesn't fit.
Relocations start where the big fleets keep their hubs. Browse fleets in Arizona, Florida and Illinois, or find one-way RV rental in Arizona.
The infographic
Free to use with a link. Publish the graphic or the numbers anywhere, as long as you credit RV Rental Atlas with a link to this page.
How we did this
- On October 24 and 25, 2026 we read the relocation terms published by Cruise America, Travellers Autobarn, Imoova, roadsurfer and El Monte RV with CanaDream.
- On October 25, 2026 we recorded every route on Cruise America's five relocation deal pages (out of Phoenix, out of Chicago, into Phoenix, into Orlando, into Chicago): 34 routes in all, with nights allowed, free miles and fuel credits. Miles per night is free miles divided by nights allowed.
- Imoova's deals page showed no US routes in the first results when we checked; its terms are from its "What is a relocation" page. Transfercar's site did not respond, and we did not find a current US relocation page for Indie Campers, so neither is in the table.
- We found no published monthly count of relocations, so seasonality is described from company statements and our one-day snapshot, not charted. A one-day snapshot is not a full-year pattern.
- Prices exclude fuel, campsites, insurance, taxes and deposits unless stated.
Not legal advice. Laws and agency rules change. Each row links the source we read and the date we checked it; confirm with the agency or an attorney before you rely on it.
Sources
- Cruise America: Rental deals, accessed October 25, 2026
- Cruise America: Relocation out of Phoenix, $9 night, accessed October 25, 2026
- Cruise America: Relocation from Chicago, $9 night, accessed October 25, 2026
- Cruise America: Relocation to Phoenix, $39 night, accessed October 25, 2026
- Cruise America: Relocation to Orlando, $39 night, accessed October 25, 2026
- Cruise America: Relocation to Chicago, $39 night, accessed October 25, 2026
- Travellers Autobarn: Campervan relocations and deals, accessed October 25, 2026
- Imoova: What is a relocation, accessed October 25, 2026
- roadsurfer: Rally one-way rentals, accessed October 25, 2026
- El Monte RV: Canada to USA relocation specials, accessed October 25, 2026
- El Monte RV: One-way RV specials, accessed October 25, 2026
- RV.com: One-way RV rental specials encourage thrifty travel enthusiasts, accessed October 25, 2026. Archive article; source of the El Monte RV seasonal quote.
- The Points Guy: How to rent an RV for cheap, accessed October 25, 2026
Cite this: RV Rental Atlas, "RV relocation deals: one-way RVs from $1 a day, on the rental company's schedule," October 25, 2026, https://rvrentalatlas.com/rv-relocation-deals/
Spotted an error or have newer data? Tell us and we'll check it and update the page.
Questions people ask
Are $1-a-day RV relocations real?
Yes. Travellers Autobarn publishes relocations at $1.00 a day and Imoova lists relocations from $1 a day. Cruise America's relocation specials cost $9 or $39 a night. In every case you drive a set route within a set number of days, and fuel, campsites and insurance are usually extra.
How many miles do RV relocations include?
On Cruise America's 34 live routes on October 25, 2026, free miles ran from 1,000 to 3,500 per trip, or roughly 200 to 350 miles a night, and 13 routes added a $400 or $600 fuel credit. roadsurfer Rally includes 25% more than the route distance or 125 miles a day, whichever is greater.
When are RV relocation deals most common?
Rental firms move RVs from warm areas to cooler ones in spring and back in fall, according to El Monte RV. Factory relocations are offered each spring, and summer brings the most offers overall. In our October snapshot, 14 of Cruise America's 18 inbound routes ran into Orlando or Phoenix.
What is the catch with RV relocations?
The schedule. You get a fixed pickup and drop-off, a short window such as 5 to 10 nights, and limited miles. Cruise America takes a $2,000 refundable security deposit and a non-refundable $300 reservation deposit, Imoova gives no refunds after confirmation, and Travellers Autobarn charges full rates from day one if you extend.