Five years of RVing full-time has taught me a lot. I have seen a lot of this great country. Living in 35 feet of space has taught me a lot about myself and my husband. I have also learned good rules for travel, some of which I often have to relearn. Let me share my top 11 tips in hopes of helping you on your RV journey. And maybe it will help me remember them when I need them as well!
Tip #1 – Create Your Own Rules
You are reading this article and likely read many others on RVing to help you as you first start and along the way. Much of it is helpful, but only keep that which serves you. Yes, there are some undeniable truths like check twice that the black tank hose is securely connected or to get to boon-docking sites in the middle of the week ahead of the weekend rush. But then there is the advice that you must decide if that works for you and your style.
For instance, everything you read about visiting National Parks or other points of interest will tell you to get there early. That makes sense if you are planning a full day hike or want to specifically see something in the morning light. However, maybe like us, you are not a morning person. Then try a time that works best for you.
During the long days of summer, we have found that getting to the Park in late afternoon often gives us the major sites to ourselves. Day-trippers are wrapping up their visits, the light is better for photography, and the temperatures start to lower. We have been on several popular trails without encountering another person.
The key is to know what works for you. So read this and all advice with an eye to finding what works best for you.
Tip #2 – There is Never Enough Time
When you start out RVing, you will have a long list of places to visit. After five years of traveling, I can tell you that the list only grows. While there are a few spots where you will check it off and say, never have to return here! More likely, you will find you something else in the area to do or see and not enough time (or energy) to fit it in.
In any given region, there are multiple cute little towns or fascinating natural wonders to see. Even if you feel you saw every key spot at a National Park, you might be curious to see it in a different season or hike different trails. Plus, don’t you often wish you had known what you learn before arriving? So your list will keep growing. Rather than run yourself ragged, delight in the fact that there is always more to see. Then, plan to return to your favorites later!
Just make sure to keep a running list of these places with notes as to why you are returning. Make other notes for your future self so he/she knows the best place to stay, the reservations needed, or the places you wish you had seen.
Tip #3 – Keep Track
Trust me on this, you will not remember! After a couple years on the road, it all starts to blend together. For that matter, after a lifetime of vacations, who can remember the year or the exact city that such and such a memory occurred. Thank heavens for the geo-tracking on phone pictures to at least help get a month and year.
One day though, you will be asked where you bought that lovely bowl on your travels because they want one. You will then spend the evening picturing the shop and the town without being able to name either one. Or you will want to return to “that” great campground in the mountains and won’t remember if it was Lake X or Lake Y Campground. When you look online, they both look familiar but which one was it??
Keep a list of campgrounds with dates that you visited and make notes of key things done or seen in that area. I wish I had started this day one. Not only would a journal or spreadsheet be a great reminder, it would also be a lovely way to revisit memories. Take it one step further and write a review online so we can all benefit from your experience. Then you can look up your reviews and get the exact date, cost and what you liked or didn’t!
Tip #4 – Pick 3 – 4 Spots to Build Travel Around
Travel planning can be overwhelming when you need a place to park a 38 foot motorhome…Every. Single. Night. You can’t really just pull into a parking lot – okay, you can pull into a Walmart or Cracker Barrel but not for a week. And who wants to do that on a regular basis. It helps when you start your planning for the year to pick three to four must visit destinations. Maybe it is you want to see Yosemite National Park, or attend Camp Carpe Diem or other RV event, or visit a pretty beachside town in Florida. Figure out your tent pole places, then plan around it.
Don’t forget to do research to find the best time to be there. If possible, see if you can get the same experience by visiting during the shoulder season or perhaps a week before or after the actual festival. For instance, we saw plenty of tulips even though we didn’t visit Holland, MI until the week after the festival. And this way, we avoided the crowds and increased campground prices. By setting the important place and dates first, you can be sure to maximize your time in your higher priority spots.
Once these are set, you can look at routes to find the spots along the way that offer interesting things to see. This is where Tip #9 comes in handy to direct your in-between spots, but also be open to the adventure. Maybe you are a beach person and your route takes you through the mountains. Find a nice campground on a lake to enjoy a couple of weeks. Or you love wine and your research turns up a small town wine festival that only takes you a couple hours off course.
Yes, it takes a bit of research but Mr. Google is amazing at finding things you never knew you wanted! And your fellow RVers are good about sharing information. It can be as easy as typing in “best small towns in Georgia” (or whatever state you will be crossing) to see what appeals and is basically on your way.
Tip #5 – Find Your Travel Rhythm
There is an often citied rule of threes in RVing – don’t drive more than 300 miles a day, don’t arrive later than 3 p.m. and stay at least 3 days. While we rarely do all three of those things, we have found our rhythm and try to keep to it as much as possible.
We try not to arrive after dark but that timing varies, of course. Depending on where we are and the time of year, we might be able to arrive as late as 7 p.m. Our average driving day is usually around 4 hours but we rarely drive during the weekdays. And when possible, we stay at least 3 weeks at our destination.
You might be more nimble or like to take advantage of monthly campground discounts. You might prefer state parks where the limit is a 14 day stay. The key is to find what works for you and stick to it, at least 85% of the time.
Driving from one place to the next destination can be part of the adventure. Being full-timers, we have a little more flexibility with the length of our route to a destination, often taking a couple weeks to get there. If your schedule is limited, it might make sense to drive longer each day so you can enjoy the destination for more time. However, it can help to plan a route that lets you enjoy the journey.
Instead of powering through from Colorado to Florida, create an interesting and more restful vacation by stopping along the way. Find a Harvest Host where you can spend the night on a peaceful farm or where you can get dinner and a brew at a local hangout without having to drive a single other inch. If you have time, find a state park to spend a few nights. Even if you just get off the highway and stop to see the World’s Largest Ball of Twine, it will give you a break and make the trip more memorable.
Tip #5 – Holiday Weekends Are Good Travel Weekends
One of the first lessons you learn as a RV-er is to make reservations for holiday weekends. Any weekend in summer can be hard to book these days, but the ones you really have to plan ahead of time are Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day weekend. Columbus Day, Easter and other three day weekends can also be busy but don’t usually sell out.
If we have followed our own advice and planned those top 3- 4 places to visit (see Tip #4) by February, then we can pick a route and do research on where we want to be for these holidays. Since I love fireworks, I book Fourth of July first since I don’t want to be traveling. However, we often use Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends as travel weekends. It gives us an extra day since we don’t drive during the week to make significant progress to our next destination. And we avoid the sold out campgrounds. By Monday, the campgrounds have cleared and we can easily get a site. We can usually find a Harvest Hosts or, in a pinch, Walmarts and Cracker Barrels for those weekend nights.
If you prefer to enjoy your three day weekend, then definitely figure out where you want to go and book it early. Most RVers camp within 50 miles of their home according to surveys. This means many weekend travelers revisit the same park and know exactly when the state park opens for booking or have placed a reservation for the next year before leaving the campground. So if you are not a local, do your research to find those gems and be at the ready as early as allowed to make the booking.
Tip #6 – Give Weekenders the Weekend
Speaking of weekenders, they might travel differently than we full-time or seasonal travelers but they love RVing just as much as the rest of us! We are all in the same community and have the same goals of enjoying ourselves. It is easy to get annoyed when they don’t follow all the same rules or create more noise in the park, but remember – it will last three days at a maximum. Let them have the weekend, you have the rest of the week to relax, enjoy the campground or surrounding area. If you have the flexibility, do your sight-seeing during the week and plan errands and other activities away from the park over the weekend. Honestly, those regulars might be the main reason that campground is open for your enjoyment so appreciate them!
Tip #7 – Avoid Big Cities
During our years on the road, we have learned to avoid big cities as much as possible, You can define big city for yourself, but we find like places with less than 10,000 people. How nice is it when a town has less than three traffic lights! We have grown so accustomed to no traffic that whenever we have to drive through a city, we are surprised by the traffic. All that stopping and starting in a motorhome is nerve-wrecking. And don’t get me started on car drivers who pretend not to see a 38 foot motorhome. It gives you a new appreciation for truck drivers.
Driving aside, we have also figured out that small towns offer such great experiences. They are more relaxing and individual. The architecture and attractions are unique. The local coffee shop or the town library are friendly places to work. Restaurants feature local recipes or ingredients and the shops are independents. You feel you really get a sense of the place and can almost feel local.
Tip #8 – Find Your Why, Then Balance It
You have probably seen the video where Simon Sinek explains that a company must figure out its why. The same principle applies to people. Some might call it your purpose or your passion. Knowing your why for RVing can help you as you plan your travels. There is a lot to see and do in the US. You can’t see it all in a lifetime so discover what is most important to you. What kind of experiences do you want? What motivates your travel? This will help define those tent pole places for your annual travel planning (see Tip # 4) and the route along the way.
Maybe you love history and want to see all the Civil War battlefields or are inspired by the Lewis and Clark expedition and plan your year around visiting as many of these sites as possible. Don’t! Or at least, balance it with a secondary passion or plain relaxing. If you only travel to see or do one thing, it will get old or less enjoyable. I admit the year we decided to focus our travel on National Parks, I got a little bored. We made it to nine in one year. As different and beautiful as they each were, I found my appreciation dwindling by the sixth.
It is easy to burn out when you over-do it. Better to go deeper on a few, than to over-schedule and lose your awe.
Tip #9 – Build or Find Community
The hardest part about our first year on the road was the lack of community. It got lonely. Our friends back home couldn’t understand what we were experiencing or offer advice. Once we found a group of like-minded RVers, we enjoyed the journey so much more. While we might not see them in person for months at a time, we know we can reach out with questions or to check in.
We purposefully watch for when our paths might cross and might even plan to go out of our way a couple hours to camp together. We plan regular meet-ups and sometimes even plan part of our year around their travel. It enhances our travels so much that we started Camp Carpe Diem as a way to help others find their tribe.
Even if you don’t ever meet up, it is great to find an online community like The Virtual Campground where you can share information and get recommendations to support your travels.
Tip #10 – Pack Your Patience
You will need plenty when you RV. Not everyone in the campground will observe quiet hours, your rig will not fit in the assigned camp site or you will encounter a delay in your travel. It is all part of the experience! Bring along your patience and flexibility as well as a very healthy sense of humor and you will be fine. Remember, it will make for a great travel story one day!
Tip #11 And the Most Important – Today is Someday
You know the phrase – Someday, we will….. Well, today IS someday. Wherever you are in your RV travels, start now to create your someday. Whether your are planning your first weekend trip or on your fifth year of full-time RVing, every day offers a chance to experience something new. Take the first step towards your dream of creating a lifetime of memories with trips to places that amaze and enrich you. That step can be as small as doing a google search on new destinations or as large as buying that RV at least. Just start. You won’t be sorry!
Happy Travels!
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