Insane first RV trip plan?
I’m planning a round-trip month-long vacation with RV (pulled by VW Atlas) this summer. This would be by family’s first RV trip, so I want to know just how insane this plan is. The general idea is to ...
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Your first night in the camper should be in your driveway so every time you realize you forgot something you can run inside and get it.
Your next couple nights should be a local campgrounds not too far away so you can get a feel for how well your hitch, tires, etc. are set up. You will need a WDH with that tow vehicle I'd imagine. You should also make sure you have LT tires and not P tires on the Atlas.
It's very difficult with my family of 5 to make more than about 300 to 350 miles a day. When you account for camp tear down, fuel stops, bathroom stops, lunch stop, and setting up camp 300 miles is about enough for us. In my opinion if you wake up early, hit the road long and hard, and get to a campground late to set up in the dark it's not a vacation, it's an endurance run.
After maybe 2 or 3 days like that my kids need a break from being strapped into seat belts 8 hours a day so it's good to have a non-travel day every 3 or 4.
That looks like an over 4,000 mile trip to me, let's call it 4,500. I say you will need around 14 days of nothing but break camp, drive, set up camp.
Campsites are had to come by, particularly on weekends and at popular destinations. I just looked at a campground a few days ago for a mid-July reservation. I only wanted 1 night. About 90% of the spots were already booked.
I usually had all my destination campsites where I plan to spend a few days booked. I often leave the intermediate travel stops up to chance. Mostly it's worked out but not always. We tried to get a spot near Charlotte, NC one time not realizing that NASCAR was in town. That was a no-go.
We've gone out for 2 weeks at a time multiple times and it's been okay but the whole family is tired by the time we get back. I want to try a 3 week trip soon and maybe get from VA to MT. That will take lots of planning and reservations ahead I'm sure.
I've owned 3 RVs over the last 24 years and I'm looking for number 4. I wouldn't advise taking off for 4 weeks with no experience, no reservations, and no break in time with the new equipment. Especially if it's a new RV, there will always be something that needs attention under warranty.
Your next couple nights should be a local campgrounds not too far away so you can get a feel for how well your hitch, tires, etc. are set up. You will need a WDH with that tow vehicle I'd imagine. You should also make sure you have LT tires and not P tires on the Atlas.
It's very difficult with my family of 5 to make more than about 300 to 350 miles a day. When you account for camp tear down, fuel stops, bathroom stops, lunch stop, and setting up camp 300 miles is about enough for us. In my opinion if you wake up early, hit the road long and hard, and get to a campground late to set up in the dark it's not a vacation, it's an endurance run.
After maybe 2 or 3 days like that my kids need a break from being strapped into seat belts 8 hours a day so it's good to have a non-travel day every 3 or 4.
That looks like an over 4,000 mile trip to me, let's call it 4,500. I say you will need around 14 days of nothing but break camp, drive, set up camp.
Campsites are had to come by, particularly on weekends and at popular destinations. I just looked at a campground a few days ago for a mid-July reservation. I only wanted 1 night. About 90% of the spots were already booked.
I usually had all my destination campsites where I plan to spend a few days booked. I often leave the intermediate travel stops up to chance. Mostly it's worked out but not always. We tried to get a spot near Charlotte, NC one time not realizing that NASCAR was in town. That was a no-go.
We've gone out for 2 weeks at a time multiple times and it's been okay but the whole family is tired by the time we get back. I want to try a 3 week trip soon and maybe get from VA to MT. That will take lots of planning and reservations ahead I'm sure.
I've owned 3 RVs over the last 24 years and I'm looking for number 4. I wouldn't advise taking off for 4 weeks with no experience, no reservations, and no break in time with the new equipment. Especially if it's a new RV, there will always be something that needs attention under warranty.
