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03-19-2013, 06:11 PM
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#1
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Senior Member
Freightliner Owners Club
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Spokane, WA
Posts: 698
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Do you make reservations ahead for your trip?
I just read a thread on planning. It seems as though very few people plan their trip and just take off into the sunset, especially if both are retired. We are both retired as well, but it scares me to take off without making reservations at CG's before hand. I've seen too many FULL signs and staking out a place in a church parking lot or at Walmart really isn't my idea of taking off into the sunset. But, I may be all wet here. Are my fears of not getting a spot over the top?
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02 Fleetwood Discovery 37U, 330 Cat pulling a 2006 diesel Liberty..or..2011 4dr Wrangler..or..20' Lund Salmon/Halibut Hunter
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03-19-2013, 06:17 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Thor Owners Club Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 3,790
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I always make reservations but I'm only a weekend camper, at the moment.
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03-19-2013, 06:19 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 504
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Planning for us is a must. I know where I want to stay and we make sure we have reservations...wally world parking lots do not excite me !
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Fish Carver
"Tessie" the 2011 Itasca Meridian 40U
Toad: 2015 Chevy Calorado
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03-19-2013, 06:51 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,200
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We may plan the route somewhat but we do not plan the campground's. Too many things can crop up, and have cropped up, that have required us to change at the last minute like wanting to take some extra time to visit with friends or a tire blowout or an electrical problem or traffic. We stopped trying to make the reservations ahead.
The Google Maps app on the phone lets me look up any business that we may need to find. So when we get close to where we want to stop I just pull out the cell phone, go to Google maps and in the search box I look for "RV campground resort park" putting that in there allows the app to search for almost every RV park around including all the mom & pop ones that are not in the apps like allstays. We have had good luck with mom & pops more than the chains when traveling. Usually they are cheaper and nicer.
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Thom and Christine having fun in a 1993 Monaco Crown Royale Signature Series 40ft 300hp RV. Towing a Fiat 500 Abarth and a Harley.
Our blogged repairs and travels
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03-19-2013, 06:51 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Pacific Northwest or SoCal
Posts: 3,035
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We plan ahead and make reservations months in advance, no surprises. We know where we want to go. Yes, we are retired and have the time we need to travel.
fred
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Fred and Bonnie
2005 Dolphin LX 6375
Abby, Ruffles & Scarlett, "The Cats"
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03-19-2013, 06:56 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Aiken,SC
Posts: 1,025
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we are both retired and about 90% of the time we make reservations.
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Good Sam Life Members
Served in U.S.A.F.
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03-19-2013, 07:03 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Fulltime, USA
Posts: 16,706
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I makes reservations one stop at a time. First, I use campgroundreviews.com to search the target area, then choose a park and make a reservation, usually online.
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03-19-2013, 07:13 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 1,526
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Don't normally plan unless we are going for a specific event at a specific location, for a specific period. In the morning we seldom know where we will spend the night. We just like to keep totally flexible so we can stop when and where we please. We are seldom on the road after 1600. We have all the info with every camping, overnight parking place etc on our tablets, phones and Laptops. Most often use google earth to look at places also.
We even carry paper books and we have already scoped places out and most often get a reservation by phone an hour or so before we want to stop if we are staying at a campground.
Have done things this way for many years but when I was under time constraints during my working years, we often drove many more hours and it was nice to have the assurance we had a place to stay more in advance. So I guess it depends on one's circumstance at the time.
Different strokes for different folks I guess.
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03-19-2013, 07:15 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Fleetwood Owners Club
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: NC
Posts: 177
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We do not make reservations unless it is our final destination. Usually I decide about how far I want to drive, map out campgrounds and phone numbers and then call about 1 hour out if we want to stop (usually there are multiple choices around the stopping area give or take a "few" miles). There are too many times that I have my second wind and want to go further or something happened and we did not make the time we expected to and a reservation would not have worked out. In that case we get out the computer and cell wifi and the dw finds a new stopping place.
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2008 Fleetwood Discovery 40x
2002 Jeep Liberty
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03-19-2013, 08:47 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 221
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If retired, plan to arrive mid-week and you'll beat all the weekenders. This may not work in a big tourist area with many weekly rentals to vacationers (like Myrtle Beach).
We often take Thursday off work before long holiday weekends. This way we can arrive at the first come, first served state park sites before the crowd. Some are close enough to home to get to on Wednesday night after work.
We have one state park in an area that we love that we do this on Memorial Day weekend, and it has worked thus far. If we don't get our first choice, there are Plan B-CGs with electric only sites that will work for a weekend.
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03-19-2013, 08:56 PM
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#11
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Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Austin, Texas
Posts: 413
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We never leave home without reservations....
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03-19-2013, 09:16 PM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 2,328
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We are like CampDaven, make reservations only one or two stops ahead. Our routes can become quite hap hazard like this but we really don't care. The journey is half the fun and we want the option to change our minds any time we want.
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Paul, Kathy, and Tux the Mini Schnauzer
2014 Tiffin Phaeton 42 LH, 2013 Honda CRV
"When the time comes to look back, make sure you'll like what you see"
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03-19-2013, 09:57 PM
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#13
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Senior Member
Fleetwood Owners Club iRV2 No Limits Club
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Rainbow Riding
Posts: 18,574
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CampDaven
I makes reservations one stop at a time. First, I use campgroundreviews.com to search the target area, then choose a park and make a reservation, usually online.
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When we mutate to full time RV Mutants like you, we be exactly that way. Even now and always in the past we have traveled one day and one reservation at a time. When we take 10 work days off (16 or 17 days total) with a destination spot or several - we reserve the destination long in advance. But we ramble there - or sometimes we just get into the drive and expedite. We just say - we will get where we're going in 3 or 4 days or whatever. I have even called and said I'm a day late - hit the card and hold the place. It's a seat of the pants thing. If we want to explore along the way, we do. That's what I'm looking forward to the most in full time. Exploring an area - finding the hidden jewels - boondock and non-destination places. Then BOOM - the great resort for a little extended time. And of course we've budgeted for a nice hotel every now and them. We love room service - jetted garden tubs - and there's something about a nice hotel bar every now and then. The Bullock Hotel in Deadwood and the Historic Franklin were good get aways for example. We had the Seth Bullock suite once and the Gerry Garcia Room at the Franklin. Good Times for a couple RV Mutants like me and Annie.
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Steve & Annie (RVM2)
2008 Fleetwood Bounder 38F ~ 325 ISB Turbo ~ Freightliner XC 2014 CR-V ~ Invisibrake / Sterling All Terrain
Sioux Falls, SD (FullTime Since Nov 5th 2014)
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03-19-2013, 10:44 PM
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#14
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Senior Member
Monaco Owners Club Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Clovis, CA, USA
Posts: 13,103
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jrgreen
We do not make reservations unless it is our final destination. Usually I decide about how far I want to drive, map out campgrounds and phone numbers and then call about 1 hour out if we want to stop (usually there are multiple choices around the stopping area give or take a "few" miles). There are too many times that I have my second wind and want to go further or something happened and we did not make the time we expected to and a reservation would not have worked out. In that case we get out the computer and cell wifi and the dw finds a new stopping place.
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That's how we do it too.
Except on the 4th of July. Always make reservations then because everybody and his brother are out.
__________________
2004 Monaco La Palma 36DBD, W22, 8.1, 7.1 MPG
2000 LEXUS RX300 FWD 22MPG 4020 LBS
Criticism is easier than Craftsmanship
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