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Today we’ll be discussing travel planning basics. We have a travel planning video on the YouTube channel if you are interested. Off-season is a great time to dig into travel planning, and with more and more people choosing RVs for their primary mode of vacationing, it’s vital to understand how and when to do travel planning.
Recently, I’ve watched several of my favorite full-time RVers on YouTube struggle to find campground space due to a lack of planning. Maybe in prior years people could just wing it when traveling by RV, but now the landscape has changed with the recent surge of new RVers. For example, if you want to explore Michigan next summer you need to start planning now given the six-month lead time for state parks.
So, let’s look at some benefits of planning out your RV travel…
Plan ahead to get the best locations. You just won’t get into the best campgrounds without planning. This is true more than ever just now. It has always been tough to get into the best places, now it is pretty much impossible without planning. This includes places like national and state parks, and the best campsites within those campgrounds. Florida State Parks have some sites with full hook-ups, for example, but you’ll rarely land a full hook-up site without booking the 11 months ahead of time.
Next, if you plan ahead, you have the security of knowing you have a place reserved. This has been important to me given prior work commitments. If you have to be back online or at a certain place by a certain time, having planned out your travel makes sense.
You can also manage costs better if you plan your travel. It takes some work but with planning you can limit unexpected expenses while on the road. Generally, places like state parks and national parks are less expensive to stay at versus the private campground you may have to use while winging it. This can add up quickly during a longer trip.
Another benefit of planning is that you can calculate accurate distances between stops. This is an important planning benefit and a safety concern. I like to limit the maximum distance I tow in a day to no more than 400 miles. Less is actually better. Given stops along the way, and lower average towing speeds, 400 miles makes for a long and sometimes tedious travel day. Throw in any bad traffic, and your day towing can really stretch out. With planning, you can find places along the way that limit the amount of driving you do each day. This makes for a safer and more enjoyable overall experience.
Here are a few beginner RV planning tips…
Lead Times. Understanding your booking window for where you plan to go, is likely the most important thing in planning. If I want to visit Kodachrome Basin State Park in Utah, I better be on the Reserve America site exactly 4 months ahead of the date. Otherwise I’ll probably miss out on getting the site I want. If it’s a Michigan State Park, I need to be ready to book 6 months out. For Florida State Parks, you need to be ready a whopping 11 months ahead of time. The point here is that each state has a different booking window, and you’ll never plan well unless you understand these booking windows.
Enjoy the Journey. If you are planning a big trip to some great destination far away, don’t only focus on the destination. If you’ve always wanted to hit the amazing Utah national parks and have been able to line up space through good planning, remember to make time to stop along the way. If you are traveling in from the east of the country, there are dozens of great stops along the way you may not have thought of. Places like Carlsbad Caverns from the south, Rocky Mountain National Park to the east, or through South Dakota and the great parks along the way.
The point here is that you may find a favorite spot along the way if you make room in your plans to try some new stops. Try not to be too focused only on the final destination to miss the potential benefits along the way.
Understand the Seasons. If you are new to planning, knowing when to go is likely one of the more important things to understand. This applies not only to crowds, but also to weather and bugs. Bugs can make a trip a near total loss, so be aware. We have a video on the channel of a trip done a couple of years ago to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in July. The mosquitos were very invasive and made it difficult to hike or be outside. So, research the place you want go and when the best time to visit would be.
Use Great Planning Tools. There are great trip planning tools to be aware of. Probably my favorite is Google Maps. This allows for calculating distances between stops, finding points of interest along the way, and quick access to reviews. I use Google Maps extensively when trip planning for the above reasons. One feature I enjoy with Google Maps is the Nearby feature. Once you find a location to overnight, for example, you can easily search that area for specific interests that are nearby. If you are into museums, for example, you can search just for those nearby.
There are other great websites and apps for planning in terms of campground reviews. Campendium.com certainly stands out in this regard. Their user-based reviews add significant detail around things like bandwidth for working, amenities, and recent pricing.
I also use the AllStays app while on the road. I think the ability the app provides to filter to things like truck stops, rest stops, propane refill locations, and public dump stations makes the app standout. Once you find the place you want to head to, you can then send the location to Google Maps on your smart phone. The app also has campground reviews, but I have found these scant at times.
Download our State Park Booking Window resource here.
All the best on your camping endeavors!
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