Explore Western US without an RV

I always recommend renting before buying. You have a great national park in your backyard. Rent one and go to Hot Springs National Park.
Bill

Fly to Las Vegas. Rent a Jucy and do the grand tour.

breeves2245 wrote:
flying nearby, renting a car and staying at a cabin if they are available?

Sure, you can do that. Or you could fly, and send your tent-camping gear ahead on the greyhound (cheap shipping).

You certainly can rent a car and stay in lodges/motels, or rent a car and tent camp, or rent an RV and camp in that, or go on a prepackaged bus tour, or even backpack into the less visited areas. I suspect that more people visit the national parks without RVs than visit with them, though I can't say I have ever seen actual statistics on that. Suffice to say, at any rate, that a national park is not an RV resort and is intended for anyone, not just the RVers, to visit and appreciate.

breeves2245 wrote:
I don't care to travel because it makes me anxious. This is an understatement for those who know me. But I do want to see the sights of the western US. I was thinking of a truck camper but after a few road trips over the holidays to visit relatives in other states, I am rethinking this idea. Single Joe, so only me. Is it practical to visit some of the national parks buy flying nearby, renting a car and staying at a cabin if they are available? Just don't want to bite off a one ton Ram and truck camper and find out this ain't for me. I see where Cruise America started a pilot program to rent truck/campers. Perhaps a trial run may help me decide. I want to see the parks and sights, just really don't care to be on the road away from home for extended periods of time.

I'd suggest you figure out what you mean by "traveling makes me anxious" and "really don't care to be on the road away from home for extended periods of time" before you do any of it.

If it's the actual road and driving for long periods of time, then the flight, rental car and cabin/hotel is probably the better bet. Several days of driving to get to the parks driving a large truck and camper isn't going to be more relaxing than driving a car for a few hours.

If it's staying in an unfamiliar location at night, then the truck camper might be a better option (but you may want to start out for a while close to home until you feel "at home" in the camper).

It's really dependent upon what YOUR issues are with traveling that make you anxious. What works for one person's anxieties won't work for another's.

Check out Caravans.com for bus tours of many places. We took their California tour and it was good.

RV2GO - I thought that rig was a bit silly at first, but after checking the website that is about right to just do short trip and have my own bed and kitchen.

Between that and Cruise America's Truck/Camper rental I can give this a try without much out of pocket.

Although I could do without all that wrap advertising.

Thanks

OOPS Disregard - read the post again

Roy Ken

Of course you can go that route. I've done it multiple times. If traveling makes you that anxious, I'd agree that a tour group might be the way to go. What part of it makes you so nervous? Maybe we can alleviate your fears.

I think if I didn't like to drive long distances, I might try a train?? Still would let me walk around, and see the sights, and not experience the stress of flying. Also would accommodate enough backpacking gear that I'd be able to camp when I arrived at my destinations.

I DID use a Grand Caravan with the Stow 'n Go flat-floor feature to camp a couple of times: my cot fit nicely in the back; I had my "Luggable Loo" in case of a middle-of-the-night need for a potty; and if you look online, they make magnetically-attached screen windows for most vehicles. One time, the temps were in the 20's - an electric heater kept me more than toasty (the extension cord closed nicely into the back hatch weather seal)