Overseas Visitors Touring Usa/canada 2012

QUOTE(vincee @ Dec 30 2011, 07:47 AM) [snapback]28504[/snapback]

My only input is I assume the Roadbear 19 is a B class or van type motorhome. I would highly recommend is possible going a little larger and defiantly a rig that has a generator. That in itself will greatly inhance your camping experience as many of the national parks you are looking to visit will be no electric hook up parks. Gas mileage and getting around in a 21ft or 23ft class C with genset will not be much different that the 19ft Roadbear. In addition, you would have more stretch out comfort in case of bad weather and your stuck in the rig. Enjoy your travels and Welcome to our beautiful country. You'll Love It!



Hi Vincee, the motorhome we are hiring is actually a 19-22' but not quite sure how that works, and it does have a generator. Our camper at home is only a 6 metre so we are used to not a lot of space. We could go to the next size for a few dollars more but decided against it. Could still change our minds though. Are going to be chatting to a guy here in NZ that hires campers each year in US and uses the same company as we are using, he is coming to see us so he may make us change our minds. The larger vans are still on the same chassis as the one we have booked. Have just booked the flights yesterday so getting excited. I am hoping we do not have bad weather!!! We have stunning scenery in NZ but I am expecting USA to be similar but on a grander scale. Thanks for the advice. Have a great New Year

 

I don't think anyone replied to your query about Passport America. Not every campground will be Passport America or sell a membership. Best to get the membership before you leave. Allow lots of time for it to be mailed to you. Also I find it helpful to use a software program such as Microsoft's Streets & Trips to map out my itinerary and get at least a rough idea where and when I want to be a trip. Good luck with your trip planning.

 

QUOTE(Glenn Norton @ Dec 30 2011, 06:58 PM) [snapback]28508[/snapback]

I don't think anyone replied to your query about Passport America. Not every campground will be Passport America or sell a membership. Best to get the membership before you leave. Allow lots of time for it to be mailed to you. Also I find it helpful to use a software program such as Microsoft's Streets & Trips to map out my itinerary and get at least a rough idea where and when I want to be a trip. Good luck with your trip planning.



Thank you Glenn, yes I was just thinking today I would have to post on Passport America topic. We do not plan to be in campgrounds all the time, have joined Harvest Hosts today which looks interesting, have to thank Pianotuna for that as he gave me a link to hasbeenthere.com and up popped Harvest hosts website. We have friends in Los Angeles so can get stuff sent there if we join PA which I think is a good idea as we are staying with them before we pick the motorhome up. We do not like booking ahead really but expect we may have to at some stage. At home here we freedom camp most of the time (boondocking) as we fly fish we are always parked near a lake or river somewhere. Hubbie is packing his fishing rod as we met some folk from Juneau a couple of weeks ago and they gave us some places to fish in Montana. Wish we were coming over for 6 months, there is going to be so much to see and do. All the best for the New year and a big thank you for your response to my query. Julie

 

Since you are into fly-fishing my husband strongly recommends the Animas River by Durango Colorado, there are plenty of RV parks in the area and if you like hiking and ancient Indian ruins, stop by a the Mesa Verde National Park, it is a wonderful place to experience. Also Jackson Hole Wyoming is known for good fly-fishing as well as Three Forks near Missoula, Montana is also a great fly-fishing location. Enjoy your trip!

 

QUOTE(shayob @ Jan 5 2012, 06:09 PM) [snapback]28553[/snapback]

Since you are into fly-fishing my husband strongly recommends the Animas River by Durango Colorado, there are plenty of RV parks in the area and if you like hiking and ancient Indian ruins, stop by a the Mesa Verde National Park, it is a wonderful place to experience. Also Jackson Hole Wyoming is known for good fly-fishing as well as Three Forks near Missoula, Montana is also a great fly-fishing location. Enjoy your trip!



Thank you shayob for the information re. fishing, gee it is going to be hard to decide what to do and what not to do. I already have Missoula ear-marked as a good place for fishing. Now that we have made the decision not to go into Canada we can perhaps fit in the parks that you mentioned. I am sure we will get plenty recommendations of where to go from other RV'ers once we are on the road. Happy travels to you too!!

 

Since you have some time, I'd suggest that you go online for the states you plan to be in and get a free travel guide mailed to you. The package usually comes with a free state map. Free is always a good price.

Add the US Forest Service, National Park, and Corp of Engineer campgrounds to your list. They will be in the $20/night range. If you plan on using a few Corp campgrounds, I'd recommend buying the book Camping With The Corps of Engineers. You can get a used one on Amazon.com. Use this site for planning and reserving campsites in federal parks. http://www.recreation.gov/

PA card will pay for itself in 2-3 uses.

Consider buying an America the Beautiful Pass. Check it out at this site: http://store.usgs.gov/pass/general.html You will get a huge discount for entrance to Federal Parks and depending on the exact pass, discounts as much as 50% for campgrounds.

I concur with the suggestion to get a mapping software like Streets and Trips if you plan on bringing a laptop. GPS are nice, but I much prefer to look at a larger screen when in the RV and IMHO it's easier to program waypoints into. It will interactive if you have a wi-fi connection.

I've put a trip to NZ into my bucket list next fall. Do you mind if I send a personal email about my plans?

 

QUOTE(RLM @ Jan 8 2012, 07:12 AM) [snapback]28558[/snapback]

Since you have some time, I'd suggest that you go online for the states you plan to be in and get a free travel guide mailed to you. The package usually comes with a free state map. Free is always a good price.

Add the US Forest Service, National Park, and Corp of Engineer campgrounds to your list. They will be in the $20/night range. If you plan on using a few Corp campgrounds, I'd recommend buying the book Camping With The Corps of Engineers. You can get a used one on Amazon.com. Use this site for planning and reserving campsites in federal parks. http://www.recreation.gov/

PA card will pay for itself in 2-3 uses.

Consider buying an America the Beautiful Pass. Check it out at this site: http://store.usgs.gov/pass/general.html You will get a huge discount for entrance to Federal Parks and depending on the exact pass, discounts as much as 50% for campgrounds.

I concur with the suggestion to get a mapping software like Streets and Trips if you plan on bringing a laptop. GPS are nice, but I much prefer to look at a larger screen when in the RV and IMHO it's easier to program waypoints into. It will interactive if you have a wi-fi connection.

I've put a trip to NZ into my bucket list next fall. Do you mind if I send a personal email about my plans?



Hi RLM, thank you for all the new info. I have joined PA, Harvesthosts, will get the National park pass, will check out the others you mention. Your welcome to send me an email re. NZ. The folk who run Harvest hosts are doing an organised trip to NZ in the next year or so and they toured all around NZ in 2007. So they may be able to help you too. Bye, Julie