Our families 8 week RV Trip
So here is our first BIG family trip. We bought a 2011 38' Fleetwood Expedition 38B last Oct. We are pulling a Jeep Wrangler as a toad. Going will be me(the driver), my wife, and 3 boys (ages 12,11, a...
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This is waaaaaay too much. Take heed of all who have bothered to reply and redo your trip. Yes it means cancelling reservations, but isn't it more important that your kids enjoy this trip??? That's always my primary concern, what about the kids? Your trip is heavy on visiting cities, but one can visit big cities in the east. There are sights and sites in the west unlike anything you can visit in the east. If you are taking the time to drive all this way, why not see those things that are unique to the west (and unlike any place else in the world if you listen to all the visitors we meet from Europe and Asia in our western National Parks).
Specific recommendations:
Day 1 Leave Jax, Fl. and drive to Gulf Shores, AL.
Day 2 Leave Gulf Shores, AL and drive to Henderson, LA.
Day 3 Leave Henderson and drive to Houston, TX.
Day 4-5 Sightsee in Houston Skip this and use these days in better places
Day 6 Leave Houston and drive to San Antonio, TX.
Day 7 Sightsee in San Antonio Don't miss the other missions besides the Alamo. Skip the tourist traps like Ripley's Believe it or Not.
Day 8 Leave San Antonio and drive to Carlsbad, NM.
Day 9 Sightsee in Carlsbad
Day 10 Leave Carlsbad and drive to Tucson, AZ.
Day 11 Sightsee in Tucson
Day 12 Leave Tucson and drive to San Diego, CA. With your very limited time, I'd skip the whole leg down to San Diego. From Tucson, head north to the Grand Canyon here instead of later in the trip. From the Grand Canyon, take a couple of days and head straight to Yosemite.
Day 13-14 Sightsee in San Diego, CA. Skip. You have plenty of amusement parks in FL. Use this time to see things you don't find in FL.
Day 15 Leave San Diego and drive to Yosemite NP
Not sure yet. Is Yosemite worth only one night? No, Yosemite is worth a minimum of three nights, which only give you two days to explore which really isn't enough, but one night only gives you a couple of hours to visit. If one night is all you can do, just skip going to Yosemite.
Day 16 Leave Yosemite and drive to San Francisco Skip SF. Not RV friendly save these days for elsewhere.
Day 17-18 Sightsee in SF. Skip
Day 19 Leave SF and drive to Ave. of the Giants
Day 20 Leave Ave. of the Giants and drive to Crater Lake, OR.
First, you've only allowed yourself a couple of hours in the evening to explore Crater Lake. Not enough time. Then, you head straight for Seattle and miss some of the most gorgeous scenery on the west coast!! Use some of those days you've saved and drive up the OR coast. What about Mt. St. Helens? What about Mt. Rainier? (There's no place for your boys to see a real live volcano out east). What about the Columbia River Gorge? All sights far more interesting than the cities you've listed.
Day 21 Leave Crater Lake and drive to Seattle, WA.
Day 22-23 Sightsee in Seattle
Again, another big city? I'd choose Mt. Rainier or head north to camp and explore the San Juan Islands.
Day 24 Leave Seattle and drive to Coeur D' Alene, ID.
Day 25 Leave Coeur D' Alene and drive to Missoula, MT.
Day 26 Sightsee in Missoula
side trip to Glacier National Park This is not a side trip. It's a 2 1/2 hour drive each way from Missoula to Glacier. Like Yosemite, Glacier deserves several nights. Use some of those days that you've saved by avoiding the big cities and use them at Glacier. At the rate the glaciers are melting, when your boys grow up the glaciers won't be there for them to see.
Day 27 Leave Missoula and drive to Yellowstone NP.
Day 28-30 Sightsee Yellowstone and Grand Tetons
Day 31 Leave Yellowstone and drive to Salt Lake City, UT.
Day 32 Leave Salt Lake City and drive to Moab, UT.
Day 33 sightsee in Moab
Day 34 Leave Moab and drive to Grand Canyon I've gotten you visiting the Grand Canyon on the way out. Either head east on I-70 to US 24 and down through Leadville to spend a few days in Salida exploring ghost towns, rafting, etc. Or head south out of Moab on US 191/491 to Durango. See Mesa Verde, take the Durango to Silverton train. Then head east to the Great Sand Dunes.
Day 35-37 Sightsee Grand Canyon
Day 38 Leave Grand Canyon and drive to Las Vegas, NV. Skip Vegas. There are far better choices for places to take your boys.
Day 39 Sightsee in Vegas Skip
Day 40 Leave Las Vegas and drive to Sedona, AZ. Skip
Day 41 Leave Sedona and drive to Albuquerque, NM.
Day 42 Leave Albuquerque and drive to Amarillo, TX.
Day 43 Leave Amarillo and drive to Oklahoma City, OK.
Day 44 Leave OK City and drive to Little Rock, AK.
Day 45 Leave Little Rock and drive to Meridian, MS.
Day 46 Leave Meridian and drive to Perry, Ga.
Day 47-50 Party at the South Eastern ShinDig
Day 51 Drive home to Jacksonville, Fl.
You need to make some major changes just so you're not spending your entire vacation staring at the windshield of your RV. Skipping those big cities would be my first recommendation.
Specific recommendations:
Day 1 Leave Jax, Fl. and drive to Gulf Shores, AL.
Day 2 Leave Gulf Shores, AL and drive to Henderson, LA.
Day 3 Leave Henderson and drive to Houston, TX.
Day 4-5 Sightsee in Houston Skip this and use these days in better places
Day 6 Leave Houston and drive to San Antonio, TX.
Day 7 Sightsee in San Antonio Don't miss the other missions besides the Alamo. Skip the tourist traps like Ripley's Believe it or Not.
Day 8 Leave San Antonio and drive to Carlsbad, NM.
Day 9 Sightsee in Carlsbad
Day 10 Leave Carlsbad and drive to Tucson, AZ.
Day 11 Sightsee in Tucson
Day 12 Leave Tucson and drive to San Diego, CA. With your very limited time, I'd skip the whole leg down to San Diego. From Tucson, head north to the Grand Canyon here instead of later in the trip. From the Grand Canyon, take a couple of days and head straight to Yosemite.
Day 13-14 Sightsee in San Diego, CA. Skip. You have plenty of amusement parks in FL. Use this time to see things you don't find in FL.
Day 15 Leave San Diego and drive to Yosemite NP
Not sure yet. Is Yosemite worth only one night? No, Yosemite is worth a minimum of three nights, which only give you two days to explore which really isn't enough, but one night only gives you a couple of hours to visit. If one night is all you can do, just skip going to Yosemite.
Day 16 Leave Yosemite and drive to San Francisco Skip SF. Not RV friendly save these days for elsewhere.
Day 17-18 Sightsee in SF. Skip
Day 19 Leave SF and drive to Ave. of the Giants
Day 20 Leave Ave. of the Giants and drive to Crater Lake, OR.
First, you've only allowed yourself a couple of hours in the evening to explore Crater Lake. Not enough time. Then, you head straight for Seattle and miss some of the most gorgeous scenery on the west coast!! Use some of those days you've saved and drive up the OR coast. What about Mt. St. Helens? What about Mt. Rainier? (There's no place for your boys to see a real live volcano out east). What about the Columbia River Gorge? All sights far more interesting than the cities you've listed.
Day 21 Leave Crater Lake and drive to Seattle, WA.
Day 22-23 Sightsee in Seattle
Again, another big city? I'd choose Mt. Rainier or head north to camp and explore the San Juan Islands.
Day 24 Leave Seattle and drive to Coeur D' Alene, ID.
Day 25 Leave Coeur D' Alene and drive to Missoula, MT.
Day 26 Sightsee in Missoula
side trip to Glacier National Park This is not a side trip. It's a 2 1/2 hour drive each way from Missoula to Glacier. Like Yosemite, Glacier deserves several nights. Use some of those days that you've saved by avoiding the big cities and use them at Glacier. At the rate the glaciers are melting, when your boys grow up the glaciers won't be there for them to see.
Day 27 Leave Missoula and drive to Yellowstone NP.
Day 28-30 Sightsee Yellowstone and Grand Tetons
Day 31 Leave Yellowstone and drive to Salt Lake City, UT.
Day 32 Leave Salt Lake City and drive to Moab, UT.
Day 33 sightsee in Moab
Day 34 Leave Moab and drive to Grand Canyon I've gotten you visiting the Grand Canyon on the way out. Either head east on I-70 to US 24 and down through Leadville to spend a few days in Salida exploring ghost towns, rafting, etc. Or head south out of Moab on US 191/491 to Durango. See Mesa Verde, take the Durango to Silverton train. Then head east to the Great Sand Dunes.
Day 35-37 Sightsee Grand Canyon
Day 38 Leave Grand Canyon and drive to Las Vegas, NV. Skip Vegas. There are far better choices for places to take your boys.
Day 39 Sightsee in Vegas Skip
Day 40 Leave Las Vegas and drive to Sedona, AZ. Skip
Day 41 Leave Sedona and drive to Albuquerque, NM.
Day 42 Leave Albuquerque and drive to Amarillo, TX.
Day 43 Leave Amarillo and drive to Oklahoma City, OK.
Day 44 Leave OK City and drive to Little Rock, AK.
Day 45 Leave Little Rock and drive to Meridian, MS.
Day 46 Leave Meridian and drive to Perry, Ga.
Day 47-50 Party at the South Eastern ShinDig
Day 51 Drive home to Jacksonville, Fl.
You need to make some major changes just so you're not spending your entire vacation staring at the windshield of your RV. Skipping those big cities would be my first recommendation.
