Planning A Trip

[connitaylor]

It seems like it takes me two weeks to plan a one-week trip! How does everyone else plan their trips (which routes, tourist sites, RV parks)? Do you have a definite schedule/plan or do you just take it day by day?

[Guest Wayne77590]

I'm just the bus driver!

Actually, I find out where DW wants to go and then I try to map a trip to the first stop. If it is only going to be for 1 night, then i'll also map to the second stop. I usually like to go 250 or so miles. I am mostly responsible for the rv parks, and she is responsible for the tourist attractions. She usually has a good idea of what she wants to see - and she is a "have to keep moving" type of person. We generally have an idea of where we want to go and how to get back home, but at any time we can deviate from the course. So I guess you can say we plan day to day. On the two night stay over, we plan on where we are going next. Sometimes, even a one nighter has to be planned the night of the stop. We have even made plans, intentionally, while on the road by calling ahead to a CG to see if there are vacancies. At that time we make a reservation if available, if not we call another one. I know several folks that just travel and pull in when they want to, without reservations and so far they have been pretty lucky. I just can't do that, so I'll call ahead, even if is from the road. As to the route, it all depends on if I'm in a hurry or not as to whether I take the interstate. Many will tell you that they avoid the interstates. I don't avoid them, but I am not adverse to taking an alternate route through the country side, as long as I know the roads are good. I'll ask around before heading out that way. To us, it's about getting there and touring, versus how we get there, with some exceptions.

I'm not sure if my planning is so all inclusive because I just do a little bit when I know we are getting ready. As I'm surfing the Internet I'll start looking at routes and where we are going to be, and try to decide if there are any CG's in the area. I use MS S&T Live Maps and Google Maps to look at availability of CG's along a route. There have been posts on how to use those features. I also look at any of the Discount Services Web Site that we have, especially for a one night stay. If it is going to be a few days I consider the amenities. A CG with a fenced in dog run is a high plus item on my search.

Good luck - Happy trails.

Edited: As an example of not having reservations, or calling ahead, on our last trip we drove about 350 miles the first day without calling ahead. Instead, DW used "The Next Exit," to find a CG. She found one that was about 8 miles or so off of I-12. It was getting dark as I pulled into the CG. The security folks asked if I was a member. A member? Ah, what kind of member? Like RPI, C2C, etc. Well, none of my memberships were good at that CG (RV Resort). I was tired and just needed a place for the night. They called the manager and were informed I could spend the night with Electric/water. I was thrilled at not having to drive any further. We were very luck. We were in a wonderful CG as far away from the noise and scenic beauty, even if we were in a grassy pull thru with only E/W. And, it was $25 for the night. I made it a point to go to the office and thank the manager for letting us stay. I also asked what the membership costs were. The reply: "They start at $9000 for entry membership."

I broke my own rule and did not call ahead. I got lucky. And I was invited back.

[lpfdon]

We travel much like Wayne. A destination is in mind "let us say" a thousand miles away and will make inquiries ahead of time as to campgrounds at our destination. The route on how we get there is more a day to day adventure. On our 2200 mile trip west we ended up staying at a Casino, a Flying J and a couple of campgrounds. We will call ahead if we know of an upcoming campground and it is getting late. Otherwise we are self sufficent and will find a place to spend a night. We don't overnight at Walmart as we hear of more incidents of people getting tickets. Simply put that is because of more campers abusing the priviledge.

[tbutler]

Living full time in an RV, we are always planning trips. It starts with a general idea of where we would like to go. For instance we are considering taking a second trip to Alaska next summer. We began thinking about this trip in 2006 when we made our first trip to Alaska. We're planning this trip to be on the ferry so we can make stops at Ketchikan, Juneau and other coastal access areas of Alaska. When the time gets closer we'll look at our schedule of other events and try to decide when we can plan to get away and return. If everything works out, we'll confirm ferry arrangements and rates. When it comes time to go, we'll likely find campgrounds and make reservations while on the way to each campground. Since we'll be arriving by ferry, we'll call ahead before we board the ferry to be sure we have a campground at the next stop. We'll decide how long to stay at each stop initially before making reservations but if we like a place and there is space available we'll extend our stay. Sometimes we'll learn of some event, activity or feature that we want to see after arriving and that will trigger an extension of our reservations.

If expenses are running higher than planned we will consider modifying our schedule to cut costs. This can be staying in parks that give discounts for weekly stays or shortening the trip to cut costs. In past years we have simply found a suitable park and stayed for a month making short trips to explore the area. We won't do that in Alaska!

We are currently traveling with another couple. After linking up with them, we sat down and planned our whole trip based on our interests and the time available. Our planning session lasted about 4 hours, scheduling the route, friends to visit, sight seeing and RV parks we would stay at for each stop. We'll make reservations as we go, calling ahead once we know we are going to be on schedule. We allowed a little time so that we could add something to the trip. We scheduled the trip on a calendar and used a mapping program to identify distances between stops.

We have checked to be sure that some museums will have RV parking and verified hours of operation that match our schedule so we won't arrive at a desired attraction to find they are closed on Monday's or something like that. We even have an idea of where we will pick up our mail each week. We have even worked out making an extra border crossing from Canada to the US and back for refueling and mail stop.

Nothing is more than ink on a page until we make a reservation somewhere. As it is, we have reservations for tomorrow night (Tuesday). We'll stay there for two nights and then call ahead to make reservations at the next site. If we find parks are near full, we'll call a little further in advance but we aren't anticipating crowding to the point we have difficulty finding campgrounds with open spaces. We'll call ahead to friends we plan to visit as the visit gets closer. They will all know we are coming, just not for sure which day until we call to confirm. Normally when planning a trip we'll drift along at a pace that is comfortable to us. Periodically we'll just find a stop with good facilities and spend some "at home days." Some time to just sit and relax in the motor home and get things cleaned up. This trip won't have any time planned for sitting at home. We're going to be in vacation mode, on the road from one attraction to the next.

The above example is the extreme in our planing process. In eight years of full timing, I have never scheduled a trip out like this one. I enjoyed the planning process but don't enjoy knowing that I have a fixed schedule to keep up with. I gave that up when I retired and I don't miss it at all! So we'll keep this trip flexible even though it is planned in detail.

[Hawkeye111]

I always learn something when I read this site! Only occasionally do I have anything to say or ask, but felt compelled to enter in here. We purchased our first R V in 1995 and our second new one in 2008. Our reason for having an R V is to avoid the requirement for planning our trips! We are "Oh, lets stop and see that....." or "I didn't know this area was so beautiful, let's stop...." kind of people, so planning a trip is counter to our processes. Further, I abhor campgrounds, both the expense and the trouble of finding one and checking in. Our current R V has 23,000 miles and while on the road it has only been overnight hooked up to shore power once, and never hooked up overnight to sewer and water. Why do I mention it? It seems to me that if one plans these trips to the nth degree, the loss of spontaneity is enormous. I recognize that if a trip to Alaska or such is on the table, that some planning is necessary, but try just being loose for a while and you may find that it opens a whole new kind of enjoyment for you. State parks, National parks, City Parks, Walmarts, rest areas on major interstates and many other venues offer a host of overnight opportunities. It is granted if one is doing a " Go to one spot and stay for an extended period type of trip", then campground selection may be critical. Each to their own! Happy highways to all.

[connitaylor]

Thanks to all for taking the time to give me suggestions. Really Appreciated!