Thoughts for our sightseeing trips

[l&mtripp]

We just got our 5th wheel (upgrade from a small Class C) and are ready for some longer stay sightseeing trips now that retirement is looming. I am curious on how others plan and conduct their trips. We were thinking of picking a central spot with a number of surrounding things we are interested in seeing and doing, pay for a month at that location then make the drive and setup and then start exploring. What do you do. Thanks for sharing.

[Grumpy]

I really don't know what would be in any area that requires a 30 day stay to see the surrounding sites. You don't want to be spending several hours each day on the road getting from the CG to the sites you're interested in. We rarely stayed in one CG longer than 3 or 4 days as we explored an area.

[Happy wife / happy life]

Originally Posted by Grumpy

I really don't know what would be in any area that requires a 30 day stay to see the surrounding sites. You don't want to be spending several hours each day on the road getting from the CG to the sites you're interested in. We rarely stayed in one CG longer than 3 or 4 days as we explored an area.

X2

[l&mtripp]

Thanks for the feedback. We are looking forward to actually getting out there. I know we will have fun figuring out what sightseeing pace we like once we are on the road a while. Thanks!

[Happy wife / happy life]

[QUOTE=l&mtripp;1076423 I am curious on how others plan and conduct their trips.

When DW ( Dear Wife ) and I plan a 6 to 8 week trip we first pick a destination. We then start our homework on what route and what is there to see between home and the destination. Now remember your retired and not in a hurry, you don’t have to drive 4 or 5 hundred miles a day. We try to plan 175 to max 300 miles a day. We make reservations 1 or 2 days ahead of time. We do our best to stay away from big cities. Small town America is way to cool to pass up! Along the way we’re talking about how we want to go home ( same route or a new one ). This is the way we like to travel. The number of days you stay somewhere is completely up to you ( you got to love retirement ). I hope this will at least give you some ideas. Remember your retired and you “ ain’t in a hurry to get anywhere “!! Safe travels!!

[l&mtripp]

Thanks very much for the retirement reminder. That is something that I will need to keep telling myself. Did you have your destination list created prior to your retirement or do you let that be a surprise each time you start planning?

[Grumpy]

Originally Posted by l&mtripp

Thanks very much for the retirement reminder. That is something that I will need to keep telling myself. Did you have your destination list created prior to your retirement or do you let that be a surprise each time you start planning?

Shoot from the hip.....

[LuckyDuck]

Only YOU can answer the question of where you want to go and for how long. Well, you and DW. When we bought our TT just before retirement, we had 2 or 3 places on our bucket list that we wanted to visit. Most involved national parks and all included sites along the way that we also wanted to explore. After knocking those off our list, I asked DW, “So, where do you want to go next year?” Her reply: “We’ll, I’ve never been to the Grand Canyon…” Guess where the next trip was? That is where we are now — brainstorming for the next season, picking a destination and then plotting out a course that hits other sights along the way.

[l&mtripp]

Awesome! Can't wait to be doing the same. Right now we are thinking the maiden voyage will be to visit our son and his family outside Atlanta. Researching CG's now. Thanks to all for your inputs.

[Grumpy]

Originally Posted by l&mtripp

Awesome! Can't wait to be doing the same. Right now we are thinking the maiden voyage will be to visit our son and his family outside Atlanta. Researching CG's now. Thanks to all for your inputs.

One thing you may want to consider is joining a Club, FMCA, ESCAPEES or similar.

FMCA partners with Fantasy RV tours and there is a lot to choose from and they handle all the planning.

https://www.fantasyrvtours.com/RV-Tours/Club-Tours/FMCA

[l&mtripp]

Will do, Grumpy! I'll check them out. Thanks!

[TomC_AZ]

In planning for our larger trips we use RVTrip Wizard. It is inexpensive but helpful for planning and driving. This allows for all of the route planning while taking into account driving ranges/miles and RV spec for bridges etc. Works well but still always be on the watch, never totally believe any technology.

We also joined Harvest host and have had great experiences with them. There are not as many of them out west as there are in the mid-west and east coast. For our trip we used them along with some boondocking (in states that allow) while moving from one location to another.

As Grumpy states, shoot from the hip a bit, especially while driving. If you run across something be a little flexible and allow yourself the time to go look and sightsee. Even if it means you get into a camp location a bit later (try to still get there during the day light hours though). Again that all depends on what type of traveler you and the DW are. We found additional fun and unforgettable experiences for every time we did this. The small town of Casey IL is one of those. Awesome little town.

[l&mtripp]

I have been researching different RV route planners and RV Wizard was migrating to the top of the list. Thanks for the input. We just confirmed that our maiden trip in the new 5th wheel will be to visit our son and his family in Georgia the end of the month. Aside from the overnight stay at the dealership, we will really get to test things out a little more. Just curious TomC, but what other rv route planners did you look at before going with RV Wizard?

[TomC_AZ]

We looked at Roadtrippers, and TogoRV but both of those are too limited. Even RVTrip Wizard is not perfect, it still lacts some functionality that I would like to see. But even Google/Yahoo/MapQuest etc dont offer those capabilities, yet.

We did pay for all of those to get/see full functionality but only TripWizard will be renewed. For finding more details Campendium (paid version) has been great along with RV Parky (free). There are a couple other larger ones out there like The Dyrt (did not like it at all so never paid for it. We never tried Allstays so cannot share any opinion of it, seemed like they wanted to nickel and dime for each app.

Along with all of these we do still use apple and google maps and google earth. We have a shorter trailer, however we quickly found ourselves in one location locked in a parking lot. Took a little bit to get out. So use the mapping/sat view to look at everything :-)

[l&mtripp]

Thanks! This helps me go ahead and decide. Will let you know how we like trip wizard.

[Junmy3]

For the last few years we have been planning trips to visit national parks and historic sites. We are currently in a trip out west where we are visiting around 30 of the lesser known sites such as Pipe Springs in Arizona, Aztec National Monument in NM, and Craters of the Moon in ID.

[Hollander Mutthaulers]

Do what you think you want to do. You only learn by doing.
Best wishes for many good excursions!

[RPR]

Use it as a help tool and not totally dictate your route. What drives me crazy is for a relative tell me they have to go that way because the app said so.

[ltnunes]

How you plan is up to your personality type. Are you happier with a project plan and the routes charted out? Are you more comfortable being spontaneous? There’s no right answer 😁

[harryjr]

Originally Posted by l&mtripp

I have been researching different RV route planners and RV Wizard was migrating to the top of the list.

The one feature that makes RV Wizard worth the price to me is the ability to drop a mileage radius on the map from your daily starting point. I haven't found that in other planners. It is "as the crow flies", rather that actual driving distance but gives a good reference to start researching campgrounds or attractions. We plan on 300 miles/day so I do one @275 and a second @ 325 miles. Anything in between the two arcs is on the table.

Enjoy the retirement.