So, you’ve got your New RV, your bags packed, your house shut up, and you are prepared for your RV trip. However, on the road, you find yourself stopping for meals twice as often as you expected. The activities that you planned are far more pricy than you had budgeted for, and the gas that it is taking to get from point A to point B is a major weight to add. Where did you go wrong? The same place that many other avid RVers go wrong — a lack of planning. Sometimes, the smallest things can offset your vacation fund, which could ultimately break down the entire trip.
The question then becomes, how do you avoid such an obvious, yet dangerous pitfall? Simple and comprehensive planning will do the trick every time. There are a few major things that you can do to make sure that, when it is time to pull out of the driveway, your entire trip is planned from A to Z.
Tip #1
Plot the trip by map.
Imagine this, rolling down the highway and then realizing that you need to pull over for gas. So, you pull over, but there is an underpass. And, surprise! The underpass is too low for your RV. So, what do you do now? The truth is, this can happen to even the most well-planned RVer. Make sure you know where you are turning off and that your RV can handle the road’s challenges. Plotting the trip can be done with certain GPS apps that can calculate the best routes to take for the size of RV you are toting. Such tools can also help plan gas stops so that you are never stranded in the middle of a gas-free dessert.
Tip #2
Plan You meals bring what you need.
Sure most campgrounds have some kind of convenience store where you can shop. However, you can cut down on your food costs tremendously if you just plan ahead. Remember, cooking your own food doesn’t mean that you have to have burgers every night. There are some amazing on-the-road recipes that you can whip up anywhere — whether it is on a campground, at a travel stop, or at the local Wal-Mart parking lot.
Tip #3
Low-Cost or N-Cost Activities
Especially if you are traveling with kids, you want to make sure that your trip encompasses all of the necessary day-activities to keep everyone happy and enjoying the vacation. Look through local directories of the locations you plan on stopping at so that you can find the most enjoyable (but less costly) activities around. Perhaps there is a water-park that is having a summer special? Or a mini-golf course with kids-eat-for-free policies. These types of activities can work wonders on the wallet!
There is so much that you can do to make the trip memorable for the kids and your family, but not memorable for your checking account. Plan well and the vacation will be so much more pleasant.
