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The Next Trip: Reference, Research, & Planning Below is a listing of the main websites we use when planning our next road trip. Niki rolls her eyes whenever I say that the answer to just about any question can be found on the Internet but I do believe that from my experience. It's usually just a matter of Googling the right question. Many travelers prefer to fly by the seat of their pants, making it up as they go, but we get much enjoyment in planning where we are going and what there is to see and do when we get there. If we can also save a few $$$, all the better. ____________________________ Canada Road Info & Local Services ____________________________ RV Parky Just enter in your start and destination, and this interactive trip planner can find the RV parks & campgrounds, Rest Areas, Military Campgrounds, Casinos, Walmarts, Cabela's, Cracker Barrels, Camping Worlds, Flying J's, Pilot, TA Travel Centers and more! Eastern U.S. Interstate Exits and Rest Areas by State and/or Route We've listed where to find each map & guide that's listed free on the Internet. Good Sam - Campgrounds & Routes Participating Good Sam Parks offer 10% discount to members but you now need to be a member to use their route planning service. Passport America Listing of campgrounds by State and City offering 50% off nightly rates for members. Ultimate U.S. Public Campground Project Over 20,000 Federal, State, and County campgrounds by State. CAT Certified Scales Concerned about the weight of your rig? Find out how easy it is to determine and put your mind at ease with CAT's help. They offer a free video. RV Park & Campground Reviews Valuable free service that lists camper's comments about the campground you are considering Low Clearances & Bridge Heights by State Indispensible if you travel off the main highways and Interstates. Walmart Stopovers Sometimes you need a quick and safe place to stay overnight but not all Walmart's allow RV's to spend the night in their parking lots. Cheap Area Gas Prices Gas Buddy gives prices submitted by consumers and usually only a couple of hours old. Pilot/Flying J Truck Stops They actually want RVers to stop by. They offer special lanes for us and discounts using their member card.
Free Campgrounds for RV's Nothing fancy but very helpful to those on a budget. Buy your Hunting/Fishing Licenses Online Choose your destination from a drop down menu to check prices and buy your fishing or hunting license. |
We try different routes as we travel South and North each year. We want to see what we can find on either side of the Interstates that we missed rushing to a destination back in our working days. We run I-26, 65, 69, 70, 75, 76, 77, 81, 84, 87, 88, 90, and 95 regularly to name a few. Some people like to use the Interstates, some don't. They are the principal routes in the U.S. and it's a trade-off. We put up with the traffic and don't have to worry about low overpasses, 5-ton limits or traffic backed up behind us on two lane countery roads. ___________________________________ They are also a quick way to add new States to your "Been There - Stayed There" USA map. As we try new routes we also try new campgrounds and change our "dot maps" to reflect and include the best we find as well as our other new discoveries in dining and sight-seeing. |
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We (Niki and Jack) downsized from our large 5th Wheel with three slides to a new 19' Roadtrek Simplicity SRT with no slides and limited space. See what we have added to our rig to make RV life more fun in a small home on wheels at Niceties and Necessities for Small Space RVing! ______________________________________ The reference books and our Roadside Assistance membership |
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Our Research We have researched most of the campground clubs and most are fine and offer very similar services if you want to travel the same routes and stay in the same member campgrounds as you travel. We don't. Our goal is to travel America in our RV and see and do what we have only read about, not having the time or perhaps the money to do so during our working life. We have a Lifetime Membership with Passport America simply because they have member campgrounds all over the Country and we do use them at least 75% of the time when on the road. Most of their member campgrounds are nice, friendly, and suitable for our needs (and half-price anything has a nice ring to it). Roadside Assistance is a must if you spend a lot of time on the road. Sooner or later something will require fixin' and it usually doesn't happen when you're sitting in a campground or a dealer;s parking lot. We have tried Coach Net and they are fine but only cover the tow vehicle when it is attached. We tried Good Sam and actually needed to use them several times and the service was satisfactory but we really take issue with a low introductory price the first year followed the next year by nearly doubling the price at renewal time. We dropped them and now use AAA Roadside Assistance. The price is decent, the coverage good, and they offer a host of extra free services like trip planning, travel books, and campground guides. We do use Good Sam Mail Forwarding service out of Pensacola. It is economical and they are responsive to our needs and instructions. We did subscribe to Good Sam Travel Assist for one year but did not renew. Read the actual Good Sam coverage carefully. If you are traveling extensively then a Rewards Card from Good Sam will save you 3 cents/gal at the Pilot/Flying J Truck Stops. Pilot/Flying J actually wants and appreciates the RV business they receive. Good people! Safe travels, Jack & Niki |
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