Help with planning a trip

[BirchyBoy]

We went and checked out our newly built Passport today and it looks good. We're going to do the paperwork and such in a few weeks, but now it's time to plan a big (for us) trip. We're heading from CO to ME the last week of May and will be coming back in late June. Heading out, I'm planning on 3-600 mile days (Friday - Sunday) and then a short day on Monday to get there.

When I've done this in a car, it has always been easy to find a hotel but I'm not so sure with a camper. Pulling into Walmart for the night is out per the wife. I've got the Good Sam app that helps find sites, and I'm using their web app to help plan the trip.

My question is should I be booking sites for each night now and pushing to make it to them, or wing it and find a site when we're at a good stopping point for the night? Any advice and tips are appreciated.

[rschad]

Wow, 600 mile per day drives, that would be way too much for me. Remember with a trailer you likely won't go more than 60 miles per hour and will be stopping for fuel and food etc. when trying to get somewhere we plan 6 hour drives which with stops really are 7 to 7 and 1/2 hour drives and I couldn't do more per day and be safe and sane. A drive of 600 miles would take us at least 12 hours and that would be way too much pulling a trailer for me.

Re booking ahead it will depend on when and where you are going, no right answer there.

[Festus2]

Try www.rvparkreviews.com for a fairly comprehensive list of rv parks around the country. The site gives contact numbers as well as reviews from folks who have stayed there. A good planning aide.

[Ken / Claudia]

My 2 points, Because you know the route and areas you want to stay at, make a call to the RV park or where ever you plan to stay and than you know for sure you have a place to stay. You do not state if you pulled a RV before so, I would really suggest that you do a over nighter with it before that trip. One reason is to make sure everything works and you know how to use all the trailer stuff, also pull it 100 miles to the site and see how drained you are. It is not the same as traveling by a car.

[grampscamper]

We have done some very long trips the last couple of years. I plan everything in advance & book our campgrounds prior to leaving home. I try to keep the distance per day no more than 500 miles. The longest day was about 560 miles while coming home from Yellowstone last year. This turned out to be a 12 hour day. Anything over 500 miles is too much for me.
There are many great websites to help you plan out your trip showing distances between stops. I have GPS software installed on my computer but a good option would be Mapquest.
Good luck

[Brantlaker]

The DW and I traveled from Lake George,NY to Lake Havasu,AZ. and back East to Port Saint Lucie,FL we traveled 3 to 400 miles a day we planed the trip in advance using Google Maps and found our Camp Grounds using Good Sam & KOA. When we stopped about 2-3 in the afternoon we could then see some of the area ( DW is a Quilter so we looked for Quilt Shops mostly). The trip Should be an Adventure not a Chore take it slow and easy and have fun trhere is a lot to see as you travel.

[BirchyBoy]

My 2 points, Because you know the route and areas you want to stay at, make a call to the RV park or where ever you plan to stay and than you know for sure you have a place to stay. You do not state if you pulled a RV before so, I would really suggest that you do a over nighter with it before that trip. One reason is to make sure everything works and you know how to use all the trailer stuff, also pull it 100 miles to the site and see how drained you are. It is not the same as traveling by a car.

Thanks for the tip. I have pulled a camper before but never this long of a trip. We're planning a few "shakedown" trips close to home so I can learn the trailer and also what I'll Ned. I'm sure something will be missed but I hope to get 90% of it.

The good part is that I'm actually doing this in part for work. The first two weeks will be spent near my office in Portland, ME (I'm a teleworker); I'm working in the office while my wife enjoys the campground. I'll have time to adjust my supplies and such before hitting the road on week 3.

[BirchyBoy]

We have done some very long trips the last couple of years. I plan everything in advance & book our campgrounds prior to leaving home. I try to keep the distance per day no more than 500 miles. The longest day was about 560 miles while coming home from Yellowstone last year. This turned out to be a 12 hour day. Anything over 500 miles is too much for me.
There are many great websites to help you plan out your trip showing distances between stops. I have GPS software installed on my computer but a good option would be Mapquest.
Good luck

Thanks I might be pushing it a bit on the mileage. The practical part of me wants to Get there. The other part of realizes this is my wife's first long road trip and I don't want to make it too much for her.

I've been trying to find a mapping site that would plan by daily mileage. I'll look at Mapquest. Didn't even know it still existed!

[grampscamper]

Thanks I might be pushing it a bit on the mileage. The practical part of me wants to Get there. The other part of realizes this is my wife's first long road trip and I don't want to make it too much for her.

I've been trying to find a mapping site that would plan by daily mileage. I'll look at Mapquest. Didn't even know it still existed!
With Mapquest you can plan each day. Point A to point B to C etc. I found it to be fairly accurate. Once you plan your trip you can save it. I usually just email it to myself & put it in a stored folder in my email. You will have to allow a few extra miles for fuel stops. As Festus suggested I use rvparkreviews.com to find campgrounds with good reviews & easy access to the highway. A couple of years ago we traveled from Toronto to Vegas with many stops along the way. We did many days of 500 miles or more. Took in lots of amazing tourist attractions along the way. We enjoyed the trip but were exhausted when we got home. Now we try to limit our days to no more than 500 miles and stay a little longer in each place when possible.

[JRTJH]

If you're a member of Good Sam, their trip planning service has the option to list the entire trip by miles, stop points, campgrounds/points of interest and driving hours. This information can be displayed in a chart (column form) for easy reference.

A bit of advice, driving with a trailer in tow is nothing like driving solo. Crossing Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Illinois, and Indiana are not going to be "fun" given the prevailing sidewinds you'll probably encounter. Gusting winds, sometimes as high as 50 MPH are pretty much the norm through the great plains. They can make for some exhausting driving. I'd urge you to find a trip planner somewhat like Good Sam and create an itinerary that will give you the information about campgrounds along the way. Depending on the conditions, you may not make it much more than a couple hundred miles one day and then another day, encounter better conditions and make it 3 or 4 hundred miles or even more.

As a general rule, we plan 300 miles a day. That's usually about 6 or 7 hours of "leisurely" driving with several stops along the way to walk the dog, walk the people, get lunch, stretch for a few minutes, and even stop to see something interesting along the way. By doing it this way, we almost always get to a campground before supper, in time to set up, relax, sit in a comfortable chair for a few, sometimes even close our eyes and listen to the birds (or 18 wheelers on the interstate). We get a good night's sleep and are "ready to go" the next morning. We've found that pushing 12 hours behind the wheel gets us to a campground in time to crawl into bed, wake up exhausted, get behind the wheel (grudgingly) and push on while tired, grumpy and stressed. It's just no fun that way.

Take it a little easier and enjoy the trip, you'll still be "friends" when you get to Maine (and that's important when living in small quarters like a travel trailer) :o

[JeffS]

My wife and I typically only do 300 - 350 miles per day. This allows a leisurely start and gets us into the campground early enough for a relaxing dinner. I think the best thing we have learned about RVing is that the trip can be as enjoyable as the destination. On a trip of 1,500 – 2,000 miles we would look for at least 3 one day stops of interest. Over the years we have discovered that this typically increases the total distance by only 10%.

For example, if we were going from Denver, CO to Portland, ME we would make the following stops:

Abilene, KS – Eisenhower Library & Museum – dinner at the Brookville Hotel
St. Louis, MO – Gateway Arch and Museum of Westward Expansion – dinner Schafly Tap Room
Gettysburg, PA – Visitor Center & Military Park – dinner Dobbin House

Sure it may add 3 or 4 days of travel time but when you have your home away from home with you why pass up all the great things on the way? BTW from Denver to Portland this only adds 64 miles – we always make campground reservations as it eliminates surprises.

[gtsum2]

Good info in here as we r planning a similar trip (heading from east coast to Midwest and then back) this summer. I am starting to think 300-400 miles per day will be about it, especially with kids:)


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[JRTJH]

If you're going to be travelling with kids, why not plan a stop along the way to spend a day at an amusement park or other attraction like that. They will get "unwound" and the next day will be great travelling.... Much less, "Are we there yet?" if they're tired :)

[BirchyBoy]

I think I'm going to revise it a bit and plan on covering the way out in 4 days instead of a long 3. I'm going to make it a full week on the way back with stops in Nashville and Austin.

[BillnDeb]

We agree with JRTJH about miles. We had to go 7 hours once to get 'ER done and said never again! Get a good weather app, Pilot (gas) and Gas Buddy apps on your phone to help with rain, winds and the all important gas stops. I'm not only the navigator, but I watch the weather and look for Pilot/Flying Js. When there are none, Loves fit and I forgot what other one...
Debbie

[grampscamper]

I think I'm going to revise it a bit and plan on covering the way out in 4 days instead of a long 3. I'm going to make it a full week on the way back with stops in Nashville and Austin.
I think you'll be glad you did. It will give you a bit of a break if the weather gets nasty or the winds pick up. I don't mind driving so I try to do 450 miles a day. We leave very early in the morning & off the road by 4:00. Now we stay longer at each destination & try not to cram so much in to our trips. Everyone is different and need to set a pace that is comfortable for them. I think it's wise to take an extra day on your first big trip pulling a trailer. Once you do your first trip you'll know what is comfortable for you.

[koko]

This is all great advice. We took an 8500 mile trip last fall. We were gone for 7 weeks. We tried to keep it at 350 miles per day. We felt really safe doing that. When we pushed it to 450-500, especially when there was heavy traffic, it was tiring and stressful. When we'd go that far, we would lay low for a couple of days after the drive. I might add that we only went that far about three times out of absolute necessity. 600 miles would have been out of the question for our nerves. In May you may not need reservations and can call ahead a couple of hours ahead of each stop, but in June it wouldn't be worth the risk unless you plan on an occasional Walmart or Cracker Barrel (be sure to call ahead for permission). I think your wife would think that Cracker Barrel's are pretty neat at least once!

[Knucklehead]

when the dw and i drive to disney world we leave at 5:00pm from northwest tenn to macon ga get there about 2:00 am sleep at the crakerbarrel and getup at 6:00 am est breakfast there and then drive to disney arrive about 4:00pm then rest the next day have done this six to seven times and do good at it it took us a few years to deside to tryu this route but love it now:p