Help for a Newbie

[Allen_B]

We are newly retired and are planning a trip to the west and southwest this summer with a new travel trailer. We live in Georgia. In planning, how many miles per day should we schedule? Should we make reservations for overnight stays or would a "walk up" work for the busy summer. Any other thoughts from experienced travelers. I do have Good Sam's RV Travel Guide. Thank you. Allen B

[2hams]

We typically make reservations for a major destination like Yellowstone or the Grand Canyon. From that, we plan 200 to 250 miles a day, a stop for at least 2 nights every 2 or 3 days, and an extra few days to arrive at the destination. We typically call ahead between Noon and 3 for a nightly stop. I try to find other things to see along the route to the destination, and add extra days for that.

Depending on the length of your trip, don't forget a day here and there to just do nothing. When we first retired we found that the first day or two of a trip we would go farther, say 250 to 300 miles, then slow down.

I check campgrounds both in the Trailer Life directory and on rvparkreviews

[LynnandCarol]

We also go about 200-250 miles per day. We make a list of campgrounds along our route and contact via cell. If we feel like going a bit farther we can (or not). We also like to get off the road in 3-4pm time frame and get setup for the evening. If they area and CG are nice we may stay a few days in route to where we plan to stay longer.

[rr2254545]

I use 250 per day as my average.

Being summer I would definately make reservation at major tourist stops IE Yellowstone and other national park areas.

Out west in some places campgrounds and gas stations can be few and far between.

Enjoy your trip - travel tip you can get a weekly rate at most campgrounds including KOA

[Crowe]

Allen, most RVers average about 50 mph. How long a day you put in depends on your stamina and how quickly you feel you want to get someplace. Because we were always short on time, we averaged 500 miles/day when we had a good distance to travel. Made for some VERY long ones. Keep in mind that issues like traffic and weather play a big part in how long it will take you to get somewhere. As far as reservations go, I always plan ahead because I don't like unpleasant surprises and have seen others get turned away when they didn't plan ahead. However, many on the forum don't make reservations and have had no issues. If it's peak season in a highly sought after area, reservations certainly wouldn't hurt. Otherwise, if you are willing to risk it, just go where your heart leads you.

[doxiemom11]

We are fulltimers going on 3 years. We have never had a reservation and have never been turned away from a campground. We are in a Class A and with traffic thru small towns, rest stops, lunch etc we figure we go about 45 miles average per hour. (We also travel at 55-60 mph). We seldom go over 200 miles per day. We try to be set up at our next stop by 4pm at the latest. Earlier is also nicer. Just depends on what times of day we start traveling. We have never been out west, but from what I read you will need reservations for any holidays or popular tourist areas.