RV Travel Guide
Planning a trip this spring? Here's everything you need to do prior to hitting the road!Looking forward to warmer temps and spring vacations? Here are is our RV Travel Guide, laid out in 9 easy steps. If you’ve every wondered how to plan your route, timeline, budget, packing and weather – here’s your guide!
1. Outline Your Route
Do you want to take the scenic route, avoid paying tolls, or get to your destination quickly? Answering this question will help determine your stopping points and the places you plan to stay along the way. Be sure to consider time of year, winter RV trips are best done in the southern part of the country, whereas summer trips are more flexible.
2. Create Your Timeline
Once you know what route you plan to take, you should create a timeline. This outlines how far you’ll drive each day, the roadside attractions you want to stop and see, and the time of day you plan to arrive at your destinations. When you plan your RV camping timeline, don’t forget to leave room for fun stops so you to stretch your legs and sightsee along the way.
3. Book Ahead
There are many RVers who wing it all the time. Nothing wrong with that, but for those of you who like to ensure prime spots without any hassle, you’ll want to book ahead.
4. Build a Budget
When you have a budget in place, you can determine how often you’ll eat out, how many groceries to buy, and how much money you can place into an emergency fund in the event that something expensive breaks. This will also help regulate which campgrounds or RV parks you can afford to stay at along the way.
5. Create Checklists
You should have a checklist for the food you need, the spare parts to have on board and everything in between. Though you can stop and get supplies as needed, save time and money by having everything to start with. Packing even the most obvious items can become overwhelming, and checklists will ensure that you have what you need, when you need it.
6. Pack in Stages
Instead of packing all at once, take a week to do it, tackling something new each day. For example, take one day to pack games and items to keep children entertained on the road. The next day, move on to kitchen supplies, so on and so forth. When you pack everything at once, you’re more likely to forget something important.
7. Secure Your Items
Whether you hit a bump or take a turn—if the items in your kitchen aren’t secured, you could have a big mess on your hands. Get creative in securing your items – think bungee cords, spring loaded curtain rods and childproof cabinet locks. Find what works for you and stick with that.
8. Check Road and Weather Conditions
Check weather conditions on the day you leave for the RV trip, and make changes in your route and timeline if necessary. Each day before getting on the road, do a quick check to avoid any dangerous conditions.
9. Don’t forget to have fun!
RVing is all about the experience. Stop and smell the roses, and enjoy yourself!