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Accessible RV Checklist
Access Travel Rights
Handicapped Travel Club
Rolling Down The Trail
Family RVing
Schooling Options for RVers
Kartchner Caverns State Park
Oscar Scherer State Park
10 RVing Tips for Newbies
The Accessible RV Site
Riding The Rails
The Enabled RVer Resources
Access Travel Guides
Selecting a Cane for Travel
Fulltime RVing Challenges
Campground Access
HTC Accessible Park List
Arizona Day Drive
Touring Arizona
Columbia River Region
RVing with Kids
Volunteering and RVing
RVing and Children
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| RVing Advice for Full-timing or Part-timing Wannabes |
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| 10 RVing Tips for Newbies By Hope Sykes Travel by any method can offer the unexpected. Inevitability there will be road construction, wrong turns, bad weather matched with a consistent amount of change. If you're just starting out, here are ten tips to help your travels go more smoothly. • Take a survey of each other's talents. Some family members or travel partners will probably be stronger in one skill than another. By surveying skills ahead of time and planning for the unexpected the master map reader will probably be able to quickly figure out an alternate route when you experience that sudden road construction. • Determine who will do what. Who will be in charge of maintaining the vehicle? Who wants to map out the trip? Who has the best eye for reading a map? Essentially match the best of the best with who wants to do what. • Decide how long you will want to travel in one day. Remember that your trips should be for relaxation. If you plan well enough ahead, you'll have an opportunity to really enjoy the journey rather than speeding from one stop to another and arriving too tired to enjoy yourself once you arrive at your destination. End your travels well enough before dark so that you'll be able to hook-up in ease. • Learn new skills. Learn to build on your travel skills. For instance, learn how to read a map. Maps, you'll find, come in various levels of detail. Even children can learn some simple map reading skills like locating a direction. Practice on backing up. I can promise you that when you need to back up is when you least expect it. Check with your insurance company and see if they offer a special driving improvement course and ask if a discount is available on your rates upon the successful completion of their approved course. • Let each family member bring along something from home that is familiar and comfortable to them. Granted, space in a recreational vehicle is more compact, but it helps to bring some small something to provide a sense of familiarity. • Know your rig and/or tow vehicle. Make a notation about the distances and location of all utility hookups on the outside of your rig and then keep the list handy. Campgrounds will vary and you'll find the list invaluable if you want to quickly evaluate a campground's site. • Be prepared. With rv travel there is going to be the opportunity for change as well as a possible emergency. Keep a notebook listing important phone numbers or contacts, serial numbers,and tire sizes. • Decide what tension breakers work best for you. Let's face it. Some days the weather just won't cooperate or the trip just seems too long or perhaps everyone is just restless. Remember that getting there really should be half the fun. • Have an entertainment list for "Plan B" days. You might get to an attraction and find that the hours have changed or that it is overbooked. Perhaps you experienced a flat tire somewhere along the way. Think ahead and see if there is something relaxing that you can do on days when things don't seem to go as smoothly as you would have liked. • Make time for yourself. Traveling by RV is a compact way of life and traveling together over extended periods of time can create a need for making time for yourself. Just remember that there are no real rules to having a great RV adventure. The ultimate goal really is just enjoying the journey. Happy travels. Copyright © 2000-2002 Hope Sykes. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED |
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