How Do You Plan a Long Trip

[satdog01]

We use “the Next Exit” to plan fuel stops that are rv friendly. Try for 350 Miles max as well. Two to three night stay is good. Gas buddy also is used if we unhook for a day or so. DW born and raised in Louisiana, she will tell,you about two kinds of weather, either HOT or HOT and HUMID in summer, live in Tennessee now, they actually have four seasons!

[JohnD10]

Originally Posted by Grapehound

We saw a ton of Louisiana campers in the Colorado Rockies last year and we asked them why they all came to the mountains. They said, "Have you ever been in Louisiana this time of year?" They made their point about the heat and humidity of Louisiana.

I went inside my 5'ver last night around midnight and the temp in the bedroom was still 115 degrees.

At least here in Yuma it is mostly a dry heat!

[hbillsmith]

I use both Google Maps and Good Sam Trip planner for the perfect route planning. What the Goodsam Trip planner brings to the table is its integration with partner Garmin's routing software and that products knowledge of truck/RV road restrictions. My method goes like this:

RVParkReviews and Google Maps Begin - First I start with Google Maps and put in my start and furthest destination. Then from the start I look for RV parks about 250 to 350 miles down the path. I toggle to campgroundreviews.com with the same route so I can drill down to the area and see reviews. This is how I pick my most likely stops for the trip (i.e. miles between, review rating etc.). When I get the right park, I paste the address into Google Maps and I just keeping repeating the process as I build out the trip. The Google Map strength is the ability to zoom down on satellite view and street view and see exactly where I'm going.

Goodsam Trip Planner Step -Next, I start a new trip in the GS Planner and paste in each of the park stops I planned in step one. Because GS partners with Garmin, the GS Planner will expose any low underpasses, tunnel restrictions, etc. A good example is our current planned trip that includes a route from Mystic Connecticut to Liberty Harbor RV in New Jersey. GS Planner showed me that Google had me on a bridge that doesn't allow RV's, a tunnel where RV's are prohibited, and a section of freeway for car's only. GS Planner allows you to drag points to force a routing around those trouble spots.

Google Maps Revisioning - Next I go back over to the Google Maps tab and make the same re-routes that GS Trip Planner/Garmin indicated. Now with Google I can use the zoom and street view to check out the new routes and even do a simulated drive at street level to see exits etc. in the example of my trip to Jersey/NYC, I used street view to drive the freeway to see what my exits and city street turns look like.

Google Maps Sharing - Once your google map is set, choose the option to send to your mobile phone then you'll see an option to also email the map to yourself. I do both phone and email. While traveling if I click the phone message, it brings up Google Maps mobile (map and directions). If we are hotspotting the cell phone, we can go into email and click the map link for a bigger screen view.

[groomn]

We are in the process of planning a trip to SD in august for bike week! My husband planned how long he wanted to take to get there, how many miles a day and looked for FLying J’s and pilot stations along the way. We are planning on staying in them along the way and we have reservations at a KOA in MT Rushmore. We are coming from NH and taking 80 then 90

[elchilero53]

All we do is make sure the TV is serviced properly, the trailer is clean, prepped and serviced, DW has all of her prescriptions, gas and load the truck with puddy tats, call the bank and let them know what we are doing in a general way, stop the mail, make RV park reservations then hit the road. We try to do 300-500 miles per day mainly so we don't have to set up after dark and can unwind a bit before bed, get gas for the morning, and not be so tired upon arrival at our destination. Of course, time off of work is already arranged at least a month in advance as are the rough trip plans with stopping points for overnight stays and their availability.



I enjoy driving, and the journey to and from our destinations are important parts of the trip. The best part is seeing new country and meeting new people along the way.

[JohnD10]

Originally Posted by groomn

We are in the process of planning a trip to SD in august for bike week! My husband planned how long he wanted to take to get there, how many miles a day and looked for FLying J’s and pilot stations along the way. We are planning on staying in them along the way and we have reservations at a KOA in MT Rushmore. We are coming from NH and taking 80 then 90

Have fun going through Chicago!

And once you get past Illinois or Wisconsin it is a good idea to just get gas whenever you are at a 1/2 tank or slightly less.

Forget trying to plan your gas stops...that just doesn't work!

Don't ask me how I know (see photo below of me on the way home from South Dakota the day before the Sturgis Rally started a few years ago)

Ironically, I just pulled that same road two weeks ago...but didn't pass the town of Chadron that day (learned my lesson):

[poppytoymaker]

We go out 4 times a year, every 3 months in about in about a 1200 mile radius from home.Heading 5 stops north in Aug, booked all the stops yesterday going 5 stops south toward the Keys in Nov booked those 2 weeks ago as not to get shutout by the snowbirds.What I do is figure out what towns and cities we would like to sight see and I go to RV Campground reviews and look for places that appeal to us then I go to GS trip planner, put the locations we wish to stay at and print it out. I usually don't have to make any changes, it's all in the seasons and timing.

[RandyN]

I use 2 different apps for camping, both are free, cuz I'm cheap. The first one is CRV Military which shows mil campgrounds with reviews, phone numbers, directions etc. As I am military retired. The other app (and it will also run on a windows 10 machine) is called RV Parky. It is also free and it shows many (but probably not all) campgrounds near what ever you type in, i.e. you type in Flagstaff and it will show on a map a bunch of icons and as you tap each one you get the particulars, reviews, ratings etc. Using it on the computer rather than the phone is a new feature I just discovered and I like it, bigger picture and such. Dunno if CRV Military is available for the computer.

So basically what we do is decide where we want to go and a general routing like "let's go visit your sister in CA via I-40. We then decide approximately where we want to stop based on driving times pulling the rig. We have found that anything more than about 6 hours driving is pretty tiring and we get snippy with each other so we tend to limit things in that way. Then I look up campgrounds nearby our stop points and make some calls and such for reservations.

[RVBuff]

We do most of the above, but also a few things that haven't been mentioned:
1. Use the Good Sam "Exit Now" and the newer "Next Exit" books to identify rest areas along your route, as well as potential gas stops.
2. Use Google Maps to get a good over view of your planned route, then scope out complicated turns/interchanges. It's good to know in advance if you need to be in a particular lane to exit safely in heavy traffic.
3. Use the USPS "hold mail" service to hold your mail while you're gone.
4. Leave an itinerary including contact phone numbers for camp grounds with a neighbor or relative, so they can find you in an emergency.
5. Turn off the water to your home, so a leak, faulty appliance or burst pipe won't flood your house.
6. Get a direct dial phone number for your local police, if you should need to call them to about some emergency back home. If you're in Florida, you can't reach your hometown police in North Carolina by dialing 911. Also have the number for a next-door neighbor in case you think you forgot to close your back door.
7. Write down the password for your email. If you're like me, you rarely have to use it on your home computer, and may not remember it if you need it to logon in some distant locale with a different IP address.

These are just a few ideas that come to mind. Maybe I'm paranoid, but a little preparation helps me relax and enjoy the trip.

[DrippingDuo]

All the info above is really good to follow. We just came home from a 3 month trip to the western states, 12 in fact. We use Good Sam and Google plus the Military Campgrounds Directory for FamCamps. Check out state parks and federal parks too. We'll stay at one place as a base camp and travel from there to many interesting places. Enjoy your trip and travel safe!

[mwdilday]

I use the internet to research the area, find the campground and make reservations. If I am going on a cross country trip with multiple campgrounds I use the map on the Mac to determine my legs and schedule them on the calendar. We are taking a Route 66 trip in August from Chicago to Santa Monica. For that trip I purchased several books to research the trip. One has directions to follow the route and I put those directions on a mapping application called Garmin Basecamp. With Basecamp you can drag the routes to follow a specific route then load them into the Garmin GPS. The GPS will take you on your route that you created. This way the DW doesn't have to be studying maps and we can both enjoy the drive more. Any roads that look questionable in Basecamp I take a look at Google satellite view and Google street view and check them out. One more trick I have learned is to put my reservation confirmations and address from each campground in the notes section of the event in the calendar app. That way I have the info on my Mac computer, iPhone and iPad. This system is working great for me.

So my tools are:
Purchased books
Apple maps
Apple calendar
Google satellite and street view
Internet research
Garmin Basecamp
Garmin GPS

[spock123]

The mailman lives just down the road from us, he holds the mail for us for thirty days. Then he places the mail in a box in a outside room at our house. It’s mostly junk, light bill, water bill, insurance, we pay everything online. About the only time we make reservations is it’s a holiday at the destination. We mainly just pull out of the driveway. We use rvparksandcampgrounds to find campgrounds, sometimes we use rvparky. We also carry the GoodSam campground directory. I drive between 300 miles a day and 500 miles, it doesn’t brother me, I like to drive. We usually start calling for campground reservations at lunch. We are always in a campground before dark. I have a 100 gallon auxiliary tank, we never use Pilot/Flying J, to expensive. We never stop at Walmart for the night, we don’t mind paying for a campsite for the night. It works for us

[spock123]

Originally Posted by Carpercb

I am currently camped in the National forest outside Flagstaff Arizona. Yes some small portions of the forest are closed because of fire Danger but the majority of it is open. Temperatures peak out in the low nineties during the day And drop to the high sixties at night. No air conditioning required.

When it gets 74 degrees the air conditioner comes on and stays on until the temperature inside the goes below 74 degrees. At night it’s usually set to 65. DW is going to be cool in the summer and warm in winter, we stay in campgrounds that mostly have full hookups. Sometimes in the spring or fall the temperature is different and we can camp without full hookups

[jlewis3323]

Sounds strange but we also plan our trip working backwards from our final destination. Typically plan for 200-250 miles per day of travel. Always try to stay. 3-4 nights in places to see the sights and get out to the local places. I typically plan all the routes and make reservations at camp sites and my co- pilot researches things to do at the places we are staying using travel advisor. We find local eats through Yelp and Diners Drive Inand Dives app. We use Gas Buddy to plan for gas stops. We put all the trip information into a Power Point Table that lists destination point, name of RV/Camp Site with Address and phone contact info, site number, reservation number and number of miles traveled. All info goes into notebook with Trip Name and dates. We plan our trips about 60 days out from departure date to secure reservations.

[Goat Man]

First thing is don't travel during 4th of July. We made that mistake this year. Also travel after Labor Day if possible. Other than that just go.

[camaraderie]

So many good ideas on this thread!

What we do is figure out the ultimate destination... then we figure out the states on the way there that we'd like to travel through on the way there. And we figure out different ones for the way home. Then we write to EACH states tourist board (web site) and ask for the current state tourist brochure. The we both go through it independently and circle the things we'd like to do and see on the way through. We plot those o a map and allocate time for each...then we use the planning tools others have discussed above. We figure there are no guarantees and we may never pass this way again so we try to pack as many things as we can in on the trip...not just the destination.

[BobnPi]

Originally Posted by Ronjon50

What is a COE campground? I’ve seen this mentioned before, but never asked

Core Of Engineers Every one I've ever visited has been kept in excellent condition.

[Murbella7]

Originally Posted by sherman12

Next Friday, yeah the 13th, my DW and I will be heading out for our longest by miles and days trip. Leaving WNY State for three weeks and 1500 miles each way, heading to South Dakota to travel the Great 8 as South Dakota likes to call it. As we get ready for this adventure, with great ideas provided by the Forum, my DW asked "How Does All of Your Blog Friends (that is her term for the Forum) Plan For Their Trips?" So, here I ask; How do "You" plan for extended time and distance trips?

Weeks before we leave, I plan the whole route and stays meticulously. Then once we leave the driveway we realise that it was all a waste of time. So, after perusing the plan, we usually point in the (original) chosen direction and go.

From then it all comes down to where we stop for lunch, for an overnight or for a few days. It always comes down to how far the entire journey is supposed to be, how far we intend to travel and how long we have to do it (if there is a time limit, being retired this is rare). We time our day trips to arrive at the next site somewhere between 2-4pm, it depends on what is there that we want to see before we bed down for the night. If it is a o/n layover with little local interest, we arrive around 4 to setup.

We recently did somewhere around 2500km in a half-loop of Australia, picking most stops according to distance. A lot of the bigger towns were planned destinations but anything/everything in between was a surprise. Some place were supposed to be o/n but ended up being days. It is a great way to travel.

[Gary Dup]

Originally Posted by AudiDudi

I used the trip planner on the Good Sam website for the first time and I really liked it. Not only does it show Good Sam member parks near your route, it will also show private campgrounds and COE campgrounds. It will also let you know of things to do/see in the area.

I use Google Maps to check out the RV Parks. I also use RVPark Reviews to read reviews. I use gasbuddy to find fuel and I then check out the station on Google Maps to make sure it is an easy In/Out.

Yep, that is what we do.

[johng4706]

My first trip with my TT was 16,000 miles from Myrtle Beach to Alaska and back. I'm retired, left in the middle of April and returned in the middle of October. It was a fantastic trip.

I used a copy of MS Streets and Trips. While outdated, the main roads were still there. I planned on 250 to 300 mile jumps. I would use ST and RV Park Reviews to find my next campground and would call ahead to make a reservation. This gave me a destination and save time looking for a CG. More so around holidays, etc.

I took my credit cards, a Visa and Master Card. MC was next to useless in Canada. My Visa charged a conversion charge, Canadian to US dollars. I've since gotten another Visa card that doesn't charge the fee.

While in Canada, I was notified by Visa that someone had fraudulently used my card and they would replace the card and asked for an address to "overnight" a replacement. I picked the next CG in Dawson City that I would arrive at in a couple of days and would be spending 7 nights at. I had Visa call the CG to get the Canadian address 100% correct. Visa reassured me the replacement card would be delivered via UPS in three days. When I arrived at the Dawson CG I asked if they had received a package from UPS for me. The lady just laughed and said UPS didn't deliver to Dawson. (I got a phone call 7 1/2 weeks later saying that they had JUST gotten the UPS package and what I'd like to do. My first choice, while appropriate, wasn't polite and suggested that it be returned to Visa.)

After numerous phone calls, I had another card sent to a CG in Anchorage. It finally arrived! I had to used my ATM card that was also another Visa card, that drew immediately from my checking account and charged a conversion fee. This went on for two weeks until the replacement card arrived. I prefer using the bank's money for 30 days, interest free, and pay the monthly bill in full.

Another useful app was Gas Buddy. With it I had a better idea how far the next station(s) would be, particularly in Canada.

My prescriptions were with Walgreens and available everywhere on my trip except in Canada. I was able to plan ahead with 90 day refills and accounting for my Canadian crossings.

I made arrangements with my neighbor to take my mail in. The US Postal Service wouldn't hold my mail for 6 months. This worked out fine. I had a LOT of mail, mostly junk mail, to go through when I got home.

My SSN checks were automatically direct deposited and with the Internet I was able to check my Visa bills to verify charges, etc.

Finally, and probably most important, all of my monthly bills are paid automatically and didn't need to get a bill in the mail.

Most important is to relax and have a good tme.