Passport America Caravan Trips ??

[Capt.Tony]

Has anyone on this forum participated in a Passport America Caravan. I personally have no need to , but my newbie Brother in law is leaning towards doing one from Aug4 thru Sept 6. I would like to hear from some of you that have done this or something similar so i can speak to him about the pros and cons. Thanks in advance Capt T

[JRTJH]

When we owned our Airstream we did a few Wally Byam Caravans. They were easy travel, had guide/technical/mechanical support provided by a "caravan leader and a mechanical team with spare parts" that was the first and last rig on the caravan. All the "necessaries" were provided, fuel stops, overnight campsites, shopping along the way, potluck meals most nights, sightseeing at the advertised sites with transportation to those that were "off the beaten path"....

All this for about double the cost of just planning and reserving our own trip. If the need for security and logistics is a factor, then I'd consider it, but if you're the kind that doesn't like someone else "regulating your day, your stops, your trips, your "everything", then a caravan might not be your "cup of tea".... Some people love it, enjoy the company, make lifelong friends and wouldn't travel any other way. Some people do one caravan and never want to do another.

[66joej]

I hear you John. Years ago I was heavily into Mustangs (cars). Some of the shows were 8 - 10 hrs away so we went there as part of a "cruise" 10 to 20 cars. Did this a couple of times and that was it. After helping fellow members who broke down and had no clue about anything mechanical about their cars, people stopping for pee breaks, meal breaks, taking pictures of the awesome scenery, etc. that was it for us. Like you say it's good for some people but unfortunately not me. I like to control my own schedule.

[PARAPTOR]

I could only imagine a few us of older folks in that caravan scheduling restroom stops . Possibly stopping at every reststop along the route

[geobet]

Paraptor - What??? You're not supposed to stop at every rest stop?? Wish someone (besides me) would tell my DW that!

[Desert185]

Twice the money for half the convenience is the way I see it.

You want to complicate something? Add people. My wife is an accomplished traveler (well, she used to be). Her biggest gripe was traveling with the wrong person. Ruins the trip.

For some reason, she likes traveling with me. I don't know if that says more about her or me.

[Cbrez]

We got an RV Vacation and Tavel Guide from one of the caravan companies, then just used one of the Alaska trips as a starting point for route planning. The travel guide has a lot of one night stops we don't like - especially on the return trip - so we have stretched out the itinerary considerable. We are not making reservations for the return trip. This will allow us to go back to any place we wish we had stayed longer and allow flexibility if someone recommends we visit someplace we didn't know about.

[tom37]

I agree with Cbrez.