Itinerary, Travel with Pets

Don't buy a rig that is too long or too short. We like the room, sleeping comfort and versatility of our 27 foot Class C rig.It has a rear bedroom with "RV queen" sized bed. It is reasonably easy to park in shopping malls, near restaurants, and often on the street at antique shops, etc. as well as in public parks, theme parks, tourist attractions,and most important of all, in our driveway. Most Fed and State camps allow 27 footers if there is any length restriction. Your 30 year old son will probably be OK sleeping in the overhead, not for folks with bad knees, etc. The cat box can probably go in the shower. Dogs will sleep on the dinette seats or floor. It ain't like living at home with two dogs, a cat and three adults. We have collapsible steel pens for our two dogs, with tops, and set them up outside under the awning when camped for a day or two. They fit into our large cargo bay in our Tioga 26Q Class C. Fleetwood quit making Tioga and Jamboree 26Q models in 2009, other brands still make similar length/floor plan Class C's. If buying new, insist on spare wheel and tire in a secure mount. Buy a name brand rig. Almost all class C's are based on a Ford E-450 chassis with Ford V-10 engine. Almost all brands use the same brands of air conditioners, appliances, furnaces, etc. Don't let them sell you an extended warranty unless you can study the policy/contract and understand the loopholes and exclusions and requirements for records keeping. Most RV'ers save money in a bank account for eventual repairs, upgrades, maintenance, DMV registration and insurance.

PS: You/your husband will need to learn about monitoring and maintaining the 12 volt DC electrical system including the converter/charger, the "house" batteries and the engine starting battery.You will need to understand the starting and shut down procedures for your roof top air conditioner, furnace, water heater and RV generator, how to dump the "black" and "gray" waste water tanks, periodic sanitizing of fresh water system, how to deploy and stow the awning, and basic troubleshooting when things don't work properly. You will need to learn about short-lived RV tires (they need to be changed every 4-6 years for safety reasons regardless of mileage or appearance) Best to learn these things before you take off on your first long trip by practice camping in the driveway or near home. Buying, owning and caring for a motor home is more like owning a cabin cruiser, it's a hobby in itself and can be a lot of fun and enjoyment if you do it right. Drive some Class A's and C's and spend some time in them pretending you are camping, get to know the features available in different brands, lengths and floor plans.