Travel time

[Sstancil6]

I got into RVing 12 years ago. I was drawn to the lifestyle because of the freedom it gave me. Each day on the road was an adventure that started with me asking my wife each morning, “Where should we go today?”.
Then came Covid and now you have to plan so far ahead, make reservations for a year from now. Heaven forbid you have any issues on the road or your schedule is shot and reservation deposits are not refundable.
So as I look to this new season I was wondering, is it getting any better out there? Is there anywhere left in this world to just wander?
Hope this group can encourage me some.

[notanlines]

This will probably come as no surprise to you, but attitude is the answer to your dilemma. Think that’s corny? When you’re given lemons, make lemonade. Yep, that ‘s it in a nutshell. It isn’t imperative that you have a 50 amp full service pull-thru every night. Some nights are a ‘sleep in a Walmart parking lot, eat pizza, and watch movies on the dvd player kind of night. Cold beer or good vodka and grapefruit juice makes life even better.
Need a place to go from Spring Hill and be gone a week? Guaranteed success with great rv slots? The Amana Colonies in southern Iowa fits the bill. Very historic, good food, VERY large rv park, and two days pull from your home, one day if you clear St Louis without taking in a ball game. Get my drift?

See how easy that was?

[GlasNav]

You just might be surprised where you can find full and partial hook-ups. Some city and county parks, Army Corp parks, we found that behind rodeo arenas to be a real good one when there isn't a show taking place. Beware of the ones that have the sites near or adjacent to the pens and stalls, can get stinky, flys, etc. Forget about KOA, and Resort Espectacular, unless your only RV stays require Club Med hospitality, RVing is what you make of it!

[Sstancil6]

I appreciate your responses. And I did the blm
/Walmart/friends driveway camping in my youth but as I have grown older I have come to appreciate the comforts of a full hook up RV and a good KOA or Good Sam RV park. Of course you are right it is what you make it but I still long for those days when I could drive as long as I wanted to and then say to my navigator/wife OK find us a place for tonight. I miss that freedom and I am not encouraged yet.

[sourdough]

As has been mentioned, to have the type of freedom you miss will require you to be adaptive to whatever comes your way. I too only stay in improved RV campgrounds (except for an occasional jaunt up into my favorite mountains) but I always know where I want to go (more or less) and have reservations everywhere before I leave. For your desires that is too regimented I know but I don't have to "adapt" on the run in the middle of the night.

Times are NOT like they used to be just a few short years ago much less like the 70s/80s. Drove up to a mountain town I've gone to since the 60s; all the campsites blocked off, roads congested, people all over, the quiet places flooded with yelling people...not near what it used to be - the same goes for RVing these days.

The surge that hit during covid seems to be slacking off a bit but there are still a lot of folks roaming around. Where I travel I could take my chances and probably run across a campground I could get into on the spur of the moment....if I didn't mind continuing to drive 3-4 hours past the time I wanted to stop until I found one - I have no patience to do that.

So in all that rambling I guess I'm saying that for the type of camping you want to do (nice, improved campgrounds) you need to do some planning and reserving if it's in any kind of popular area (and they all are becoming more popular) or adapt to the stop on the side of the road, Walmart parking lot etc. mindset. Just the nature of the beast, and the world, these days.

[LadyCPA]

Originally Posted by Sstancil6

I appreciate your responses. And I did the blm
/Walmart/friends driveway camping in my youth but as I have grown older I have come to appreciate the comforts of a full hook up RV and a good KOA or Good Sam RV park. Of course you are right it is what you make it but I still long for those days when I could drive as long as I wanted to and then say to my navigator/wife OK find us a place for tonight. I miss that freedom and I am not encouraged yet.

I do remember those days of which you speak. Pack up the kid and head to the state park (in Ohio) with no reservations, and no problems. At that time our tiny camper didn't have a working kitchen or bath so we didn't need water and sewer, and we didn't bother with electric. Our new RV is totally self contained so we still don't need the hookups.

Like you, I miss the freedom of 20 years ago. But unlike 20 years ago, we have huge resources through various websites, internet, phone apps, so that we can find a great place to stay. You just might need to ask "Honey where do you want to go tomorrow?"

We hope you have a great adventure this year.

[Don77]

The Wife and I did 6000 miles starting Aril 1 2023 and never had a problem with getting a site for 4pm arival with a 12 noon phone call. Stayed a couple nights in Casino parking lots and enjoyed it all.
Don't be afraid to stay in non hookup places, life is an adventure, enjoy it.

Don

[jxnbbl]

Last night we finally concluded our planning for our next big trip 3361 miles round trip.

Since we have only started doing this due to covid, we only know "plan in advance". So this is how we do it...

• We make reservations at the key locations we are traveling to. Noting the cancellation criteria.
• Enter the cancellation criteria in a calendar with reminders to review possible changes a couple of days ahead of the "lose deposit" date.
• Plan intermediate stops along the way using Harvest host, Pick one and make a reservation. (the hard part here is that you may want a Monday night and the business is closed Monday and Tuesday). Also note alternatives in case you don't get that reservation.

Having planned this way for the past 3+ years, I have to say that the dates/sites seem to be more open than in the past.

We have had various logistical detours in our past trips but most of those were not a total cancellation of a stay but a modification to arrive a day earlier or need to stay a day later. Harvest Hosts has been great way to last minute be able to say we are never going to make it to our destination but here is a place 2-3 hours closer with a food truck and good beer!

[Sstancil6]

Thanks all, your responses remind me of the population/community of rivers that I enjoy so much. People who are willing to help and offer practiced advice. I guess my adventures will be much more structured now. I’ll have to get a trip planner program to help me schedule but I suppose there are worse things. At least we live in a time when we have digital assistance. I know one thing, I won’t let these inconveniences stop me because when I crank that old truck, turn on the radio and watch the landscape of this wonderful country change hour by hour, I’m in heaven

[CedarCreekWoody]

Depending on where you live and camp you should seriously looked into COA campgrounds. Most are nice and spacious and half price if you have a lifetime senior pass ($80).

[LHaven]

OK, I'm lost. Did you mean COE, KOA, or is there some other deal I haven't heard of yet?

[jxnbbl]

Exactly my question! Is this KOA are you talking about or the National Parks Lifetime Senior pass?

[CedarCreekWoody]

Originally Posted by LHaven

OK, I'm lost. Did you mean COE, KOA, or is there some other deal I haven't heard of yet?

Opps, my bad. I was referring to the Corp of Engineer parks and the lifetime senior pass.

[LHaven]

It helps if your destination is a town or area, and not a specific campground.

When we started RVing in 1998, we got very used to the rhythm of setting down in the morning, getting on the road, then calling ahead while we drove, to the area where we would be spending the night. It really wasn't that often that we had trouble finding a slot in the general vicinity of where we wanted to spend the night or weekend or whatever. When Covid hit, that all changed, but that long national nightmare is over, and things are pretty much back to the way they were before. We're currently doing I-10 in this fashion, and the only turn down we have had so far was from a campground that explained they were residential only. Even when we had unexpected layovers due to mechanical problems, we may have gotten shuffled between sites at a campground but they always had space for us. I'm not hesitant at all to continue the strategy for the indefinite future.

[Life-in-Him]

Lots of changes overall as mentioned.
We're into year 4+ now. Full time with over 75,000 miles coast to coast & border to borferm winter is 3 months in AZ.
Our BIL & SIL insist on reservations every time they're onnthe road (1 ot 2 weeks every month or so)
we asked them what we should know about RVing when we started in 2020..
Their long list we have reduced to 1 item: max towing speed 60 mph.
every thing else like reservations, campgrounds, when best day to camp, on & on we discarded.
It's best to fit you & what you do into something you develope as you go down the road.
We've found coming into town, learn where the locals shop, buy gas, bypass traffic jams, & eat to be a guide. That takes 3-5 days & it's time to hit the road.
We use a 3-3-3 travel ethos, 3 hrs, 300 miles or 3 driver switches. Then we pull up rvlife & look for the next stop.
here in AZ or other parts of the west, we may find a park & stay 1 night or more depending on how nice, friendly, or what's to see around it.
@ 80, we can't hike morr than 1/4 mile anymore but if we can drive to it or thru it we'll see it.
Life on the road is what you make it, even on the east coast or mid west.

[Steve/]

I don't know if it is wishful thinking but I thought getting the 5 site (one each month) to State Park camp grounds in Colo was just a little easier this year. I do not know if inflation is stating to kick in and people can not afford it.
I do miss getting up in the morning and seeing a great day and driving through Rocky Mountain Nat. Park, you now need a Reservation to do it during the summer.

[jxnbbl]

Originally Posted by CedarCreekWoody

Opps, my bad. I was referring to the Corp of Engineer parks and the lifetime senior pass.

So anyone with a National Parks senior pass gets the discounts at the Corp of Engineers campsites...thats good info!

[Sstancil6]

Thanks again you guys are great with Even more good info. So I just have a couple more questions before I start the planning, I am a fall traveler (Labor day til Nov 15) is that time clearing?
Has anyone asked the campsites where thy made their reservations about the crowds.

[Bill-2020]

It is harder now, post-Covid. But it’s getting better., slowly. It’ll take longer to get back to closer where it was I feel. It’ll never be the same. We don’t summer camp/travel, try not to. Too hot in the south to enjoy the outdoors. But we are getting into the “part-time” thing so we may see higher temps now. I prefer reservations at improved sites. Doesn’t have to be a KOA, but full hookups is a need. I say that now, and here we are without sewer for 4 days because I screwed up and selected the one site that didn’t. They are packed here this week, of course. Luckily the dump station is close and the park had a portable I can use each day.

[Sstancil6]

Well I have noticed a huge uptick in the number of emails I am receiving from many of the parks I have stayed at over the years. Particularly KOA. While I definately do not need more emails, it leads me to believe maybe the parks aren’t filling as early as before and they are having to reach out to get us to book early. Many with cancellation deals attached. That or I was such a great guest they always wanted me to come back and stay again. HA