Where do we even begin??

[Born2RV]

My husband and I are 2-1/2 years from retirement, and are starting to plan where we'll go for our first "two/three month winter escape from Michigan", mid January to late March, 2020. I started looking at the "snowbird" section in the Good Sam campground locator and was totally floored! How do you begin to choose a campground to stay at for two weeks to a month?? Our plans at this point are to start in Arizona, stay for a couple weeks, move to Texas for a couple weeks, then to Alabama, and on to Florida. Any special tips in choosing an RV park for a long term stay? How do you choose???

[tmw188]

Maybe Gulf State Park in Gulf Shores AL

[X-OEM]

You need to decide on what you need and/or want from an RV park first. Do you want a pool? A big clubhouse with pool tables. Do you need laundry facilities. Do you need planned activities all of the time? Line dancing at 3:00. Rhumba lessons at 4:00 - that sort of thing.

Then it takes practice looking at websites of RV parks. Use RV Park Reviews. Had good luck with them. Allstays is another resource. Often I use both at the same time. Pay attention to the type of equipment the reviewers have. If they point out that the roads are tight and narrow with a small travel trailer - I move on to the next park. (We are a class A towing) Also read many reviews not just one or two. Some people will give a bad review if the weather is bad. "It rained while we were there and there were puddles". Oh the horror!!!

I have found out the hard way that often times if the website only has pictures of people riding around in golf carts, that's a place that is not for us. I like to see pictures of the sites, the roads. We are not pool people so I can ignore that.

Bottom line - pick the "type" of park you like first and then look for those online. There are lots of good choices in the areas you mentioned in all different price ranges. I suppose that another consideration as well!!

[lonfu]

We full timed for 6 years. Look for some thing with 2 living areas. Rear bedroom, center bathroom, front kitchen/living room. That way you and spouse can do stuff and not be standing on top of each other all the time. Anything over 26 feet will be difficult to take into back road areas. I'd like the class A moho's, keeps us from feeling boxed in on rainy days. But they are the worst on gas mileage. Plan on getting a wifi extender, it will pay for itself. If you have a hobby, plan on taking it with you. Example: sewing machine storage. Don't store stuff in the shower when traveling, it will ruin the shower pan, leave it empty. Keep your roof and windows sealed, water damage is the biggest problem with any kind of RV's. They need to be serviced every year!!!!
hope all this helps, just some of the basics that we learned.

[OLYLEN]

Why so many states on the first trip"YOUR RETIRED", slowdown and enjoy, unless you enjoy the drive as priority. Az has so much to see. We spent the first three month tour there and missed so much to see we've been beck 8 times, yes we have been to Texas and Nm also but Az has the best weather and eastern Vs is great too.

LEN

[0rion]

the internet is your friend. Research as much as possible reading reviews of parks and what things are in the area that interest you guys. That alone should help to start narrowing your choices then you can narrow them down even more going down the list of priorities to see which ones are most important.

[Winemaker2]

If you are travelling to these areas for the first time I'll assume a priority would be to "see the sights" (vs staying in the CG.
So we will usually pick an area we would like to see and then look for place(s) to stay. Even if the park isn't a "10" it may be in the right location to enjoy what's local.
You need to think about and I'd suggest write down what your primary purpose is while in any location - check & X-check w/ spouse to see if there is agreement or can accommodate both interests - then look for options.

Don't count on getting it right 100% of the time but be willing to roll with it and make the best of it - learn from the experience and try to do better next time.
We like to combine hitting places we've been to and like or others have recommended part of the time and to explore new ones the rest of the time.

Others are a great source of info once you define your priorities.

Enjoy the journey regardless of where it takes you.

[twogypsies]

You're making a mistake trying to see all four areas of the country in 2-3 months. If going to Arizona plan to stay in the state the whole time and test out different areas. On your return to Michigan in spring the weather will be better that you can explore New Mexico a little. New Mexico isn't a typical winter spot as it's much colder than Arizona but in spring it will give you a chance to see some of the sites.

Don't plan to stay in one spot in Arizona even though it may be cheaper. Move around as each area is completely different. The state parks are great as are Maricopa County parks (the greater Phoenix area). They have a 2-week stay but buy that time you should be ready to move along. They are very popular so reservations are a must. While in one park you'll have an opportunity to check out some of the big RV parks if that's what you're looking for. Try out these areas of Arizona: Tucson/Benson, greater Phoenix which includes Mesa, Apache Junction. Lake Pleasant/Wickenburg, the Colorado River area of Havasu, Parker, Quartzsite, Yuma.

Next winter check out Texas. It's BIG. The next check out southern Alabama (Gulf Shores State Park is nice and there you can stay the whole winter unlike other state parks). Finally, spend a winter in Florida but again, move around. Northern is much colder and less crowded than southern. Test them out.

Bottom line..... don't try to see everything the first season. Have fun planning! You'll soon get the hang of it. (We're from Michigan but found Arizona to be our home after all our travels. Love the open spaces, mountains and daily sun. Hiking is awesome.

[Busskipper]

Originally Posted by twogypsies

You're making a mistake trying to see all four areas of the country in 2-3 months. If going to Arizona plan to stay in the state the whole time and test out different areas. On your return to Michigan in spring the weather will be better that you can explore New Mexico a little. New Mexico isn't a typical winter spot as it's much colder than Arizona but in spring it will give you a chance to see some of the sites.

Don't plan to stay in one spot in Arizona even though it may be cheaper. Move around as each area is completely different. The state parks are great as are Maricopa County parks (the greater Phoenix area). They have a 2-week stay but buy that time you should be ready to move along. They are very popular so reservations are a must. While in one park you'll have an opportunity to check out some of the big RV parks if that's what you're looking for. Try out these areas of Arizona: Tucson/Benson, greater Phoenix which includes Mesa, Apache Junction. Lake Pleasant/Wickenburg, the Colorado River area of Havasu, Parker, Quartzsite, Yuma.

Next winter check out Texas. It's BIG. The next check out southern Alabama (Gulf Shores State Park is nice and there you can stay the whole winter unlike other state parks). Finally, spend a winter in Florida but again, move around. Northern is much colder and less crowded than southern. Test them out.

Bottom line..... don't try to see everything the first season. Have fun planning! You'll soon get the hang of it. (We're from Michigan but found Arizona to be our home after all our travels. Love the open spaces, mountains and daily sun. Hiking is awesome.

If I were you I'd PM twogypsies - they have done it all, and All over and can help you do it too.

As with most things just take it SLOW - Only Wrong Choice is to just try to do too much. (JMHO)

We are all different - We actually have Wintered twice in Colorado and Loved it - got a little cold once (-17 for 10 days) so we went to Vegas.

One year we were in Florida in February - too Hot for me - we went to Hilton Head, Just right.

So without knowing what you want/need hard to give you the Answer you Want.

Best of Luck,

[Pepper2]

Hey neighbor! We were planning to start FTing this spring but circumstances have delayed our departure till this summer. We have been looking at both TX RGV and southern AL for a winter roost. Don't discount central AL in April, it can be surprising warm there. Good luck!