How do you plan your trips?

[cgaskins]

Hello all. I am a meticulous planner for our RV trips. I probably over do it but that is the "engineer" in me. <Grin>

Seriously, what tools, websites, procedures, forms, etc. do you use for planning your trips? Just curious as to what other do, how they do it and why they do it. Should be an interesting discussion.

Thanks,
Chris

 

[TravelTiger]

Chris, we do the same. I like rvparkreviews.com to aid in selecting parks in unfamiliar areas, but I also use this forum if it's a popular area (like The Black Hills). Many folks here have taken their big rigs places and know the good parks.

I also will use google maps on satellite, to scope out an overhead shot of the park. That way you can tell how close sites are together, what the trees look like, etc.

We use plot our trip with google maps, but follow our GPS when driving to avoid any RV-unfriendly roads.

We also used to try to scope out fueling locations, and I used the "Next Exit" book (for interstate travel). It tells you what's at each exit along the way and if they have diesel, RV parking, etc.

I also like an app called "around me" when we travel. It can show you what restaurants and fueling stations, hospitals, coffee shops, automotive stores, movie theaters, etc. are nearby your current location. This is helpful for those "unplanned scenarios", like when the headlight went out on the truck.


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[TravelTiger]

Forgot to add, since we both work we have limited "vacation time", so we tend to program our trips around things we want to do in the areas we want to see. We also program a rest day if the events are strenuous. If tickets need to be bought, I try to do it ahead of time. We sit down and decide what we can do/see in the time we have, and plan each day accordingly. Example: day 1 Terrell TX to Amarillo TX, visit family. Day 2 Amarillo to Colorado Springs, CO. Day 3 Garden of the Gods. Day 4 Royal Gorge Train Ride. Day 5 Pikes Peak Cog Railway. Day 6 Colorado Springs to Breckenridge, CO. Day 7 rest and visit friends. Day 8 Leadville train ride. Day 9 Dillon shopping day. Day 10 Georgetown Loop train ride. Day 11 rest and visit friends. Day 12 Breckenridge to Mount Capulin, NM. Visit Mount Capulin. Day 13 Mount Capulin to Vernon TX. Day 14 Vernon to Home.


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[argyll1st]

We have a rather different approach , we land at LAX, take a taxi to the rv storage yard, get ready for take off then flip a coin, north or east ..........simple

 

[cgaskins]

Chris, we do the same. I like rvparkreviews.com to aid in selecting parks in unfamiliar areas, but I also use this forum if it's a popular area (like The Black Hills). Many folks here have taken their big rigs places and know the good parks.

I also will use google maps on satellite, to scope out an overhead shot of the park. That way you can tell how close sites are together, what the trees look like, etc.

We use plot our trip with google maps, but follow our GPS when driving to avoid any RV-unfriendly roads.

We also used to try to scope out fueling locations, and I used the "Next Exit" book (for interstate travel). It tells you what's at each exit along the way and if they have diesel, RV parking, etc.

I also like an app called "around me" when we travel. It can show you what restaurants and fueling stations, hospitals, coffee shops, automotive stores, movie theaters, etc. are nearby your current location. This is helpful for those "unplanned scenarios", like when the headlight went out on the truck.

Cool. We use RVParkReviews.com as well. I have not used "Next Exit" and will have to check that out. I have used "Yelp" but not "around me", have to download that as well.

Google Maps with the Satellite and Street Views is invaluable to me.

-Chris

 

[cgaskins]

We have a rather different approach , we land at LAX, take a taxi to the rv storage yard, get ready for take off then flip a coin, north or east ..........simple

LOL! Wow - you are very relaxed and "fly by the seat of your pants". I am not wired that way.

-Chris

 

[mobilcastle]

I think we are in between. My DW does most of the planning-she is very good at it. We of course discuss it then go for it. Next exit is a great book. She looks at overhead views and reads campground reviews. Since we are retired we are in no hurry.

 

[travelin2]

We have a rather different approach , we land at LAX, take a taxi to the rv storage yard, get ready for take off then flip a coin, north or east ..........simple

As we are any timers, we only know what region we want to explore, when we are leaving and about when we want to be back home. We don't plan any type of day to day itinerary prior to leaving but we do look ahead a few days at a time as to where we want to stay, things to see/do, and when to move on.
We use most of the same apps previously mentioned as well as Gas Buddy for fuel pricing and Good SAMs for CG suggestions.
BTW- I'm still a believer in using the Rand Mcnally Atlas to review potential routes. GPS is ok but many times I ignore Garmin's driving directions until I near my destination.
Either way the point is to have a safe trip and enjoy your freedom!!

 

[jnbhobe]

I'm with Lyle & Nancy, we do about the same. The GPS is a great digital speedometer, other than that its a PITA I'll use it when I have an address and I'm getting close

 

[MTPockets]

We plan well ahead by using the tools mentioned. Being full time, retired, travelers, we first decide a general area, say Oregon, starting from Arizona in March. We then decide what we want to do between Start point and Oregon. It will most likely be a spaghetti line. Just about every night is reserved well in advance of departure date. We prefer State or Nat'l parks but they are not always convenient so we pick private parks using Parkreview.com and Google. We always stay a minimum of two nights, and frequently more, making each stop a leisurely "vacation" and our travel days are 99% of the time under 200 miles which allows a leisurely departure and early arrival. Having a reservation leaves us time if we want, for any non planned stop along the way without worry about a space later. As of right now, we are set with our general plan for the next year. This includes two Heartland rallies and camp hosting for 6 weeks in Utah. We'll nail down the rest of our nights by January for a March 27th departure from Tucson.

 

[dbbls59]

First we decide which direction we are going. Then we look at interesting things along the route by getting travel guides from the states we will going through. Next is to hitch up and go. No further planning. The GPS will find me a campground at night, if we do not Wal-Mart it. I am not particular about campgrounds as it is just a place to park.

 

[dave10a]

The previous posts say it all-- I think. I might add that my Ford Sync is a valuable tool as well for gps routing via mapquest, finding businesses, traffic, fuel stops and weather. I also would get a good roadside assistance insurance like Good Sam or Coachnet, which are not that expensive) just in case. Nothing worse than being out in the middle of nowhere and need help-- those services come in very handy in those situation.

 

[kakampers]

When we finally stop working in the near future...we plan on being part of the "point it and go" crowd. Can't wait!!

 

[mlburst1]

Chris,

In addition to most all of the previous mentioned tools, our most valuable planning tool is RV Trip Wizard - https://www.rvtripwizard.com/

It does require a subscription but it is well worth the minimal cost (I have no connection to this tool other than as a user).

It allows you set daily mileage, allows for route changes using the drag feature on Google Maps, shows RV parks and many other POI's along your route.

We use this tool for all of our travels.

Mike

 

[haulinem]

I also use Google Earth. It allows you to zoom into potential sites and has a feature which allows you to measure the actual length of the site and in most cases you can see if there are trees or obstructions off the back of the site. It also allows users to post photos which you can click on and find places of interest you may want to see.

Terry & Grace

 

[mobilcastle]

I read a post somewhere that a gentleman said he has the three rule. When traveling don't drive more than 300 miles a day. Stay 3 nights and off the road by 3PM. Since going fulltime I like this idea. We are retired and are not in a hurry. When we get to our destination we like to stay a minimum of 1 wk.

 

[dave10a]

As for planing a route that includes fuel, campgrounds and other POI's (including my own), I use Delorme stuff. You can get as simple or sophisticated as you please by using Street Atlas, Topo or the direct satellite communication. It allows exporting your routes and POI's to some GPS receivers(but not mine). I use street Atlas or Topo for route planing to determine the best route/terrain to travel without the need for the Internet. After finalizing my route I log onto Mapquest and map the route on-line and then down load that route via Ford Sync to my truck. I have been using Delorme stuff since the 90's and I have found it to be the best software and cost effective for my travel needs. Also it is good for hiking in the wilderness using Topo. I have never used the direct satellite communication (iridium) in place of a cell phone, but it sounds interesting if one is in the wilderness and out of cell phone coverage a lot.

 

[caissiel]

I use the app RVParky its great for most campground and fueling stops including WM locations.

 

[cgaskins]

I just heard about "Big Rigs Best Bets". Any one use this book or service?

http://www.big-rigs-rv.com/

-Chris

 

[olcoon]

We are VERY relaxed when it comes to traveling. We seldom make reservations, we'll have an end destination, and from there I'll try to determine where we'll spend the nights along the way. One reason for this is we are retired "any timers", and for the most part have NO deadlines. One "for instance" is that we worked the sugar beet harvest in North Dakota this fall. When we left, we had decided to drive to our first stop on the first night. We were part of the way there & both of us decided we were too tired from the long hours working & didn't drive that far & stopped early. If we'd had reservations, we possibly would have had to pay a percentage of the CG rate for the cancellation. Then the next day (our original planned stop) we decided to stay an extra day to take in some sights that we decided we wanted to see more of. We've found out that traveling during the week, we seldom have a problem finding someplace to spend the night, if in a state/federal park, or private campground. On top of that, it usually costs more for a reservation in a state/federal park, as they use a 3rd party for their reservation system. Not for everyone, but it works for us!