Trip Planning Frustrations. Please share you tips so I can remain sane

[RVwife]

I plan longer trips with Garmin BaseCamp. It is free, and the UI is a bit different, resulting in a steep learning curve. But once figured out (there are good YouTube videos that can help), it works really well to plan your trip down to the minute, gas station, and intermediate stops.
Of course, it works best if you use a Garmin GPS.

I place reservations far ahead of time, starting with the most difficult campsite and the rest accordingly. Canceling is usually easy, say compared to airline tickets.

Hmm, will have to check into that Basecamp. We have and use a Gramin 770. although sometimes it frustrates me by taking us on some very strange and nonsensical routes. My mantra with it is "trust but verify" via a good old fashioned road atlas (or actually a more up to date truckers atlas).

The big take home I am getting from all is that I need to make reservations even further in advance than I ever have or thought I would have to.

And people wonder why I rarely fly even though I had a brother who was a commercial pilot...

 

[RVwife]

Again, thank you all who shared your experiences, tips, and planning methods. I've definitely picked up some things to look into further and also some different approaches to consider.

Frustrating as it has been recently, my husband is totally right when he says "but we have soooo much fun once it finally all comes together." Thanks for letting me blow off some steam. I am ready to go enjoy that trip now.

 

[Lt Keefer]

Forgot to mention we also use the KOA system and paid for the KOA rewards program. It came in handy and paid for itself going to Montana last summer. Rv parky is a website with an associated app for the phone. You don't have to use the app and both are free.

 

[RizeMaster]

Hmm, will have to check into that Basecamp.

Here is the link to Part 1 of a series of some very easy to understand tutorials.



Probably helps to determine if it may be something for you or if good ol' printed maps are more your thing. :coolsmiley:

 

[RACarvalho1]

Geez, there has to be a better way. Please share your painless(?) trip planning secrets.

Things we do / learned:
1 - All YEAR bookings are basically done by NOVEMBER of previous year
2 - Understand how the booking system works, for example, we go to Florida frequently and it usually open reservations 11 months in advance for a max 14 days in their parks...
3 - There are parks that are basically impossible to book ( Bahia Honda in FL, for example) so we just gave up on them...
4 - If you truly want the experience of deciding to go out at last minute, etc our recomendation would be to go to west to boondock on BLM land...
5 - Finally, at home Paps make all the reservations because Mom suffers from PMS and believe me, its not a good experience adding booking frustration to that!!!:hide:

 

[ducksface]

If you're not good at planning, stop planning.
Life is easy.
Our singular travel plan is;
'We need to be in Nashville by 10am on July 41st to accept the award.'
Then we open the garage door, back out and head in the general direction...somehwere towards east.

We're always where we want to be, travel tiny farm roads if we like, interstate if we have to.

Not everyone can plan or want to plan and some who want to plan, can't.
The things that perturb me are dismissed. Planning perturbs me. Why would I fence myself into such a thing as being in Dogthrower Iowa by 4pm for no reason, except due to a fantasy football type document/plan I produced/imagined/limited myself, even if it didn't perturb me?

As said above, smarter is better. If you can't be smarter, change aspects until you are smarter than the plans you plan.
Or
Some folks just love the stress of leaving Dogthrower by dawn so you can be in Sisterkisser Kansas by noon...due to scheduling.

 

[Matthew-THOR]

I learned my lesson on planning even further ahead than I am used to; and I am an obsessive advance planner.



I guess I should consider myself extra lucky after all. I did eventually get 3 nights at Edisto SP, each night on a different site but I won't complain. They aren't on the water, but we will still find many things to enjoy, I hope.



We'll pass through Charleston long enough to visit the National Park forts and a few other historic sites. I was a bit concerned about cruise ships docking but we seem to have managed to pretty much dodge those dates. We'll be sure to carry the bug spray. Thanks for the warning. Hopefully late April isn't too bad yet.



With persistent daily checking I did luck out on snagging 2 nights at Huntington Beach when a cancellation came in. Many thanks to the courtesy of whoever gave up the spot with a fair amount of lead time. I really want to visit Brookgreen Gardens.



The spiked lemonade will be doubly enjoyed at the campsite.

Glad you got some spots.
Edisto-moving spots is a pain, but worth it. We find moving each night for a weekend at the beach isn't too bad because we don't put much out because we are on the beach or in the camper.
Charleston-used to be nice, now it's an Asheville, litter everywhere, rampant drug use and homelessness. Better to check out Georgetown, Beaufort, etc. One exception, if you can get a site at James Island County Park in Charleston we highly recommend it. First class, and if you have dogs, the taj mahal of dog parks. It's 30 minutes from Charleston so you don't have to worry about that mess.
Huntington Beach is our go to for local beach camping. Because there is no public access unless you pay entry to the park (daily or camping) the beach is not overcrowded. Brookgreen is a treat if your into sculpture, one of a kind. If you have bikes, you can go north on nice bike paths to Murrells Inlet (about 3 miles) for some incredible seafood (try the Hot Fish Club-great backstory). You can also bike south on nice bike paths about 3 miles to Litchfield. We take ebikes so this is accessible and fun. Good luck and have fun. If you have time, the NC mountains are truly the jewel of the area if you like hiking.

 

[RVwife]

Forgot to mention we also use the KOA system and paid for the KOA rewards program. It came in handy and paid for itself going to Montana last summer. Rv parky is a website with an associated app for the phone. You don't have to use the app and both are free.

I did take a look at RV Parky after your earlier suggestion. I like it. Seems quite simple to use and showed campgrounds that had not come up on google searches. I was also surprised to find 2 Cracker Barrels in Charleston. They had not sown up either when I googled for CBs in South Carolina.

We've already added this to our phone. The price is surely right. Thanks for the tip!

We've used KOAs occasionally but are not rewards members. Might consider it for future long trips though seeing therecent steep inflation on some state parks.

 

[RVwife]

Things we do / learned:
1 - All YEAR bookings are basically done by NOVEMBER of previous year
2 - Understand how the booking system works, for example, we go to Florida frequently and it usually open reservations 11 months in advance for a max 14 days in their parks...
3 - There are parks that are basically impossible to book ( Bahia Honda in FL, for example) so we just gave up on them...
4 - If you truly want the experience of deciding to go out at last minute, etc our recomendation would be to go to west to boondock on BLM land...
5 - Finally, at home Paps make all the reservations because Mom suffers from PMS and believe me, its not a good experience adding booking frustration to that!!!:hide:

I'm hearing you and others. I will start making reservations much further in advance --- a year when possible but at least 6 months.

We don't do much last minute tripping due to the nature of where we live; easily 300+ miles away before we are out of dodge; plus farm sitting logistics that have to be arranged in advance most of the time. We live in vacation paradise, so spur of the moment is just around the corner/down the road, literally or out on the back 40 when the weather is perfect. We try to get away in the off seasons/shoulder seasons largely for that reason. Of course, that season is a bit different depending on where we want to go.

Yes out west is a fabulous place too. We had a great trip down Rt 66 to NM and AZ 2 autums ago. Absolutely loved our week at Bandalier NP!

If DH was making the reservations, it would never happen. We might end up in the middle of Lake Superior or Lake Erie. He has many strong points but those logistics are not one of them. He'd rather listen to me kvetch on that one while he picks out dinner to make over the campfire. I'm more than happy to have him play grown up Boy Scout and let him cook.:fire: He IS really good at that.

Fortunately I'm far beyond the PMS stage. Those hormones up and left a looong time ago. I'm just a crotchty older lady now when things aren't going well.:hide:

 

[RVwife]

If you're not good at planning, stop planning.
Life is easy.
Our singular travel plan is;
'We need to be in Nashville by 10am on July 41st to accept the award.'
Then we open the garage door, back out and head in the general direction...somehwere towards east.

We're always where we want to be, travel tiny farm roads if we like, interstate if we have to.

Not everyone can plan or want to plan and some who want to plan, can't.
The things that perturb me are dismissed. Planning perturbs me. Why would I fence myself into such a thing as being in Dogthrower Iowa by 4pm for no reason, except due to a fantasy football type document/plan I produced/imagined/limited myself, even if it didn't perturb me?

As said above, smarter is better. If you can't be smarter, change aspects until you are smarter than the plans you plan.
Or
Some folks just love the stress of leaving Dogthrower by dawn so you can be in Sisterkisser Kansas by noon...due to scheduling.

Oh but I AM quite good at planning. Most of my life I've been asked to head the organizing committee for one event or another and get lots of complements on the results. Generally I greatly enjoy. It's just this time; those "idget" online reservations systems were getting the better of me. It's all worked out now and I am a happy camper looking forward to the trip ahead.

Next time I'll have that spiked lemonade before I go online to do reservations.

 

[ducksface]

These are what we use to not plan.

 

[RVwife]

Glad you got some spots.
Edisto-moving spots is a pain, but worth it. We find moving each night for a weekend at the beach isn't too bad because we don't put much out because we are on the beach or in the camper.
Charleston-used to be nice, now it's an Asheville, litter everywhere, rampant drug use and homelessness. Better to check out Georgetown, Beaufort, etc. One exception, if you can get a site at James Island County Park in Charleston we highly recommend it. First class, and if you have dogs, the taj mahal of dog parks. It's 30 minutes from Charleston so you don't have to worry about that mess.
Huntington Beach is our go to for local beach camping. Because there is no public access unless you pay entry to the park (daily or camping) the beach is not overcrowded. Brookgreen is a treat if your into sculpture, one of a kind. If you have bikes, you can go north on nice bike paths to Murrells Inlet (about 3 miles) for some incredible seafood (try the Hot Fish Club-great backstory). You can also bike south on nice bike paths about 3 miles to Litchfield. We take ebikes so this is accessible and fun. Good luck and have fun. If you have time, the NC mountains are truly the jewel of the area if you like hiking.

We are happy now. Moving sites isn't usually a big deal for us. We are minimalist when it comes to setting up stuff.

After we had items stolen from our site last fall, we will pack up daily anyhow.

We don't have a toad but rely on our ebikes or local park shuttles when we can. Our MH (Axis) is small so we often use it to get around during the day anyhow. Returning to a different site in the same CG is nothing really.

I'm glad to hear your suggestions. At least it looks like I picked some of the right highlights. Beaufort is on the agenda as a day trip from Edisto (3 nights there).

Then I actually did luck out initially on 2 nights at James Island Co Park. Was able to add a 3rd later before we head to Huntington Beach for a few more days. We are really looking forward to a bit of scenic ebike riding and a good seafood meal along with the other activities. We'll likely take the shuttle from James Island into C'ton rather than wrestle with parking hassles.

Now can you please suggest to the weather gods that they are kind to us.:bow::bow::bow:

 

[RVwife]

These are what we use to not plan.

Oh thank you. Lots of resources there.

Some I am aware of but there are new one to checkout too. Maybe DH would do a bunch of the looking into them. I'n not a big app user, although I am usually the "nagavator" on our trips. No, that wasn't a typo. We coined it that in our newlywed days. Many (45) years later it still works and we are still together.

 

[LolliBus]

You don't have to talk me off the ledge anymore, but boy was I close - wanted to take a hammer to the computer screen, commit harikari, and sell the RV. So much for spontaneous retirement travel (Ya, I know it's not that world anymore.)

We were merely looking for a nice little trip to the South Carolina coast with stops At Mammoth Cave, other Kentucky and Tennessee national parks, and Civil War sites along the way.

Normally I like planning and am good at it, but I still can't believe how frustrating trying to plan this trip turned out to be - some parks closed on numerous days during the week, but not in any rational fashion. Only winter closures posted with no idea of what the spring days/hours might be. Yet registering for tours in advance was highly suggested. And then those South Carolina state parks, what a nightmare; 2 day minimum stay but only a random single night on a site open here or there. We would be willing and flexible to stay one night on one site and the second on another, but no, the system just shuts you out completely. And their nightly prices; pretty much double any other states parks we have been to or were looking at for this trip. It really felt like gouging. We started asking ourselves "How badly did we really want to go to SC?"

I finally, after many many tries, got a real human on the phone and they were actually very nice and helpful. So, we started to build backward and forward from 2 nights in Charleston. Piece by piece, dropping some stops, leaving a few days later than originally planned, a TON of juggling, innumerable phone calls, and some lucky Harvest Hosts reservations, I did get it together. I am now a happy camper (fingers crossed not to jinx it.)Vent over, but still trying to recover my sanity.

Geez, there has to be a better way. Please share your painless(?) trip planning secrets. I have considered:

• Literally planning itineraries and doing the research well over a year in advance, then putting in campground reservations at the earliest possible time. But cripes, if we have to make changes or forfeit $$$ for cancellations that gets expensive these days.
• Going with an RV tour caravan, but that is pricey too. I find I can plan and see twice as much and spend half as much DIY. I guess frustration is the price I pay instead.
• Giving up on RVing and just going on Road Scholar trips. That day will come and we will embrace it then, but we are not sure we are ready for that quite yet.
• Just staying home and partaking in a glass of spiked lemonade while looking at the scenery across the field. Yes, we are very privileged to live in a northern vacation paradise, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't like to also enjoy some other places and learn new things still. I'm not ready to turn into a shriveling pumpkin.

So please share your approach and tips. As DH (he who does none of the planning and only part of the driving) says, "but we have so much fun when it works." It won't be so fun if I have lost my mind or am in a strait jacket.

Dear Spiked Lemonade [emoji3]
A few ideas from my wife and I as we enter 8th month of owning an RV.

Harvest host is great- use for in between KOa camps. Pay the extra few bucks for the harvest host that includes personal properties in addition to breweries, farms and wineries.
KOA app - we live and breathe by it. We don’t like to spend a lot of money on koa, but sometimes you need that koa community and “no worries” rest during a long trip.
Co-pilot GPS App- worth every penny. Plan trips and save them. We plan trips we haven’t even taken yet just to keep the tour saved, then find harvest hosts along the way and add them.
See you at a KOA and I’ll bring the ice for the lemonade.
Kathy & John
Lolli & Pops
The LolliBus
Thor 2018 ACE 29.3

 

[RVwife]

Dear Spiked Lemonade [emoji3]
A few ideas from my wife and I as we enter 8th month of owning an RV.

Harvest host is great- use for in between KOa camps. Pay the extra few bucks for the harvest host that includes personal properties in addition to breweries, farms and wineries.
KOA app - we live and breathe by it. We don’t like to spend a lot of money on koa, but sometimes you need that koa community and “no worries” rest during a long trip.
Co-pilot GPS App- worth every penny. Plan trips and save them. We plan trips we haven’t even taken yet just to keep the tour saved, then find harvest hosts along the way and add them.
See you at a KOA and I’ll bring the ice for the lemonade.
Kathy & John
Lolli & Pops
The LolliBus
Thor 2018 ACE 29.3

We've been Harvest Host members for several years. This upcoming trip likely wouldn't have happened with out some wonderful hosts. He have at least 4 HH stops confirmed along the way so far - a pecan farm, brew pub, and distillery. Looking forward to each one. We may request a few more stays on our last few days home. We're being a bit spontaneous on the and hopefully won't get bitten in the hind end.

We save our trip stops on our Garmin 770. But each trip is to a new palce we want to explore, so who knows how soon they will get reused. I'll have to look into that Co-pilot app.

I've got the lemons and now the sweetener. Ready to make lemonade. See at the campground.

 

[2013NHSiestaowner]

Trip planning

Lotsa good ideas here. My style is a hybrid reservations/wing it as we like to take the Road Less Travelled. We are both Boondockers Welcome hosts and guests and treasure the folks we have met. I live 12 mi from the beautiful NH coast,have 30A, water and dump and can accommodate 30’ rigs with separate tow vehicle parking. If you’re heading up the coast, you’re welcome to spend a day or two here.

 

[tbl5142]

We rarely plan anything except the final destination and anything that is very hard to get. For example, last year we spent 95 days on the road, we planed our destination in Washington State because we had to be there at a certain time in a certain place and we also planned our trip to Yellowstone because we wanted to stay at Fishing Bridge Campground (planned that one a year ahead), but as for the route, we just meandered from Florida to Washington. We would call a few campgrounds the day before or use their website to make a reservation, if we couldn't get in (which only happened once, in Idaho) we would move on to a different place. After all we do have a self-contained RV, we don't need to hook up every night and that's what makes RVing so much better than hotels. As my wife is disabled, she gets to enjoy life just like everyone else. She can go to sleep in one State and wake up in another, sometimes it's the State of Confusion, but we manage Let's see what this summer will bring, Life is an Journey, enjoy the trip, we all have the same destination (after that its up to what choices you've made).

 

[MimiBeth]

On a cross country trip we built in travel nights to stopover at a Loves then drive to a campground every other night for two nights. Kept our sanity and allowed for hiccups here & there along the way. Too tight of a schedule is too much pressure!
PS. Cave country campground near Mammouth cave is perfect! Try it!

 

[RVwife]

Lotsa good ideas here. My style is a hybrid reservations/wing it as we like to take the Road Less Travelled. We are both Boondockers Welcome hosts and guests and treasure the folks we have met. I live 12 mi from the beautiful NH coast,have 30A, water and dump and can accommodate 30’ rigs with separate tow vehicle parking. If you’re heading up the coast, you’re welcome to spend a day or two here.

We are currently Harvest Host members but did not add Boondocks Welcome when they took that over. We debated if we would use the 2 combined enough to justify adding the BW membership. We do end up using HH probably 6-8 times a year over our combined trips. Maybe BW would add to our options if we want to be even more free spirits than we are. I'm a planner by nature, so not bothered by making CG reservations as long as I can at least find spots; that's the real issue availability.

Thank you for your invite. We will certainly keep it in mind and hopefully can stop sometime. We love meeting and making new friends with other RVers. I grew up in MA, although I've lived out here now for 45+ years. We look forward to another northeast trip in the next few years. My husband has never been to Acadia.

We even thought about being BW hosts for the reason you mention - meeting lots of nice people. Unfortunately our township considers BW a commercial enterprise since it is advertised publicly. Having sat on our township planning commission while there was serious and heated debate over a permit for a campground, music festival venue, event space, and who knows what else they would continue to throw in in the future, I learned more than I ever want to know. I've had some pretty in-depth discussion with our zoning admin about how the program works, but he is adamant about the commercial nature. He did hint that if we just invited already existing "friends" to visit he wasn't going to come knocking on anyone's door. The guy know his stuff, is very fair and reasonable until you push the envelope too far and then he becomes a necessary brick wall. I respect him highly.

So we put the host notion aside, but will remain open to "friends" (that includes forum members, in my book) stopping for a visit. We've got 10A with 2 horses, a great view of the rural surroundings, and fabulous well water. Our drive way is steep but straight and has no problem with having 4 horse loaded trailers getting up, so you'd have to have a mammoth MH to have trouble with it. Lots of level pasture for parking in. We're only 10 minutes from Sleeping Bear Dunes NP. So if you're inclined to want to see all its many wonders and the inland ocean that is Lake Michigan, give us a shout.

 

[RVwife]

We rarely plan anything except the final destination and anything that is very hard to get. For example, last year we spent 95 days on the road, we planed our destination in Washington State because we had to be there at a certain time in a certain place and we also planned our trip to Yellowstone because we wanted to stay at Fishing Bridge Campground (planned that one a year ahead), but as for the route, we just meandered from Florida to Washington. We would call a few campgrounds the day before or use their website to make a reservation, if we couldn't get in (which only happened once, in Idaho) we would move on to a different place. After all we do have a self-contained RV, we don't need to hook up every night and that's what makes RVing so much better than hotels. As my wife is disabled, she gets to enjoy life just like everyone else. She can go to sleep in one State and wake up in another, sometimes it's the State of Confusion, but we manage Let's see what this summer will bring, Life is an Journey, enjoy the trip, we all have the same destination (after that its up to what choices you've made).

It is encouraging that you and others are managing to travel without constant plans. That is what we had envisioned for our retirement. We weren't bargaining for how covid would change the world. Since we've only been RVing for a few years, maybe we just need to get more comfortable with a bit more seat of the pants travel. We do enjoy the journey once we're on the road. It's great that you and your wife can enjoy getting out in spite of some limitations.

Now about that state of confusion. I think I've been living there a lot lately.