Heading south from Canada

Many folks in New Brunswick travel south on the same agenda you have planned.

They stay here to enjoy Christmas with family and friends and then leave to head to warmer weather before January 1st (weather permitting) One friend likes to leave on boxing day with the goal of spending New Years Eve with his warm weather friends in Florida.

Most however travel at a more relaxed pace. The rule of thumb when heading south form here is plan to spend the first night in a motel. Hartford CT seems to be a popular first night stop By night two you should be far enough south to find some open campgrounds where you can dewinterize. That schedule is based on driving eight hours per day if you can handle it.

Coming from Northern NB adds travel time so you might have to spend two nights in motels before you get to an area with open campgrounds but the good thing is it is the off season and motels rates should be cheap.

Is your plan reasonable - yes and many are already doing exactly that. Just keep your eye on the weather and stop if conditions are slippery. As someone already said driving on bare pavement is the same winter or summer. Most times the roads are clear the day following a storm so delays, if encountered, would be minimal.

Good luck with your plans and safe travels

PierreBois wrote:
great ideas and suggestions, thanks everyone. The main reason I want to leave at that time is that with six kids, all adults, and seven grand children we want to ensure the tribe is happy and taken care of. Another discussion :D Lots of time to fine tune the idea and plan. thanks.

You may want to consider what we did when we first started. We changed the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend into an early Christmas. At first we had some grumbling but once we did it everyone thought it was a good idea because it took one family out of the planning picture at Christmas time. With six adults children and if they are all married, that means a real juggling act to satisfy all the parents of all the extended family.

great ideas and suggestions, thanks everyone. The main reason I want to leave at that time is that with six kids, all adults, and seven grand children we want to ensure the tribe is happy and taken care of. Another discussion :D Lots of time to fine tune the idea and plan. thanks.

I did just something along those lines. I wanted my rig secure and out of the weather, so I parked my RV up for the winter in Raleigh NC, in an indoor storage unit (was actually heated if I had wanted to pay for that), then went back in the spring and continued my trip.
Yes it was spendy, but I was 3000 miles away and wanted no hassles. It all worked out very well.

I'm not a fan of driving the RV through snow, although there is no reason it can't be done carefully.

If you're going to be retired at the time of this trip, why would you need to leave in Dec/Jan? Leave in October and have a nice leisurely trip south or west. Then head back home a more northernly route when the worst of winter is over. Or...leave in April for the start of the trip. Just a suggestion.....

IMO you will have to go farther south than that to dewinterize for making tour a of the USA.
Even here in northeast Oklahoma we have winter temps down as low as 30 below zero as a extreme. Most winters though its single digit temps 3-4 time a winter.

Your going to have to stay in the deep south like FL/GA/AL/MS southern TX/NM and AZ unless your set up with below freezing weather for your water needs.
Just about all campgrounds are closed. Many that are open have the water shut off.

I can't imagine touring the USA in the winter in a TT. You will sure have to be cold weather prepared.

Many people store their RV's in Myrtle Beach, SC. Pick them up on the way south. Don't believe you have to winterize.

Some campgrounds that have seasonal lots for summer will extend storage for a minimal amount during the winter months. You would save on fuel for sure if you could find a campground in whatever state south of you that had this option.

What exactly would be your travel itinerary leaving New Brunswick? I would be worried about things freezing up in the trailer unless you have a four season. Our weather can be questionable that time of year.

Over the years, I've had the fortune (or misfortune) of traveling northern states during the winter. Naturally, it behooves us to watch the weather. Twice, I've been caught in lake effect snow storms in PA and NY which delayed my arrival between 2 and 4 days. Both times, I dry-camped in my 4 season camper at a rest area or private property with permission and stayed comfortable. Aside from being behind schedule, my propane bill approached the national debt. However, with few exceptions, I've found the Interstates to be reasonably cleared for travel.

When traveling in northern climes during the winter, I allow the sun to kiss the road for a couple of hours before getting under way. I also make it a point to get off the road before dark. Sorry I can't help with storage in VA.