 |
|
12-13-2024, 11:55 AM
|
#15
|
Senior Member
Winnebago Owners Club Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: Nov 2018
Posts: 2,994
|
To offer what might be an obvious conclusion after reading the above responses, the more you plan the more likely your plans will fail. You *will* have reasons to deviate that you never anticipated. Could be a breakdown, could be weather, or a good reason like you want to hang out at a place a few more days or take a detour to see something you didn't know about. You have your house with you, and with very, very few exceptions you will find a decent place to park it every single day of your trip. Some of those places might be a spot you picked out 6 months in advance, others might be the closest cracker barrel parking lot you can reach before dark. That's the worst I've ever experienced, and it's not so bad. You just gotta be flexible and accept that you will deviate from ideal from time to time but it will rarely be terrible. Just did a 2 week trip to WI in October and I had exactly 2 nights reserved out of those 2 weeks and 4K miles. Another great trip in the books and to be sure some overnights were better than others but it's all part of it. So set a tentative route and highlights you'd like to catch along that route, maybe a few with hard dates, then after that it is what it is. And, it will be more fun than you probably could've planned for.
Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM
|
|
|
 |
Join the #1 RV Forum Today - It's Totally Free!
iRV2.com RV Community - Are you about to start a new improvement on your RV or need some help with some maintenance? Do you need advice on what products to buy? Or maybe you can give others some advice? No matter where you fit in you'll find that iRV2 is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!
You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with other RV owners, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create an RV blog, send private messages and so much, much more!
|
12-13-2024, 12:23 PM
|
#16
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
Posts: 1,321
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark_K5LXP
To offer what might be an obvious conclusion after reading the above responses, the more you plan the more likely your plans will fail. You *will* have reasons to deviate that you never anticipated. Could be a breakdown, could be weather, or a good reason like you want to hang out at a place a few more days or take a detour to see something you didn't know about. You have your house with you, and with very, very few exceptions you will find a decent place to park it every single day of your trip. Some of those places might be a spot you picked out 6 months in advance, others might be the closest cracker barrel parking lot you can reach before dark. That's the worst I've ever experienced, and it's not so bad. You just gotta be flexible and accept that you will deviate from ideal from time to time but it will rarely be terrible. Just did a 2 week trip to WI in October and I had exactly 2 nights reserved out of those 2 weeks and 4K miles. Another great trip in the books and to be sure some overnights were better than others but it's all part of it. So set a tentative route and highlights you'd like to catch along that route, maybe a few with hard dates, then after that it is what it is. And, it will be more fun than you probably could've planned for.
Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM
|
As someone who has planned and reserved every spot for the past 4 years, I strongly disagree. To borrow an old axiom - by failing to properly plan, you plan to fail. Planning involves more than just the route or the place to stay. It's also investigating what's around every stop to check if there's more to see and do.
We went on 4 trips this year for a total of 180 days and every stop had been planned and reserved well in advance. Sometimes a year or more. We had great fun. While you seem to have fun doing it your way, to claim people who plan are bound to fail isn't true at all.
__________________
Don & Vicki
2017 Tiffin Allegro Open Road 36LA, F53 chassis, V10
2020 Ford Escape Hybrid SE Sport AWD, RVibrake3, Blue Ox
|
|
|
12-13-2024, 12:47 PM
|
#17
|
Senior Member
Winnebago Owners Club Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: Nov 2018
Posts: 2,994
|
It's the contingencies and exceptions that get you. The campground you have a reservation for is closed due to a wildfire or flooding. Now what? You have a mechanical issue requiring a field repair or shop visit somewhere. Pick up where you left off and try to reschedule, skip ahead and miss stuff? Maybe you want to spend an extra night somewhere because you just don't feel like driving. Doing the preplanning is of course prudent, I seek out attractions or stops along the way because most things aren't advertised on road signs as you go. But the minute you make those a hard stop it sets up a required timeline that may or may not be realistically achievable when you throw in random problems or events. Yes, sometimes chasing down a landing spot last minute isn't a fun thing but in my travels that's a whole lot easier to manage than picking a landing spot 6 months before and 2 thousand miles away. Generally we know what our vicinity will be the night before and it's squared away before we leave the next day. Planning the minutia of weeks long, thousands of miles of trip is not trivial and I think has a diminshing time/effort return. Maybe the takeaway for the OP would be to plan all you like and if it all goes to hell, have some assurance it won't be as bad as you think.
Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM
|
|
|
12-13-2024, 12:54 PM
|
#18
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2024
Location: NW Pennsylvania
Posts: 192
|
Lots of great info being shared here, Keep it up. Thanks all.
Because I actually like the planning, but wanted to be more flexible with my approach to travel, I moved forward "with the wifes approval" to go highbread. I will only set in stone and make reservations at places that would be a difference maker as far as location and wing the rest.
I decided we will overnight flexibly, using the likes of HHost-BDWelcome-HipCamp our 1,900 mile trip out west, but secure now a few days with full hook ups in our main destination/focus spots like Yellowstone.
Fishing Bridge was nearly completely booked for the month of September 2025 for units over 30'. Our trailer is 31.5' long. So I booked 3 nights in a 40' site. I also will leave a cushion of a few days prior and post that we can stay elswhere if we want to be there longer, or stay longer in the Black Hills.
With the days I booked at YS, it will give me 10 days to get there and stop along the way at the Badlands & Black hills.
After YStone we plan to head to Jackson and the Grand Tetons. That only leaves 3-6 weeks to get home  My return route is a blank slate.
|
|
|
12-13-2024, 01:23 PM
|
#19
|
Senior Member
Fleetwood Owners Club Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: On the continental divide
Posts: 3,333
|
Once had an old WW-II fighter pilot tell me that the best laid attack plan goes out the window after the first turn. After that, it's a fur ball.
MANY of our vacations with the kids were "stay off the interstates" and let the highway attraction signs lead us to some destination. Saw a lot of the real USA that way and made some good friends. We had a general destination in mind, but we got there a whole bunch of different ways.
The kids are all grown now, but they still talk about our trips and pull out the old pictures for their kids.
Mike in Colorado
__________________
2004 Fleetwood Pace Arrow 37c, 8.1 gasser, (Jezebel) Ultra RV ECM / TCM, plugs wires, and rear track bar, PPE deep Tx pan w/ temp gage, Bilstein's, Sailun's & Sumo's all round, pushed by a 2002 Grand Caravan, on a Master Tow Dolly OR a WR-250 on a rail.
|
|
|
12-13-2024, 01:35 PM
|
#20
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
Posts: 1,321
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark_K5LXP
It's the contingencies and exceptions that get you. The campground you have a reservation for is closed due to a wildfire or flooding. Now what? You have a mechanical issue requiring a field repair or shop visit somewhere. Pick up where you left off and try to reschedule, skip ahead and miss stuff? Maybe you want to spend an extra night somewhere because you just don't feel like driving. Doing the preplanning is of course prudent, I seek out attractions or stops along the way because most things aren't advertised on road signs as you go. But the minute you make those a hard stop it sets up a required timeline that may or may not be realistically achievable when you throw in random problems or events. Yes, sometimes chasing down a landing spot last minute isn't a fun thing but in my travels that's a whole lot easier to manage than picking a landing spot 6 months before and 2 thousand miles away. Generally we know what our vicinity will be the night before and it's squared away before we leave the next day. Planning the minutia of weeks long, thousands of miles of trip is not trivial and I think has a diminshing time/effort return. Maybe the takeaway for the OP would be to plan all you like and if it all goes to hell, have some assurance it won't be as bad as you think.
Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM
|
We don't let "what if" rule our lives. For us, it's far easier to plan our stops far in advance. Some of the events also need to be planned and reserved in advance.
I already have numerous trips planned in Trip Wizard. When we decide to go on any of them, we do more research and adjust the plans. Then after we've refined the trip, we make all the reservations.
We also planned far in advance to have our house paid off and have enough money to buy a nice motorhome. When we go on our trips, we have planned many of our meals, and have some of them in the freezer. On a 2 month trip, we'll have at least 40 meals already planned and supplies on hand except for fresh items. We don't worry about "what if" the freezer breaks.
Perhaps we find doing the planning easy is because in our working careers, we both had jobs that required planning. As a buyer at a large retail store, I had to place orders up to a year in advance in order to secure the merchandise at the best prices. Waiting too long could mean merchandise wouldn't be available and put us at a competitive disadvantage. My wife worked in marketing and ad campaigns were planned far in advance. Just winging it would have been disastrous for both of us.
__________________
Don & Vicki
2017 Tiffin Allegro Open Road 36LA, F53 chassis, V10
2020 Ford Escape Hybrid SE Sport AWD, RVibrake3, Blue Ox
|
|
|
12-13-2024, 02:42 PM
|
#21
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 1969
Posts: 3,050
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by NeedToRetire
.... NW Pennsylvania ...
|
You know you are already out west?
So just do it, it is not like you are building a nuke plant.
You will need a plan to get through Chicago. Your plan will fail.
It is good to have a plan b, like seeing the Soo Locks to avoid Chicago. That's what I did last time I went from PA to Yellowstone.
Speaking of crazy town, avoid places you have trouble getting reservations.
There are an infinite places to camp: https://freecampsites.net/#!Yellowst...+United+States
For example, I camped next to the Yellowstone River: https://freecampsites.net/#!1460&query=sitedetails
Each time I drove to the NP, it was a beautiful drive.
__________________
Kit & Rita (in memory)
37 foot ‘98 HolidayRambler Endeavor diesel pusher
|
|
|
12-13-2024, 03:42 PM
|
#22
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Enjoying the Western States!
Posts: 20,697
|
Some plan intensely; some do not. We traveled 16 years full-timing and rarely made plans except for when we were scheduled for volunteering or visiting family. Daily traveling was done very casually and we never ran into a day where we didn't have a place to stay - even inside our national and state parks. We didn't make detailed plans for our all-summer Alaskan trip except for staying in Denali Nat'l Park and that reservation was only made a few weeks prior as we were traveling and could better judge when we'd be there. As it turned out we had some weather/fire-related travel issues so had we made a ton of reservations they would have all had to be changed. We stayed IN the park at the farthest campground we could stay so a reservation was necessary. One wasn't allowed to drive the backroad without a camping reservation.
If we knew we'd have to plan every stop during our 16 years (5,840 nights) we would have never gone full-timing.
Basically, there are no set rules on traveling. Everyone is comfortable in how they do it.
__________________
Full-timed for 16 Years . . .
Traveled 8 yr in a 2004 Newmar Dutch Star 40' Diesel
& 8 yr in a 33' Travel Supreme 5th wheel
|
|
|
12-13-2024, 04:14 PM
|
#23
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: virginia
Posts: 811
|
I think you need to do a full inventory of all your deep dark rv fears and resentments against the folks taking all the reservations before you get to make yours.
|
|
|
12-13-2024, 04:40 PM
|
#24
|
Junior Member
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 15
|
Hey Mark, I am right there with you. I have been RVing for about 10 years but retired this year so I too am taking my first big adventure Spring 2025 to the Southwest. I have been out to some of the parks when I was younger but dad always was a drive in "we've been there so, let's go visitor. I've been making reservations the last month BECAUSE I want to stay in the parks. The competition is fierce, even 6 months in advance.
I am an aggressive traveler and enjoy it that way. My way of rest is to go go go then stop for a while, then go go go again, etc. I limit my travel days to 400 max miles. I have never booked so many reservations in the past and hope nothing happens. I just did not have much choice with the park campgrounds calling me! I will also add that most of the parks I booked, my 25' was close to limit or even too big. I was really surprised.
I plan to see almost all the parks in the southwest. I will be on the road for two months and already have five under my belt. A friend of mine said whoa so many- well I still am staying 3-5 days depending on the park. I've thought about the possibility of missing some things but there is always the possibility of returning if it is that great!
Have a great time. I cannot wait to see the Northwest on another trip- never been up there.
__________________
2006 Airstream Safari 25, ProPride Hitch, 2022 Ford F150 12mpg tow avg.; '15 Vespa GTS 300S camp toy;
|
|
|
12-13-2024, 05:10 PM
|
#25
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2016
Posts: 510
|
NeedToRetire, you have a lot of different ideas from varying personalities on what suited those folks as they decided to travel. End of the day "different strokes for different folks" and most importantly take in all that appeals, and DO YOU!
In our road warrior years late 90's early 2000's when working around kids vacation times from school, we had infinite amount of days to play with as well as several within couple hours long weekends rustic/lake/river camping of course. 10 days (pick up outside school gates last day in RV and hit the road immediately) at Easter, and nearest warmest place was Las Vegas and surrounding areas so spent 1 to 1 half days driving like the devil was chasing us down to Zion NP or Mesquite, did the Go Karts and fun stuff, then remainder at Oasis Las Vegas RV Resort (they loved the pools, crazy golf, outlet shopping, couple SP's/NPs, and seeing the large Casino themed areas). Of course the loooong non-stop almost with a few hours sleep in-between back home was the worst and yep we kinda needed another vacation as adults to get over it LOL.
Over the 6 or 8 weeks of summer vacation time with the kids we'd end up going all over the place experiencing various State Parks, National Parks and so much else but again this was all very detailed and planned at hyper speed to get flavours and experiences for them in limited time windows. We went from Alberta to Florida for a couple of trips and back again stopping at various attractions along the route or taking a wee bit of detour to enjoy a nice lake/beach/river tubing/jet skiing/kayaking few hours, but again never spent lots of days at any one place until at our destination type areas.
With kids grown up and doing their own things, hubby and I started taking longer and longer extended trips, as well of course a handful of wilderness type midweek fishing/kayaking trips closer to home base. By 2019 the only 2 provinces/territories we hadn't visited were Newfoundland & Labrador, and the only 2 states were Oklahoma and Arkansas. In 2019 we took 4 months leisurely crossing from West to East Canada for the 8th time in our lives and zigzagged more to experience some things not on the Trans Canada/Hwy 16, and finally did NF and Lab'.
Our goal nowadays is to do it all just the two of us returning to areas we didn't savour the flavour of enough hence where we are today ..........
I actually do a tremendous amount of research and spreadsheets with a rough idea of where and when we will stop, but the flexibility today is in there to add a day or two or skip a place as we travel or stop a lot earlier if tired. For example we are on our first Snowbird trip with 173 days medical coverage I can use. The destination is the RGV, purely because we are not Dessert lovers, and Florida is full LOL. It's taken us so far since leaving on 7th November and crossing the border on the 8th November to make it right now to Eagle's Pass. We had and have zero CG's booked whatsoever and have stayed 2 nights in Fairgrounds Oklahoma City arriving at the gate on day of. 3 nights at McKinney Falls SP near Austin arriving at the gate on day of, and 2 nights at private Travelers World RV Resort (use the term resort loosely!) booking in night before when half hour from them.
Tonight we have with their blessing and told where to park staying courtesy of WM Eagles Pass on the Kohl's side as requested, will stock up with Texas all water fishing license, foods etc ready to enjoy exploring all along the Gulf Coast and and areas we have not touched in the past We have nothing booked but we have notes of which City Hall/Chamber of Commerce or wherever we need to get 3 day/14 day passes to stay near the ocean. I have also noted some CG's in case we decide we'd like to stay a month somewhere that appeals. Of course with it being Winter Texan time of year if they are full, they are full but it won't phase us in the slightest.
I have planned out 150 days so 23 extra wriggle room ones to utilise and already because we have decided to forego Fort Stockton, Marfa Lights and sadly Big Bend National Park for now at least, we also have an extra 6 days to add to our bank of days available to stay or visit somewhere else.
Having had two major and a couple less serious tows needed, (two engine replacements!), and knowing how easy things can disrupt our plans, we find being hyper flexible and not sweating the small stuff (and as long as we are safe and sound and together), everything always works out
So there you have it I do hyper plan and have lots of back ups but also have tons of flexibility built in and don't reserve anything. Even Yellowstone we've done several times over the years, there's always plenty of boon docking close to the park and we like to avoid crowds as well so when we've gone it's never been an issue.
Take onboard all the different ways people travel NeedToRetire and form something for yourselves that fits "your" personalities, needs, wants and desires. Happy Travels.
|
|
|
12-13-2024, 05:33 PM
|
#26
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2001
Posts: 404
|
To expand a bit on what I previously said, I'll plan the route and mark possible camping spots as well as fuel stops. That's the "planning" that I do. Exactly where we will stay is the "wing-it" portion of the trip.
I enjoy planning the route, and it is done with the idea that things can change and a whim may dictate a whole different adventure.
__________________
2022 Sun Lite Classic 18RD TT
|
|
|
12-13-2024, 06:11 PM
|
#27
|
Senior Member
Monaco Owners Club Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Clovis, CA, USA
Posts: 13,711
|
An old saying can be applied here:
"The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray"
__________________
2004 Monaco La Palma 36DBD, W22, 8.1, 7.1 MPG
2000 LEXUS RX300 FWD 22MPG 4020 LBS
The train is off the tracks.
|
|
|
12-13-2024, 06:41 PM
|
#28
|
Junior Member
Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: May 2021
Location: Mora, MN
Posts: 22
|
Me too
I'm in a similar situation. Retiring at the end of Dec. Planning a trip down to TX for Feb. to April? Haven't ever gone more than 280 miles from home before, so a 3000+ mile round trip can be (is) overwhelming and anxiety producing. We've got reservations for the first 6 weeks we're going to be down there, but will have to remain flexible depending on weather (Feb. in Minnesota can really suck for driving). Have been exploring options for stays on the trip down and will likely end up doing some HH for those stops. But we are leaving the last 2-4 weeks open. May go around Ft. Worth for a couple of weeks. May go over to Meridian, MS or up through Branson (have family in all those places). Don't have a hard set date to get back, but would kinda like to be back home for filing taxes and get started on those spring projects.
__________________
2004 Triple E Commander
2008 Liberty TOAD
2000 1100 V-star Classic
|
|
|
 |
|
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
|
|
Thread Tools |
Search this Thread |
|
|
Display Modes |
Linear Mode
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
|
» Recent Discussions |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|