Were you aware that you can plan your RV road trip within minutes?
Going on an RV road trip is something that many people want to do because it gives you the chance to see various parts of the country without breaking the bank. However, planning a trip can seem difficult if you’ve never gone on one before.
To plan the perfect RV trip, you’ll just need to go through a few steps that’ll make the process simple. We’ll cover the main things you should consider, but everything will be smooth sailing after you get an RV.
Read on to find out how to plan the perfect RV road trip!
Buy the Right RV
One of the first things you must do when you want to go on an RV trip is to buy a vehicle. Buying an RV can take a lot of time, especially if you have a smaller budget. However, it’s a crucial part of the process because you need something that you’ll be comfortable in for the entire duration of the trip.
When buying an RV, you can go with a new or used one, though buying a new one will prevent you from running into problems. If you’re not looking to go on more RV trips in the future, used would be better because you can save money.
Check out a site like Leisurelandrvcenter.com to browse a large selection of vehicles. When you find something that interests you, you can see it in person and determine whether it’d be a good fit.
Renting an RV is also an option for those that want to experiment but aren’t ready to commit to one. The only downside of renting one is that you’ll need to be much more careful with it, but you can invest the extra money into other things for the trip.
Make a Plan and Budget
Putting together a travel plan will help you stay on track and avoid spending too much. Within your plan, you should outline where you’ll be traveling, how much you’d like to spend, and what activities you’d like to do.
Creating a budget may be the hardest part because you must do a lot of research to determine how much you might have to spend. Aside from food and RV fuel, you may need to pay for parking. You can find campsites with free parking, but you’ll have to pay just to stay in them.
While your regular budget should be enough to get you through the trip, you should also have an emergency fund. This is money that you can use in case you need to pay for RV maintenance or medical expenses.
Your emergency fund should never be used unless necessary, so ensure that your budget is large enough to do everything you want.
Book Locations In Advance
With any long-distance adventure, it’s best to book the places you’ll stay far in advance of the trip. When it comes to an RV road trip, you’ll most likely resort to campsites because they’re large enough to park the vehicle and sit close to tourist locations.
These campsites generally get booked fast, so prepare to spend a long time looking for one that’s available at the time you’d like to travel. If you can’t find one near the area you want to stay in, you may have to wait until a spot opens up.
Find Decent Routes
Another important part of the planning process is finding RV-friendly routes that’ll get you to your location. Unfortunately, many routes are too small to travel with an RV, especially when you get further from main cities.
You’ll need to go through Google Maps and determine which routes you want to take before starting the trip. You should also include backup routes in case a road is closed off.
Find Spots to Park
While campsites are great places to park an RV, you must find other places to park whenever you take it outside of the campsite. This isn’t too difficult if you’re far from a city, but you need something with enough space and security.
Avoid parking next to busy roads and near ledges. If you need to travel on mountain roads try not to stop unless you need to because the various turns can make it difficult for other cars to see you.
Have a Flexible Time of Arrival
The farther you’re traveling, the more likely something will come up that’ll slow you down. Because of this, you should prepare to arrive at a different time than what you’ve planned. For example, if you want to arrive at 3 PM, ensure that you can still do everything you want even if you arrive at 5 PM.
This is most important when it comes to checking in at a campsite because many of them have certain operating hours. Find out when you can check in to prevent having to wait outside of the campsite when you arrive.
Start Thinking About Your RV Road Trip Today
Now that you know how to plan an RV road trip, you should start brainstorming ideas for one. If you put together a plan now, it’ll be much easier to prepare everything else and ensure things go smoothly.
We encourage you to get an RV now if you don’t have one. Look for buying and renting options from sellers in your area. You can also sell an RV at the same place you bought it from if you don’t like it.
If you already have an RV, start thinking about the locations you’d like to visit and how much money you’ll spend. From there, everything else will fall into place as you outline the road trip.
Check out our other articles to learn about RV maintenance and other topics!
