planning your trip

If you’re like us, you spend weeks, if not months, looking forward to your next RV trip. Vacation time is precious, and you want everything to be perfect, so don’t waste any time by picking the wrong campground or destination. Planning a fantastic trip requires research, self-knowledge, empathy for co-travelers, balanced expectations, and a little old-fashioned campground know-how.

Here are some tips for planning your perfect trip:

Pick a destination your whole family will love. For some families, that might mean theme parks for the kids and hiking, Civil War battlefields, or antiquing opportunities for Mom and Dad. Find a balance so everyone can have fun. Bored kids can ruin a trip, but so can bored adults.

Have realistic expectations when choosing a campground. Even the best campgrounds have limitations and imperfections. Do you want a campground with easy access to a city? Expect road noise nearby. Do you want a large, deeply wooded site next to a gurgling mountain stream? Don’t expect a good Wi-Fi signal. Looking for campgrounds with friendly pricing? Don’t expect an Olympic-size swimming pool and modern fitness room.

Reserve your perfect site. Do you want a site near the playground? Or a quiet spot tucked away from the sound of excited children? Experienced RV travelers know what kind of sites they like—and ask for them. If you have specific preferences, never book your site online and hope for the best. Instead, call and ask specific questions with a campground map open on your computer. Not getting the answers you want? Ask to speak to an owner or manager. Remember that even great campgrounds can have a few bad sites, so be sure it doesn’t end up being yours.

Be selective with your wheels. When traveling by plane, many vacationers choose one destination and stick to it for the most part. When traveling by RV, it’s tempting to rush from one destination to another just because you have the wheels. But too much setting up and packing and unpacking eats away at precious vacation time. Great destinations, like the ones in this book, can reveal themselves slowly, and they often reward your patience in magnificent and unexpected ways. You rarely hear someone complain about spending too much time in Yellowstone, Glacier, or Acadia.

Balance exciting activities with campground relaxation. It’s normal to try to pack too many exciting activities into your days, but that can quickly lead to burnout. Why not plan something exciting for the morning hours, find great local food for lunch, and head back to the campground for a relaxing afternoon? If the campground has a great pool, plan on swimming. If you’re camping on a lake or river, drop your kayak and go for a paddle. Many RV travelers enjoy their time at the campground as much as any other part of a trip.

Overprepare rather than underprepare. Those who travel by plane have to deal with luggage size and weight restrictions. Most RV travelers have the luxury of ample storage space and can hit the road with all the comforts of home. Worried about sudden shifts of weather? Bring your rain gear and warm sweaters. Worried about getting sick on the road? Pack a pared-down version of your home medicine cabinet. Enjoy biking and kayaking? Skip overpriced rentals and bring all your favorite toys with you.

Leave room for spontaneous discoveries. Talk to locals and other campers to discover a swimming hole that wasn’t in your guidebook, or a restaurant where only the locals eat. These conversations are a rewarding and enriching part of RV travel, and no amount of research can ever take their place.