RV caravans

I have been on 7. Enjoyed them greatly. Got to see a lot of things we would have missed if we by our self. We would not have known about them. Be aware that some caravans require a CB radio.

2gypsies wrote:
I disagree on seeing more on a caravan.

We drove to Alaska on our own to spend the summer. In talking with folks who were on a caravan, they definitely did not go into the 'nook and crannies' of the trip that we did. They went to the big highlights, as we did, also. All you have to do is read a guidebook and you'll know the highlights of where tours will take you.

You wouldn't see a group of caravan folks touring the as we did by ourselves and getting a ride on the 'summer' sled with wheels through the forest. We were the only ones there after driving our toad 20 miles on a gravel road to get to his house. How'd we find it? While talking to someone who lived in the area he offered to call the guy to see if we could come for a tour of his setup.Iditarod racer's kennels

There were plenty of other instances of small places we went that tours did not. We met folks continuously along the whole trip time after time and made friends with them. We had plenty of socializing without the group-catered dinners. We ate where the locals ate.

Quite a few full-timing friends of ours drove themselves to the Maritimes. They told many stories of being welcomed to dinner or 'secret' spots by local home owners. They were even offered a place to park their RVs - free.

We've been to Alaska on our own and with a caravan. While on the caravan among the many sights to see and the things to do we spent an entire day at a couple of the Iditarod racer's kennels. We rode the "summer sleds" and got up close and personal with the owners, handlers, and the dogs.

The quality of the trip is totally dependent on the company you choose, and the ambition of the host and tail ender. If the leaders are personable and familiar with the area you will likely have a great time. The caravans always have "free days" when you can do anything you want. In most cases you can sign out of the caravan for a day or more if you wish to be on your own. We've done it on a number of occasions when the caravans were passing through areas we were already familiar with.

IMHO of course, cost way too much for the value added. We like to plan and route our own way with no schedule.

You could stop in Quebec and see where your chassis was made.

Yes, bsinmich, we could certainly do that!! (stopping in Quebec to see where the new baby was born).

nbargolf, I see value in the trip as they make ALL the plans, all the phone calls, fees for museums, organizing the ferries, gratuities, etc. Trying to deal with a foreign currency will be minimal since we'll pay by CC for the trip and keep a little Canadian money for incidentals (if we decide to go).

I see that some of the RV parks only have 30 amp. We can get by on 30 amp but since we have 4 inverters, we are power hungry. The setting for 30 amp connection does turn off or lowers the power on the inverters. I will talk to the coach builder to see what we can do or not do. We also have a 20kw Kohler genny if need be.

The more I read about the trip, the more I like it. We have done so much on our own time and scheduling that doing something a little different might not be a bad thing.

MM.

We have driven all over the Maratimes on our own. Have not yet gone to Newfoundland - it requires advance planning to get on the ferries :( something we are not often good at. The currency is a non issue just assume $1 = $C1 and you will be happy with the discount.

If you travel the US on your own it is no different in CA. Quebec can be interesting as it is French speaking and adamant about it. Have a phone plan with Canadian service for the duration of your trip and depend on cg wifi, just like here.

Nova Scotia has a great tour guide book for free from the Provence as does PEI. Not so sure about New Brunswick, but it is easy to get the information. As for NF there are plenty of online resources detailing tour routes and things to see. Never have had a problem making friends in campgrounds or at the table next to us in a restaurant so socializing is not an issue for us.

Having said that I have talked myself out of a caravan there and will think about booking the ferry for 2017 - if DW agrees.

xctraveler, I assume that you toured the Maratimes in your Phaeton? If so, how were the roads and trees at the time that you went. Did you feel like you were dodging tree limbs?

Whether we do the trip with a tour or on our own, I want to make sure that we can maneuver easily.

Thank you,
MM.

Mr.Mark wrote:
xctraveler, I assume that you toured the Maratimes in your Phaeton? If so, how were the roads and trees at the time that you went. Did you feel like you were dodging tree limbs?

Whether we do the trip with a tour or on our own, I want to make sure that we can maneuver easily.

Thank you,
MM.

Actually, it was several years ago and we were travelling in '04 36' Southwind pulling a RAV4 4 down. We had no trouble with any of the roads or trees - I wouldn't take a coach down the road to Meat Cove without first going in the toad to be sure you are comfortable and there is a place to turn around - that is best visited in your toad anyhow. We have actually driven around the entire Cabot Trail twice. It is slow going and there are plenty of hills. The rest of Nova Scotia is even easier, much like main roads in the Northeast of the US.

It would be easier in the Phaeton, more power and better turning radius. I have no memory of trees being an issue in most places. We used campgrounds in Cheticamp and outside Baddeck for the Cabot Trail part and the I could give you a list of CGs we used, but no reviews since too much time has past for the rest.

PEI is relatively level and open, plenty of campgrounds and we never had a problem pulling in and getting a space (that was in a 33' Damon Daybreak - hideous coach). New Brunswick was in both the Daybreak and the Southwind, again no problem getting a space with a phone call at 2 PM or just driving in. We visited Gaspe' in the Daybreak - 2002 - and just winged it with no problems getting space on demand.

With the $ being so strong v $C I might call ahead in the morning :) as there should be plenty of Americans there. The only cost issue is gasoline at $C1.50 per liter. ($C6/gal or about $5/gal)

Either on your own or with a tour it should be wonderful!

xctraveler wrote:

Mr.Mark wrote:
xctraveler, I assume that you toured the Maratimes in your Phaeton? If so, how were the roads and trees at the time that you went. Did you feel like you were dodging tree limbs?

Whether we do the trip with a tour or on our own, I want to make sure that we can maneuver easily.

Thank you,
MM.

Actually, it was several years ago and we were travelling in '04 36' Southwind pulling a RAV4 4 down. We had no trouble with any of the roads or trees - I wouldn't take a coach down the road to Meat Cove without first going in the toad to be sure you are comfortable and there is a place to turn around - that is best visited in your toad anyhow. We have actually driven around the entire Cabot Trail twice. It is slow going and there are plenty of hills. The rest of Nova Scotia is even easier, much like main roads in the Northeast of the US.

It would be easier in the Phaeton, more power and better turning radius. I have no memory of trees being an issue in most places. We used campgrounds in Cheticamp and outside Baddeck for the Cabot Trail part and the I could give you a list of CGs we used, but no reviews since too much time has past for the rest.

PEI is relatively level and open, plenty of campgrounds and we never had a problem pulling in and getting a space (that was in a 33' Damon Daybreak - hideous coach). New Brunswick was in both the Daybreak and the Southwind, again no problem getting a space with a phone call at 2 PM or just driving in. We visited Gaspe' in the Daybreak - 2002 - and just winged it with no problems getting space on demand.

With the $ being so strong v $C I might call ahead in the morning :) as there should be plenty of Americans there. The only cost issue is gasoline at $C1.50 per liter. ($C6/gal or about $5/gal)

Either on your own or with a tour it should be wonderful!

Might be a finger fault on the calculator for the gas calculation. Gas in PEI right now is about 1 buck per litre or about 3.80 per American Gallon which is about 2.87 in American currency.