Tips To Know Before Taking an RV Road Trip

Categories: Featured, Trip Reports

Tips to Know Before You Go Traveling with Your RV Trailer

Road Trip

Traveling around the country in a trailer is a desire of many wander lusting individuals who are stuck in the city life. As a child I always dreamt of being on the road so one day I decided to just take the plunge. There are many sites online where people can discover the best routes for an R.V journey that will quick start their dreams.

After more than 7 years of living, driving and traveling in my RV, I cannot imagine going back to being stationary. I work as a website designer and I do my projects on the go as a freelancer but there are many people I know who even run businesses out of their RVs while traveling.

However RV’s are complex machines as they have a lot going on inside them. It has electricity running all sorts of appliances; you can take hot showers in it and even bake. Although living in the R.V is not a piece of cake as it involves a lot of maintenance, effort, and planning. There is a lot to remember as you move out from your apartment and to a moving studio where all the things you will be needing have to be crammed in. I have learned that it’s important to know this:

⦁    Know your vehicle
For people who are just going to start with this new lifestyle the first thing to keep in mind before heading off is to know the vehicle.  Before hitting the road, a thorough knowledge of your motorhome will come very handy when something breaks. It will pay off if you acquire the knowledge to figure out what has broken and where, and how to fix it. This practice will save you time and money spent on the mechanic and the hassle of finding one when you have a breakdown far from human settlements.

By knowing my vehicle inside out I was able to prevent potentially expensive operational errors like going over my main breaker’s amp limit and possibly blowing it which would have been a costly problem to fix.

Those planning to buy an R.V or a trailer there are many options of buying new or used trailers online and there is also the option of renting your vehicle. There are pros and cons of both renting and buying so it all depends on the individual and their lifestyle. For those who want to travel often or full time buying would be the more viable option than single trip makers who would benefit just enough by renting theirs out.

⦁    Test the R.V experience
Before setting out on long journeys it’s a must to test your vehicle and the whole RV-ing experience beforehand with shorter trips on a similar terrain. As a beginner you need to know small things like whether your bedroom cum kitchen is going to fall apart when you go downhill or switch lanes at speed. You should spend some time living and traveling in your trailer so that it becomes more obvious to you what the entire experience involves.

⦁    Organize to change your lifestyle
Before heading off, an Rv-er should make sure that they have brought all the tools and spare parts that they might need along with them. A well-stocked kit should have extra fuses, light bulbs, connectors, jumper cables and anything else that might be needed unexpectedly. You should especially make sure that the parts unique to your vehicle have a spare because if they break you will have to order and wait for the shipment to come.

Food supply screening and stocking is also super important because not having enough ingredients is the worst when you have all the tools to cook a delicious meal. In the case that happens, your next option of eating out might not work if you haven’t checked the route and whether there are eateries on the way.

Hence, in addition to these, planning the route, the stops, and the campsite will assist you in the long run and will make your road trip a stress free and a delightful experience. As a beginner heading out without planning will not be very beneficial because you lack the required expertise to tackle unforeseen issues.

It’s okay to have the urge to be spontaneous all the time and just go wherever you want and there is a lot of pleasure in that. However remembering to plan for vital things like organized budgets and how much is allocated to what, is crucial.

⦁    Road Practicalities
Prior to hitting the road travelers can curb the road uncertainties using on their GPS an RV specific route planner as it plans your route in accordance with the road laws e.g. which roads, bridges, and tunnels allow propane tanks or other overhead clearances.

It’s also important, whether you are using an RV or a trailer to have a campground checklist. A campground checklist should have everything that will make sure that you can camp properly where you park. You need to check for the ground to be even, the electrical, sewerage and the water hook ups mainly.

For beginners, knowing these on-the-go living basics are not just important for survival on the road, but they will also leave you with a feeling of immense freedom as you will be able to take control and care of yourself independent of the conventional structure of living and vacationing.

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