By Debbie Gardner
dgardner@thereminder.com
It’s a summer ritual in America. Hitting the road for that long-awaited vacation. For many that epic trip involves a beeline to their favorite place in the mountains or the shore.
For others, it’s an amble with their worldly goods along for the ride.
I’m talking about the RV lifestyle.
Whether you’re a lifelong RVer or that big road trip is on your bucket list, there’s no denying the appeal of an open road and an awesome destination, even if it’s just for the weekend.
But what’s it really like to take that epic trip? Prime asked and got answers from a longtime RVer, a couple who embarked on the lifestyle as retirement approached and a travel expert who has helped scores of road trippers plan that vacation of a lifetime.
Let’s go along for the ride…
Taking the long trek
Bruce Tranter, currently of Wilbraham, is alongtime RVer. He camped with his growing family in midlife and continued the tradition in retirement. He’s owned all types of RVing equipment – starting with a pop-up camper, moving to a 31-foot travel trailer and finally to his current “retirement” motorhome.
“There’s three types of RVing,” Tranter explained when he stopped by Prime’s office to chat about the RV lifestyle. “There’s the full-time lifestyle (where you live on the road). There’s the part-time lifestyle, where you have a home and go out on the weekends or 200-plus nights a year. Then there’s seasonal RVing, where you take your unit to a campground and stay there and that’s your destination.”
Tranter took the plunge and sampled the full-time lifestyle when he retired in 2018 from his career as an IT and computer network vocational teacher in the Tantasqua Regional School District in Sturbridge, Massachusetts.
“I told my colleagues at lunch [on my last day,] when the bell rings I’m hitting the road,” Tranter shared. He was kicking off retirement with a bucket list trip “to start out on Route 20 and end up in Newport, Oregon.” It was to be his first trip to the West Coast in an RV.
“Route 20 goes right through the middle of Yellowstone [National Park],” Tranter said, explaining that it is one of five coast-to-coast roads in the U.S.
“You can also take Mass Pike Route 90 all the way to the Pacific Ocean,” he added.
He made the 75-day, 10,000-mile trip along Route 20 to Oregon and back solo. “I have many stories,” he said jokingly when Prime asked what it was like to be on the road for that long alone.
Plus, Tranter said he took a serendipitous approach to planning his cross-country trek. “In the evening, after dinner, I sat down at the dinette table, took out the atlas and planned my [next] day” Tranter explained.
“I never planned more than one day at a time,” he shared, adding that he looked at the monthslong trek as a chance to explore the U.S. as he traveled.
Among the planning tools he’d packed was a book that “shows every interstate in the country and every attraction,” Tranter said, adding every night he could “look and see what was near me [that] I might want to see.”
For example, when he was traveling through Iowa, his book listed the plane crash site of famed rocker Buddy Holly, who died, along with other famous 1950s rock stars Ritchie Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson in a cornfield five miles northwest of Clear Lake on Feb. 3, 1959.
“That was a stop,” Tranter said.
Easing into the lifestyle
“It was Brad, he got this bee in his bonnet about going cross country in a camper,” Carleen Eve Fisher Hoffman, organizational lifestyle expert and owner of The Clutter Doctor and Carleen Hoffman Holistic Healing, told Prime during an interview that was initially about traveling with your pets (see page 13).
She and her husband began talking about a big RV trip about five years ago, Hoffman said, and the couple decided to buy a large used camper and try out the RV lifestyle.
They found it to their liking and moved on to purchase a camper that fit the criteria for the kind of cross-country trip they were planning.
“When you go out in a camper and do the national parks, you’re only allowed a certain size camper. We ended up downsizing,” Hoffman said.
Though she was excited about the trip, Hoffman admitted she had some reservations. One of her biggest worries was spending such an extended period of time with her husband in the “smaller space” of the new camper. She said she also worried about being away from friends for that long, how her dogs would adjust to the long trip and “packing – what was I going to bring and would there be enough room in the camper.”
But overall, Hoffman said the cross-country adventure she and Brad took last year, which was “just under two months” was a “fabulous” trip.
“It started out a little rocky, getting used to each other in the small space,” Hoffman admitted. “But we saw so much you might not normally see, some wild stuff.”
Hoffman’s advice
If you are thinking about a cross-country adventure, either as a vacation with the family or as that bucket list trip, Hoffman has some sage advice.
“You’ve got to plan and know where you are going,” especially if you want to see the national parks. “You have to book a reservation, some book a year in advance, not necessarily to stay there, but just to see the sights,” she noted.
She said you also must be open to where you can find a place to overnight your camper, but with a caveat. “Be aware of the safety and security” of the location, Hoffman said. “One place, a winery, was out in the middle of nowhere” without people around, and it made her uncomfortable. Another place was” right out of a Stephen King novel, it was so scary.”
You also must think about the weather and be ready for anything. “We got rain, sleet, snow and sun” all while crossing New Mexico, she said. And be prepared for repairs and setbacks. Hoffman said they had to cope with situations such as a broken window lock and one dog chewing through both a seatbelt and dog bed – both problems that sent them looking for local hardware stores – and the camper battery going dead. When the battery died, Hoffman said they had power for the engine, but no electricity, heat or air conditioning in the camper itself and had to detour to look for a facility that could help them make a repair.
She also suggested doing some pre-trip meal planning, so you will know what you’re going to cook in the small kitchen.
But once you are on the road, she said to be sure to take advantage of the sights! “Brad kept a running list of things we might want to see, we would take the list out and map out our day,” she said. Despite the temptations, they had to be mindful of how long they stayed in any area. “We had to be cross country by a certain date because we had a reservation at Glacier National Park,” she explained.
However, they made the effort to see as much as they could, she said. Two of the sights Hoffman said were the most memorable, were approaching Mt. Rushmore - “It was miles away and it looked like it was across the street … it was so detailed and massive” and The Corn Palace outside Mitchell, South Dakota. “It had murals made out of corn husks outside, and in the basketball courts inside,” she said, remarking how detailed and amazing those artworks were.
Thinking about an RV adventure?
Jeffery Peterson, a travel consultant for AAA Northeast out of Providence, Rhode Island, offered the following advice, based on his 24 years of helping people plan car and camper travel.
“The most popular destinations [for cross-country RV trips] would be Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore, Grand Canyon, Bryce, Zion, Arches and Canyonlands,” Peterson said. “As for planning ahead, it is an absolute necessity to have campsite reservations. If the folks want to stay in the parks, they will need advance reservations … it is better to be planning 6-12 months before the intended travel dates.”
Peterson said the campground space is often the limiting factor in staying in the national parks, but there are also other attractions in those areas that are worth a stopover.
“Depending on the area there are other interesting state parks, national monuments and scenic/historic areas to visit. In the Yellowstone area, you have the Grand Teton National Park, Cody, Wyoming has a few museums and interesting things to do. If they go to Utah there are lots of state parks and national monuments in addition to the popular national parks,” he said.
By Debbie Gardner
dgardner@thereminder.com
Lifelong RVer Bruce Tranter has plenty of background in this vacation lifestyle, plus the credentials to back up his advice. He’s served as president, vice president, secretary, newsletter editor and membership recruiter for the Worcester chapter of the North American Family Campers Association.
Here’s his tips for those contemplating a plunge into the RV lifestyle:
Choosing your RV
Tranter said there’s plenty of factors to consider, not the least of which is the size of the contingent of campers. “Most campers can sleep up to six, so that’s an easy one,” Tranter said. “But it may surprise you that those 40-foot bus-type campers you see on the highway only sleep two. They will typically have a king bed and no other sleeping accommodations.”
Towable versions, starting with 6-foot pop-up campers that can be pulled by a small SUV are a good, and affordable, starting place, costing about $8,000 new, with prices around $15,000 fully loaded. Larger, four-axle hard-side towables of 15 to 40 feet require a big SUV, or a pickup truck, to transport. Prices depend on the floorplan and amenities choice, ranging from $20,000 to $30,000, Tranter said.
Motorhome-style campers come in multiple styles ranging from van types to large bus-styles. Those come in different classes and start around $50,000, he added.
New or used is another consideration, and Tranter suggests visiting a regional RV camping show, if possible, to get a feel for the different types of equipment. Your local RV dealer can be another resource.
A final consideration is where you are going to park that RV during the off-season. Often people forget to figure in things like the length and incline of their driveway, whether or not the space is level (this can affect RV refrigerators), power requirements and most importantly, camper height both for parking and for navigating common driving obstacles like bridges and gas station canopies, Tranter said.
Costs to consider
“The RV lifestyle is an over-the-road adventure, so your money is spent differently than when you’re at home,” Tranter said. He pointed out that towing a camper will typically cut the fuel efficiency of your vehicle in half, driving up the cost of fuel for the trip. You also need to factor in tolls, as towing a camper on a toll road can double or triple the rate for cars. The toll on bridges also goes up.
“Campground costs run from $20 to $80 per night, depending on several factors,” Tranter said, adding that state parks are less expensive, but getting a reservation may be hard. Private parks will price your stay by the hookups at your site, with simple water and electricity hookups less expensive than one with sewage, cable access and high-amperage electricity costing more.
Factor in the costs of restaurant meals while on the road to your destination, Tranter said. Once parked, you will cook at your site, which can help keep costs down.
What to pack
Weather forecasts and the length of your trip are two of the main factors in determining your packing list, according to Tranter.
Clothing – Tranter said to always pack rain gear, sweatshirts or light jackets for cool evenings and long pants for mosquito-prone areas. Baseball-style caps “are a big help with the sun,” Tranter said, and sunglasses are a must. If traveling with children, bring extra clothing in case they get wet or very dirty. Mosquito repellant and sunscreen (the liquid form of both) are essential, as is checking everyone for ticks in heavily wooded areas.
Tranter noted most campgrounds have coin-operated laundry facilities so packing a roll of quarters and laundry detergent are also smart moves.
Food – Tranter said to spend some time planning out your meals ahead of travel. “Not only do you have to bring all the ingredients necessary for the meal, but you also have to think about the right pans, strainers, utensils, seasonings and cooking methods,” Tranter said. If you want bagels in the morning, for instance, he said you need to pack a toaster. He advises buying the smallest size of condiments and foils/wraps despite their often higher costs, to help conserve space. Repackaging things like chicken breasts in zip-top bags – and marinating them before you leave – can also help save space and time, Tranter noted.
Utility supplies – Tranter said it’s easy to overlook the need for things such as a dustpan and broom, toilet brush, all-purpose surface cleaner and a long-handled sweeper, as they are things you don’t use every day. Dish soap – in the smallest size – sponges and scouring pads are other essentials, as are the items needed to clean a barbeque grill. One item RV newbies might not think of is black tank deodorant, which is necessary to deodorize the waste tank and help break down solids for easier dumping, Tranter said.
Trip planning
Tranter said that AAA lists Myrtle Beach, South Carolina as the number one destination for New England RVers, with myriad family activities and 10,000 campsites available right on the ocean.
New England has “its share of beautiful RV destinations as well,” according to Tranter. State parks are the most affordable, but also the most difficult to get into, he said. These parks utilize the reservation service RESERVE AMERICA (www.reserveamerica.com) and typically don’t take on-the spot reservations, so plan ahead, Tranter said.
The Army Corps of Engineers has several bare-bones parks – you get a picnic table at your spot – that offer inexpensive sites. The federal Bureau of Land Management (www.BLM.gov) oversees parcels from Maine to Ohio in the Nort Atlantic Sector that are open for camping; this is true wilderness camping, with no amenities, but there is also no charge to camp.
If considering a trip to a national park, Tranter suggested purchasing a Senior Pass (available to age 62 and older) for $20 annually, or a lifetime pass for $80. The pass will allow you, and your camper, entrance to any “federally managed property including Bureau of Land Management, USCE and US Forestry Service. In New England that includes Arcadia National Park in Maine, and any one of 23 federally managed parks and recreation areas in New England,” Tranter said
Have RV lifestyle questions for Tranter? Email them to dgardner@thereminder.com and they may appear in a future advice column from him!
