Traveling across the states

[vampress_me]

A question for all the experienced travelers on here. Next summer I am wanting to travel east and west, not just a few hours down to our nice campground we found in state. Our first "big" trip will probably be to the finger lakes area of NY state, found a good campground there, but now have to figure out how to get from point A to point B. And it is also going to be just me and our 2 kiddos driving, hubby will be working while we drive out to him. I normally do all the hooking up/ towing, so that parts not a problem.

What does everyone do for places to stay for the on-the-road days? Do you just estimate how many hours you will be on the road and find a close campground? Are there any special things I should pay attention to while trying to find campgrounds for overnights? Do you empty the tanks every morning or ? Is there a different "routine" for overnight camping versus weekend camping? Anything I should know but obviously don't? :)

Thanks in advance for any answers!

[GaryWT]

Many people stop at Wal Mart or rest stops over night but I would highly recommend finding a campground along the way and pull in for the night. Plan how far you can comfortable drive in a day and look for a campground in the general area. You can call ahead or wing it. Some try to do a certain number of miles a day, say 250 or 400 or whatever. Others will go as far as they can in say 6 hours. Schedule stops and rest. As for hooking up, if you can get away without hooking up, do that. Maybe hook up every other night to dump. Good luck.

[chuckster57]

When we went coast to coast in '09 we stayed at a KOA each night. Got a membership (still have) and by the third night payed for itself. Some were nicer than others but each had to meet some minimum to be a KOA affiliate. WiFi every night that worked good, and I spent the evening planning the next days drive.

Since I was able to update my profile, KOA knew my rig, TV, length, number of slides, people and pets. I printed out my reservation and when I arrived all I has to do was show ID.

[Festus2]

vampress _me -
Since you will be travelling by yourself and the 2 "kiddos", I would avoid staying overnight at rest stops and Walmarts - especially rest stops. I'm sure that you are quite capable of looking after yourself but I think you would be better off staying at an RV park which would be more safe and secure IMO.

KOA's would be a good bet for an overnight stay or if you know your route, you can find a list of RV parks here: www.rvparkreviews.com These parks are rated by folks who have stayed there; and while the ratings are pretty subjective, they do give you a fairly good idea of what to expect when you get there.

Depending upon the total distance and the time you have available to get to where your husband is, I'd try to keep each day's driving and time spent behind the wheel at a minimum. Heading out the following morning feeling relaxed and refreshed makes for a more enjoyable and safer trip. I usually try to end my driving day around 3-4 pm. Six hours behind the wheel is plenty long enough for me - your level of endurance may differ.

Emptying your tanks frequently and keeping them partially filled with water (4-5 gallons)is a good idea to help keep them clean and fresh. Keep some water in your FW tank so that you can use and flush the toilet if necessary.

[chuckster57]

We were on the road by 6:30-7:00 each morning. I was enjoying a cold one by 2 at the latest each day. I was able to rest with my cat while the DW and her sister did their thing.
Probably a byproduct of my old job- up at 3:30, at work by 5 off at 1:30 if no incidents. Old habits die hard....:o

[notanlines]

Vampress, I believe you are looking at quite the adventure for the three of you. Brenda and I are very jealous of you. Few things raise the excitement level at our house like someone yelling "Road trip." Assuming you are headed somewhere in the Binghamton area you are looking at about 1200 miles. We stayed a few nights at an RV park called Pine Valley RV Park just northwest of Binghamton. Very nice location, and lots to see in that area. We don't know much about your travel habits, but easy math will tell you this is a three day trip at 400 miles a day. Since we are in our 60's we only travel 400 miles if it is all interstate. I concur with what was said earlier about Walmarts and rest areas. Sorry for you, but you almost can't get to New York without going around Chicago. I would probably plan my travels to go through anytime but the two rush hours. (No offense to Chicagoans, of course) Good luck in your travels and let us know how it goes.

[geo]

Vampires _ me -

A few years back, another member of this Forum offered this:

The Three Thirty Rule
Three hundred thirty miles or 3:30 in the afternoon. Which ever comes first, it's time to find a camp.

I found it to be great advice.

Ron

[koko]

We concur with chuckster. We took a very extended trip to the east. Stayed in KOAs almost the whole time. Sometimes, believe it or not, it's only a few dollars more than a state park. The reason? We found that in some states you have to buy an out-of-state pass (some passes are $15 plus your night's stay - some charge as much as $25 = $40). Nebraska is just one example. Most KOAs are between $45 and $60 per night; and with the membership, points will be accumulated until you have enough for free nights. KOAs are really easy to find - some state parks are not; so on a trip like this, we want ease and some consistency. Agree with the comment about Walmart. Unless it's in a really nice area, they can be scary. However, we like to stay at Cracker Barrel on occasion. We always feel safe there.

[hankaye]

vampress_me, Howdy;

Lots of good suggestions, especially Festus2's about avoiding overnights
in Rest Areas.
I use Truck Stops, why, I used to drive big trucks, and am familiar with the
etiquette. If you decide to try one for dry camping you do
not have to park where the big rigs are, ask for a manager at the fuel
desk (where the truck drivers pay for their fuel), then ask them for their
suggestion as to where would be a good spot for you to park or ask if you
have found a quiet section of the restaurants parking area if it's OK to stay
there. Be sure to get a spot under a light and visible form either the fuel
desk for the front doors of the restaurant/convenient store.They are free
and have all the amenities.

[Desert185]

Vampress:

We joined www.passportamerica.com and will save the cost of our membership and more on our first trip. Check it out.

We're also Good Sam members and have a free, helpful iPad app called "RV Parky".

Be careful of overnighting in rest stops.

As far as emptying tanks every morning...no. I wait until the black tank is around 3/4 full before dumping it. You get a more thorough, flushing dump that way.

[Movin' on]

Lots of great information from the others. Just wanted to mention two books that we carry with us and always use: One is the "Good Sam RV Travel Guide & Campground Directory", and the other is: "The Next Exit". We just estimate where we want to stop for the night, pick a campground, call early in the day and usually have no problem reserving a spot.

Sounds like a nice adventure, have fun and stay safe. :)

[Laredo291OH]

"The Next Exit" is also an app, something the kids can do, if they are like mine I'm not sure they would know what a "book" is. :) As far as overnights, we have done it at Walmarts, many times there are several RV's all parked together. Just call ahead and make sure it is legal (Walmart allows it, some local ordinances don't). Also, check out Cabela's, Bass Pro and similar stores. We stayed at a Cabela's overnight that had RV/Big rig parking in the rear. This one had stalls for horses, a dog run and water, not a hookup, but to be used for animals. Some of those type stores do have hookups though. Staying at those kind of places all depends on your comfort level.

[BirchyBoy]

We drove from CO to ME this summer and spent nights at KOA's or Good Sam parks and had good luck. The only advice I would give is if you want to make it easy, ask for a spot that is level. You might be able to sneak in and out without unhooking and then hooking back up.

[theeyres]

I have pretty much the same suggestions as others. With kids, stop traveling by 3 o'clock so the kids can explore, find the play ground and have some fun. They will be excited to discover new things every day. Stay in campgrounds. No, you don't have to hook anything but electricity many of the nights. Same for unhooking. Ask for spots where you don't have to unhook unless you want to do some touring. Good Sam has on-line cg searches. So does RV Reviews. Personally I have not found Passport America real helpful. They are often out of the way, not always places I would want the kids running around and always seem to not-valid the times of year I want to stay there. Many places are nice, though and you can go to their website and get an idea of stops along your chosen route.

[BirchyBoy]

This is one site I don't see mentioned much for finding camping sites:

http://www.epgsoft.com/CampgroundMap/

[JRTJH]

I would not recommend making planned reservations along the trip. If you do, and anything happens (long line for fuel, traffic backup in a construction area, etc) you'll be faced with either driving well past your "intended stopping time" or losing your deposit. Either way, it's not a good feeling. We've always planned about where we would "think to stop" and looked for campgrounds in that general area. Then, if we are on schedule, we call about mid afternoon to get a reservation in one of the selected campgrounds. If we are behind (or even ahead) of schedule, we can always check the campground directory and make different plans. That way, we have the flexibility to not feel "rushed" or "have to push on" when we get toward the end of our travel day.

So far (we've been doing it this way since the 70's) we've never had an issue finding a place to stay for the evening. Of course, that is subject to some understanding that in very populated and favored camping areas, those rules don't apply. I'd never plan a tentative stop at Disney World, Yellowstone or ????? Those are "destination campgrounds" and you'd need advance reservations to even consider those types of places.

[Desert185]

Personally I have not found Passport America real helpful. They are often out of the way, not always places I would want the kids running around and always seem to not-valid the times of year I want to stay there. Many places are nice, though and you can go to their website and get an idea of stops along your chosen route.

In our case, five days in Palm Springs at a high-end park near our friends for half off in January was too good an opportunity to save $135 by joining for $44. Its just another option to consider beyond the 10% Good Sam discount or multiple stays in a Walmart or truckstop parking lot.

[vampress_me]

Thank you all for the tips. I appreciate it! And also thank you for pointing out that I really don't have to be there in any certain number of days, so can stop earlier in the day to relax. I'm so used to driving 10 hour days (but in a car) when we make trips out west that that's become standard and I hadn't thought of doing it different. And I also think I will be finding campgrounds when headed east, to me that just feels safer when traveling into an area I don't know well. When we hopefully head west later in the summer, I may try other places to stop overnight just because I know the area better.

The next very newbie question - did I read some of the responses right when they talked about not unhooking from the truck overnight? If I don't unhook from the truck for the night if everything is sitting level, I assume I would still put down the leveling jacks and front feet to stabilize the 5'er, just not so much that it would mess with the hitch in the bed of the truck?

[vampress_me]

Sorry for you, but you almost can't get to New York without going around Chicago. I would probably plan my travels to go through anytime but the two rush hours. (No offense to Chicagoans, of course) Good luck in your travels and let us know how it goes.

I know. :( Chicago is not my favorite place to travel through anyway, and I'm guessing I won't change my mind pulling the trailer! Luckily, it's about 8 hrs away by car, so will stop before there the first night and make sure not to hit it the next morning during rush hour. But, we are going to try to tour the Keystone plant on the way, so at least we will have that to look forward to as we get thru Chicago.

[buckeyebobhockingcamper]

yes,just raise front of trailer till hitch head barely clears truck hitch,making sure you chock wheels first,i find passport to be very usefull.

[jsmith948]

The next very newbie question - did I read some of the responses right when they talked about not unhooking from the truck overnight? If I don't unhook from the truck for the night if everything is sitting level, I assume I would still put down the leveling jacks and front feet to stabilize the 5'er, just not so much that it would mess with the hitch in the bed of the truck?

When we stop somewhere for just one night, we don't unhook the truck unless we have to in order to level the trailer or if the site is too short and the truck will be out in the road. Provided the site is long enough, we park, check for level side-to-side (no need to be perfectly level-just level enough so the refer works) then we check for level fore-and-aft. We put the scissor jacks down but won't put the landing gear down unless we need to raise the front of the trailer.

[Festus2]

yes,just raise front of trailer till hitch head barely clears truck hitch,making sure you chock wheels first,i find passport to be very usefull.

I think that vampress_me has a 5th wheel not a TT.

[BirchyBoy]

The next very newbie question - did I read some of the responses right when they talked about not unhooking from the truck overnight? If I don't unhook from the truck for the night if everything is sitting level, I assume I would still put down the leveling jacks and front feet to stabilize the 5'er, just not so much that it would mess with the hitch in the bed of the truck?

I didn't unhook at all if it was a level spot. I'd put the parking brake on, put down the stabilizers and wheel chocks, then crack a beer.

[sptddog]

I am also a mom to 2 who does a lot of travel alone with two kids long distances (and sometimes the dog). If I'm going less than 8-10-12 hours, I generally leave at night around 6-7, drive until I'm tired, sleep, and finish in the am. I pre-plot possible locations to stop. I rarely do a campground for these types of trips, I usually use Cracker Barrels. I've had good success with feeling safe there and the kids LOVE getting up and grabbing breakfast before we get back on the road. If I'm going longer, I do opt for a campground, but tend to do the same driving arrangement. Drive the first night until 1-2 am, Cracker Barrel, drive daytime with my arrival time at the campground tied to check in time. It would really depend on just how long you want the trip to take. My kids 'haul' well, so they're pretty happy in the truck for hours on end.

I rarely unhook unless I absolutely have to (as others have said). I don't even put jacks down, just pull in, plug in electric and go. Now, if I'm noticeably un-level, in a campground for instance, I'd probably unhook or at least try to level out some.

If you're not a member of AAA or Good Sam or the like, I'd recommend joining - something specific to RVs. I speak firsthand how nice it is (with the kids especially) to have roadside assistance and someone to show up and not only take your truck but your trailer or vice versa. Worth it's weight in gold.

I don't worry much about safety, but I do try to think smart. My phone is ALWAYS charged when I'm alone (I leave it plugged in while in the truck) so that when we go back to the trailer to sleep (assuming we're at cracker barrel or a rest stop), I have enough charge for any emergencies. The kids (perhaps I'm a bit over protective) sleep in the front bedroom with me, rather than the garage (where I can't get to them with slides in, and there is a separate door to get in). I have pre-arranged times to communicate with my husband (or mom depending on the circumstances) along the route and those messages always give some idea of where we're at or where we're stopped. Generally I check in with him every 2 hours and then when we sleep (again assuming rest areas/cracker barrel, NOT campgrounds), he knows what time I'm expected to call or text in the morning. I've never had a situation that made me uncomfortable, but I like to think that being prepared is always worth it. My other two cents is a full toolkit. I've been known to learn the hard way (pre-kids) that my truck jack won't handle the trailer (get a trailer-aid and a solid jack), the wrench for the truck won't fit the trailer, 99% of the stuff these days is metric (so your standard tools on a 'leatherman' don't work lol), your spare might actually be flat unless you check it before you leave, detours stink.....:) I always pay close attention to diesel stops (in some remote areas, diesel is hard to find, and some small gas stations canopies are too low for my 5th wheel). We often use the trailer bathroom over the rest stops (much cleaner with the kids, we use a scented trash bag for paper, unless I've put water in the tank). I run my fridge on the road, have a lot of bottle water on hand, etc.

It was mentioned about going around Chicago - I opt for those passings at night. The roads are far less congested, and usually it's easier to navigate. Only thing to keep an eye out for is summertime road construction that occurs overnight and causes backups.

I find this site and others very helpful in finding routes or stopping points. I've posted a few times asking for 'safe' places to stop, or routes to take that are RV friendly. Great bits of advice they've already given you!

I bet it will be a great experience for you and the kids! I wish I had the luxury of doing something similar!

[KanTC]

All very good info & sound advice. The only thing I will add is in reference to *Rest Stops* -

It can vary from state to state (sometimes county to county), but not all *Rest Stops* allow overnight RV parking.
Those that don't typically have a "Notice" posted: "No overnight camping" or something similar.

One other tidbit which may/may not be the same along your travel route, but... with recent funding/budget cuts, we've found that some states
have closed various Rest Stops. Open today, closed tomorrow!... so we no longer assume they'll be open/available while traveling.

Terri, the Chevy co-pilot :)

[gearhead]

Lots of good info. I would add that I kill time planning trips by zooming in on Google maps on my route until it shows the names of businesses. I have found some campgrounds that way that weren't on websites or were in a different city listing than I expected. Don't overlook county fair campgrounds.
I didn't know Cracker Barrel allowed overnight parking/camping. My favorite roadside food.
edit: If I'm fairly level, don't have to leave the campground, and want to get an early easy start, I just park and hook up utilities. No jacks down.

[koko]

We've stayed at Cracker Barrels all over the country; and when we call ahead and ask if we can stay, they are always very cordial. One of our fondest memories last year was a cold October night parking at a Cracker Barrel overnight in Michigan and sitting by their huge fireplace having dinner. Sweet!

[bsmith0404]

When we travel long distance we use KOAs. The sites are usually level and the bathrooms clean. I have to unhook because we are too long for most places while hooked up, but I don't hook up anything other than electric. We use the campground bathroom and showers. They are usually nice and clean and have unlimited hot water. I always make reservations ahead of time and ask for a site close to the bathroom/shower house. We like KOAs because the kids can get out stretch their legs and usually hit the pool. I pull out the camp loungers and relax with a cold one. Most KOAs are close enough to towns that we order pizza delivery for the night and don't even bother cooking.

In the morning I only have to put the awning and slides back in, role up the power cord, hook up the truck and we're back on the road. Too easy. I normally find a fuel stop down the road a bit with a McDonalds for breakfast. I don't always like eating fast food on the trips, but for some reason kids love starting the day with McDonalds, it helps keep them contents for a few hours.

I do plan ahead as for my stops, usually 3-400 miles per day so everyone has time to relax and unwind, keeps the peace better.