New to RV,when traveling how do you know what areas to avoid

[Jackutah]

Let's face it .. Taking a wrong exit in some cities will place you in areas that you may not want to boondock or drive through being older or with the grandkids in RV.

when you are traveling through states that you have never been in before how do you know what areas to not stop to fill up.. Etc... .

I am a retired LE from California and now live in Utah... I travel in car all over the western states .. And know that the wrong exit in Bay Area .. Phoenix ... So cal .. Sacramento ... Vegas .. Etc places you in areas that are not safest..

I know this may be misunderstood but anyone who doesn't admit that parking in the wrong area is less safe than others is only fooling them-self..

How do you plan a trip all around the US and Canada with safety for grandkids etc as a factor..any apps.. Web pages etc that help?

[Bobbo]

lj2654 wrote:
I camped at a State Park just North of Memphis while in the area for a family situation. One night while driving home from the Elvis Presley Trauma Hospital downtown we ended up in a bad area of town at 11pm.I was low on gas, my error and didn't know where we were at. An officer pulled me over just a short ways from the park as he saw my out of state plate. Thank goodness he stopped me, as we were getting nervous. He told us to follow him and he would get us to the campground entrance safely!

Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park is EXACTLY where I had recommended they stay!

[cameronpatentla]

Jackutah wrote:
Really cracks me up how much of a jerk some people are.. I spent 22 years as sheriff in Californa and was active military as well as Army reserve ..so yes I have insight and knowledge of reading signs of trouble, but what a crack up that you can't ask if there is some app or other ways available to help plan a long term trip in areas a person has never been in without some people making stupid remarks..

Agree with your comment 100%. I'm glad you asked the original question, because, after filtering out the jerk responses, I've learned of some useful resources in the better responses that will make our travels safer.

On a different topic, As you are a former CA LEO, any good insight or advice on obtaining a CHL in CA? I'm a 15 year CHL holder in Texas and am wondering if it is even worth trying to exercise my 2nd Amendment rights out West.

[azrving]

So we basically need to profile.

[stickdog]

Jackutah wrote:
Really cracks me up how much of a jerk some people are.. I spent 22 years as sheriff in Californa and was active military as well as Army reserve ..so yes I have insight and knowledge of reading signs of trouble, but what a crack up that you can't ask if there is some app or other ways available to help plan a long term trip in areas a person has never been in without some people making stupid remarks..

There is an app for that it's your experience. Born and raised on Chicago's South side and worked in every neighborhood that's all the experience I need. Oh and common sense.

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

As a rule, unless it's an area you plan to explore, stay away from the more urban area of cities. Even if they have the nicest people in the world living there, they're still tough to navigate with a larger RV (and ideally, motorhomes should be using truck routes).

On the other hand, trouble can find you anywhere. Situational Awareness is your friend. We always tried to fuel up before entering a large city, because sitting in a traffic jam isn't fun - but it's even more stressful with a fuel gauge on "E"

[Jackutah]

Really cracks me up how much of a jerk some people are.. I spent 22 years as sheriff in Californa and was active military as well as Army reserve ..so yes I have insight and knowledge of reading signs of trouble, but what a crack up that you can't ask if there is some app or other ways available to help plan a long term trip in areas a person has never been in without some people making stupid remarks..

[NYCgrrl]

TechWriter wrote:

rockhillmanor wrote:
When planning my destination whether for just the nights stay or to sight see in unfamiliar territory I use this:

http://www.spotcrime.com/

It gives you info based on 'actual' police reports.

Also, look at www.city-data.com/crime/

Plus, before selecting a campground, I'll check it out using Google Maps Streetview so I can visually check out the area around the campground.

Good site: www.citydata.com. I've used it for work successfully.

The other one is unknown to me but I'll give it a read.

[TechWriter]

rockhillmanor wrote:
When planning my destination whether for just the nights stay or to sight see in unfamiliar territory I use this:

http://www.spotcrime.com/

It gives you info based on 'actual' police reports.

Also, look at www.city-data.com/crime/

Plus, before selecting a campground, I'll check it out using Google Maps Streetview so I can visually check out the area around the campground.

[junmy3]

Bobbo wrote:
Someone once asked for campground recommendations for Memphis, TN. A visitor to our fair city stated that he recommended the campground at Graceland. Since I live in Memphis, I know that area. I strongly advised against that area. The visitor actually came back and said the campground was perfectly safe, get this, because they had armed guards at the gate! My response was that I didn't want to camp where they HAD to have armed guards at the gate.

DW and I have stayed at several military installations where they have armed guards at the gate. We have never had a problem there. 🙂

[2gypsies1]

Geez...hard to believe that people are so uptight about looking for danger. If we felt the need to be looking over our shoulders all the time or trying to second guess every strange look someone gave us, we would have never lasted 16 years of full-timing. We just went and enjoyed ourselves. We have stayed in remote areas for many days and even left our RV alone and took off siteseeing. Our full-timing friends travel the same way and they're not 'carrying'. Wow!

Here are reviews for the above-mention El Paso area. I don't see any warnings to keep a gun by your bedside.

http://www.rvparkreviews.com/regions/texas/el-paso

[mlts22]

I read the RV reviews. Especially for RV parks on I-10 near El Paso. If they say that you need to keep a .45 by your bed, pass the park by. If they say that you need an AR-15 with a 100 round double-drum magazine by your bed... definitely don't patronize that place.

Usually the fact that an area is in a bad neighborhood pops up on the reviews, and unless there is an absolute reason to go to the area, it is wise to steer clear.

[Ozlander]

You are supposed to be a retired LE and can't tell good areas from bad?????

And don't know what to do if you end up in a bad area????

There's a difference in being in East St. Louis in the afternoon
and at 2 AM.

[sdianel_-acct_c]

We also avoid major cities. We use US Highways and State Highways. The traffic and scenery are usually better. It might be more miles but we have plenty of time. I use the CoPilot app for routing. It has an RV setting. I use Google Maps for routing and earth view to zoom to the road and street view. I plan our stops and we arrive well before dark. (by 4pm). For fuel stops we use truck stops on interstate highways if possible. If we use other fuel stops I look at them on Google Maps earth view and zoom to see the area and the entrance and exit to make sure we can easily access. I also check www.rvparkreviews.com and have changed plans based on the reviews there. I'd rather find an RV Park outside the city and drive into the city to sight see. In 10 years never had a problem except one night when we were newbies overnight parking in a Walmart parking lot someone knocked on our door. We don't use Walmart parking lots anymore for that reason. I know lots of people do with no problems. Our choice.

[Horizon170]

If you enter an area where all the buildings have security bars over the windows it's time to keep moving.:)

[lj2654]

I camped at a State Park just North of Memphis while in the area for a family situation. One night while driving home from the Elvis Presley Trauma Hospital downtown we ended up in a bad area of town at 11pm.I was low on gas, my error and didn't know where we were at. An officer pulled me over just a short ways from the park as he saw my out of state plate. Thank goodness he stopped me, as we were getting nervous. He told us to follow him and he would get us to the campground entrance safely!