8 Tips We Wish We Knew for Our First RV Trip

Hey everyone. I'm Lisa McEwen. Welcome. Are you planning your very first RV trip? If so, I know how you feel. You're probably excited, nervous, and convinced you're gonna forget something, right? Well, to help calm your fears and make sure that your first trip is a successful one, we have a list of things that we wish we knew before our first trip. You have to plan in advance. Campgrounds do fill up, especially if you go south in the winter, so you need to plan ahead. State campgrounds in Florida, for example, can book up to one year in advance. Why? Well, the warm weather is the biggest draw, of course, but state campgrounds are spacious, reasonably priced at 30 to $45 a night, and some are right near the ocean. So again, planning ahead is important. Even if you have to cancel your reservations and lose a $10 surcharge, it's better to have that reservation and cancel it than it is to try and make a last minute reservation. Prepare for the beach. If you are going to a beach location, plan for it. By that I mean bring some collapsible clothes bars so that you can put them outside and keep your wet suits and towels out there on the bars and not hanging inside your RV. You also should get one of these handy little vacuums right here. Trust me when I say sand is going to get everywhere and this little vacuum will help you out. It will take longer to get there. When you take an RV trip it's not the same as a road trip in your car or SUV, so add some cushion to your drive times. Towing requires a slower pace and more frequent gas stops, both of which slows you down a bit. As a result, you should adjust your travel times. Don't be grossed out by having to empty your holding tanks. One of the things that new RV'ers get a little grossed out about is emptying their waste tanks. But to be honest, it's really not that bad. It's definitely not something that should keep you from RV'ing. All you need to do is get yourself some of these fancy little disposable gloves, have some hand sanitizer near you, and you'll be fine. Your tanks will fill up fast. Water usage in an RV is very different than it is at home. Be conservative with your water. To maximize water, you can take quick showers or use the showers at the bathhouse, use disposable plates or silverware so there's fewer dishes to wash, wash your pans in a water basin and dump the water in the bathhouse sink, turn the water on and off when you're washing or brushing your teeth. Don't over pack. Try to minimize what you pack. On our first trip we took so many clothes that we did not need or use. My best advice here is to dress in layers. And remember that a lot of campgrounds actually have a washer and dryer on site too. So if you need to, you can always wash your clothes. When it comes to packing, entertainment or things to do, try to narrow that stuff down too because for the most part you're probably not gonna be in the RV very much. You're going to be out and exploring. Make a meal plan. Just because you're on the road doesn't mean you have to eat fast food for every meal. If you plan ahead, you can take what you need. You can shop beforehand and take groceries with you or you can make a grocery run when you arrive. Either way, it's cheaper and healthier to make a meal plan for your trips. It will cost more than you think. Expect prices to fluctuate. Gas prices are most likely to change so if you're on a budget, you might decide to stay closer to home to offset the cost of gas. Campground reservations can increase too. State campgrounds are usually the most affordable option but again, they book up fast. And of course you can't forget about maintenance and emergencies, which will eat into your RV budget too. These tips should help you out on your very first road trip. But if there's one last piece of advice we can pass along is to try to keep a positive attitude. Something will likely go wrong traffic jams, bad weather. No matter what it is, try your best to keep a positive attitude.