Happy trails! Navigate an RVing adventure
Use your computer to help plan an exciting summer
By Maureen Halushak
The RVing community is as active online as it is on the road. Hundreds of sites cater to this fun family pastime.
“It’s amazing how technology has improved the RVing experience,” says Amy Herzog, a mom in California and spokesperson for the U.S. Recreational Vehicle Industry Association. She uses online resources to plan getaways in the family’s Winnebago, such as a six-week tour of New York, Pennsylvania and New England. In fact, the Herzog family has visited just about every state.
Plan ahead
While RVing is often seen as the ultimate in spontaneous travel, Herzog and family — husband Brad and sons Luke and Jesse — carefully plot all of their RV adventures before they hit the road. “A good plan maximizes our potential for fun,” she says.
Peggi McDonald, Canadian author of RV Living in the 21st Century: The Essential Reference Guide for All RVers (Authorhouse, 2004), agrees. Every trip she plans starts at the same place — FreeTrip. “It’s the most amazing site,” she says.
FreeTrip provides a detailed travel itinerary for any North American destination based on your preferences for routes (scenic or toll-free) and accommodations (hotels, condos or campgrounds). The FreeTrip plan also highlights any Happy Camper affiliated discount campgrounds en route.
“All RVers should have either a Happy Camper or Passport America membership,” says McDonald. “If you stay in a campground for four nights a year, you’ve recouped the membership fee.”
Annual memberships entitle members to half-price fees at thousands of campgrounds in Canada and the United States. Find other RV campgrounds online at KOA and Go RVing Canada or Go RVing.
Ready, set, pack!
Aside from the usual camping essentials — bug repellent, sunscreen and lots of marshmallows — a few extra items will ensure that your RV getaway runs smoothly.
McDonald never hits the road without a ground/line monitor (to check the campsite electrical service before hooking up the RV) and a water regulator for the tap-end of the water hose (to control the pressure of the water coming into the RV). Both are available at Camping World and Canadian Tire.
Also make sure to pack the kids’ walkie-talkies. “These really help when you’re trying to back your RV into the campsite,” says McDonald. Another item not to forget? Your laptop. “Most campgrounds have Internet access,” says Herzog.
A laptop could come in handy to find local attractions online, check your e-mail or use a program such as Streets & Trips to plan route maps to your next destination. You can even purchase the program with a GPS to help you find your way.
For a full list of must-pack picks (and for a small fee), download RV Education 101’s Original Checklists for RVers e-book.
Make getting there half the fun
To avoid a never-ending chorus of “Are we there yets,” the Herzog family drives a maximum of four hours a day and plans daily kid-focused detours. “We always make sure to set the boys’ sights on some exciting destination,” she says. That destination could be anything from a children’s museum (which she finds on the Association of Children’s Museums site) to a Chuck E. Cheese restaurant. And Herzog always uses the Internet to scope out RV parking before the family rolls into a new town.
There are other ways to find fun on the road too.
- Listen to books on tape. Simply Audiobooks lets you choose from more than 20,000 titles to rent for a monthly subscription fee.
- Try travel games. Mom’s Minivan offers tons of fun things for kids to do in the car.
Campfire camaraderie
Sitting around a fire is the quintessential image of camping. A little rusty on fire-building and safety? Take a tip from Smokey the Bear, and keep a bucket of water and a shovel nearby.
And don’t fret if you’ve forgotten the words to “Home on the Range.” Visit BusSongs.com for lyrics to dozens of campfire favourites. Or download a spooky story from The Campfire Stories Handbook where there are dozens of ghost stories, funny tales and Indian legends to share around the fire. Aren’t you glad you packed all those marshmallows?
