Year long family US history tour

norfla71 wrote:
Were planning on taking our kids on a year long tour of the US; we'll be homeschooling and figure that actually getting hands-on with our history will be much better than just reading about it.

We will be using the rig in my sig, so space should not be an issue. My questions are how to survive with 2 pre-teens for that long? We seriously need to pare down our stuff, but what would be recommended to take, and what should we get while on the road? Any absolute needs? We won't be spending a lot of time inside (weather permitting).

We won't know where we'll be staying, but it will be for at least a week each time. What would be a reasonable budget for campground and food each month? The longest we've stayed anyplace was for a week, so I have nothing to compare to, mainly due to eating out a lot, which will not be feasible once we start this.

I think it would be a challenge to actually pre-plan an educational year long trip. I probably would do it in segments, for example plan the first 6 months first and of course let your required destinations guide you, along with favorable weather.

Two RV options that I feel you must have for doing full time, especially with 4 people, is a double wide fridge and washer/dryer.

If your rig only has a single wide fridge then you probably will be smart to invest in a high quality large cooler and small counter top ice machine. All drinks and other stuff can be maintained in cooler and you can continue to produce your own ice instead on purchasing it.

By having a washer and dryer you can keep doing loads thus cut down on how many articles of clothing each of you have to take along. With 4 residents added weight is going to be your main obstacle. I don't know if you have been to a laundry mat recently, but doing laundry for 4 people every week would be extremely expensive and time consuming.

Your selection of CG's will probably take the most planning but is where you can save the most. State/Federal CG's are cheaper but many do not take reservations.

As for your planning and actual navigation, I would spend the money and purchase one of the new RV GPS units. I have used a Rand RV GPS for over a year with extremely good results. You enter all of your RV specifications (height, weight, width, amount of propane, etc..) and it won't let you get in trouble. I also use a Trucker's Atlas because it shows all the "designated" truck routes plus height restrictions in all states.

As a full timer I could probably fill a couple more pages of suggestions. Congrats on taking on this adventure! Your children will never forget it!