help please

[e, b, and me]

hi. i am planning my first trip driving from SoCal to WDW. i am using rv life (i feel their interface could be a tad bit more user-friendly...hover words and bigger pins because i cannot tell what is on them)...i am staying one night in each state until i get to Fort Wilderness. i am not ready to boondock. Here are my questions:

1.  are KOAs and their reward system a worthwhile, safe, and very economical way to do one-nighters or is there something better?

2. do y'all know a cheaper way to do one-nighters (remember, no boondocking...yet)?

3. i am heading down to the keys after that slow as we please, any suggestions or advice?

trip deets:

1/14/25-1/20/25

no sight-seeing

don't roll your eyes ok? i don't have my rig yet but i will soon and by soon I am hoping by august and if you're asking, no, i have never driven one

i am traveling with two dogs

truly grateful for y'all's help and expert advice

we appreciate you.

eloise, beatrice, and lisa

(eloise is the good dog)

 

 

Edited March 2 by e, b, and me

[FULLTIMEWANABE]

Everyone begins somewhere = Go and enjoy      We are primarily boondockers/dry campers not caring for organised CGs etc, however ..........   when my cousin joined us from Ireland we booked in some CG's for her comfort and swimming enjoyment etc.   We used Passport America for that trip = sign up is for a year, and typically then one or two bookings at 50% off in 2018 paid for the membership!

Go check out Passport America and before signing up and paying, cross reference availability of CGs in the system without restrictions to impede you (some say not on certain dates etc!), that work for your route and daily drive planning.

We have only stayed at 2 x KOAs in over 25 years of RVing and the saying K.O.A stands for Keep On Adding was definitely our experience and we didn't feel they were worth the value to us personally.   Others of course will only stay in KOA's.   If you aren't going to use the amenities then ........

Good luck and welcome to the RVing world. 

[Kirk W]

Passport America discount camping.

Do you plan to make the RV your home or is that a trip from which you will return to your present residence? What sort of RV are you looking for? 

[fpmtngal]

Passport America can be useful, though I’ve sometimes found it hard to work (you are essentially getting a deal on off-times/excess inventory and sometimes the restrictions are difficult to work around).  But it quickly pays for itself.

I do a fair number of KOAs.  Some are really nice and well worth the cost, while others are overpriced.  They do have sites that cost a lot (patios, extras) but you don’t have to stay in them.  If I’m overnighting and don’t need sewer I’ll choose a W/E site and save myself some money.  The quality has always been pretty good and I’ve felt safe staying at all of the ones I’ve stayed at.  They might not be the best resort in town (sometimes they are very nice), or the cheapest, but they are usually clean with good facilities.

The main reason why I will use them when I’m going from point A to point B and overnighting somewhere in the middle is because of their website.  I usually check out the availability of a couple on my route a day or two ahead of time, to make sure they aren’t all booked, then decide at noon how much further I want to go.  Then I’ll go online and book the one I want to stop at.  A couple of hours later I’ll stop and there’s my reservation.  Otherwise, I may be calling around, leaving messages and hoping to find inventory, which might or might not happen.

[Ray,IN]

Do not drive an RV into the keys without a reservation unless you plan to go during the summer/off-season months. During  peak-season months you cannot even find a parking spot for a few hours without getting a ticket.

 

[kb0zke]

Welcome. All of us started someplace and we all camp differently. What suits one person won't suit the next one. You are wise to begin asking questions. Don't be surprised if the answer to one question raises five more questions. That's how we learn.

We started out with annual memberships in Passport America, and quickly went to a lifetime membership. We don't use them as much as some people, but when we do that discount is nice. We've saved far more than the membership cost each year we did the annual thing, and we've already paid for the lifetime membership, too.

We also have a KOA membership. Sometimes they are pretty much the only place to stay. They aren't our first choice by any means, but we do use them. Cheap? No. Decent? Yes.

COE parks are often good places, and are our first choice. If you are old enough to get a "geezer" pass you can get substantial discounts on the camping AND free admission to many Federal places. We winter about an hour from Carlsbad Cavern and our geezer pass gets us in for free.

Second choice for us are State parks. They are NOT the same as Federal parks, so your geezer pass doesn't help. However, most offer senior citizen discounts anyway, as well as military discounts. Some States charge out-of-state campers extra fees, so be sure to check.

The best hidden gems are the city and county campgrounds. Some of these are free for a night or two. Some are the State or County fairgrounds.

For all of these government-run campgrounds, what you get varies. Some have FHU pull-thru sites, while others only have electricity. Again, check in advance.

[sandsys]

KOAs are always safe but not always pleasant; they are geared to families so can be noisy. CoE campgrounds are along waterways so rarely good for a one night stay unless you are traveling along someplace like the Mississippi River. Passport America parks are a hit or miss situation; some good, some not so good. If you are member of Escapees, that entitles you to a discount at a bunch of parks similar to the discount of Passport America. Most rigs can stay one night without hookups even if they are not typically set up for boondocking; for those nights we often stayed at Walmart or Cracker Barrel and bought groceries or a meal. Also, check out other cards you might have; I once offered all my cards to a place and asked them to pick what would give me the best deal and they gave me a discount using my AARP card.

Linda Sand

[2gypsies]

I'm trying not to roll my eyes 🤪 but you have 7 days to drive 2500 miles with two dogs?  It will take 2 days to get across Texas!   Are you the only driver?

I'd recommend not making reservations and just stop when you get tired.  Use WalMarts or Cracker Barrels or even truck stops.  That's not really 'boondocking'.  You don't have to know how.  Just park and you're there.  Nothing else to do!

[dblr]

Also, Love's travel plazas are starting to have rv spots with hookups which might be a good option.

[trailertraveler]

Welcome to the Escapee's Forum!!!

Opinions about KOA often vary. The Keep on Adding nick name originate decades ago before the internet and online reservations. At that time, many hard copy campground directories (including the KOA Directory) listed the lowest cost sites which were generally tent or no hookup sites. KOA priced sites based on the number of amenities provided thus the basis of "Keep on Adding".  We have stayed at many KOA's over our twenty years of RVing as retirees. Since the advent of the online reservation system, we have never been charged more than the price listed on the reservation system. The membership (like any membership) is only worth it if you will use it enough. We have found that the KOA rewards and discounts from their partners are often of greater benefit than the 10% discount. In my experience, the parks participating in the three major 50% discount programs (Passport America, Happy Camper and Escapee's) are basically the same parks. There are some differences so checking for parks in the areas you plan to travel before joining is a good idea. The blackout dates for a particular park are usually the same for all the programs they participate in.

Finding places to stay is much easier today than before the internet. There are a number of good RV park/campground locator websites. In my opinion, one of the better ones is RV Park Reviews.

Staying at Walmart and Cracker Barrel has been mentioned a few times. Be aware that not all of either allow overnight occupancy of RVs. Parking lot size is a bigger issue for Cracker Barrels than Walmarts. I have seen numerous Cracker Barrels that cannot accommodate anything bigger than a camper van or small Class C. Some Flying J's have RV parking sites separate from the truck lot. Some state highway rest areas allow overnights. Florida rest areas with overnight security do. There are several online resources to assist in locating these stop overs. One of the better ones is Free Campsites.

Again, Welcome to the Escapee's Forum!!!

[Wrknrvr]

   I am going to suggest several things to do to hopefully prepare you for your adventures.

    These are different things that you can do previously to getting behind the wheel.

   Look online for a commercial drivers manual?    This will give you a idea how large vehicles work besides your normal one you have driven before. It should give you a idea how when being passed by a truck, it may affect your vehicle.

 

   Then I would suggest visiting a campground to see how other people handle there experience of pulling into a campground. Then how they maneuver there outfit in a campground.

    While you are there, walk around during the morning and mid afternoon. While walking around, watch how people pull or back into there sites.

    Then watch how they connect up to there utilities.

 

    Another thing to do as you can, is visiting a Truck stop.. Just park possibly where you can watch RV,s pull in for fueling. How they maneuver there vehicle around the area.

 

    While at a truck stop, look for where RV,s are parking for the night.    Most truck stops have a place to visit the dump station. You need to figure that out also.

    We all started our first time. Most of us have done more than one mistake in our adventures.

 

Hopefully this will help you some.    Vern

[mike5511]

8 hours ago, dblr said:

Also, Love's travel plazas are starting to have rv spots with hookups which might be a good option.

Yeah, until people start staying in them for days at a time.

 

[dblr]

15 hours ago, mike5511 said:

Yeah, until people start staying in them for days at a time.

 

Yes, possibly but still an option, from what I have seen they are not cheap so keep that in mind.

[aknavy]

KOA's are fairly reliable.  Keep in mind - a KOA journey is designed for an overnight, while a KOA Holiday is designed for a longer stay. 

If using campgrounds, I look hard at the reviews of all the campgrounds in the area that I want to stop.

If I were making that trip at the beginning of my RVing life, I'd do the following:

1. Plan more days.  The schedule you have will be no fun.  I'd plan for no more than 3-500 miles per day, especially as a newbie.  Long travel days wear you out, and you will probably average 50-55 mph.  And things will go wrong that you have to deal with.  Maybe minor things, but that's just the nature of the beast.

2. I'd pick up a cheap 3500-4500 watt inverter generator.  That's really all you need to start boondocking.  It opens up so many possibilities.  When we started, we had a generator and kept about 30 gallons of water in our fresh water tank, so we could boondock if needed, and dumped our waste tanks when we hit the next campground.  30 gallons will easily last 2-3 days.

3. Join Harvest Hosts- lots of nice overnight spots.  We prefer this program for our overnights to parking lots.

4. Pay attention to any casinos on the way.  They are also good overnights.

5. Crossing Texas - it's a long trip and there is nothing in west Texas.  Just pick a campground that fits your travel plans and move on.

6. Key West - better have reservations, and prepare for sticker shock.  If you are eligible for military campgrounds, they have a great one that is biking distance to downtown.

[e, b, and me]

On 3/2/2024 at 4:56 PM, fpmtngal said:

Passport America can be useful, though I’ve sometimes found it hard to work (you are essentially getting a deal on off-times/excess inventory and sometimes the restrictions are difficult to work around).  But it quickly pays for itself.

I do a fair number of KOAs.  Some are really nice and well worth the cost, while others are overpriced.  They do have sites that cost a lot (patios, extras) but you don’t have to stay in them.  If I’m overnighting and don’t need sewer I’ll choose a W/E site and save myself some money.  The quality has always been pretty good and I’ve felt safe staying at all of the ones I’ve stayed at.  They might not be the best resort in town (sometimes they are very nice), or the cheapest, but they are usually clean with good facilities.

The main reason why I will use them when I’m going from point A to point B and overnighting somewhere in the middle is because of their website.  I usually check out the availability of a couple on my route a day or two ahead of time, to make sure they aren’t all booked, then decide at noon how much further I want to go.  Then I’ll go online and book the one I want to stop at.  A couple of hours later I’ll stop and there’s my reservation.  Otherwise, I may be calling around, leaving messages and hoping to find inventory, which might or might not happen.

On 3/6/2024 at 8:19 AM, aknavy said:

KOA's are fairly reliable.  Keep in mind - a KOA journey is designed for an overnight, while a KOA Holiday is designed for a longer stay. 

If using campgrounds, I look hard at the reviews of all the campgrounds in the area that I want to stop.

If I were making that trip at the beginning of my RVing life, I'd do the following:

1. Plan more days.  The schedule you have will be no fun.  I'd plan for no more than 3-500 miles per day, especially as a newbie.  Long travel days wear you out, and you will probably average 50-55 mph.  And things will go wrong that you have to deal with.  Maybe minor things, but that's just the nature of the beast.

2. I'd pick up a cheap 3500-4500 watt inverter generator.  That's really all you need to start boondocking.  It opens up so many possibilities.  When we started, we had a generator and kept about 30 gallons of water in our fresh water tank, so we could boondock if needed, and dumped our waste tanks when we hit the next campground.  30 gallons will easily last 2-3 days.

3. Join Harvest Hosts- lots of nice overnight spots.  We prefer this program for our overnights to parking lots.

4. Pay attention to any casinos on the way.  They are also good overnights.

5. Crossing Texas - it's a long trip and there is nothing in west Texas.  Just pick a campground that fits your travel plans and move on.

6. Key West - better have reservations, and prepare for sticker shock.  If you are eligible for military campgrounds, they have a great one that is biking distance to downtown.

On 3/6/2024 at 8:19 AM, aknavy said:

KOA's are fairly reliable.  Keep in mind - a KOA journey is designed for an overnight, while a KOA Holiday is designed for a longer stay. 

If using campgrounds, I look hard at the reviews of all the campgrounds in the area that I want to stop.

If I were making that trip at the beginning of my RVing life, I'd do the following:

1. Plan more days.  The schedule you have will be no fun.  I'd plan for no more than 3-500 miles per day, especially as a newbie.  Long travel days wear you out, and you will probably average 50-55 mph.  And things will go wrong that you have to deal with.  Maybe minor things, but that's just the nature of the beast.

2. I'd pick up a cheap 3500-4500 watt inverter generator.  That's really all you need to start boondocking.  It opens up so many possibilities.  When we started, we had a generator and kept about 30 gallons of water in our fresh water tank, so we could boondock if needed, and dumped our waste tanks when we hit the next campground.  30 gallons will easily last 2-3 days.

3. Join Harvest Hosts- lots of nice overnight spots.  We prefer this program for our overnights to parking lots.

4. Pay attention to any casinos on the way.  They are also good overnights.

5. Crossing Texas - it's a long trip and there is nothing in west Texas.  Just pick a campground that fits your travel plans and move on.

6. Key West - better have reservations, and prepare for sticker shock.  If you are eligible for military campgrounds, they have a great one that is biking distance to downtown.

On 3/2/2024 at 2:40 PM, FULLTIMEWANABE said:

Everyone begins somewhere = Go and enjoy      We are primarily boondockers/dry campers not caring for organised CGs etc, however ..........   when my cousin joined us from Ireland we booked in some CG's for her comfort and swimming enjoyment etc.   We used Passport America for that trip = sign up is for a year, and typically then one or two bookings at 50% off in 2018 paid for the membership!

Go check out Passport America and before signing up and paying, cross reference availability of CGs in the system without restrictions to impede you (some say not on certain dates etc!), that work for your route and daily drive planning.

We have only stayed at 2 x KOAs in over 25 years of RVing and the saying K.O.A stands for Keep On Adding was definitely our experience and we didn't feel they were worth the value to us personally.   Others of course will only stay in KOA's.   If you aren't going to use the amenities then ........

Good luck and welcome to the RVing world. 

 

[Solo18]

I am an older woman who has been full-timing for over 11 years, and while I started out staying at KOAs, I gave them up very quickly.  Unless you are traveling with a bunch of young kids, they are noisy, expensive, crowded, and really set up for families who need kids activities and a pool, none of which I enjoy as I travel.   Did I mention expensive???

Since you said "I am traveling" I am assuming you are also a single woman.  If so, you will not appreciate the noisy and crowded atmosphere of a KOA at the end of a long day.  

First, you are planning on driving far too many miles too fast.  You will find you have to drive any RV more slowly to avoid winds and other things.  You will be exhausted driving just that many miles as you have to focus more driving or pulling any RV.  I normally plan on driving no more than 225 miles each day, and then not even every day. 

First, are you over 62, and if so, do you have a federal senior pass?  That will save you 50% on federal campgrounds, the best of which are COE or Corps of Engineers.  There are several along your route and will cost you anywhere from $8 to $15 per night.  They all have electric hookups and are very safe.  You can find federal campgrounds at recreation.gov, and you can get a federal senior pass at any national park.  They cost $80 for a lifetime pass or $20 for an annual pass, but you can trade-in 4 annual passes for a lifetime pass. 

Hard to know where to start to advise you, so I will send you a private message with my email and personal phone number.  You have a lot of learning to do, and I wish you well.  For me, it has been a great life, and at age 80, I am still chugging onwards.  I will be in SoCal late next fall, FYI.  I have a son in Napa, and will also be visiting someone near Dana Pointe probably in December. 

[pollies]

Traveling with one dog is very difficult, and with two it is even more difficult. It is also worth taking medicine for them on the trip, I advise you to search in Pet medication without prescription. It can also be very stressful for them, so you should think about it in advance

Edited March 27 by pollies