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Is all this snow tempting you to head South? Follow this handy Guide to Snowbirding in Your RV for tips on how to make your trip South a success!

Favorite destinations for Snowbirds: Coast or Desert?

To truly escape cold temperatures during winter, you have to head pretty far south –  even New Mexico is exceptionally chilly at night. As an RV snowbird, your winter migration route will mostly be limited to two geographies:

Coastal areas found in popular Southeast destinations like:

• Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
• Florida’s Atlantic and Gulf Coasts
• Gulf Coast States like Alabama, Mississippi and Texas

The Southeast enjoys a humid, warm tropical climate, but in return for that shorts and sandals weather you will get to deal with humidity, flying cockroaches and fire ants.

Desert landscapes in the West including:

• Southern California, Arizona and New Mexico
• The Big Bend region of Texas
• Texas Hill Country RV parks

Western snowbirds will pay for sunny afternoons with prickly plants, wind storms, dust and frigid nighttime temperatures.

Others head to Mexico. Deciding to travel outside the U.S. brings up many other considerations like fuel costs, personal security, vehicle and health insurance, tourist visas and more. 

Choosing a Park:

Ask yourself if you’re a people person or a hermit. Do you want solitude or camaraderie? In the Southeast, the sheer density of the snowbird population means that favorite destinations like Florida are packed by long-term visitors. Choosing to winter in the Southeast requires you to make lodging plans at least a few months ahead of your arrival date. Public lands are nearly non-existent, which rules out cheap boondocking, while even the most no-frills RV parks will fill up far in advance of the winter season, forcing you to abandon any thoughts of a carefree itinerary. In the West, you’ll have the freedom to roam and you’ll enjoy more wide open spaces, fewer people and lower camping prices than parks in the Southeast. In most locations like Arizona and Southern California, you’ll have the ability to change scenery as often as you like – from setting up a free campsite in isolated desert lands one week, to relocating to popular resort areas like Tucson and Palm Springs the next. And although some busy snowbird areas like the Texas Hill Country can get overwhelmed with “Winter Texans,” you’ll usually have a good chance of landing a nice RV site even if you arrive without reservations.

Cost:

RV park selections in any snowbird destination can range from no-frills discount parks that don’t even have a coin-op laundromat, to high end luxury accommodations with a country club atmosphere. In any location, monthly RV park stays are always cheaper than daily and weekly visits, while in many places you can save even more by committing to stay for the whole season. Another great option for many people who don’t change locations very often is a Thousand Trails membership. For one lump sum and annual dues, Thousand Trails members have unlimited access to free and steeply discounted long-term camping at over 100,000 private RV parks in North America.

The Team at All Seasons RV wishes you happy travels this winter season!