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?

[down_home]

We never get out of the familiar circle I guess. If we go by happenstance or error into someplace, that doesn't feel or look right, we leave.
Trust your instincts.
Planning involves areas we presume are safe or other RVers,friends or family recommend.
I'm not finding the words, I want.
As a Retired LEO, you should have pretty good instincts on the subject.

[2gypsies1]

Deb and Ed M wrote:
There's another aspect of RVing we need to remember - we can stumble into a hornet's nest out in the boondocks if we get too close to a "grow site" (marijuana); or worse yet, a mobile Meth Lab. Don't venture off the beaten path when hiking; and stay away from solitary RVs/vans/commercial trucks with little outdoor activity when boondocking.

OMG:h

We've ventured 'off the beaten path' for the past 16 years while full-timing. We've hiked plenty of national forests, BLM lands, boondocking alone on those lands, etc. and never had any kinds of problems - human or beast. If we had to constantly worry about every aspect of RVing we wouldn't have done it.

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

There's another aspect of RVing we need to remember - we can stumble into a hornet's nest out in the boondocks if we get too close to a "grow site" (marijuana); or worse yet, a mobile Meth Lab. Don't venture off the beaten path when hiking; and stay away from solitary RVs/vans/commercial trucks with little outdoor activity when boondocking.

Also - beware of places that smell of ammonia, paint thinner, or acetone - those are common ingredients used to make meth (along with empty decongestant packages, drain cleaner, and camp fuel). Don't touch any trash with those empty containers, or #20 gas bottles, 2-liter bottles (or coolers or totes) with tubes in the tops and brown or white residue. Just drive away and call the police.

Stumbling onto these criminal activities out in the wilds, is more likely to get you killed, than driving through the inner city......

[spoon059]

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..

Exactly. I can tell once I am in the area, the question was how to AVOID those areas. It can be difficult to turn around a 35 foot trailer and a 20 foot truck in a city. Some people would like to be able to avoid these areas, rather than try to get out of them after the fact.

I tend to research areas that I want to visit. If I am stopping for gas somewhere, I try to stop at places near the major road that I am using. If I pull off on the outskirts of a city and find the area to look less than ideal, I tuck my CCW in and pump gas. I've found myself in crappy areas in North Carolina before. Never needed to use my CCW... at work or at play.

[spoon059]

cameronpatentlaw wrote:

Blazing Zippers wrote:
Since then, we NEVER venture from the rig without OC in our pocket!

OC?

Oleoresin capsicum. Standard issue "pepper spray" for law enforcement. Great option for up close self defense.

[beemerphile1]

cameronpatentlaw wrote:

Blazing Zippers wrote:
Since then, we NEVER venture from the rig without OC in our pocket!

OC?

Oral contraceptive?
Orange crush?
:B

[beemerphile1]

Johnny_H wrote:
I really can't believe that I just spent about 10 minutes reading all of this just to come to the conclusion that a lot of people spend way too much time watching TV and then worrying about what may happen if they do this or what if they do it another way. Sheez, I know common sense is really becoming an endangered species, but really??????

"Common sense" is misnamed because it has never been common.

[cameronpatentla]

Blazing Zippers wrote:
Since then, we NEVER venture from the rig without OC in our pocket!

OC?

[Blazing_Zippers]

Being ex LE--I too look at most everyone with a jaundiced eye. A lesson we learned a few years ago by stopping to walk through a park by a lighthouse. There was a fellow leaning on his car near the pathway, and as soon as we dropped into the park, he started following us. We high tailed it to an open area, where we could see him still stalking us. Since then, we NEVER venture from the rig without OC in our pocket.
Having just spent time in a ghetto city in Cali, I am glad we can choose where we travel. We did learn a couple new languages on our travels!

[B_O__Plenty]

Bad places to be are usually at their worst after dark. I stay "home" after dark. I stay out of major cities. There is nothing in a major city of interest to me, nothing. I camp to get away from crowds.

B.O.

[cameronpatentla]

Johnny_H wrote:
I really can't believe that I just spent about 10 minutes reading all of this just to come to the conclusion that a lot of people spend way too much time watching TV and then worrying about what may happen if they do this or what if they do it another way. Sheez, I know common sense is really becoming an endangered species, but really??????

Haha! Believe it! You did just spend 10 minutes reading all this just to come to the conclusion that you did. Now your response is going to elicit another 4 pages of additional comments that you are going to spend 10 minutes of your life reading which will either confirm or refute your earlier conclusion, and so on and so on. Face it--you're trapped in a Message Board purgatory. Or you can just turn off your computer and head over to Camping World and buy that new GPS you've had your eye on.

[Bobbo]

rockhillmanor wrote:

rjxj wrote:
So we basically need to profile.

No.
Criminal activity comes in ALL colors.

Profiling is not just about color. It can also be about neighborhood appearance. Graffiti on the walls, bars on the windows, plywood over doors, I don't want to be in that area. That has nothing to do with the color of the populace.

BTW, while politically incorrect, as well as illegal, profiling actually returns a higher percentage of successful apprehensions. How many German/English Grandmothers have blown up airliners in the last 50 years? I laugh whenever they wand DW at the airport. I have seen them do it.

[Johnny_H]

I really can't believe that I just spent about 10 minutes reading all of this just to come to the conclusion that a lot of people spend way too much time watching TV and then worrying about what may happen if they do this or what if they do it another way. Sheez, I know common sense is really becoming an endangered species, but really??????

[azrving]

rockhillmanor wrote:

rjxj wrote:
So we basically need to profile.

No.
Criminal activity comes in ALL colors.

When I am RV'ing I do NOT want to drive thru, visit and/or view crime riddled areas. It really is not on my bucket list of things I want to see or be in the middle of.

So, yes, I am proactive when traveling in unfamiliar areas.

Area's of crime exist thru out the USA, it's a fact of life. RV'ing with one's family and bad parts of towns just shouldn't be in the same sentence.....if you truly care about your family.

I didn't say anything about color. In less words I'm saying that profiling and discriminating between the visual characteristics of our surroundings is good. Same as what you are doing.

One description of profile: degree of notice-ability; visibility.

One description of discriminate: to note or observe a difference; distinguish accurately; to discriminate between things.

"Things" being nasty areas regardless of who caused them.;)

[rockhillmanor]

rjxj wrote:
So we basically need to profile.

No.
Criminal activity comes in ALL colors.

When I am RV'ing I do NOT want to drive thru, visit and/or view crime riddled areas. It really is not on my bucket list of things I want to see or be in the middle of.

So, yes, I am proactive when traveling in unfamiliar areas.

Area's of crime exist thru out the USA, it's a fact of life. RV'ing with one's family and bad parts of towns just shouldn't be in the same sentence.....if you truly care about your family.