Heidi, Has921@gmail.com, 26 august 2008
Thank you ideamerge, your service was excellent. We had a great time in the truck camper we rented from Fraserway. The staff at Fraserway was friendly, helpful and knowledgeable, a pleasure to do business with. Banff and Jasper National parks are exquisite and the campgrounds beautifully maintained. We will definitely rent another RV!

Margaret Messner, mbmessner@sbcglobal.net, 25 august 2008
We picked up our McRent Globus on July 14 in Frankfurt. The customer service was very efficient and checked everything thoroughly. We rented the table and chairs but took old linens, towels, pillows and a sleeping bag (duvet) which we didn't bring back with us. Then we immediately went shopping at Bauhaus and IKEA to get cleaning supplies, paper towels, toilet brush, etc. IKEA definitely has the best prices, where we saw a folding table and chairs for less than the rental fee!
We loved driving the Globus. We traveled in southern Germany, the Dolomites, Venice, Switzerland and southwestern Germany for a month. In Cortina d'Ampezzo after dinner, the engine wouldn't start. Unfortunately it was Friday evening and no garages were open, plus no Fiat garage was listed in the book until Belluno (which wasn't open because it was Saturday by the time we got there). We were able to get the camper started again and made it to Venice without turning off the engine (once we got it started). We enjoyed our weekend in Venice, managed with some help to get the camper started again on Monday, got to a Fiat garage in Venice but they were too busy to fix it, got to Vicenza (the next Fiat garage) where they were out to lunch and finally almost made it to Verona when the engine died at the autostrada tollgate just four kilometers from the garage. We were towed to the garage where it was fixed within an hour (new battery had to be put in -- unusual for a new camper -- 2008!). We lost only a few hours from our trip, but had a lot of anguish trying to figure out what was wrong.
We had to fix the bathroom door handle and a button on the cupboard which was caused by a loose hinge, faults which were present at pickup but not noticed. But no big deal!
We took our Tom-Tom with us and it worked just great -- took us to the address every time. We also picked up an ADAC travel atlas, camping guides and roadside park places guides and maps and they were super useful (but one might need to know German). We left them with friends at the end of the trip along with cleaning supplies, etc.
The return of the camper went smoothly too. We unfortunately were hit with a hailstorm on the autobahn in the Allgau and had to pay the 300 Euro deductible for hail damage to the top of the camper. Our son, who had also rented a camper, was with us and he had to pay the deductible, also. But we were reimbursed for the towing at the tollgate in Italy. All in all, none of this put a damper on our trip and we had a wonderful time. We would do it again in a heartbeat!

Alon Eizenman, aeizenman@hotmail.com, 25 august 2008
We picked up our truck camper from Fraserway in Halifax on August 2, 2008 and toured with it for a week.
The pick-up and drop-off of the vehicle was satisfactory, but a bit slow.
I found the camper to be very comfortable and almost new. However, there was a slow leak in one of the tires which was known about by Fraserway at the time of rental. Instad of replacing the tire, I was told that I would have to fill the tire with air every so often. That turned out to be every day, which was something of a pain. I would encourage future renters to, if such an event comes up, ensure that the rental company replaces the tire before embarking on the trip.

Lindsey and Keven Grogan, lin-kev@bigpond.net..au, 25 august 2008
My husband and I have just returned to Queensland after renting 20ft Dethleffs Motorhome from Frankfurt,Germany Depot. Our collection was held up for a couple of hours as they awaited the delivery of a brand new vehicle.. This was great and we found it all to excellent. We choose to have the configuration East West which meant we had a small ladder to climb each night... next time we would choose the model with the bed down. but apart from that we loved the vehicle.. We found the Gas Cylinder refilling to be quite a drama as we hired on March 13 and struck snow in Geneva. We had been told that we could exchange the cylinder anywhere in Europe except France... We finally sorted the problem in Portugal but upon returning to Frankfurt we were then informed that they also realized the problem and equip the vehicles with universal fittings that enable the bottles to be filled. We would suggest that this is estential if renting long term and in the cooler months. Otherwise we loved the vehicle, we travelled. Germany, Spain,Portugal,France, Belguim,Netherlands,Luxemburg,Switzerland,Italy,Croatia,Slovenia,Czech Repulic,Austria and Bavarian Region and back into Germany. We travelled 18000klms over the 4 1/2 months hire... We found the staff wonderful in Frankfurt and Doug Bredesen just wonderful and always available to help with any questions. I would highly recommend dealing with Doug as we will again, and also the staff at Frankfurt. A great trip, with fantastic memories and experiences. Just sad that it is all over. Thanks Doug and Suzzane for all the wonderful service. We will recommend you to everyone. Lindsey and Keven Grogan Queensland Australia.

Norbert Häg, norberthaeg@aol.com, 24 august 2008
We picked up the motor home in Carlgary. The vehicle was is very good condition, aslmost new and the instruction we got was perfect, however I would wish that all insuranches are included.We had very good time in the Canada national parks everything worked very well.

John Watson, 23 august 2008
We had an excellent rental unit at a very good price from Ideamerge. They were very friendly and helpful with all of our questions and concerns. I would recommend them to anyone renting an R.V.

Simon Hooton, simon_hooton@hotmail.com, 21 august 2008
We booked to pick up our camping car from Loisirs 44 in Nantes. The company were great but we were supplied with the wrong address for the depot. We were given 315 Route de Vannes where as the address is 316 Route de Vannes, which is about 3km away. We found it having made many phone calls on expensive mobile roaming charges, thinking all the time that the company had gone bust and we'd lost our holiday, hey ho. Once we arrived, everyone was helpful and we had a great holiday-France is brilliant for campervans. So after a bad start we had a great time!

Neil McGill, macgee@xtra.co.nz, 19 august 2008
We very much enjoyed our exploration of north western USA National Parks and western Canada.

A highlight was meeting up with many friendly and helpful Americans especially in RV Parks. We were in the thick wildfire smoke at Lewiston CA when the President and California Governor flew into Redding on July 17 to conduct a helicopter inspection of the fires, and next day we passed by a field full of huge helicopters and armed forces personnel and we assumed that this turn out had something to do with the Presidents visit.

Our thanks to you for the very friendly way you set out the terms and conditions of our agreement with Road Bear. The 27 ft motorhome was very comfortable and Road Bear good to deal with, especially at San Francisco drop off where they treated us very fairly and courteously. We appreciated the free shuttle back to SFO International.

We covered 6706 miles in 59 days and the big Ford V10 with the auto transmission was a dream to drive. We went from sea level to 12183 ft which is as high as one can drive on a main road in the USA and the engine fuel consumption averaged 8.53 miles per gallon which I thought was very good for such a heavy rig.

We had our share of fixit jobs in the RV and purhased a few low cost hand tools to do the work, which Road Bear had no hesitation in reimbursing. I suggested to them that there should be a small tool kit included with the RV. Only two things bugged us about the RV, one being the plastic sheeting stuck over the carpet, the second being the very sweaty driver/passenger seats of artificial leather. We suggested to Road Bear that they either replace the carpet with vinyl or include a small vacuum cleaner and get rid of the plastic sheeting which was forever getting tangled in sandals or socks, and looked awful untidy, especially toward the end of the journey. Early on we purchased two chamois leather car seat covers and this helped a lot to overcome the back and backside sweating problem.

Three tips for other travellers. First, don't leave home without a GPS navigator. Our unit saved so much stress and time. Our notebook PC had Google Maps and Google Earth loaded in and Road Bear supplied a good RV Park directory. In combination we were able to find RV Parks at our next stop, look down on them from Google Earth to make sure they were not close by a busy road or railroad, or if they were close by a river or lake, and key in the earth coordinates on our GPS and never get lost. We found that a lot of addresses provided by RV Parks were incorrect or not recognized by the GPS, but earth coordinates were always safe, providing the exact figures are entered which ensured that the rig did not wind up outside a private home in say residential Medford CA when we were supposed to be around 25 miles north.

Second if anyone in Aspen CO advises it is OK to take a 98 inch wide RV over Independence Pass to Twin Lakes ignore the advice. In our opinion that busy road is far too narrow for big rigs and the RHS drop offs are sheer for hundreds of feet in places. Maybe departing Aspen around 6am would have been OK with lower traffic volumes, but many sections of that road are one way, and we were lucky to meet several dump trucks, going too fast, in the few wide parts of the road. When we got to the top and saw the row of toilets my wife remarked "I know why they put those up here."

Third, the coast road from Fort Bragg to San Francisco has splendid scenery but is very narrow and therefore requires a lot of concentration and patience to drive. Fortunately traffic volumes are low and trucks few and far between. Don't choose a weekend to drive the last 50 miles into San Francisco because you are likely to meet hundreds of city dwellers out for a Sunday drive and generally going too fast for the conditions. I found it impossible in many parts of that road to drive without being over the centre line and just slowed to crawl pace in many places. I allowed heaps of time for the daily journey and was always prepared to stop overnight earlier than planned.

In summary a very good holiday.
Kind regards,
Neil McGill

Arno, 19 august 2008
The check-in and check out process was easy and quick. Deposit was promptly returned. The camper had a strong engine and was comfortable. The only minor I would say was the fact we could not leave our car on the premises when we picked up the camper. We had to park in a residential area on the street in front of somebody's house, which turned out to be no problem but still. I would also suggest to upgrade the kitchen utensils they were very basic and not adequate. All in all a good experience.

David, david@semmel.com, 19 august 2008
My wife Jocelyn posted below. I'll just add a few items from a “first timer’s” perspective:

The Fiat-Globus drives great and is remarkably easy to handle. You are up high and get great views out the front. It took a day or so to get comfortable with the width, especially in the mountains. Using the levelers (plastic wedges) is important to master – a level RV makes for a comfortable night’s sleep. Also, be aware that tolls on motorways and mountain tunnels are VERY high by US standards.

The dishes/kitchen supplies are just the basics - plan on buying or bringing a few things based on your camping style. One or two stops at a hypermarket, a few dozen euros, and you will be happily outfitted. For us, it was a coffee pot, cereal bowls and pillows. Bring good, detailed maps or a GPS and bring your own camping guides. I brought a good pocket knife and a cork screw. If you plan to go to mountains, even in summer, bring/buy a blanket. The bedding provided was not adequate. An outside doormat would have helped keep the interior clean.

We are gadget freaks. Know that the RVs electric outlets work only if you are externally plugged in. Charging things like cameras can be a problem if you are off the grid for a few days. The cigarette lighter on the dash (no smoking!) works when the engine is running for cell phone charging but next time I would bring a 12v cigarette to 110v plug inverter (cost ~$10).

Other than as noted by Jocelyn, McRent was great. We cleaned the night before and our full deposit was returned promptly. Two suggestions:

1. It would be REALLY nice if McR or a third party would rent bicycles. Most camp sites are on the edge of town or further and a bike would really add to the overall enjoyment of the trip.

2. Tell us the height and weight of the rented vehicle! You need this for underpasses and speed limits and it is not listed in the van’s instruction booklet which is generic for Dethleffs vehicles.

All in all – we loved our caravan trip and strongly recommend IdeaMerge/McRent.

joel and emma, 19 august 2008
We had a great experience in our motorhome driving for 4 weeks around France and Northern Italy during July 2008. The van was great, we drove 4,500km and had no hiccups at all. The pick up and drop off in Frankfurt was very smooth and easy. We did need to mention the complimentary dish set as it wasn’t in the van, but that was no problem and quickly supplied once we reminded them about it. A thorough check of everything before we set off ensured we had listed all the problems (eg. We noticed and documented that a pin was missing which secured the electricity cap, therefore when the cap came off completely in transit there were no questions asked upon our return). Our deposit was promptly refunded upon our return with a small deduction for a dint in one of the tables which we were responsible for.

Cleaning wasn’t an issue – we spent a couple of hours thoroughly cleaning the interior the night before we returned the van – If you’re not willing to buy some wet wipes or sponges and spray cleaner from a supermarket and spare a couple of hours I think you shouldn’t complain about the cleaning fee. We took along some non-slip matting (used with rugs/carpets and you can buy it from Ikea) and cut it up to fit the cupboards, and that was great to prevent the dishes & pots from sliding around. We took our own TomTom (cheaper for us to buy than rent) which was a life saver, we wouldn’t have done the trip without one. We took along our own linen & towels and bought a cheap blanket, but on reflection bringing a few less clothes and adding a goose down sleeping bag instead (to use as a duvet) would have been better.

We utilised the France Passions book to stay at vineyards along the way and found the ‘Aire De Services’ book excellent to find the nearest chemical toilet drop and drinking water fill-up places. We rented the camping table and chairs with the van and used them almost every day. We also took our bikes which was fantastic. We agree with a previous comment that the rental company MUST put a sticker somewhere prominent on the dashboard showing the height of the vehicle. We looked through all the booklets, and not remembering which ‘category’ of vehicle we were in meant we had no way of knowing the height. This meant one of us getting out of the van to judge while driving very slowly under some low bridges – quite inconvenient when it’s something that could easily be fixed with a sticker.

Overall we had a wonderful trip, so many great memories and would really recommend the rental companies (Idea Merge and McRent).

Jocelyn, jocelyn@semmel.com, 18 august 2008
We picked up our rental in Frankfurt on July 9; it was clean and ready even though we got there early. We watched the movie and then went out give it the once-over with the clerk from the rental place; she didn't know much AT ALL. For example, she couldn't tell us the height of the vehicle ("Just make sure the bridge says 3 metres and you'll probably be OK." Probably?????????????) and when I asked her how to make the front seats swivel around, she said that they didn't swivel (they did - we figured it out the next day). The bathroon door lock was broken, but they noted it at the time. It was functional but touchy for most of the trip, and when it wasn't touchy, the lock was actually non-functional. No matter - everything else in the Globebus worked just perfectly, and we drove that thing over, among other Alpine passes, the Col de la Bonnet, which is the highest paved pass in Europe. Gas mileage was pretty good; the bed was comfortable; the gas power worked fine when we were "off grid", the shower worked well - I was even able to wash my hair, and I have thick, long hair. We used our Globebus to follow the Tour de France, and had an absolute blast. We did not rent tables and chairs from the rental place, but we bought some at the first hypermarket we found; ditto with towels, decent coffee mugs, decent cereal bowls, decent pillows, a decent tea kettle and a decent coffee pot. I carried 2 pounds of ground coffee from Starbucks with me from the States, so we were in good shape.

Here is a helpful tip for first timers: Buy a large pack of paper towels and use the rolls as padding for the dishes when you store them in the cabinets for the drive. Day-old bread also works well as "packing material." I had a lot of handiwipes with me (what my mom used to call Wash-n-Dries). Every time we used one to clean off our hands, I would clean dust, dried mud, and crumbs out of the crevices in the vehicle. I also used them to clean the floor frequently. We had NO PROBLEMS upon our return - we passed the inspection with flying colors and got our entire deposit back (I think it helped that the couple who returned their vehicle just before we did had scraped the top off of theirs trying to go through a too-low tunnel. Ours looked pretty good in comparison!)

I'm ready to go again!

Iddo Riemersma, 18 august 2008
Dear Doug,

Thanks for your mail and your interest in our trip. Yes, we made a very nice trip, all the way up to the North Cape (most northern part of European mainland, next stop is the North Pole). We have driven for 3,5 weeks, every day, on average 300 km per day, 6800 km in total. The camper itself proved to be a very good travel mate, and made it possible to travel so far. You can see some of the pictures in a slideshow on my personal page http://iddo-r.hyves.nl/

The pick up and the drop off were just fine. The guy at the Hannover rental shop was very kind and friendly. Only strange thing was the the 'speed pass for pick up' that we filled in and e-mailed never arrived at Hannover, while we got confirmation that it was received in Germany in good order. Concerning the trip, I must say that we had quite a number of incidents, some of them due to the fact that we are not experienced camper users. They were the following:

- a punctured tire, which we luckily discovered before it was flat. It was repaired at a tire shop with a plug
- the north of Sweden is known to have millions of mosquitos. They kept coming into the camper, while everything was closed. Thorough investigations learned that the roof window was not closing good enouth. The mosquitos managed to enter it, passing also a mosquito net(!) and a curtain. Once we found the problem, we bought some mosquito netting in the local hardware store, and taped it in front of the roof window. That solved the problem.
- the dishes that were delivered with the camper were stored in a cabinet up in the kitchen. At a very steep and bumpy downward slope, all of them fell out of the cabinet, despite the fact it was properly locked. The problem was that they were made of porcelein, which applied such a heavy weight on the cabinet door that it gave way. And as a result, all of the dishes were broken. We would recommend to put proper camping dishes in the camper, that are much lighter, and will not easily brake as well.
- Driving through a village, we missed a (not so good visible) speed hump. In an open compartment over the stove we had a coffee pot which was launched in the air and landed on the glasplate over the stove. This broke into thousand pieces and was obviously charged. We would recommend to warn people not to put heavy stuff in places where they can fall out of.
- The most serious incident was when we drove through a -not even so deep- ditch. There is still quite some distance between the rear wheels and the back of the camper, which we did not properly realised. When we drove through that ditch, the front wheels went up at the back of the ditch, the rear wheels were in the middle, while the back of the camper was not in there yet. As a result, the bumper dug into the ground and was badly damaged. We were never aware that this could happen, and the event seriously ruined our day. At the drop off, the damage was estimated at some 500 euro's, a serious amount of money. We would recommend that with this particular type of camper people will be made aware of this. By the way, after that event it happened another 2 times, one time even at the entrance of a gas station on a near flat road!

Despite these troubles we enjoyed staying in the camper very much. We are already considering to rent another one next year, or maybe even to buy one.

We hope you can use this feedback to better inform future customers on the do's and don'ts about camper handling.

Best regards,
Iddo Riemersma

Theo Berden, tberden@optusnet.com.au, 18 august 2008
We picked up our van on the 8th of July and it was practically brand new. We were treated very courtiously by McRent in Dusseldorf and had no problems with the van. We drove 5500Km's in 3 weeks through Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway. We had no problems with the van and returned it after 3 weeks. The return proces was quickly completed and our Euro 1000.- deposit was returned to us within 2 days. We cannot fault the rental and will be using them again if we plan another holiday in that area.

Robert Koritnik, 18 august 2008
We had a great holiday travelling all over Andalucía. We rented our vehicle in Lorca. The problem was, that taxi driver (from Lorca) didn't know where it was so we spent quite some time (and money) to get there. Our confirmation papers were stating wrong data, because instead of motorway exit number it said on what km the rental company was. Which was of course wrong. That's why we had problems finding it. So it's not 585km but exit 585.
Next problem was also that we were able to get the vehicle at 16:00 (as being standard hours) but they don't start working before 17:00 so we were roasting on very hot sun in the area that is quite remote with no shade anywhere.
Vehicle was very well maintained and also quite new. The owner of the rental company was very helpful, he even spoke some English (which is to my surprise VERY rare in Spain because I'm also not coming from an English speaking country) so we were able to get through all the procedures in about 3 hours. Yes. Very long and tiresome.
Once we hit the road all was forgotten and we really enjoyed the holiday. And just a tip for others: don't go to the centre of small towns or cities because in cities you won't find parking spaces with enough headroom and in small towns you'll get stuck into narrow one way streets.

Heinz Kraehenbuehl, 14 august 2008
We picked up a Family camper van in Berlin and went for 22 days on the 9th of July 2008 touring Danemark, Sweden and Norway. Great car with everything working well, we made almost 5'000 KM Pick and drop has been well handled with no delays and professionaly done. The only remark was that my credit card was deducted with a deposit of Euro 1'000 which is not right. I understand, that you block the money on the credit card as a deposit, but if the client is bringing back the car back and everything is fine the amount should not have been deducted. Please in the future pay more attention to the payments.
Note from IdeaMerge: As described on our relevant Payments & Policies pages, the Germany vendors do indeed charge the security deposit to the client's card upon the pick-up occasion and do credit that amount back to the card in whole or part (i.e. minus the cost, if any, that happens to be due from the client for damages and such) upon or after the return occasion. IdeaMerge has suggested to these vendors that for such purpose they merely make an imprint and authorization upon the pick-up occasion and actually charge the card only if necessary and only on or after the return occasion. To that request those vendors responded that they would generally be at too great a risk if they didn't actually make that charge upon on the pick-up occasion.

michael frantum, mfrantum@yahoo.com, 13 august 2008
What a great trip.

We picked up our GlobeR camper car in Frankfurt and the process was easy and efficient. Klaus was very helpful and the RV was in great condition with few miles.

In the the next 3 weeks, we drove nearly 4,000 kilometers and explored 5 countries. We especially liked France, Austria and Germany. We were suprised and pleased to find that nearly every small town had a camping area. We ended up exploring many of the small communities and got to meet real people rather than the big city rat race atmosphere. We would use the McRent/Ideamerge approach again and are looking forward to our next vacation already.

Betsy Bingler and Family, 11 august 2008
What a great experience! The Ideamerge RV people were
wonderful, they answered back very quickly every silly question I
e-mailed mailed them.
We picked up our RV in Sulzmoos after flying into Munich. We tried
to take the public transportation to the rental place using the
directions provide. We got as far as the train station at Passing and
couldn't find the bus needed, we were told that bus no longer runs
the route we needed. We then took a taxi the remainder of the
way. The people at Sulzmoos were wonderful the instructions were
easy to follow. We are campers but never did the RV thing.
We rented for 3 weeks and went through 7 countries with no
problems. We loved having all out stuff in one place , not having to
pack up every night,and if it was raining we didn't have to pitch a
tent. We brought our own folding chairs which we used a lot. We
also sent over food, pancake mixes, tuna, chicken packages,
oatmeal etc. Next time I'd just pay the airlines for the extra
baggage and bring it with us. It was great to have until we got use
to the stores, it was also cheaper.
We also had a GPS which we couldn't of lived without it was
invaluable. The Church's Book Camping In Europe has coordinates
that were a big help in finding a campsite. The information in their
book was also helpful for the public transportation.
I was really pretty worried that every thing wouldn't go smoothly,
but it did.
We are already saving for our next big RV trip and we'll use
Ideamerge again.
JUST DO IT!

Evald Nergaard, Norway, eva-ner@online.no, 11 august 2008
Booking the van was quit easy, and we got all the help from Ideamerge when we needed it. Picking up and deliver the van was a nice experience. Freedom Holiday in Rome showed us all little scratches on the van, and inspection before and after was a great experience. We borrowed a little book where we could find different parkings in Italy, but it did'nt help us much. It was to difficult to understand and find our way in. We also did some research before our trip, but it's not easy to find good enough information about campingsites in Italy. Maybe suggested tours would be an idea, and adresses to most campingsites in the area you plan to go to should be presented on either the Ideamerge site, or as a folder or something on the rental office.

But, both IdeaMerge and Freedom Holiday seems proffesional enough, and I'm certain I will use them next time we go to Italy.

Anthony Lambros, loopylambi@hotmail.com, 10 august 2008
We had a fantastic holiday picking and dropping off from Barcelona. The RV was great to drive but we had some difficulty understanding how to operate the fridge as the Spanish guy who was very polite spoke not a word of english, i wasn't expecting him to be fluent but even a few words would have been very useful. Also the taxi to the airport was 40 euro which seemed very expensive so maybe ask the driver how much before getting in. Will definitely reccommend to friends and family, all in all very enjoyable.

Chris Jones, 10 august 2008
Booked a 32'RV through Ideamerge and Moturis in Sna Francisco. Absolutely flawless on all levels. This is the 3rd time I have rented an RV and this was the easiest - when I do again it will be through Idea Merge and Moturis.

Penny Shek, 10 august 2008
We loved our campervan holiday, but Avis Caraway, St Laurent Du Var, Nice, was disappointing.

1. We were promised maps, but all we got was one map of France. This was not helpful at all, because it was difficult to read the roads at such a small size, and some roads and suburbs were not even on it. When I asked for another map, there was only one other available (also of the whole of France), and I was not allowed to take it! We had to buy our own for 20 euros!
We did not get a list of camping grounds as promised either.

2. The bedding which we paid for, was inadequate. We booked for two, but only got one blanket. One blanket did not keep either of us warm enough at night (july, summer).

3. The cooking equipment was unsatisfactory and inadequate eg. the knife had black stuck on it, only three plates for four people, no mugs for tea, no cleaning products/sponge. The fridge was not very cold.

4. The pick up location was not easy to find especially when returning the vehicle. Again, a map of France did not suffice.

Some good points were:

1.The vehicle itself was quite new and in good condition. It had good storage, was spacious and comfortable.

2. The flyscreens on the windows.

Colin Ross Valarie McDonald, 07 august 2008
This was the 1rst time we ever rented an RV. Happily, it was a very good experience. Picking up the camper was relatively easy and we were pleased that it was very new and clean inside. The Fiat camper was very practical & made good use of every available inch of space. Likewise, the drop off went smoothly as well.
The staff at McRent in Frankfurt, Germany were very helpful & we were pleased that they spoke good English as we don't speak a word of German ourselves. I would recommend travelers take way fewer items of clothing than they think they will need as there isn't a lot of wardrobe/storage room in a camper. Also, having a GPS was invaluable & I would highly recommend the Tomtom.Having a copy a Rick Steeves Travel Guide is also very useful.
Although traveling by RV in Europe is not as easy as hoteling it, it certainly makes the trip more affordable and gives you the opportunity to customize your holiday. We're happy we chose the Camper Route!

Valarie McDonald

Sara and Ric Rosenkranz July 4th, 2008, 06 august 2008
We rented a 4 berth Kea camper. This ended up being the perfect size for 2 adults, a 6 year old and a 1 year old. What a great way to travel with kids! We saw so much beautiful scenery and met some of the nicest people at the camping spots all around the north island. We found the camper easy to use, easy to convert at bedtime, and overall easy to figure out. We would travel this way again in a heartbeat! The whole rental experience was just great! Thanks.

Beth Shapiro, 06 august 2008
We absolutely loved our camping experience and would do it again in a flash. One suggestion: Better return directions to the Stockholm site, as we did get lost.

Carmel, Australia, 05 august 2008
This was our second experience with IdeaMerge and Doug. Both times we have been very happy with the service provided through IdeaMerge. It was a bit of an effort to organise our rental this time due to us creating our own problem by booking so late and trying to get a camper during the busiest holiday period! But Doug was incredibly patient with all the questions and liasing between us and the renters and the end result was great for us. So we would use IdeaMerge again. Unfortunately, our first rental (2 years ago) did not go well with McRent in Dusseldorf being extremely unpleasant to deal with when returning the van (we still had a great holiday though). They accused us of causing all kinds of damage to the van when we returned it and kept most of our deposit. I've seen lots of other similar experiences here! We actually consider ourselves lucky that we did eventually get a small part of the deposit back, but were unable to ever make an insurance claim because they never provided us with any invoice. So if you want to use the German connection make absolutely sure that you go over that van with a fine tooth comb and take photos BEFORE you leave the yard. And watch out because they will however try to rush this part through (for example tell you not to worry about checking the roof and then when you return immediately commencing the inspection by climbing on the roof and finding all these things that you've supposedly done to it). I recall this being done to three people in the time we were there. So of course this time we were ready to take photos and climb all over the roof and note every scratch and dent when we arrived at Freedom in Rome. Well, what a totally different experience. They were sooooooo friendly, insisted on inspecting everything and made sure that they pointed out every dent and scratch and indicated that it was on their inspection report. Nothing was a problem for them. We did have a small problem when we first left and went back the next day and it was immediately fixed and they made sure we filled up with water again. They also supplied us with travel guides to the places we were travelling. Upon return we were greeted like old friends. The inspection was simple and relaxed and they congratulated us on how clean we returned the van! Deposit immediately returned. The whole experience with them was just so pleasant and so different to McRent. I wouldn't hesitate to book with them again. So if you have a choice avoid the German connection and head for Freedom in Rome. And although we had no choice with the van, my advice is book early and book the smallest camper you can possibly manage to live in because some of those places in Italy are pretty scary to drive around in a big van!

Angela Lynam, 05 august 2008
Booked Ideamerge on line from Ireland and rented 31ft RV from New york. All Tranactions both on arrival and return were very professionally carried out. The RV was almost new and spotless.There were no hidden extras on return and we were transported to the train station by ideamerge when we returned our rv. All in all a very enjoyable

John Lough, lough@btinternet.com, 31 july 2008
write now that I am back in the UK to congratulate you on your service and on your choice of motorhome hire company in Canada (new company Go-West Rentals, not yet represented on our site).
Go-West provided an excellent service with a nearly new vehicle that was the best equipped van that I have ever hired - and I have hired many times in Canada, New Zealand and Europe. Not only was the
equipment comprehensive, it included several extra items that added to the already good experience (for example the vacuum flask in travel case; four place settings of crockery and cutlery for a single person hire; kettle, teapot & coffee machine; two leisure batteries: etc).

I am greatly impressed and will certainly plan to use yourselves and Go-West on my next trip to Calgary.

Hannes, 28 july 2008
Picked up almost brand new camper in Paris. Well organized and friendly staff. Experienced NO PROBLEMS with van, utensils or amenities. Driving a 6 seater in Italy / France was challenging at times, but handed camper back with no scratches.

Will definitely do it again, with the same people.

John and Lisa Bauer, 24 july 2008
We rented a motorhome out of Frankfurt June 17th - July 5th. Doug at IdeaMerge was very helpful and quick to completely answer all our questions.

McRent in Frankfurt was absolutely terrific. The motorhome was immaculate and almost new. We were on our way in less than an hour. Once we reacquinted ourselves with a manual transmission everything went smooth. Two notes about the Dethleff - one don't fill the clean water tank all the way full or it will leak and two - ask them before you leave McRents how to put it in reverse!

We rented a Dethleff 5881. In addition to two adults we have two teenagers. The bunk beds in the back were well worth the little bit of extra money and added length.

We are a camping family and came prepared. Because of the weak US dollar we wanted to buy as little as possible in Europe. We brought an extra bag that had bedding, kitchen and bath towels, toilet paper, paper towels, dish soap, laundry soap, clothsline and clips, shower supplies etc. Worked great and we were ready to camp as soon as we arrived. However, we should have rented the camping tables and chairs from McRents!

Turning the RV in was a snap. We spent a couple hours cleaning it and received our deposit back immediately. The turn in process at McRents took only about 20 minutes. Those folks are fabulous.

Another note - we brought a GPS and it was fantastic, I wouldn't go without it. Mike and Terry Church's book on camping in Europe was wonderful. GPS coordinates were included.

Can't wait to go again.

Kirk Lalwani, 24 july 2008
We rented a Dethleffs FamilyPlus campervan from McRent in Mulheim/Dusseldorf in June for 3 weeks. There are 4 in our family, including 2 children and our plan was to go through the Black Forest, Switzerland, Provence, Riviera into Italy, loop back up to Austria and then back into Bavaria en route back to Dusseldorf.
Everything worked out perfectly. Gregory at McRent was very thorough and very helpful, giving us an excellent checkout. The van was very new, only 6K kms and virtually spotless. We rented a 6 bedder despite us being only 4 so we would not have to re/de construct the table and bench into a bed twice a day, as we had to do in New Zealand, and this made things a lot easier.
The only instruction that I forgot was not to fill the water tank full; on day 2 after I did, we had a trickling leak on the floor. When I called McRent, they assured me it would go away if I filled the tank to 3/4 (a Dethleffs design fault), and it did. Everything worked perfectly during our 4200km trip and the engine was peppy despite the size of the vehicle; it also gave us approximately 20miles/gallon, which was very nice given that diesel was about $9.50/gallon. All in all we spent less on gas than expected.
We really enjoyed the camping experience in Europe. The sites (use Mike and Terry Church's book for the best sites close to public transport) were stunning and well equipped, and very easy to access the city center. You can drive through most European cities and towns with the vehicle, but just beware of the old parts of the city (Vieux Carre, Altstadt etc) which tend to have narrow streets and height restrictions. The only unanticipated adventure was trying to get to a campsite near Moneghlia/Cinque Terre; the tunnels to access it say 3m height limit, but in fact are OK up to 3.5m, as we found out the next day after staying in a hotel. What we also discovered was that the site we were trying to get to through the tunnels had its own 3.2m restriction when I called them. We decided to stay at a different campsite the next night when we discovered the railway tunnels would be OK to drive through despite the incorrect 3.0m restriction. As it turns out, we had a spectacular oceanfront site (Camping La Secca) with panoramic views and steps to the beach. So, all may not be what it seems in Italy, but do ask before driving through!
Return check-in was uneventful. We had cleaned the van thoroughly and had no problems. Gregory was quite happy with the vehicle's condition, which was more or less immaculate, and we got our full refund in a couple of days. I presented him with a little German flag we got in a Toblerone as part of the UEFA soccer championship celebrations and he promised to display it in his office !
All in all, I would highly recommend Ideamerge, McRent Mulheim/Dusseldorf, and campervan vacations in Europe. An ideal way to travel, and it will save you a lot of packing/unpacking hassle, and money both from hotel costs as well as being able to eat 1-2 meals/day in the van. Only caveat....when it gets really hot (as in Italy) and muggy, with mosquitoes, it does get quite stifling in the van despite all the windows being open with the bugscreens active. We had enough after 5 days in Italy, so we headed back into the mountains without going to Rome.
We are planning another trip to Northern Germany and Scandinavia in a couple of years, and Ideamerge it will be!
Thanks Doug and Gregory for making it all so easy!

Anne-Marie and Miles Greenway, Victoria, Australia, anne_marie_davies@btinternet.com, 21 july 2008
Well, we left it a bit late to book a motorhome, but Ideamerge were great. The RV was booked whilst I was in the Cook Islands and Miles was in Australia, and he did the booking whilst I did the paying! No problem for them though...!

When we picked it up it looked HUGE, but we soon got on with it very well. We took it all over the USA in a month - LA to Utah, South Dakota and down to Miami, then back up to Pennsylvania. I think we did about 17 states in total. It was very good to us. The staff were excellent, especially in New York where we returned it, and our only qualms would be the hard matress (same as previous messages on here!), and the fact that the electrical appliances didn't reach the sockets! A kettle would have been cool too, but apparently they don't use them in the US that much.

Thanks, Ideamerge, for a G R E A T T R I P.

Anne-Marie

Patrick Eustace friends, 21 july 2008
Me and 4 friends booked a 5 seater RV near the end of May after finishing college and we toured Europe for 6 weeks taking in 9 countries along the way. Everything worked out great. The RV was a great way to travel as it allowed us to dictate the pace of our travels. I'd highly recommend this form of a holiday to anyone. It was a great experience and if anybody asks I'll point them in the direction of IdeaMerge!!

Thanks again!

Terry and Janet Davis, 19 july 2008
For our recent trip to Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland and Austria, we rented a 19 ft. Davis motorhome from IdeaMerge. The process was easy to do, no problems or hassles. Everything went as stated on pick up and return. The directions to the pick up was good and we had no issues getting there. The personnel were curteous and went to great lengths to show us how everything worked. We felt completely comfortable when we pulled out of the lot.

It was a perfect choice for 2 people with a bathroom, small kitchen and bed. We really enjoyed the smaller size of it, as it was easier to get around the small streets of Europe. We did still have a few issues with the height and parking spots, but nothing that hindered us from doing everything we wanted to do.

Camping through Europe was one of the best experiences of our lives and we definitely plan to do it again. We will also definitely rent a motorhome again!

Tim and Carla Yaworski, tyaworski@shaw.ca, 14 july 2008
We are a family of four, with 2 teenage girls, and just returned from a 3 week vacation of Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland. We rented the McRent Family Standard (Dethleffs 5831) flying into Munich and picking it up at Sulzmoos. McRent was excellent having the vehicle ready early and the drop off went smooth. The vehicle was practically new with under 4000 km and worked perfectly. We averaged about 11.5 liters/100 km going 4000 km on our trip. A note about taxi fares, I think they have gone up considerably compared to the rates mentioned on the Ideamerge site, as has everything. Expect to pay 80-90 euro each way.
Our observations about driving the motorhome are with the model we had was the height as this is something to be aware of when driving along tree lined streets due to potential trees scratching. Also the width could be a concern on some of the smaller roads in Italy and some city streets. All of these were mentioned by McRent at pickup.
Camping in Europe exceeded our expectations immensely. Compared to Canada and USA the campgrounds were like small resorts – extremely clean with very good and reasonable restaurants.
A suggestion we would offer that helped us immensely in selecting campgrounds that were convenient to both the driving and using public transportation, to get into the major cities to see the sights, was Mike and Terri Church’s book Traveler’s Guide to European Camping – it is excellent.
Overall we had a great experience, always comfortable, campgrounds were great, no security concerns and Ideamerge delivered with no surprises or problems. We highly recommend Ideamerge and McRent and plan to use them on the next trip.

Erik Robin Wilensky, ewilensky@gmail.com, 14 july 2008
We came to Europe for a tour of Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Northern Italy. If it wasn't for renting a camper, the declining US dollar would have put Europe out of our budget.
The renting process:
I received ample information regarding the terms and conditions of the rental and found the customer service to efficient and understanding through the process of the deposit and wire transfer of the remaining balance. We were to pick op the van in Regensburg since Munich was all out.
Arriving in Munich we used a transport service from the airport on the way to pick up and after drop off we took the train back to Munich which was cheaper.
Picking up the Camper:
The branch manager was very friendly and did give us thorough instructions regarding the camper and its use. He offered us all sorts of rental equipment however we decided before travelling to carry our own equipment in our luggage. Once converting the rental costs to dollars it just wasn’t as cost effective.
The van was almost new and had no issues except the air conditioner did not function. This was not a big deal and I looked at it as saving extra fuel. We were very pleased with the quality of the rental.
Drop off was much easier than expected and just like that we were heading back home.
Everything was up front, no surprises.
Everything was easy, no catches or hidden charges.
We had a great trip, no mechanical problems.

If I could come up with any suggestions, I would ask that English language camping guides be available with the camper or for purchase. I would also reduce the prices of the equipment rentals. I would also have liked the piece of mind of a second or backup propane tank. As it turns out we did not finish the original one but I would have hated to run out in the middle of a cold night in the Alps.

Thanks for the wonderful service and rental!

Anne-Cri and Didier, dbroers@fuse.net, 13 july 2008
We booked a RV with IdeaMerge for 12 days ( Las Vegas to Las Vegas )
we saw Bryce- Capitol Reef - Monument valley - Grand Canyon, we
had a 24 feets and were traveling with our 4 kids. It was PERFECT. It
is easy, convenient, the RV was nice ( Road Bear) I recommend to use
a RV to visit the big National Parks in the West, the campground are
fantastic ant the RV is adequate. We'll do it again ... with IdeaMerge
and we recommend your company to our friends. Thank you.

Curt Mathisen, 10 july 2008
We rented a Fiat Compact Cruiser Motorhome for our 30th Anniv.
trip to the Alps through DRM's Munich branch, The MH was brand
new and performed very nicely. Was good on fuel mileage, which
was good since fuel prices are way up there in Europe.

The unit was very comfortable for two. I would have preferred an
automatic transmission in the vehicle, but a manual was all that
was available. Handled the curvy roads in Austria and Switzerland
nicely.

DRM's branch managers were friendly and efficient. Spoke
reasonably good English.l

Overall very satisfied with our experience and would rent with them
again.

marty, atc_marty@yahoo.com.au, 10 july 2008
nothing but praise for idea merge.... we had no italian vocab and yet is was never an issue at the depot when picking up the van.... we had a very large camper..... may have been an error considering the type of skill needed to drive in italy ... anyway... the guys showed us eveything needed to enjoy our driving holiday in italy.... we did break a small thing in the van and this wasnt even a issue...... we loved it and would use these guys again with no hesitations..... from aussies on tour ...thanks

William Pulles, william@phd.co.za, 07 july 2008
We rented a camper from McRent and needed to collect it in Isny - a 2.5 - 3 hour train and bus ride from Munich. We arrived at around 17h00 on a Friday afternoon (late because of transport glitches) and our new 2008 model vehicle was there but with the following problems:

- empty gas cylinders
- no crockery or tables/chairs loaded despite confirming the need for this on booking
- cupboard door that would not stay closed and eventually broke during our trip

I was also dissappointed to discover that the Camping Guide was 3 years out of date and only available in German - nothing in English. The quality of crockery and cutlery provided is also very poor and even buttering a slice of bread runs the risk of bending the knife.

While the owner of the Isny depot does not speak any English at all, he was friendly and fortunately able to contact Lucas, a very helpful young man who took us through the vehicle, showed us how everything works and rectified the problems mentioned above. He also kindly arranged a free camping at a small site next to the enormous Dethleffs factory located in Isny and also offered a guided tour through the factory (which we declined for time reasons).

The van was great - handled very well and had great power on uphills. Diesel consumption was not too bad, provided there was limited open highway driving at 130 km/h when consumption climbs through the roof. It was definitely a challenge and test of nerves maneouvering the vehicle along the very narrow country roads of Croatia and its islands but we got through it without adding a single scrape to the vehicle.

We enjoyed the trip immensely, enjoyed the vehicle and would certainly recommend McRent, provided they can get hold of some English documentation for English customers.

Joanne McMillan, 07 july 2008
We booked our six berth motorhome with ideamerge as they were the most competitive on price for the Kea which we had choosen. We rang Kea from our hotel and they came and picked us up and took us to pick up the van. A very comprehensive van with everything that you would need and lots of room, also very economical on fuel. On our second night the bed broke but kea had someone there to fix it within an hour of getting the call. We dropped the van off and they took us to the airport. Excellent service throughout, from booking to collecting. Would certainly use again and have already priced up for Cananda next year.

Craig Palmer, craigepalmer@hotmail.com, 03 july 2008
We booked a 5-birth for a week, collected from Hamburg and travelled throughout Denmark. There was only two of us and our dog so we had plenty of room. Anyway, collection was no problem. Staff were friendly, helpful and spoke English which was a bonus. When we set off we didn't realise the radio aerial was missing at first, however when we informed them when we handed it back there wasn't an issue. Everything went smoothly. The van was surprisingly easy to drive and not too expensive to fuel. Denmark was expensive, but the idea of packing up every morning and going someplace new made the holiday great. One day we would stay on a site by the beach, then the following day stay on a site in the country. We soon got into our routine of emptying the waste and filling the water etc. Great week and we will definately do it again next year.

Patsie Otto Bletzer, patsie@bletzer.com, 03 july 2008
Just returned from a very successful motorhome trip through Germany,Austria,Switzerland and Italy. We hired a 6 berth Dethleffs Motorhome from the Offenbach/Frankfurt McRent office. The chap at McRent was extremely helpful, explained all the ins and outs of the vehicle, inspected it with us thoroughly and within 45 minutes we were on our way.We had prebooked all our stops and of these can thoroughly recommend Camping Bella Italia on Lake Garda , Il Pogetto outside Florence, and La Riva on Lake Como. We had no problems at all with the motorhome despite doing 4000 kms in it. We would certainly go through Idea Merge again but the next time would go for a larger version. Although we were only 3 adults in a 6 berth van you do have to be "friendly". Also the next time we would consider towing a SmartCar behind to avoid squeezing through narrow town roads. McRent refunded our 1000 euro deposit within a matter of days. Our only small complaint is that we arrived back at McRent to hand the vehicle in during a "staff meeting" and a very bumped up executive type told us very rudely not to interrupt him ! Keep clear of German staff meetings !!!

christian doeringer, 02 july 2008
We rented an RV in Stockholm for 1 week. Everything was well organized. However, we were disappointed in the end because the total bill far exceeded out expectations, as we were not made aware of some of the additional charges (for example, there is a charge of 0.4 Euro per excess kilometer driven. However, if you do not tell them the exact excess kilomters in advance, there is a "penalty" of 0.6 Euro per excess kilometer.
Note from IdeaMerge: We present all the information about the Scandinavia kilometer inclusion and extra-kilomter costs by way of our Accessories page(s) and during the online reservation process — as well as on the rental confirmation voucher which we e-mail to the client upon making the booking.

Karlene Dawson, 02 july 2008
My husband, 6 month old and I decided it would be a great experience to travel around Europe, visit family and experience life on the road with a little one. We thought that having a camper van would allow for us to create a stable environment for the little one, have flexibility and avoid the hassel of packing and unpacking every few days. Having the van definitely allowed for this however it was a little too restricting in other ways. We had orinally requested a VW California; however at time of contact their were none available in the location we had wanted to start in (or so we were told). So we got something a little bigger but definitely not more convenient for our purposes. I did find this a little frustrating as when I spoke to the representative at the dealership where we picked up the van apparently there were plenty VWs to be had. Irregardless we still had a fantastic time touring around Europe and camping along the way. A lot of people ask if I would do it again and I say yes but differently. Having the van proved to be more expensive in the long run as the size of it prohibited us from going into cities (parking) which meant that we pretty much just used it to travel from one location to the next, park at the campsite and then take transit in the various areas that we were staying at.
Working with Ideamerge was very helpful and they were quite helpful with most things, I just wished I had investigated the options around getting the VW van a little more. Hind sight is always 20/20 I suppose.
Note from IdeaMerge: We never steer clients away from available, less expensive models which they prefer to larger, more expensive models. At the time of booking we exhaust all possible avenues to locate the vehicle which best suits the client's needs and wants.

Stephen Tangney, stephen_tangney@mail.com, 02 july 2008
Steve, Darryl, Eoin & Gregg -Ireland
The original plan was for us to fly to austria to watch the European soccer championships - Euro 2008 - in Salzburg, Innsbruck and Klagenfurt. HOwever the lack of accommodation available and the price of flights proved too high an obstacle to overcome. a bit of lateral thought, and google searching and our new and improved plan rolled out with unexpected ease. We flew dublin-munich, spent 2nights in munich's beerhalls before making a short train ride from the hauptsbahnhof (central train station) to Markt-Schwaben, a 3euro 30min journey of german efficiency and engineering.
Within minutes of arriving, all the necessary paper work was signed and we loaded up for a trip of a lifetime. The ease at which this is done is a credit to IdeaMerge's thoroughness - especially the detailed e mails in simple english without the legal mumbo jumbo. The camper itself was again a hallmark of german efficiency. It was the VW "california" - a VW caravelle converted. less than 3,500kg's so we could drive it on our normal licences. We travelled 997km in week and it cost €140 in diesel, pretty good considering the fuel costs these days (and the fact that we were burning up the autobahns). An example of how cool this camper was would be that a table folded out and you could turn the front seats right around to face back into the camper, open the fridge and crack open a few cans and enjoy a wee game of cards before hitting the party mad Euro 2008 festival.
Our journey took us from Munich to Salzburg for the Greece Sweden game... nice swedish women abounding... then onto Germany Croatia in Klagenfurt... then thru the Alps (and i mean literally thru them, the longest tunnel we went thru was 6.8km... a long tunnel) to Innsbruck for Sweden Spain. The scenary was gorgeous everywhere and these small cities are hugely picturesque against the backdrop of the gargantuan mountains that surround you, always to the background of rushing icy waters that trundled through the hearts of these mainly pedestrianised cities.
We didn't have a hitch our entire holiday. we typically parked up our van in residential areas about ten minutes walk from the city centre, but i should add that everywhere we went there thousands of supporters so there were vans everywhere. I can't reccommend you to follow suit as these cities will never see their streets as vibrant ever again.
And we did it like true men, no map, didn't ask for directions and always landed on our feet.
Thank you IdeaMerge for making it possible, and with such ease of effort too.

"You are a product of your experiences".

Karin Fivaz, 29 june 2008
The service provided by Ideamerge was promt and good and I would use them again. I would however prefer to use a different Motorhome company and not Euromotorhome. The bedding provided was very bad and it consisted out of only one very old and worn sleeping bag per person with no extra blanket for colder nights. The crockery was also very sparse and did not include even basis items such as sharp knifes and coffee mugs. There was also not enough gas provided for our 2 week trip even though we were assured that the gas cylinder was full. The motorhome was in good condition and we had no mechanical problems and breakdowns. We also found it hard to find the campsites in spain and the guide provided does not give very good directions of the various campsites. But overall it was a good trip in Spain with minimal problems.

Lynne Griffiths, lynnegriff@talktalk.net, 27 june 2008
We picked up the RV in Vancouver and spent two weeks exploring Vancouver Island. The van was great, clean and with everything we needed, we especially loved going over the pass to Ucluelet.
We saw humpback whales and lots of bears and are looking forward to our next visit.

Noel and Mary Poe, 26 june 2008
We just returned from a 3 week vacation using a Compact Cruiser Fiat motorcaravan that was rented from Ideamerge and picked up at DRM Rental Office in Frankfurt. The van was perfect for the two of us as we traveled through southern Germany and most of Austria. The staff at the Frankfurt/Kelsterbach office was exceptional and gave us a good orientation taking the time that was necessary. The vehicle was ready when we arrived and within an hour we were out of the lot. Turning back in was also simple. We rented the kitchen set and it had everything that we needed. The van was basically new and we had no problems with the vehicle. We averaged a little over 26 miles per gallon, as advertised. One word of caution for the United States renters and maybe for people from other countries. In the United States the diesel pumps have green hoses and nozzles. In Europe the unleaded pumps have green hoses and nozzles. Be careful and get the right pumps for the vehicle. If the American government gets our act together and the value of the dollar increases aganist the Euro, I would not hesitate to rent from IdeaMerge and DRM again. Noel Poe, Utah.

Georgina Powell (UK), 25 june 2008
IdeaMerge were really helpful when we made the booking and were generally really efficient except that our flight details got mixed up with another family's so there was no-one to meet us at the airport when we arrived. It was resolved quickly though and we picked up the motorhome from the depot in Madrid with no problems although the whole pick up process does take a long time.

Never hired a motorhome before but the whole experience was great. Campsites in Spain are pretty hard to find (not very well signposted and the guide provided in the motorhome did not give very useful directions) so I would recommend doing a bit of research and printing out some maps before you leave home.

The motorhome itself was fine - pretty clean although I'm sure it was more than 6 months old (despite the rental details saying they were all younger than this!) The dashboard cigarette lighter didn't work - probably to stop people smoking in the motorhome - we don't smoke but it was a major problem because it meant we couldn't use our sat nav! Also, the household kit is more than basic and very expensive for what you are provided with - just sleeping bags and crockery. It didn't provide what I would call basics like a sharp knife and a chopping board etc...

We dropped the motorhome off in Malaga - it was impossible to find the depot and we were driving round for ages (although the manager assured us it was easy to find so maybe we were the only people who had that problem!)

Overall a good experience and I'd definitely recommend IdeaMerge if you're thinking of taking a motorhome round Spain.

Irene Schotman Jeroen and Tijmen Scheer, j.scheer@xs4all.nl, 25 june 2008
Half May we picked up our camper at Freedom in Rome, Italy. We
exchanged the generator for an extra bicycle. Since we travelled with
our son (2 1/2 yrs), Freedom came with the excellent idea of giving
us a child seat for one bike. That was really brilliant. Two bikes at the
back of the camper, we travelled around South Italy extensively,
enjoyed everything. The camper was excellent, although already more
than 90.000 kms on its counter. At return the people at Freedom
were very friendly again, as at pick up. We really enjoyed our trip.

Lucy and Alex, lucythompson1977@yahoo.com, 23 june 2008
We booked a 25ft RV from Ideamerge Motoris and had the best time travelling from the west coast to the east coast of the USA. We are british and thought this was the perfect way to see as much of America as possible.
The service we had in picking up from the San Francisco office and dropping off at the New York office was fantastic with the staff being really friendly and helpful. We also had a great deal by booking in advance.
We would highly recommend booking with them.

Rikus Tiny Terveer, r.terveer@kpnplanet.nl, 22 june 2008
May 12 - 27 2008
You’re always a bit uncertain about the outcome when booking a holiday yourself by internet. In the case of IdeaMerge there’s no need for that. Everything from the first contact up to the final delivery of your camper works just fine. Clear conditions, fast and kind responses (Doug Bredesen; does that man ever sleep?) to questions, kindly treatment whether it is by email or at pickup and delivery points and a very good camper! All that for a very reasonable (if not the best) price. We picked up a Winnebago Chalet in Las Vegas (sleeping capacity 4-6 persons, so certainly enough for the both of us) an drove it to Chicago. This camper is quite easy and comfortable to drive. It’s V10 engine supplies enough (and to spare) power to tame the more steeper roads we drove at, considered its measures , a reasonable fuel consumption rate . It is more than well equipped; everything you need is available and in good working condition. The camper certainly was not older as promised. For us a camper proved again to be the ideal way to explore foreign countries and the US is prepared for it; it’s easy to find campgrounds with specific facilities for them. We mostly used the KOA campgrounds and were very satisfied about them (a KOA coupon was included with the camper; good choice) . IdeaMerge offers more or less worldwide rentals and in case of future trips we certainly will use them again!

Jason Scarborough, NSW, Australia, Jason@renewableaustralia.com, 21 june 2008
My family of 5 had an absolute ball travelling around Europe for 9 weeks in the McRent motorhome we organised through IdeaMerge.

Doug is the man! We had several questions to assist in our planning (which for two adults and three children is compariable to a military logistics exercise!) Doug could even tell us if the CD player in the model we reserved could play MP3 files or not! Try asking Avis, Budget, etc this question and getting anything other than a shrug of the shoulders.

He also helped us resolve a SNAFU that our local motoring organisation made in issuing our International Driving Permit. All this made the pickup process at Frankfurt, quick, easy and uncomplicated.

The vehicle itself was clean, in good condition, mechanically A1 and surprisingly fuel efficient. Probably a little on the large side for some of the narrow european roads we encountered, however, we needed the internal size to stay sane.

On minor bone of contention - don't bank on getting your deposit back, and don't think that the 1,000 EUR is all you will have to pay if there is damage to the vehicle. We had 2 incidents on our trip:

1. where I mistakenly trusted a grease monkey at an Itallian filling station to direct us to an appropriate fuel pump. Minor damage to the rear of the vehicle resulted.

2. a car on the worng side of the road clipped our wing mirror in the UK and then failed to stop to exchange details.

Because there was 2 occurances, we lost the 1,000 Eur on the first and got hit for 400 on the second. Thankfully, our travel insurance should cover the shortfall (minus an excess).

This is the ONLY way to see Europe. We plan on writing a book about our experiences and can't praise Doug and Ideamerge enough for their efficiency, assistance and professionalism.

"Don't be jealeous - do it!"

Marybeth Finn, 17 june 2008
First I want to preface this review with the fact that we had a wonderful time travelling in Australia. A camper is the only way to go with a family of 6 (2 parents and 4 young adult children). Staying at mostly Big 4 parks was quite pleasant. It was a great way to keep this trip affordable for us all and to see as much as we could in 10 days! Upon arriving at the Brisbane Maui office on 21 May 2008 we were served within 10 minutes. Guess we got lucky for by the time we left there were 2 families that had been waiting for at least 30 min. The staff were all very pleasant, helpful and efficient. The instructional dvd was helpful, but a manual to take on the road would have been most appreciated as you don't retain much after travelling for 23 hrs! I was somewhat disappointed with the condition of the camper interior (Maui Spirit 6): refrigerator wasn't clean, broken air conditioner cover, broken bathroom door latch. We also had a broken camping chair. Those were all minor inconveniences compared to the blowout we had driving up to Port Douglas! We also had to have another tire replaced as it was losing air and had a wire protruding from the side of it. The Maui customer service line was helpful in giving us the name of a tire dealer to go to, but unfortunately they didn't have the tire in stock. It took us a 30 min drive to another dealer for the replacement only to find out that they could only replace the one tire as there was only 1 tire that size on the entire East coast!!! We also experienced a crack in the windshield and were very glad we took out the No Worries coverage as it covers 2 tires and 1 windshield!!! Driving on the left was a bit of a challenge in the cities, but not on the highways. NavWoman, as we came to lovingly call the GPS system, was helpful for the most part except for the 2 times she took us on a couple shortcuts not on the maps through a sugarcane field and on a gravel road in the dark! But she did get us to our destination both times. Returning the camper was simple and we were complimented on how clean we left it. Renting through Ideamerge online was easy and we would do it again without hesitation. Our main complaint was with the tire quality on the camper and this we addressed with the Maui personnel only to receive a shrug and "4000km is alot of driving!". The country of "No worries!" It's good to be back in the USA!

Lorne Logan, Nova Scotia, Canada, lorne.logan@ns.sympatico.ca, 11 june 2008
My wife and I rented a 22-foot Winnebago Chalet from Motoris, Las Vegas depot. We toured southern California and Arizona for 2 weeks. The Motoris staff were great to deal with and the price was very reasonable. I did damage the step pulling out of a service station and was prepared to pay about $200 for a replacement. I was delighted to hear the staff person say that it could be repaired for a cost of $50. I highly recommend Motoris and the Las Vegas staff.

Doug Bredesen at Ideamerge was also very professional, patient and helpful. All arrangements were made on the website and we were absolutely delighted with how smoothly everything went.

Pat Freeman and Erin Fleming, MD USA, 10 june 2008
We flew to Frankfurt, rode the S-bahn to Offenbach and then took a cab from there to the McRent terminal. Cabs were plentiful at the train stop. McRent in Frankfurt is in a garage but it has plenty of room to drop your bags. Klaus greeted us and asked to sit and watch the video while our paperwork was completed. The video was in English and made perfect sense to me. While waiting for them to finish prep on the RV (we were a few hours early), we took a nap on the couch. Then, Klaus showed us to our Globecar (Compact Standard) rental. It was practically brand new with about 7000km on the odometer. He showed us how to work everything and I had no questions. He asked me to follow him as he looked over the entire vehicle, including the roof, including up and down the ladder, to show the condition of the exterior. I'm glad for this as car rental places never do that and it leaves room for dispute. We had a perfect vehicle!

The rentals are parked behind the McRent building, and there was a narrow road that we needed to use to get out. Other businesses use this as well so we had to share the road. It helps to have some knowledge on operating an oversize vehicle to get in and out of this spot, in my opinion. But, it was no problem. GPS worked great to get everywhere from NW France to SE Germany. I highly recommend the "AA Caravan and Camping Europe" book as this gives excellent information about rates, facilities, locations and dates of operation. I found that just driving until we were tired, then showing up after camping reception was closed, someone was always willing to help and we could pay in the morning. The International Camping Card makes checking-in easy and is a great alternative to leaving a passport with the campsite reception overnight.

The RV engine was peppy and the 6 speed transmission was perfect for downshifting and getting enough power for a quick (as possible) pass for the autobahn/autoroute. They have many grades of Diesel in Europe and this RV took the most inexpensive grade, which was nice. The small size of this RV attracted a lot of attention from locals because it was small, blue (instead of the default white RV color) and had McRent's stickers on it. I loved how this attracted a lot of attention because it gave us a chance to try the language and meet the locals.

We had no problems with the vehicle except that the water level didn't like to go over 75% and I think that was a design issue. The cap for the water fill was not perfectly sealed and you'd get some leakage there when driving or parking on a hill. We got used to that as I'm sure it happens with most RVs. However, one day we ran the tank dry. After filling it, I ran some water later that day, which primed the system and also enabled the drain valve for the heater. I was a little embarrassed as the locals probably thought I was dumping waste on the street but the panic of me trying to find out how to get this stopped must have entertained them as I thumbed through the German manual. Good thing I could make out some words. The picture also help as I got a revelation moment and climbed into the back in time to save 50% of our water. My advice to others is to never run the water tank dry. Oh, there was also an intermittent buzzer that would sound when a door wasn't shut if you attempted to start the RV. It took a few minutes to realize what that meant as there were no warning lights on the dash. I say that's just the fun of experiencing a new culture.

This was the first time for me to be out of the country and I was impressed by the helpfulness of everyone. But, everywhere we went it was a relaxed atmosphere. US renters should understand that this culture is different. Customer service is not "the customer is always right," stores operate at strange hours and drivers are considerate.

Before returning the RV, dumped and washed out the toilet cartridge at our last campground, then we stayed in a local hotel a block away from McRent. We used the vacuum right down the street at a local car wash and some all-purpose cleaner from a grocery store to clean the entire inside. By cleaning everything so it looked like new, the McRent staff was extremely surprised. I think an hour of work detailing the inside is easy and makes your departure quite quick. We received an immediate refund of our deposit. I recommend this RV and McRent. I hope that others enjoy their European experience as much as we did!

Rex 2008, 09 june 2008
Hi Doug: McRent in Frankfurt is just marginal, may be it is only me, but I have a few things that I want to point out from my personal experience.
1. On pick-up day, customer can opt out viewing the McRent video, boring, especially if you have rented before. Besides, McRent won't let you off the hook with or without the video knowledge anyway.
2. The staff would climb up a ladder to inspect the roof, while the sides, front and back, and the interior of the vehicle are all ignored. This opens room for dispute when the vehicle is returned.
3. When a leak from the fresh water tank was pointed out to the staff, the reply was 'just over-filling', but we had to put up with a leaky tank all our way. At the best, we could only use half tank and the other half wasted.
4. There has never been enough water pressure in the piping systems. We needed to start the pump for a few minutes before we get a trickle of water coming out from the taps.
5. The bed cannot be held in place because of broken hardware underneath the dinning table. We end up with a wobbling bed and faced the possibility of a broken back from the thrill to sleep on bed.
6. The fresh water outlet valve was stuck closed making flushing the fresh water tank an impossible task.
7. When the staff accompanied us inside the vehicle for verbal instructions, we were told just to listen and don't even ask.
8. No tools were provided to change the propane bottles. In the ideal world, I think that can be done by bare hands, but obviously our world was not ideal.
9. The instruction books (manuel) were not English friendly, and obvious not for us.
10. When finished, we returned the vehicle reasonably clean, but we were forced laboured to do a detailed clean-up. The reply was "we are too busy to do this kind of work". My question was "What do you expect if we don't even have a vacumn cleaner and cleaning equipment? Is it just another way to squeeze more money out of their customers.Besides, where is that 125 Euro prep fee, how it was spent?
11. What is basically happened was poor maintenance and maintenance was only performed on complaints. But this can only create unhappy customers and loss of expected service.

Dave and Aileen Peel, 06 june 2008
Doug
Just wanted to let you know our two weeks with the Hamburg rental (Peels May 15-selected vehicle: McRent Family Plus, sleeps 5, e.g.
Dethleffs 5881 HG, to May 29) went very well and the unit and the manager at the rental location were EXCELLENT. NO problems Thanks, worked out well and would certainly book with you again.

Thanks again Dave and Aileen Peel

Eric McClure, emcclure69@yahoo.com, 06 june 2008
We went with IdeaMerge(IM) after quite a a bit of research into renting an RV in Brisbane, Australia. There were a number of companies over there to rent through, but IM seemed to have all of them. We were hooked on the Apollo Hitop camper based on it's size and features, but a number of companies offer similar vehicles. Having an IM customer rep in LA to talk to about our vehicle options and the insurance options in Australia was great, and really helped us feel confident in putting money down for a vehicle rental some 9000mi away. We ended up going with the Apollo Hitop (or so we thought), and got into Brisbane after a mere 24hrs of travel time. Needless to say, I was in no condition to get the runaround at the Apollo dealer, but it turned out to be simple and we were impressed in in their staff and service. Our only little snafu was that we had ordered the Hitop, but ended up with the Eurocamper. Not bad conisidering that it was a larger vehicle with a diesel engine instead of petro, but the interior layout was not as good as some similar campers out ther through other renters. The vehicle was nearly new, clean, full of fuel, and ready to go. We opted for the full coverage insurance after finding out that insurance is nom-compulsary in Australia, and we didn't feel like dealing with it if we wrecked the camper. $25 a day is totally worth it for the piece of mind. We were out on the open road in no time...but plan on some initial confusion with driving on the left, and I would definitely recommend an automatic transmission. The 6 spped manual (shift with your left hand) was a little too much to handle after a 24hr trip and learning the local traffic rules. The 10 day trip up the Sunshine Coast was amazing, and the caravan parks are clean and plentiful. We'd definitely go through IM again if we go back or head to Europe.

James Celia Cliff, cliffsintas@bigpond.com, 29 may 2008
We hired a five berth campervan from the Frankfurt depot, for the period April 2nd to May 10th. This was a Detleffs vehicle on a Fiat chassis.
After getting used to six forward gears, it turned out to be easy to drive and performed faultlessly for 5500 km.
However I do not think that it was entirely suitable for an extended trip outside Germany / Austria so early in the season. The cabin heater would only run on gas, and we rapidly became very economical in its use. It had snowed in England and the nights and mornings were pretty chilly. We augmented the bedding with coats and anoraks, but the draught from the cab in the early morning was something to be treated with caution.
THe adaptors which we had bought in Germany, and which were claimed to make refilling the gas bottles easy in foreign parts,turned out to be of no use. The French just shrugged and pointed to their own, incompatible, brand of exchange bottles. In England they even offered to change the gas terminations on the vehicle so that we could use their bottles.

There is a version of this Truma heater that also runs on mains electicity 230vac, as well as gas.

Otherwise all went well.

colin and Julie Westgate UK, 29 may 2008
The collection and return of the Motorhome was seamless. Very quick, no fuss and no extra's to pay at all. The Motorhome itself was exactly how it was described, nearly new and performed perfectly throughout the 3000km trip. We would definately use Ideamerge again and would recommend them to anyone!

David and Doris Woolley, 29 may 2008
Picked our MotorHome up in Rome. Everythng worked well, and the staff were very helpful. I did not need any supplies(ie chairs, utensils etc) so I can not comment on that portion. Drove to Sorrento and back with no problems. Doug was very helpful at this end as well.

Rainer Menzel, rainer.menzel@huk-coburg.de, 29 may 2008
We toured around Kalifornia about 2000 Miles in March/April 08 - Roundtrip S.F. - L.A. - San Diego - Las Vegas & back. Everything includig the bookingprocess via internet worked very fine. Airporthotel pickup, Car pickup at Motúris and so on. Absolutly no Problems with the car Ford E22 - big enough for two Adults - maybe up to two children should be no problem. The Car took about 22 Litres for 100km - fuel 70US/c per Litre. Spring is a great time for Kalifornia! Placing the car at the best spots at the beach / desert - wonderful sunsets - from 20 days of our journey we had only about 8 nights on campinggrounds! We can only recommend doing it with IdeaMERGE/Moturis.
For further Questions your Mail is welcome

R. Menzel

Jacob Pot, 28 may 2008
Pick up and drop off in Nice. Not the most organised; but friendly and effective.

Van not as new as last time. Some minor defects. Intermittent problems with water heater and fridge. Cooking gear very minimal.

Cannot understand why a van that will sleep 6 only has four seats with seatbelts.

Otherwise would do it all again, as it is an ideal way around the area.

jim morgan, 25 may 2008
we picked up a motorhome in rome italy from freedom holiday. the unit was new we were the first to use it. the hot water heater and furnace did not work. we took it back and the renter thought he got it working, but it never worked for more than a minute. the motorhome ran great and got good mileage. overall the trip was great.

Mark Grimes, markgrimes@sky.com, 25 may 2008
Picked up our 6 berth motorhome from Apollo in Auckland, Apollo collected us from the Airport. Pick up was smooth, took about an hour to finalise paperwork from arrival to leaving the office.

Motorhome was 1 year old in excellent condition, clean and well presented. It made our touring holiday of New Zealand a pleasure.

Overall a positive experience from the initial booking with Ideamerge. Doug even returned a telephone call to me when I could not get through to his office in the states,and I live in the UK!

Drop off in Christchurch was also smooth, took approx 30 mins to complete paperwork upon drop off
Excellent from start to finish

I would definately recomend Ideamerge , Fantastic service and value for money.

Trish and Bob Gobeil, gobeil@uniserve.com, 22 may 2008
April 2008 Our family of 4 rented a motorhome and toured from Oslo through the telemark area and on to Bergen. We stopped when ever we choose and put on our skiis and enjoyed the beautiful scenery and of course the skiing. The motorhome handled the snowy and sometimes icey roads (and more often narrow) beautifully. We then traveled on to Lillehammer and returned to Oslo. We prepared all our meals in the vehicle and felt we had a lot of freedom pulling over when we choose. Our vehicle was very economical to operate and we made a comment that Canada should operate the same motorhomes.
Thank you very much.

Akira Hachiya, akira.hachiya@kaobrands.com, 22 may 2008
Dear Madam/Sir,

Our family actually enjoyed the trip from Las Vegas to Denver using a motorhome. We visited Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Monument Valley, Arches etc. That was a second opportunity to visit there for us except for my younger daughter. We visited there again because we wanted to share the good memories with her before we go back to Japan. That was more than I had expected. I felt a little bit scared when I stated to drive a motorhome but I got accustomed to the width and the size within the first day.

Unfortunately I had not understood the way to supply the water to a motorhome at the park. In addition, nobody took a call when I called the Denver office to ask a question. Before I lent a motorhome, I actually got an instruction by watching a DVD. But I think it was not enough for customers to understand. So I recommend that you had better instruct directly so that consumer understand very well.

Thanks,
Akira

Denise Cordeiro-Bennett, bennett_denise@yahoo.com, 22 may 2008
What a great experience!!! We were motorhome first timers and still found it amazingly easy to book the motorhome online through IdeaMerge. We flew to Frankfurt and took the short taxi ride to McRent to pick up our motorhome. The staff was great; very helpful and they took the time to explain everything about the motorhome. It was in perfect condition, easy to operate, and was equipped with everything we expected. We brought our GPS with us, so after a quick stop at a nearby grocery store we were on our way. We scheduled the trip for 18 days in late April and availability of motorhomes and campsites was no problem. We did find that some of the attractions/campsites/parks were not yet open for the season, but this was a minor inconvenience since we still got to see so much while travelling around. We ended up driving 6,000 kilometers, visiting 8 countries and 23 cities in 18 days. About 50% of the time we stayed in formal campsites. The rest of the time we took advantage of roadside stops. Both options worked out perfectly. The motorhome was ideal for our trip...unpacking only once, eating in the most beautiful locations, lots of relaxed together time, no planes, trains, or tours to worry about. The only disadvantage was any kind of travel in or through the biggest cities. Definitely should be avoided if possible. We saw so and experienced so much more than we would ever have been able to without the motorhome. This was a once in a lifetime vacation that we now know we can repeat over and over again!

Matthew Grant, matthew.grant@hotmail.com, 22 may 2008
Lets start with the positive side. We loved the camper van. Travelling with our 7 month old daughter in a 6 berth camper van that had only done 1000 miles was fantastic and great fun. It gave us to be as flexiable as we needed to be. On the down side, when we arrived at the Maui office I was told that I had an additional 200 £ (NZ) to pay. Due to the time differences I could not contact ideamerge so instead of getting worked up I paid the money and decided to sort the issue out on my return as I knew how good ideamerge had been in the booking process. Sure enough, just a simple email to ideamerge on my return resolved the issue. Thank you ideamerge for a pain free booking system and resolving my problem quickly.

David Killey, 21 may 2008
Picked up our ideamerge motorhome in Sidney (Jan 2008) and embarked on a 72 day adventure. The unit was not ready when we got there, but the staff quickly supplied us with a car to go shopping and upon our return we received cash back for that days rental. We left about 3pm that day. Our unit was great and we did not have any issues to speak of. We used the co-pilot GPS system with our laptop and stayed in mostly the Big 4 parks which were excellent and had good power to run the A/C during the hot nights. I would have like more instructions when we picked up unit. Did not see the cruise control feature till we were almost done trip. The auto/manual tranny has some issues that cause it to roll back on a hill when you start out. This caused us great grief and almost an accident until we figured out to use E brake to hold position till tranny engages. Roof a/c has features we did not know of until well into the trip. Driving on opposite side of road did not present any problems at all for me. RVers are the friendliest people on earth and this is a great way to see any country.

didier from France -, didier.breton12@orange.fr, 21 may 2008
We have token the 27" in Road Bear Los Angeles ( Malibu). All very good, the personal of Road Bear in very profesional and cool, it's a pleasure.
The RV was clean, just a little problem ( 35 liter gazoline in 100 km ).wahoo!!
L.A, Las Vegas, Monument Valley, Grand Canyon, no problem with a recent RV.
For the organisation, all ok from France with you, all was ready on our arrival. For all the French, go there without problem, Ideamerge is pro.

Elvin Magri - MALTA, elvin1@onvol.net, 21 may 2008
I would like to thank the staff for their co-operation in booking process. Very Well Done!..What was to our surprise was that cutlery, pillows, kitchen ware for cooking and few other items were so called extras..This waste us some time prior to start up to settle!!..No other kitchen consumables were included such as cloths and washing liquid etc!..It's no big deal but if travelling in night it is hard to purchase from anywhere!!..However, on our return we had a light scratch along the side and were to be charged a 1,000 Euros for damages. We believed that by using some polish it would be gone and the staff and management refused to let us do it ourselves. Being in the spray painting industry, I insisted on not affecting such payment and then they handed us some polish and let us do it...IT SAVED US 1.000 Euros!!!...Against all, we will consider renting again as we do such adventures yearly, with the difference of hoping that management will be more fair and flexible!!..

Thks & Rgds

Nick Little, 21 may 2008
Overall good experience. Campervan was over 2 years old despite a specific enquiry and reply that it would be less than 2 years. The towel sets had only one bathtowel and about a thousand hand towels for 6 people. As others mention the microwave is close to useless because it would constantly trip the circuit breakers in the camping areas. Staff helpful and arranged transfers with no problems- returned deposit card receipt immediately on return. Chairs and tables not matching-half chairs effectively cloth stools. Engine started every time. Slow leak in one tyre required putting air in at least every second day. Very prompt response from ideamerge/freedom to enquiries pre-rental.

Freeda, linuxgirlis@netscape.net, 20 may 2008
We booked through McRent, Sulzemoos (Münich). Pick up and return was quick and easy. Plus, they spoke English. Everything was as promised. The result was a great vacation in Europe. GPS (now that we own one and know how useful they are) would have been handy. On the good side, the rv was extremely good on gas and compact enough to handle the city roads. Definitely recommend!

Robert Schwabenbauer, robseverest@hotmail.com, 24 february 2008
We picked up our RV just outside of Munich in a place called Sulzemoos. It was easy to get to and the place we rented from was called McREnt. The staff were very helpful and friendly and all the RV's are 1 year old or newer. We were given a brand new Fiat and were the first in this RV and it was awesome. It slept five and had a shower and toilett and the kitchen was great. We had a wonderful trip and managed to put on just shy of 3000 km's. I would recommend renting bikes and perhaps getting GPS for anyone doing this trip. Also make sure you budget for the Autobahn and Autostrasse. It was free in Germany, 8EU in Austria, and 32EU in Switzerland. Italy and France have tolls and we paid about 50EU for France and about 100EU for Italy and the roads in Italy are in bad condition!!! All the campsites were fantastic and I would recommend this trip to anyone. A real great way to see Europe!
"No one's interested in something you didn't do"

Happy travells.

Feel free to email me with any questions.

Derval O'Neill, derval.oneill@yahoo.it, 28 january 2008
Hi there, found dealing with IdeaMerge was a pleasure - no issues at all. We expected the same when we arrived at Roadbear, Agoura Hills, but we did not find the staff particularly friendly either at the pick up stage or the drop off. At drop off, we just knew they would deduct some of our deposit eventhough the RV was in top condition when we returned it. Like one of your other customers, we too were charged for damage to the awning ($175), which to be honest you would have needed a magnifying glass to see. During the trip, the RV was basic but functional and we had no technical issues, bar a leaking kitchen sink. It could have been cleaned better before we picked it up. The driving area had not been cleaned and the blinds in the bed room were stained. Next time, we would go for a slightly higher grade RV and a bit more friendly and welcoming customer service, even if it meant paying more.

Rob and Annie, 21 january 2008
Pick up and return from McRent in Frankfurt (Nov 07 - Compact Luxury) went smoothly and staff were very helpful. We suffered two breakdowns in the five week hire - one an injector problem (in a heavy snowstorm) and the other when we discovered we had no rear brakes. We had to pay for the brake repair ourselves and it was then reimbursed on return. The fuel economy in the van was around 11.6l/100km which I was told was high for the van, although it drove very well. The crockery/cutlery/pans were adequate however we did miss a kettle.

The van itself was clean and tidy and a good size for our family (2 adults and 2 kids under 4). We chose this van for its size (it was our first hire) although next time we will go a bit bigger. As first timers we were only concerned once and that was the drive between Pompeii and Sorrento (I would recommend staying in Pompeii and getting the train!). All in all a great trip and we cant wait to do it again!

Jon Lee, jon@jonnylee.co.uk, 08 january 2008
We picked up a 26ft Motorhome from the New Jersey office and drove 4200 miles over 3 weeks across the LA office. We were a little daunted by the size as it was only two of us, and we had been upgraded to the bigger size. However we quickly got used to it and once we did had a brilliant time. The insides were well furnished and very comfortable and I would definately recommend Roadbear and Ideamerge. The transactions were all very smooth. We had a few minor gripes however. We (accidentally) weren't given the key needed to get in the side door. This was the biggest problem as it meant we had to go in and out of the front cab when we first came back, we could then open it from the inside and use it until we next left the van. Our water/waste tank metres were both broken which meant they showed full all the time. Wasn't a huge issue but a bit annoying. Other than that everything was excellent and we had a great time! Staff were very friendly and we had no extras to pay!

Dale and Gerda Edmonton, Canada, 25 november 2007
This was our second rental through IdeaMerge and was also a positive experience. The people at Freedom Holiday did a good job and the campervan was in great shape (if a tad under clean). Everything worked very well and the performance from the two liter diesel was impressive. Unfortunately our holiday was cut short near the last minute and we were unable to get even a partial rebate. Our only complaints with campervan itself was that the kitchen supplies were extremely modest (with several essentials missing such as a dishpan, kettle, basic cooking utensils, cooking knives etc. all of which we purchased and left with the unit) and that the camping chairs and table were not usable at all. In fact the chairs were dangerous to use as they were unstable and subject to collapse. We did point this out to the folks at Freedom Holiday and they were somewhat sheepish about the chairs and advised they were going to replace them. On the bright side the people at Freedom Holiday were extremely friendly and helpful, they provided sleeping sets for no additional charge (we forgot to order them when we placed our reservation) and gave as a free lift to the train station when we returned the campervan. All in all a good experience which could have been made better if the small trifles had been looked after.

Linda - Bristol UK, 25 november 2007
We picked up the camper in Denver and dropped it off in San Francisco having covered 2500 miles in 4 weeks. RoadBear staff were extremely helpful at both locations and in particular their pick up and drop off service from local hotels contributed greatly to making the whole process easy and relaxed.
The camper was very clean and well appointed. We were particularly impressed with the quality of the appliances: shower, microwave, fridge/freezer. Staff at the San Francisco drop off location were very professional and efficient in checking the van back in and appreciative of our efforts in cleaning the van thoroughly. This contrasts with an experience in Germany where they were extremely aggressive and unpleasant.
If I had to find any complaints it would be that the bedding was inadequate for the time of the year that we had rented the camper - October. We had to buy a thicker duvet. Also the brakes were a bit unnerving on downward mountain roads. After a long period of downhill they overheated and started shuddering alarmingly. We learnt to stop every few miles and let them cool down - but would have appreciated a short instruction on how to deal with this as mountains are fairly common in Colarado and California.

We also agree with other travellers that the option of a CDW would have been much appreciated.

However, these were small points. We wouldn't hesitate to use RoadBear again and extend our thanks to their very professional staff for their contribution in making our holiday so enjoyable.

Geoffrey, 24 november 2007
The staff at the pickup (agoura hills) were very efficient and thorough, and the vehicle was in good shape, tho one folding chair was not functional. Check these carefully if you get them.

Also, I apparently crunched the rolled up awning into a tree and had a $175 ouch payment at the end for a new roller. Be careful. Or get the extra insurance.

Sean - London, ideamerge@seanandfiona.com, 15 november 2007
When we first picked up the RV we were all in shock at the size of it!
We had an 8 birth between the 4 of us (no kids) and had plenty of
room to splash around in! The comfort of the RV exceeded our
expectations and were all like kids on a new camping holliday! It
didn't take long to get used to the size when driving and found that it
could pretty much handle everything we had to offer it! The pick-up
and drop-off sites were easy to find and the staff at both centres were
more than helpful. As for the Californian countryside... wow... I think
we'll be seeing more of that in the coming years.

Ariel Lejtman, 31 october 2007
We had a great time all together in the camper. Your handling of our request was fast, polite and to the point. Freedom Holiday were excellent, very friendly and servicial to us. Everything they promised was done, and they also went the "extra mile".
We got the camper in the morning at no extra cost, the camper was in excellent conditions and everything worked as planned.

We hope to have a 2nd chance to rent a camper again and have a joyful experience as was our first one.

Best regards,
Ariel

Jiri SMRHA, aksmrha@centrum.cz, 24 october 2007
Jiøí Šmrha, Czech republic, 14 september 2007

We picked up the vehicle in Vancouver on 14.09.2007 and returned it again in Vancouver on 29.09.2007. The staff in Vancouver was kind and helpful.
The only problem at pick up was that we were not able to persuade the staff that the motoroil level was at the minimum level. We were told that it is at the maximum level and our opinion about the minim level should have been the result of our „bad meassuring“. After 500 km there was an indication the level is at the minimum which could not have been without doubt possible if there would had been enough of oil.
After seven days the cooler in the top part of the fridge served only as fridge, i.e. without producing temperature below zero.
Equipment of the vehicle was sufficient and in good quality.
I visited British Columbia for the second time an I surely will visit it again because of its fantastic nature, fish and friendly people.

Tom, 22 october 2007
Picked up the vehicle in Paris. Nice, clean and comfortable, however missing were the pots/pans, cutlery, dishes and information about campsites. (Double check for those.) Other than that, great holiday, nice way to see the country.

ronnie and seija middleton, 21 october 2007
we had a great trip we also had my wife sister with us the road star was great also no problems at all it took the large hill with ease the slideout was the best and so simple to do we hope to do it again some day, seija and me plan to do the camper thing for one year after i retire in2010, can you send info on your camper for sale,new and used thanks happy campers from finland

William Capshaw, 20 october 2007
Picked up the van in Amsterdam and recieved a very nice van along with complete operating instructions. Enjoyed my 15 days touring in Holland, Belgium, France and Germany. Only one small problem with the lights which I had repaired. The cost was promptly refunded upon my return.

anne goodman, anne-marie@ameg.org.uk, 20 october 2007

After a long gruelling journey we had to wait over an hour to get served in the Britz Brisbane office. The guy behind the counter said that people had to wait 3 hours sometimes. When I complained I was sort of ignored. After a long journey you just don't need that. They need more staff in the Brisbane office.

Ken Ackley and Karen Pope, 18 october 2007
We picked up our RV just outside Paris.
It was in very clean good condition.
We were not too happy with the maps and directions given us - ended up stopping to buy an atlas after hours on the wrong highway !!
No coffee pot was a surprise seems it would be an easy thing to provide. Yes the dishes rattle around.
Sheets were just barely OK - would make a big impression to have good ones.
These complaints aside -- we loved our time in the vehicle ---camped near Samois for 6 days for a Music Festival. Great to be able to fix our meals.
Our return was seamless ...the place is NOT easy to find or get to but -the folks there are great.

Humberto Costa, elisacosta@shaw.ca, 18 october 2007
Hilda & Humberto, May 16,2007
We rented your new motor-home in Frankfurt and travelled 10.000 km around 9 European countries without any problems.Fiat and McRent were very helpful would like the motor-homes to be equipped with GPS, TV, propane oven and air condition inside the motorhome.Also we think the deposit of 1.000 euros is too high and CDW insurance should be available.
Thank you, our best regards
Hilda and Humberto

David Bland, david@blandonline.plus.com, 14 october 2007
Picked up the van in Oslo for a two week tour of southern Norway. Everything great except for the seats in the rear of the van which, being foam, did not support the passengers whilst driving.

Wood Family, 08 october 2007
We picked up at Paris, France, and returned to Lyon, France. Great space in van and we had a good time but a few suggestions for improvement.
1. decent maps included, the camping books were no good for actually locating the camp sites.
2. specially moulded or cut out shelves to hold the crockery to save it crashing around in the
cupboards.
3. depots miles away from anywhere, closer to airports much better. Taxi driver in Paris had no idea hence a very expensive fare!!!
4. our linen was very threadbare and very stained and smelly pillows.we had cold weather in July and one blanket wasn't enough.

pat richter, 03 october 2007
We're a couple of months late with this but, better late than never! Picked up our motorhome in Paris for a 2 week trip through parts of France, the Swiss Alps & Italy in June.It was our first time in a motorhome. Loved it. Would do it again at the drop of a hat. We recommend getting a GPS---worth it's weight in gold!The staff at the Paris depot were excellent, very friendly and all spoke English. However, we feel it should be made very clear that the actual depot isn't in Paris but in a suburb. We had been picked up at the airport and taken to the depot but it was a nightmare trying to return it because we programmed the GPS for the road in Paris(rue du Colonel de Rochebrune) and ended up all over Paris---including going up the Champs Elysees and circling the Arc de Triomphe 3 times!!! We laugh about it now but didn't at the time!The depot is actually in the suburb of Rueil and both it and Paris have a road of the same name but we were unaware of this. We should have programmed Rueil into the GPS. We weren't impressed with the table & chairs that we rented--they were basically falling apart.Other than those 2 minor things, it was a fantastic experience.So easy to just pull off somewhere and eat etc. Doug at Ideamerge answered all our questions very promptly & we'd definitely rent through Ideamerge again. We agree with a previous review--------just doit!(but get a GPS!)We're already thinking about our next trip.

Pat Richter

Marc Family (Texas), 26 september 2007
We picked up our RV in Frankfurt in July. The only plans we had were the pick up and drop off dates. WE were scheduled to have the RV for 2 weeks. We purchased a map in Paris before arriving and started reading up on all the places to visit in Germany. The location was easy to find with a hotel just on the other side of the street which was convenient for our arrival the day before picking up the RV. The staff was very nice and all spoke good english. This was great because I didn't speak any German at all. The RV was great, less than 2 years old and hardly any miles on it. It was very easy to drive, I just wiush it would have had cruise control.

With our maps in hand and no plans at all we set out for our vacation and had the best two weeks of vacation we've ever had. Germany was a wonderful to see and tour. We wish we could have stayed longer and will definitely come back again, this time with bicycles as well.

Drop off was just as easy as pick up and we would strongly recommend IdeaMerge to anyone (and we already have).

Cheers, Marc

The Gypsy Sues , 24 september 2007
We are two ladies who hired a 5-6 berth motorhome from the Hamburg depot in May 2007. Most of our travel (3 weeks) was through Scandanavia -which was just wonderful to explore in the motorhome.

We had prior experience with a motorhome (5 months) which helped us get through the introduction session. The staff member did not speak English and one of us had limited German, however, we did take a german speaker with us and this helped immensely with the technical side of things. Suggest that if you do not speak German, make sure that there is someone who speaks your language when you go to collect/drop off the vehicle. They also have videos there which show you the main functions of the motorhome etc. I agree with some other comments re the deduction of the 1000 euro at the time of collection - it should be adequate enough to hold your details should a deduction be required at the time of return. This is usual practice for most vehicle hire arrangements that we have used in the past.

The service was great, the vehicle less than 2 years old and just as we ordered. We needed to complete all our transactions via the internet and there was no problems at all - we were expected and all deposit payments were OK. I would have no hesitation in using the service again.

Chris, chris@duchypaving.com, 18 september 2007
We did this having no experience at all and found the booking system via Doug in the states was seamless. Everything stated in the paperwork was spot on.
We flew to Frankfurt from Heathrow and collected our motorhome from McRent in Offenbach, Frankfurt and found the process fairly straightforward thanks to Suzanne and staff who were all most helpful. The handover was a bit rushed with a lot of info to take in, especially as first timers, but in the end you just have to put your head down and go.
The only initial problem we faced was that I didn't precisely check the electrical connections and on our first night discovered that we were missing one particular connection that we needed. This did lead to us having to drive around the following day trying to find a place to buy the missing item. We had informed McRent and they were fine about it promising to repay on return but imagine the hassle in a foreign country trying to find a particular item that is fairly specialist. So be warned and make sure you understand and try everything before you leave !
We were lucky that the van was very new and had no issues but I did see others that were well marked so a thorough inspection is well worth taking your time over as you will be liable for any damage. I felt that the insurance should offer a CDW option as driving in a different country and a vehicle that I wasn't used to was a recipe for at least one minor incident, especially as we intended to travel through a number of foreign countries. Even if you came back from a visit and found damage done to your parked vehicle you would still be liable. In the end I accepted that the 1000.00 euro deposit for excess should be part of your budget when first costing the whole holiday, then at least if you get it back it's a bonus !
The vehicle proved to be exactly what we'd hoped for, very comfortable and reliable and a dream to drive. We decided to do this as my eldest daughter was off to University and it really was the last time we would be a family of 4 together on holiday. Seeing parts of Europe, in this case, was far more enticing than lying on a beach for 2 weeks. That has it's place of course but I would recommend this as a way to see a lot of things at your own pace and spend some quality time together. We ended up going through Germany to Switzerland, Italy, France, back through Italy to Austria and back to Germany.
On our return we were again dealt with very quickly and 'luckily' had had no incidents to report or damage to show and we did get our full refund so personally I have no complaints. I've read some people had a bad deal when the vehicle was checked for cleanliness on return. True, there wasn't much in the way of cleaning stuff but we kept it fairly clean and tidy during the trip and on the last night gave it a good going over. All I can say is that the staff were very pleased with it and even gave us a voucher for discount on any future hire because it was so clean !!!
My only other beef is having to pay extra for things like the table and chairs - I feel things like that should be included. I understand for bedding as there is laundry required but not for items that you are obviously going to need.
Final advice - get a book on motorhome sites where you can park overnight as this saves a lot of money rather than payng for campsites and they have all the services you need. Some sites are basic but others are really lovely and well sited.
Sat Nav is a must !!
Last word - JUST DO IT !!!

Sara Stevens, 14 september 2007
We picked up the vechicle in july 07 the depo was easy to find and then very accessable for our onward journey. The service was friendly and effective and we were on the road in no time. The vechicle was great, very well maintained and cleaned throughout. We had a lovely adventure in our RV and would reccommend them to any one.

Sara

Marc (Australia), 13 september 2007
We rented our campervan from McRent in Frankfurt (via Ideamerge) in July -August 07. The booking process and pick up proved to be very easy and painless. Both comanies were easy to deal with. Our van provided us with no problems at all and I recomend dealing with Ideamerge and McRent.Additional recommendations : 1) On arrival take as much time as you need to list every possible fault or scratch (internal or external)do not assume anything, as the same will happen on return. 2)Make sure you buy or rent a GPS for your journey, 3) have fun and expect some minor hiccups along the way it's all part of the experience.

ESTHER BOWNESS, thepubgilcrux@btconnect.com, 13 september 2007
We picked up the 32 foot RV in Oakland a day later than we had planned. This was due to the previous person leaving the RV in LA as apposed to San Francisco. But the guys at Ideal Merge were very appologetic and helpful and sorted out accommodation for us back in SF for the night. When we finally got the RV the following day it was immaculate. Many thanks to all the people who worked hard to get the vehicle ready on time that following day.
We covered about 1000 miles in nine days and were very impressed woth the Californian area. The kids thought Yosemite National Park was fantastic and if we had had longer we could have stayed there for the week.
This was the first time we have done an RV holiday, but were very happy with the whole experience and will probably be doing it again in the future.
Doug Bredesen was the person who helped us book and enjoy my husbands 40th birthday in style, a great big thank you to you Doug!!!!! we have made a lot of memories.

P Ireland, 12 september 2007
We picked up a VW Californian in the middle of July in Frankfurt, Germany from DRM, and took it on a 3000 mile jaunt through England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and back to Frankfurt. We were impressed from the moment Claudia introduced us to the vehicle and its capabilities, and equally impressed with her attitude and helpfullness. One drawback, minor at best, we added an awning at the last minute and it just did not want to stay in its track.

The mileage was excellant, and at those prices we were gratefull. The vehicle ran beautifully, and was excellant for maneuvering in the city and on those narrow roads.

Doug Bredesen, from IdeaMerge, was great to work with and had helpful suggestions and answers from the very beginning.

The 1000 EU deposit and paying the exchange rate on it coming and going is something that needs to be fixed. It seems pretty simple - run the card and hold the slip until the vehicle is returned and cleared.

We will be back, probably next year.

Sincerely,

Paul

D Appleford, dappleford@btinternet.com, 11 september 2007
Despite a slight hiccup when we went to collect the RV (gas leak at the depot so teh road was closed)the service was good. The RV served our purpose and we travelled with no problems at all. The RV was comfortable and spacious.
Thank you

Al Puskaric, 10 september 2007
We rented a 2-person motor home in Mannheim, Germany. It was beautiful. We named it Snoopy for its cool look and off we went on a trip through most of Western Europe. The machine performed flawlessly and was a pleasure to drive. The 6 speeds really came in handy in the small mountain roads of Italy. We own a motor home here in America and really appreciated the forward thinking German design. It got great gas mileage and the vehicle required no maintenance during our 5,000 Km trip. I found Simone to be an outstanding, friendly, and understanding person that truly worked hard to insure that we were comfortable with the operation of the vehicle. When we returned it in perfect condition, we were immediately given our deposit back. This is unlike our last experience with a different rental company. They did not return our deposit for several months even though it passed their inspection. I would rent from them again!

Michael Flanagan, mf@oemvendorsolutions.com, 10 september 2007
Picked up a 6 berth camper van at Stuggart, drove down to Bordeaux picked up the family and drove around spain over 14 days. The van was fine and pickup formalities fairly painless. The van was broken into in Seville and on return I lost some of my deposit. However they were fair about the whole process and I knew what I was letting myself in for, being my second year hiring. I would agree with some of the previous comments that super CDW insurnace should be available. Certainly the definition of an incident is not that clear in the T&C's. On balance an enjoyable holiday that I would repeat as you can get right into city centres. However its not cheap if you consider petrol etc and sensible people should assume that the deposit will be lost.

m brockenshire, 10 september 2007
picked up van at berlin very easily.was a bit different driving on the other side of the car and the road.spent 2 weeks in berlin and around hamburg.i would not do it any other way.i would recommend to anybody to spend time in germany in an rv.The only problem i have is the cleaning of the van should be included in the price.we had 4 people in the van an spend quite a bit of time cleaning floors,bathroom,kitchen etc....down on our hands an knees with a cloth and hot soapy water washing the floor and still they charged us the cleaning cost.i was not happy with that. all in all though van ran very well and it was very easy to drive place to place and set up. An A++ to doug at ideamerge for doing things very quickly and making it so easy. I just think the cleaning part of it is stupid. mcrent berlin expect such high quality cleaning with only a small brush and pan suplied.No vaccumn cleaner....no dishwashing liquid....no cleanig equiptment at all.makes it impossible. But an awsome time had....

Alan Stafford, astaffx@gmail.com, 10 september 2007
Picked up the Camper in Frankfurt, directions on Ideamegre paper work were great.After pick up when we stopped for the first night and got a good look at the camper we were un happy with the level of cleaning. We cleaned the camper fully, (bathroom, kitchen area, seats musty and dusty). Only a small brush and pan provided no other cleaning products supplied.

The trip itself was magnificent, the freedom it offers is excellent you can be in the Alps one day and at the Med the next, my two children 7 & 6 had a ball. In all we were on holiday for a month and I would recommend the experience.

The part IdeaMerge played was excellent, however I was un happy with McRent the actual rental company.

Unfortunately we scrapped the side of the camper van, I was told the repair would cost more than the 1000Euro deposit and it was all lost. Like another contributor on the review forum I questioned this, their explanation was their years of experience told them the cost, no break down of the actual cost would be provided. Again why such a high deposit, I can rent a brand new hire car of any value and have maybe 100 - 200 Euro deposit, why is full insurance not supplied.

The camper we rented had a number of scrapes and the awing body was damaged but worked fine. Again McRent stated they collect all the deposits for damage over the season and use that towards repair at the end of the season before sale, this van would be rented out again the next week.
This particular Van had 50K + on the closck and performed ok

After receiving the camper in a poor state we cleaned the camper before return, no portable hoover supplied, on return a different rep pulled the fridge apart opened every press and pulled up all the seats and said she didn't think the camper was cleaned to a high enough standard.

I complained and disagreed, I find it hard to understand how you clean a camper van to su