Community Forums

Fireairdrop · 12-15-2019, 09:48 PM

Was wondering of the Snowbirds if you stay in the same campgrounds all the time when headed down and back? Do you try different ones or maybe different routes? Do you rush to get there and back or sightsee along the way? Will you drive the day even if it’s going to snow? (I’m not comfortable to do that.)

twinboat · 12-15-2019, 10:42 PM

We leave central NY in mid October and arrive in South FL. in early December.

We also take a month or 2 heading back North.

During our migrations we have been out to the Outer Banks of North Carolina on one trip and Branson Missouri on another. One year the explored the Blue Ridge Parkway. Another year we looped up thru Wisconsin and Michigan's UP before heading back to NY.

Last spring, I had a hip replaced in the Space Coast area of FL and then shot up to NY to finish recuperation. This Spring is still open once out of Florida.

We often use Federal, State or County camp grounds for 3 to 5 days while exploring an area and Travel Centers or Wal-Mart for overnights.

twogypsies · 12-16-2019, 03:10 PM

If you're coming from the northern states I would assume most make a bee-line for warmer climate and then mosey along at a slower pace. Returning for the north many do siteseeing and take different routes each year.

I'd recommend returning north to get off the interstates and really see the countryside. Take your time and explore.

MtCamper · 12-16-2019, 03:55 PM

Fireairdrop, To give you a simple answer, Yes. We've done all those things. Do whatever you want, you're free as a bird.

Jim.B1 · 12-16-2019, 04:54 PM

We are leaving Ontario the first week of January and heading to Florida for the 9th year.
We stay at the same Flying J's and Walmarts every year until we hit Florida, similar on the way home.
We are in no rush and take the same route, I-75 all the way, usually making it in 5-6 days stopping only for groceries, restaurants and overnights.
De-winterizing happens once we get to our first park.
We do not travel when the roads are snowy or ice covered and try to avoid any night driving.
Four years ago we only made it an hour from home and had to stop due to ice packed roads, so plan your trip and allow for any days that may not be safe for travelling.

Waiter21 · 12-16-2019, 05:03 PM

We're currently on the road.

Different routes, I preplan stays at state / county / municipal parks that are a mile or two off the main route.

For the most part, these parks are empty. Last night Poverty Point LA, tonight, Sweetwater Municiple TX.

winniman · 12-16-2019, 05:09 PM

The journey is the destination for us. We try to hit it hard the first day to get far enough south to de-winterize. After that we slow the pace down to about four hours a day travel, then stay for a few days, then repeat. The odd time we will stay a week in one spot. We do that until we are ready to head home. Maybe some year we will just go somewhere and stay, but not until I have seen it all. I have friends that just drive almost non stop to their destination, then stay there until ready to come home. It depends on your budget, and your desire to travel or not.

UTTransplant · 12-16-2019, 07:09 PM

We cheat and leave our motorhome in storage 600 miles south of us. The first day away from home we drive just the toad all the way there in one day. That way we are past the snow line though it can still be a bit below freezing at night. After that we take a day or two to dewinterize, stock the frig, etc. We then either drive directly to a destination or wander along to get there, depending on plans. We don’t stay in the same place for the season. We generally spend 3-5 days in a spot with occasional 2 -3 weeks in some of the nicer BLM sites (we enjoy boondocking). We do stay in the southwest mostly - California, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah. This year we will be heading to Alabama in April for some modifications to the motorhome.

bucks2 · 12-16-2019, 08:25 PM

Hmmmm, what is this winterize stuff everyone is talking about? We leave well before the first freeze in WA state and wander our way south. We've been up and down enough times that we've covered almost every possible route between summer home and winter home. During the previous years we've found places we like and if there are any we don't like, we just try another on the next trip thru. There is generally no rush to get anywhere and we generally don't make any plans. This year for instance we decided to stop at 7 Feathers the first night. When we got back from dinner and gaming we still had not decided where to stop the next night. The next morning at coffee we finally set our next destination and route. It was the third night that we settled on the rest of the stops, but not the number of nights at each one. The only rush we had this year was the turning off of electricity in CA this year, so we decided to leave the state early. No sense in running the gen set for AC for the dogs when we didn't need to stay in CA.

Fireairdrop · 12-17-2019, 06:36 AM

Thanks everyone. I’m having to learn to slow down and enjoy the sights. Getting there should be as much fun as being there. Like when I give my big Maine Coon cat (28lbs) some fish, I ask him if he tasted it.

Funengineer · 12-17-2019, 07:03 AM

Great question and answers.

We only snowbird for February and March. In the past we have driven about 5-6 hours a day from SW Michigan to our destination in Gulf Shores Alabama. Only staying for one night each day so as to arrive in warmer weather ASAP. [emoji267]

We typically stay at the same campgrounds each year. After reading some of these responses I think we may try returning home a few days early this year so as to travel fewer miles each day which will help my back and rear end and to do some site seeing along the way. We do normally stay two days at our second stop in Nashville because you can never get enough of that town and music.

This year we dropped our trailer off in early December at a campground in Indianapolis IN that we normally stay at and stored it till late January. We picked Indianapolis for storage because they have a huge storage area and our trailer was at the factory in early December in Millersburg, IN for warranty work. We wanted to avoid traveling with the trailer in snow, ice and salt as much as we could. Besides the uncertainty of road conditions with snow and ice, the salt really takes a toll on the trailer frame so we hope to avoid some of that. Next year we plan to take it in early November and further south to store.

Rockwood27 · 12-17-2019, 07:54 AM

Your signature indicates that you're from NH, like we are. In our earlier years of snowbirding to FL, we would leave NH in December or January. Luckily, our motorhome's water bays were heated, so we could fill up the water tank and use it on the road. The biggest issue with heading south in the winter is that few campgrounds are open until you approach VA. We went as far south as we could in the first couple of days in order to get into the warmer weather. We typically stayed at Walmarts or Flying J's that had front of the lot RV parking.

We now head south in mid-October and head north in mid-April. There's no need to worry about dewinterizing, although most of the northern campgrounds may be closed. We can now take our time travelling and go sightseeing. This means we rarely stay at the same campgrounds anymore.