First BIG road trip - any tips?

levic900rr · 03-23-2023, 06:09 AM

Hey Y'all. We've had our Passport for a few years now and we are planning a big road trip for this summer. We have done many many week long trips and have done up to 12 days a few times but this is our first trip thats going to be over a month...

We are in northern Vermont and the rough plan is to head from here, out to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, then head north to Yellowstone, then home. Hit all the big stops along the way. National Parks are a big draw for us, as well as MLB parks. We are planning on staying at actual RV parks when we can but will venture off the beaten path to see epic sights. An example of that would be "the wall" in the Badlands. Or some BLM land out west.

I'm pretty set up with Solar and I have some decent aux water capacity, we've got an outdoor shower (to help with grey capacity). I'm planning on bringing my Honda 2200 generator in case we need the AC when we're off grid.

Would be interested in any tips from people who have done this before. One thing I'm unsure about is I'll need to get online a good amount of the time to keep up with work. I'm planning on using my Verizon phone as a hotspot, as well as picking up an ATT SIM card for the router in the camper.

Sorry for the ramble. Thanks ahead of time for any suggestions.

**chuckster57** · 03-23-2023, 06:48 AM

When we did our cross country trip in ‘09 the best advice I got was to have a credit card with a HIGH limit and LOW balance.

travelin texans · 03-23-2023, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by levic900rr

Hey Y'all. We've had our Passport for a few years now and we are planning a big road trip for this summer. We have done many many week long trips and have done up to 12 days a few times but this is our first trip thats going to be over a month...

We are in northern Vermont and the rough plan is to head from here, out to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, then head north to Yellowstone, then home. Hit all the big stops along the way. National Parks are a big draw for us, as well as MLB parks. We are planning on staying at actual RV parks when we can but will venture off the beaten path to see epic sights. An example of that would be "the wall" in the Badlands. Or some BLM land out west.

I'm pretty set up with Solar and I have some decent aux water capacity, we've got an outdoor shower (to help with grey capacity). I'm planning on bringing my Honda 2200 generator in case we need the AC when we're off grid.

Would be interested in any tips from people who have done this before. One thing I'm unsure about is I'll need to get online a good amount of the time to keep up with work. I'm planning on using my Verizon phone as a hotspot, as well as picking up an ATT SIM card for the router in the camper.

Sorry for the ramble. Thanks ahead of time for any suggestions.

You didn't state what size rv you have?
Heading west in the summer it better have 2 A/Cs & generator enough to power them both, depending how far south & west you go you'll need them all.
Hopefully you've made reservations at the more popular attractions already, if not you need to ASAP! It may be too late now.

Kirk's Keystone Outback. · 03-23-2023, 11:17 AM

I'm sure you'll hear from others to prep your rig for the long journey by performing a bearing and tire inspection.

dutchmensport · 03-23-2023, 02:42 PM

Extended trips are no different than short week-enders or 1 week trips. The only difference is, they are longer in duration before returning home. Nothing else is different.

If your route and campsites are planned out head of time, then simply go and enjoy! Consider each "leg" of the trip a "mini" trip. Lots of "mini" trips back to back end up being an "extended" trip.

We travel, sometimes 3 or 4 months at a time. We have an overall plan. Most campsites are reserved as soon as we know where we want to land. Sometimes, getting between point A and Point B is unknown, and those decisions are not made until a couple days before breaking camp from point A. And we always have the option if the timing between point A and point B does not work out, we can always head back home.

I think the next bit of advise is to simply be flexible. The unexpected WILL happen. If not today, it WILL happen tomorrow. When "it" happens (and "it" always happens at the worst time), keep a level head and don't get overwhelmed. A year from now, you'll be laughing over it and remember it as one of the best experiences you had. So, be flexible and before going off the deep end, take a deep breath, relax a moment, and just think the situation through. An answer will be forth-coming.

And last .... always make sure you have enough cash so if you must return home early, and the great zombie attack or the end of the world apocalypse happens, you can pay for fuel to get home!

Again, think of the "big" trip in terms of several "mini" trips back-to-back, be flexible, and make sure you are financially ALWAYS able to get back home.... and you'll do just fine!

gearhead · 03-23-2023, 04:59 PM

I would say be sure your tires and mechanicals are in good order.
If you have to make a long day driving try to plan a 2 day stay to rest up.
Look at COE campgrounds and state parks to get some elbow room and quiet.

**flybouy** · 03-23-2023, 05:25 PM

One thing that I haven't seen mentioned is health insurance and medicines. If you're a days drive from home and someone falls ill it may be more complicated then being on the other side of the country. It may not be an issue with your insurance carrier or it may be a major issue. It's worth a call to find out and review what states you will be in.

I'd also make a call to your pharmacy to see if they have an issue with transferring prescriptions to other pharmacies if you loose your medicine or if it gets lost. Our youngest daughter just went thru a crap show with the local pharmacy due to a drug shortage. She phoned the pharmacy before the doctor sent the script and they said they had the medicine. She left the doctors office and went to the pharmacy and when she got there they said sorry, they ran out, come back in 4 days. She called the next closest pharmacy and they had it but the pharmacist refused to transfer it even though they were both Walgreens. She called Walgreens corporate and they said sorry, nothing they could do they leave that decision up to the pharmacist.

It's a different world with the Healthcare industry nowadays. YMMV.

Dacheedah · 03-25-2023, 06:41 AM

Spend a couple days at home in the camper as a pre trip experience and use everything first. Have a pad and paper to make a list of needs; need to get, need to change, need to fix . . . Keep a toolbox with basic repair tools for the simple stuff. Watch videos and do your walk around checks.

gearhead · 03-25-2023, 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flybouy

One thing that I haven't seen mentioned is health insurance and medicines. If you're a days drive from home and someone falls ill it may be more complicated then being on the other side of the country. It may not be an issue with your insurance carrier or it may be a major issue. It's worth a call to find out and review what states you will be in.

I'd also make a call to your pharmacy to see if they have an issue with transferring prescriptions to other pharmacies if you loose your medicine or if it gets lost. Our youngest daughter just went thru a crap show with the local pharmacy due to a drug shortage. She phoned the pharmacy before the doctor sent the script and they said they had the medicine. She left the doctors office and went to the pharmacy and when she got there they said sorry, they ran out, come back in 4 days. She called the next closest pharmacy and they had it but the pharmacist refused to transfer it even though they were both Walgreens. She called Walgreens corporate and they said sorry, nothing they could do they leave that decision up to the pharmacist.

It's a different world with the Healthcare industry nowadays. YMMV.

That beats CVS for stupidity, and that's saying something.
If there was a drug insurance involved, I would definitely have a discussion with them

NH_Bulldog · 03-25-2023, 04:27 PM

We do trips anywhere from a single weekend to 3-4 weeks at a time in our Passport. As others have said, complete tire/wheel maintenance before you go, plan in advance as much as you can, be prepared to be flexible and adaptable and have resources in the event things don’t go as planned. Some of our best and most memorable adventures were quite by happy accident. Just come at it like several small trips, take them one at a time and enjoy the experience.

levic900rr · 03-27-2023, 08:50 AM

Thank you all so much. Tons of awesome info.

We have a 239ML Passport.

I'll def do a full wheel/tire/bearing service. Great call.

RVGator · 03-28-2023, 10:59 AM

I recommend Goodyear Endurance tires for your rig. The cost of good quality tires is far cheaper than damage done by a china bomb. Swapping out the bearings is a good idea as well if it has not been done before. You will be shocked by how bad some of the roads along the way are. Enjoy the trip. The north rim is beautiful

levic900rr · 03-28-2023, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RVGator

I recommend Goodyear Endurance tires for your rig. The cost of good quality tires is far cheaper than damage done by a china bomb. Swapping out the bearings is a good idea as well if it has not been done before. You will be shocked by how bad some of the roads along the way are. Enjoy the trip. The north rim is beautiful

I got a decent number of miles out of the original tires so I'm thinking this is a must do thing before we go.

**JRTJH** · 03-28-2023, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by levic900rr

I got a decent number of miles out of the original tires so I'm thinking this is a must do thing before we go.

Miles aren't usually the limiting factor for trailer tires. In almost all situations, they "age out" long before they "wear out"...

Your trailer is a 2020 model, likely built in mid/late 2019 with tires manufactured in china and shipped to the states and stored at the distributor or at Keystone before being installed on the trailer, so chances are they were manufactured early to mid 2019. That makes them 4+ years old, going on that "magic boom" of 5 years....

You can confirm the date of manufacture on your tires by checking the DOT information. Molded into the sidewall is a 4 digit number which is the week/year the tire was made. As an example, the number 4119 means the tires were manufactured the 41st week of 2019. Tires made the 11th week of 2020 would have the number 1120 molded into the sidewall.

Most people change out tires no later than 5 years and most lean toward somewhere between 3 to 4 years from date of manufacture. Better to not push those china bombs too far.

Here's a photo of where you'll find that tire information and what it all means....

Balvar24 · 03-29-2023, 06:43 PM

Go thru your trailer maintenance top to bottom a month ahead of time. Gives you time to fix stuff.

By lunch, have a place booked down the road to stay that night.

Many towns in the plains have city parks with hookups for pennies.

Corps of Engineers have some nice places.

Don't carry two tons worth of consumables. You're always passing a Walmart.

Report back in and let us know how it went.

Robert Campbell · 03-30-2023, 07:31 AM

We made a similar trip from NC to WY then down to AZ. It was epic. Call your financial institution and let them know your itinerary so your card will not be declined. I would also suggest over prepping. Have 2 spare tires for your travel trailer, extra fuel for your tow vehicle(or live by the rule of never let drop below half) because we traveled about 100 miles between gas stations on one leg of our trip. Get some rolls of quarters for laundry. Be prepared for wet, clay covered shoes with a plastic box to hold them when you go inside. Have fun and safe travels.

CedarCreekWoody · 03-30-2023, 10:08 AM

Be sure to check out the national parks in Southern Utah.

levic900rr · 04-23-2023, 04:06 AM

Anyone have an opinion on pre booking the whole trip vs being a little bit more spontaneous? I know there are trade offs but as of right now Im leaning towards having the flexibility of winging it.

NH_Bulldog · 04-23-2023, 05:00 AM

We like to remain flexible, but this year you might find that means overnighting in a parking lot along the way. Very often, we have rearranged our plans mid-trip, adding a night or two here, deleting a night or two there, taking a different route, etc.

We made all of our reservations early this year for a multi-family 3 week trip because we wanted to ensure we were together and had a site guaranteed at the same park.

I would suggest spot-checking places along your route right now and if there is limited availability, it might be wise to reserve a spot. This is especially true for popular destinations where reservations often need to be made a year in advance. Although it isn’t the height of camping season for us here in Northern New England, much of the country has already been out and about and are well into their season.

Canonman · 04-23-2023, 07:10 AM

I think "winging it" is fine as long as you're willing to boondock it if a spot isn't available along the way. Overnighting in a parking lot or rest stop isn't for everyone. My DW for example has no problem with dry camping but will not use a parking lot or rest stop.
We compromise by looking at the next town or campground say within 400 or so travel miles and try to make reservations for that night. Flexibility is the key.

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