What do you do for a second act? A decision to retire early has given us time to think about that question and without thinking our response was, "Explore the world!" We are new to RV camping and plan to take some trial runs this fall and then take a three month trip this winter. Our home away from home will be a Little Guy Tab trailer. Any advice is welcome - all of this is new to us. Which clubs to join - best discounts - you must see this place - we loved this campground - bring it on!
Lots of clubs to join. I would recomend Passport America for 1/2 price camping. If you have a golden age passport from the National Park service Corp of Engineer campgrounds are a great deal.
The pass card nedmtnman is called the America the Beautiful pass. There are several categories. Access (handicap), Senior (Age based), and Annual. If you don't qualify for the first two, then the latter is $80/yr. A bargain since CG costs are half priced. And access to fee based NP system is half price and covers holder plus 4 others. Your RV size will allow you to get into a lot of places. Corp of Engineer parks are always good, as well as Forest Service and NP campgrounds. They attract those that prefer to be "in the woods" with their RV. Way too many must see places to list, but don't forget the small ventures. Like geographical center of US in Kansas, cheese curds in Wisconsin, the Blue Ridge Parkway, Galina in Illinois, the Bourbon Trail in KY, or any other interesting Small Town, USA. Welcome to the site and happy retirement.
First welcome to the forum. Your enthusiasm is invigorating. There really is so much to see and do, and you left it pretty wide open. Why don't you pick an area you are interested in visiting (I know; how do you decide with so many choices!?), and then it would be easier for our members to make specific suggestions. For instance where are you thinking about going on your trial runs, and any ideas where you might go on your first big trip. Throw out one or two places you are considering and maybe our suggestions about them will help you make up your mind. I know you are excited and want to learn everything there is to know, and our members have lots of advice, but again choose one topic at a time and post your questions about it. This will help us focus our replies on things you are interested in. But feel free to ask as much as you want. To use your words--bring it on.
Welcome to the forum! Lots of good info here, so don't be shy to ask questions or offer any experience you have. Were one big community here! Mike
Thank you all for your warm welcome and the advice on clubs and park passports for discounts. Our first trial trip out will be in mid October to the Smoky Mountains. For the first few trips we want to stay where there is full facilities (not sure what you call this but hookup to electrical, central shower, etc). We will be traveling from Northern Michigan (Traverse City area) down to Nashville to visit family and then on to the Smoky Mountains.
Welcome to RVPR from north of the border. Don't forget to come up and see us some time. We're a friendly bunch and our money comes in lots of different colors.
When you are looking for campsites, full hookup refers to electric (30 or 50 amp), water (spigot at site so that a hose can be attached) and sewer (again at site so that sewer hose can be attached). Some RVers will say that full hookups should also include cable TV and WiFi, but many places that advertise full hookups do not include these last two items, so be sure to ask the campground what they provide. Most campgrounds have restrooms and showers, but not all, so again be sure to ask, and some may charge for showers. You will also find laundry facilities at many campgrounds almost always for a fee which may be reasonable or on the expensive side. You didn't mention if you will be traveling with a pet, so that is something else to ask about. Again most campgrounds allow pets on leashes, but some have off leash areas. And if you didn't pick up on it, the key here is to always check with the campground and ask about the facilities and confirm the policies in advance. That helps avoid any misunderstanding or surprises when you arrive.
For your first trial run I would suggest going to a park that is within a few miles of your home. That will give you a chance to try out your RV and you can still run home if you find you left something important at home and also give you a chance to remove items you realize you don't need. It will also give you the opportunity to test all the functions of your RV so you are comfortable with them when you actually head out. Any questions that might come up at an RV park would, most likely, be gladly answered by other campers, or management, at the park. Most of us love to share our experience with new RV'ers to help them get started.
Thank you - your advice will be a constant reminder. We are traveling with a miniature dachshund (Reilly) - so it is good to hear that most campgrounds allow pets on leashes. I was browsing an RV park that someone had recommended near Key West and through browsing their information I found that not all RV parks allow smaller trailers. One more thing to keep in mind. Again, thank you!
I love Canada - I worked in Toronto for about 6 months and have been to Montreal, Algonquin Falls and the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. What I love most about Canada is the beauty and everyone I met in my time and travels there were so very nice. Looking forward to trips to explore your beautiful country. I still have some loonies and toonies I can bring along...
We love dachshunds and raised 4 (all at the same time) black and tan miniatures to "ripe old ages." But we have cats now. That is correct. There are also parks that only allow class A's and some have age restrictions for the RV, and sometimes the even the RVers as some parks require guests to be 55+. But none of that is true for most parks. You will have no trouble finding parks that will suit your needs, so just keep doing your homework and you won't have any problems.
