RV 101® / RV Education 101®

When you are getting ready to take a trip in your RV there are lots of things that need to be done. Planning the trip itself can be overwhelming. Travel guides, magazines, state tourism boards and Internet sites offer valuable information to help you plan your next RV trip. To help make planning your trips a little easier I wrote this trip planning checklist. This is an excerpt from my Checklist for RVers e-book

Here are some tips to help you plan for your next RV trip:

• Route your trip on a GPS designed for use in RVs or from an Internet trip planning site.
• Plan your itinerary to include what campgrounds you plan to stay at.
• Give a family member or a friend a copy of your itinerary and contact information.
• Make campground reservations well in advance, especially during the peak travel season.

• Limit your traveling to 350 miles a day or less. Not only will your trip be more enjoyable, but this will allow plenty of time to get set-up at the campground before it gets dark outside.
• Make sure your emergency roadside service plan is up to date. If you don’t have an ESP you should consider getting one prior to leaving on your trip.
• Check and refill any prescription medications you will need for the duration of the trip.
• If you’re under a doctor’s care take a copy of your medical records.

• Check the weather conditions where you will be traveling each day. Add a good weather app to your smart phone if you don’t already have one. Your phone may not always get a signal so take a weather radio receiver with you.
• Don’t travel in the RV when there is bad weather, or during periods of high winds.
• Add emergency contacts or other important phone numbers to the contact list in your phone.
• Take a spare set of eyeglasses or reading glasses.
• Take a spare set of keys for the RV and tow vehicle if applicable.
• Make sure you have all your owner’s manuals and warranty information for the RV.
• Take passports (if necessary) and check expiration dates.
• Take a copy of your extended service contract in the event you need repairs on the road. If you don’t have an extended service plan you might want to consider getting one, especially for extended RV trips.

• Conduct pre-trip checklists on your RV and on the tow vehicle if applicable.
• Make sure everything is loaded in the RV.
• Complete the home security checklist.
• Make one final walk-around of the RV.
• Have a safe trip!

This trip planning checklist does not cover everything required to plan an RV trip, but it’s a good start. You can add to this list to tailor it to your specific needs. For more checklists like this check out our Checklist for RVers e-book