TRAVELLING FROM VIRGINIA TO BROWNSVILLE, TX

[theogre1969]

We bought our 3320bh to do a lot of camping, we went 5 times in 3 months....which is a lot as we hadn't gone camping ever in 10 years previously.....but in November, I have to tow it to Brownsville, TX. 1743 miles. Is it feasible to just pull into a campground without a reservation and expect a spot? Or should I plan out 500 mile days and book a reservation ahead of time? Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated.

[RavensFan24]

In November, I don't see you needing electricity for an overnight stay. If its super cold, some extra blankets will get the job done. Or like 'GolfCart' said, grab a generator to be able to run your heat if needed. If you're looking to save money though, just suck it up with blankets. We stayed in Florence, SC in late June in a Walmart and it was hot, but I just turned on the Fantastic Fan and a floor fan plugged into an inverter and we stayed cool enough to sleep through the night, even though it was already 80 something early in the morning.

To avoid being bothered at Walmart, just go in and let them know you'll be staying in the lot overnight. They appreciate the heads up and might tell you to park in a certain area. I typically just park without notifying if I see other RVs or tractor trailers parked there and I stay towards the back and as far from others as possible. Some WalMarts don't allow overnight parking, but there are usually signs if that is the case. It's rare and most of the time that happens in/near cities. The nice thing is many are open 24 hours so you can grab some late night supplies or food and be ready to roll come the morning.

Just don't push it too far. The last thing you want is to be tired, trying to find a place to sleep and hauling a few thousand pounds behind you. One quick head doze when you're sleepy and you could have 50ft of vehicle/trailer flying all over the road. Plan for 100 miles every 2 hours while towing. That's a basic rule some truckers use and it worked out to be almost exactly that on our trip from FL to MD and back.

[Golfcart]

For me personally, 400miles/7.5 hours pulling is a tiring but doable day. 500 miles/9 hours is at my limit.

If you're worried about electricity just buy a cheap generator. The're noisy, but it doesnt really matter if your are boondocking at a truckstop for the night

[theogre1969]

I appreciate it, I am doing a no cost move from Virginia to Brownsville. Definitely not a sight seeing trip....as fast as I can get there, the better. I thought about the walmart thing, but it's a travel trailer, and no electricity? How does walmart work? Do you park then go into Customer Service? Not sure I want to do advanced reservations as then I feel like RavensFan and LOCKED in. Not sure how much more strenuous this is going to be than just driving my truck without a trailer....I am usually good for about 600 miles without towing.

[RavensFan24]

I think it would depend on if you're trying to take it slow and enjoy the trip or just get to TX. I would make a general plan and research some options so you can see what kind of availability they have if you do need to roll in at a random hour or without a reservation. Also research a few WalMarts or Cracker Barrel's in the area and make sure they allow overnight parking as a last resort or a quick napping spot.

From my experience most places will have a spot open unless it's some vacation destination or an event is going on, but to play it safe do some research and call some places, so you have options and certain points throughout your trip. For me, reservations make me feel like I'm locked in to making a stop when I have an RV for freedom of stopping whenever we want. Again, it all depends on what you want to do during the trip. If you're trying to camp along the way, find the best stops with things to do and find a campground near there. If you're trying to get through it as fast as possible, have some check points in mind with phone numbers handy and whenever you're ready to stop, just pull in and get some sleep.

I haven't used it yet, but I have the RVParky app on my phone. Good Sam also has a campground directory available. I love state and national parks personally, but there are time restrictions on when you can arrive to some.

Over 1700 miles will take at least 3 days of a lot of driving, so I'd prob pick some hot spots to stay along the way and spend a little time enjoying the area, so I didn't drive myself insane by just staring at the white and yellow lines going by for 3 straight days.

When we drive from FL to MD and back, I researched a few options of places to stop overnight. I found a Walmart in Florence, SC that was a good mid way point for a break. That's a 1000 mile trip (FL to MD) that we do in 2 days with the trailer. Sleep for about 6 hours in the Walmart lot at the midway point and then back on the road to finish the trek.

[darsben]

It is feasible but may not be best.
Can you spend a night without being plugged into shore power and connected to water?
If you cannot then reservations are best.
If you can spend a night or two in a rest area or Walmart then no advance reservations just call as you get close.
The have been reports of no spots in some popular areas after 4-5 PM as RVers tend to stop early when going to spend an overnight