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RVStitchy · 06-27-2022, 09:27 AM

I find the hardest part of our new RV life style if finding places to go that are available. Unfortunately, due to work and health challenges, we cannot plan much more than a month or two in advance.

I would be happy to pay to have someone help find available places, make reservations and work out an itinerary.

Seems like a nice part time gig for someone that has been to many RV places and wants to work remotely in their RV.

Crazy? Any ideas?

AZRVR17 · 06-27-2022, 10:11 AM

You might follow Upscale RV Resorts on facebook, does not take care of the grunt work but might help with ideas. They also have a spreadsheet available.

RVStitchy · 06-27-2022, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AZRVR17

You might follow Upscale RV Resorts on facebook, does not take care of the grunt work but might help with ideas. They also have a spreadsheet available.

Thanks, I have that and they have also published a map that separates upscale from Class A Resorts. That is the first place I look when planning a new destination. I guess the main issue is piecing together a trip based on limited reservation availability. I guess gas prices is not slowing many travelers down.

MRUSA14 · 06-27-2022, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RVStitchy

I find the hardest part of our new RV life style if finding places to go that are available. Unfortunately, due to work and health challenges, we cannot plan much more than a month or two in advance.

I would be happy to pay to have someone help find available places, make reservations and work out an itinerary.

Seems like a nice part time gig for someone that has been to many RV places and wants to work remotely in their RV.

Crazy? Any ideas?

I love the idea and I would utilize those services if they were available.

Dutch Star Don · 06-27-2022, 11:40 AM

I think you're stuck in the same ship the rest of us are in. Ten years ago, you could call one or two months out and book an entire trip. If you were traveling by yourself, you could almost get spots as you go. That time is gone.

I think your idea is a valid one but would probably congest the system even more. If you had travel agents buying up blocks of sites, you would never get anywhere.

I think many of us have health issues and you have to make sure you don't make appointments during times you think you want to travel or be able to move the appointments if necessary.

Nowadays, many select time frames they think they'll be available, book their sites and later cancel if necessary. We're currently on a 23-day trip. It required booking nine campgrounds on the route. I started the booking process about three months before. None of the sites were in places that are huge summer destinations, like National Parks. If they had been, it would probably require booking a year out.

Another way around the issue, book something a little farther away from your destination, if it's something like a National Park, and then use your toad to do the driving/visiting.

We've seen a lot of cancellations on this trip, but they didn't occur soon enough. I think many waited to see what would happen with fuel and then cancelled at the last minute.

Rescar · 06-27-2022, 11:49 AM

I've planned trips, even to 'popular' places, sometimes as short as two months out. I use RV Trip Wizard www.rvtripwizard.com to see distances, elevation changes, nearby campgrounds (including park details, prices, reviews, etc.), points of interest, suggested routing, and more. Reservations can be made via the Internet, in many cases, or phone numbers are provided to call the campground direct (my preference... talk to a real person). Just a thought.

AZRVR17 · 06-27-2022, 06:11 PM

Our current trip, 77 days was mostly planned 6 mo out. We used trip wizard and other resources to put it all together. We did make some mods 30 days out with success. Trip wizard is extremely helpful. I agree my time is far more valuable and would love to farm it out. That being said the details are really important and it would take a very special service to execute it well. We are already starting to talk about next June July August in terms of routing and then will start looking a critical stops and filling the gaps.

rosebud1218 · 06-27-2022, 07:47 PM

Interesting idea which, perhaps, could be leveraged by RVTW.

What I'm imagining is an RVTW feature allowing subscribers to select a standard/preformatted trip, with prepopulated routes and proposed stops based on average daily miles or not to be missed sightseeing/special event locations. This could be similar to what some organizations do when they build and market RV (wagon-train) or fantasy RV trips. Such an RVTW functionality could include the capacity to evaluate reservation lead-time requirements or seasonal occupancy variations to assist with one's site reservation management.

Above notwithstanding, my Wife and I, along with our dog Rosie, just returned from a 2.5 week trip from our home in Massachusetts to several State Parks and private (small, family-owned) campsites in Maine and New Hampshire. Back in February, I had designed this as a 3.5 week trip that would take us to the Canadian Maritimes (PEI, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia). On reaching our jump-off point (Camden Hills Maine State Park), I started to complete the "ArriveCan" online application, required to be submitted 72 hours before appearing at the border. It was during this process, that I learned of Canada's "random molecular testing" for fully vaccinated visitors. The Canadian Border Services agent with whom I spoke confirmed that, if either my wife or I were randomly selected, we would be required to obtain the test, initiate an online video conference call to confirm our testing compliance, submit the test and, if positive, find someplace to self quarantine. I mention this by way of sharing that we decided to postpone our Maritime Provinces visit to a future time, thus finding ourselves without campsite reservations for the next several weeks. We were able to acquire one additional night at Camden Hills SP and, most important, had the good fortune of learning from one of the Rangers, where in his State of Maine, he liked to go camping when he wasn't working. Even more fortuitous, we were able to reserve sites, directly by phone, at those locations, and several others. Extemporaneous RV planning is possible - and provided us with the benefit of visiting places and meeting people we would otherwise have missed. Hope I didn't veer too far off the OP's original topic.

NCC-1701A · 06-27-2022, 09:23 PM

I'm sitting right now as the only person in the campground in Earlesville, IA (near Dubuque). My wife and I are on a three week trip of neighboring states. I made reservations about 3 weeks ago. I was even able to book 5 days at the Amana RV Park (Iowa) with full hookups over the 4th of July weekend...even got the site I asked for! Got 10 days at a lake side park in the unglaciated lakes region of NE South Dakota...not a lake side site though and no sewer, so I'll have to take the portable tank.

The biggest issue for me has been finding sites available that will fit a 43' MH towing a full sized pickup. If I had a class B or a small <30' C or A it would be a lot easier. I did, however, find and book for our entire trip but did have to make some compromises, like no sewer, though I got full hookups at most locations.

I'm kind of surprised a campground chain like KOA doesn't offer some kind of concierge service to do just what the RVStitchy is looking for...of course it would be for booking at their locations.