Thank you to (most) everyone for staying on topic and great tips.
- Ha Ha! me as a Metro Sissy Daddy now that's a good one
- My wife pulled our TT around for years thank you very much so yes I absolutely expect her to take to the MH as well. The 5er being over the truck is a little different and she doesn't prefer it
Anyway good idea on the reserving ahead, we will be in some uncharted territory for us so calling a few hours down the road sits better with me than just rolling in late at night... and we've mostly had good experiences with KOAs.
Totally with the idea of planning something to see each day, even if it's small. We have some friends who have made an art out of that, when they drive up to get their kids who were flown out to the grandparents for a few weeks. Then they take 2 weeks coming back here stopping at all sorts of random places.
Had forgotten about night driving. I resorted to that years ago when the kids were small, could be useful again.
mgirardo wrote:
Our kids are a little older now, 14 and 12, but when we first started RVing they were both in Car Seats. We went from a Travel Trailer to a Motorhome after we moved to GA. Traveling back and forth to see family in NJ with the TT was a hassle and usually required a stay over. We'd have to stop every 150 to 200 miles or so for gas and then have to stop for potty breaks and food. With kids the age your kids are, potty breaks can be often.
The 800 mile trip in the MH is a breeze and is done in one day. They both have laptops, one has a Kindle and the other my old de-activated SmartPhone to pass the time. In the MH, we get off the highway for fuel stops (usually 2) and 1 meal, the other meal is in the MH. They can go to the bathroom as needed without stopping and if they need a snack, they can get it.
We just did the trip a couple weeks ago. Left NJ at 10:30 am and got to GA at 12:30 am. We did stop for lunch and dinner due to poor planning on our part. I drove the entire trip (always do), stopped twice for gas. Although, if it was up to me, I wouldn't stop for meals. When I do the trip solo, it's two stops for fuel and without traffic it is a 12.5 hour drive.
Your 8 year old is old enough to bring along what they need to pass the time. The 5 year old might need some help. Books, crayons and paper, card games and board games and maybe a couple hours watching a movie will pass the time. Just having the extra room in the MH vs. the truck should make them happy at least for the first hour or two. When they get a little older, it will be a lot easier.
-Michael
thanks Michael I think this is similar to us now and where we expect to be.
Also good tip on finding parks off of the interstate and using them for the kids to burn off energy. When I plan tentative routes I'll look on google maps for options.
And for maps in general, my plan is to use our basement wall(s) to build a huge US map where we can pin the places we'd like to go / have been - and the kids using the Atlas in the MH to find and look forward to those places.
thanks!
