Cruise America: The American Road Trip Dream That Started It All
Imagine a time when taking a road trip meant packing the family into the car, mapping out your stops, booking hotels, and hoping everything went according to plan. Now imagine being able to take your hotel room, kitchen, and bedroom along for the ride! That was the idea behind a company that would eventually become one of the biggest names in the RV rental business: Cruise America.
The story begins in 1972 with a man named Robert A. Smalley Sr. and a simple but powerful idea: make the freedom and fun of RV travel available to people who didn't actually own an RV.
And that idea would help change the way Americans vacation.
Robert Smalley wasn't a newcomer to the rental business. He had an impressive background in the car rental industry and had even served as president and CEO of Hertz. During his time at Hertz, he became interested in something a little different from the traditional car rental business.
In 1968, Hertz experimented with renting motorhomes for a summer. The program was successful, but Hertz ultimately decided to concentrate on expanding its car rental operations instead. Smalley, however, saw something special in the idea. He recognized that there was an opportunity waiting to be explored, and he wasn't ready to let it go.
He understood that many people loved the idea of traveling around the country with the comforts of home but didn't necessarily want the expense, responsibility, or commitment of purchasing a motorhome. After all, buying an RV was a major investment, and not everyone wanted to own one just to take an occasional vacation.
What if people could simply rent one whenever they wanted to travel?
What if there were a company dedicated to providing campers for rent, making the RV lifestyle accessible to just about anyone?
That was the opportunity Smalley saw.
After leaving Hertz in 1971, he returned to Miami, Florida, ready to turn his idea into reality. He brought his two sons, Robert Jr. and Randall, into the business, and together they launched American Land Cruisers.
On July 4, 1972, American Land Cruisers officially began operations in the Miami area. The timing couldn't have been more fitting. On America's Independence Day, a new business was setting out to give people a little more freedom of their own!
The company started small, with a modest fleet of approximately a dozen motorhomes. But the vision was much bigger than the fleet itself.
The goal was to create a business that specialized in providing quality motorhomes for people who wanted to experience the open road without having to purchase an RV. In other words, they wanted to make campers for rent a convenient and appealing vacation option.
And that was a pretty unique niche at the time.
Traditional car rental companies offered transportation. Hotels offered accommodations. RV dealerships sold motorhomes to people who wanted to own them. But American Land Cruisers was bringing those ideas together in a different way. It was offering travelers a vehicle and a place to stay, all rolled into one.
Customers could enjoy the flexibility of traveling at their own pace, preparing meals along the way, sleeping wherever their travels took them, and spending more time enjoying the journey rather than worrying about hotel reservations.
It was a wonderful concept for families, couples, retirees, outdoor enthusiasts, and anyone who wanted to see more of America.
The idea behind campers for rent was simple: you didn't have to own the dream to enjoy the adventure.
Of course, building a successful business wasn't always smooth sailing. The company faced challenges, including the fuel crisis of the 1970s and economic difficulties in the early 1980s. Motorhomes weren't exactly fuel-efficient vehicles, and operating a rental fleet required plenty of planning, investment, and determination.
But the Smalley family believed in the opportunity.
As the business grew, so did the demand for RV rentals. The company expanded its operations, developed its motorhome sales business, and continued building its reputation in the recreational vehicle industry.
In 1985, American Land Cruisers established Cruise America as its dedicated rental division. The Cruise America name would soon become synonymous with motorhome vacations and the growing popularity of RV travel.
The company also recognized that travelers didn't always want to start and finish their vacations in the same place. One-way rentals became an important part of its business, opening up even more possibilities for people who wanted to explore different parts of the country.
Instead of simply renting a motorhome for a weekend getaway, customers could plan bigger adventures. They could fly into one city, pick up their RV, travel hundreds or even thousands of miles, and return it somewhere else.
Now that's freedom!
Over the years, Cruise America continued expanding its locations, growing its fleet, and developing motorhomes designed specifically for the rental market. Its business model focused on making the RV experience easier and more accessible, rather than requiring customers to make a major investment in ownership.
The company's niche was becoming clearer: specialize in campers for rent, provide a dependable rental experience, and help people discover the excitement of traveling by RV.
It wasn't just about renting vehicles. It was about creating opportunities for people to make memories.
Today, Cruise America has grown far beyond those early days in Miami. What started as a small family business with a handful of motorhomes developed into one of North America's largest RV rental companies.
The original idea remains just as relevant today as it was in 1972. Not everyone wants to own an RV, maintain it, store it, insure it, and worry about where to park it when vacation is over. But plenty of people still want to experience the freedom of the open road.
That's where campers for rent come in.
Cruise America's story is really a story about recognizing an opportunity and having the courage to pursue it. Robert Smalley saw a gap in the marketplace, understood what travelers wanted, and built a business around making that experience possible.
More than five decades later, the road trip dream is still alive and well.
And it all started with a pretty simple idea: give people the keys to an adventure without asking them to buy the vehicle first.
Sometimes the best business ideas aren't complicated. They're simply about making something people already want easier to enjoy.
For Cruise America, that meant turning the idea of campers for rent into a thriving business and helping generations of travelers discover that the journey can be just as much fun as the destination.
Here's to the open road, unforgettable adventures, and the wonderful idea that made Cruise America a household name in RV rentals!