Posts Tagged ‘RV camping’
Snowbird Time – Where to Stay
Most snowbirds usually go to the same place each year. Maybe it is time to become a little adventurous. Do a little research to find a different place to camp in your RV. Think about what you want to do to occupy your time. It is great to spend time in the warm weather and there is so much to see and do in all the states with warm weather. Have you seen all there is to see in the South? I’m sure you haven’t.
Weather you are going to Florida, or Arizona, which are the most popular places to spend the winter. It doesn’t really matter. In all the states there are a variety of things to see and do. Arizona has so much to offer with many different types of scenery to see. New Mexico is the same way. Many many different types of scenery. Florida’s scenery isn’t that great, but there are so many different attractions, including lots of golf.
It might be worth researching to have a new exciting adventure RV camping.
Swim with the Manatees in Crystal River, Florida when RV Camping
The mantees come in to Crystal River every year when the cooler weather comes. The water temperature of Crystal River is always 72. Manatees leave the gulf when the gulf water temperature gets cooler.
If you have never experienced swimming with the manatees, it is a exciting new adventure. The manatees are very docile animals and will hover around you. There is a law that you can only touch a manatee with one hand. The manatees like to be petted and are not at all afraid of people swimming amongst them.
There is a real nice campground in the Crystal River area called Encore Crystal Isles Resort. If you have a boat, there are lots along the water that access the Crystal River Kings Bay where the manatees stay in the winter time. To get one of the water front lots you must make a reservation way ahead of time. If you don’t get a water front lot to dock your boat, there is a boat ramp for access to the water and also a place to park your boat.
In Crystal River there are places that you can sign up for manatee tours that supply wetsuits, masks, and fins. If you have a boat, wetsuits, masks, and fins you can look for pontoon boats in Kings Bay with divers to find the manatees.
There is also three sisters springs to visit. It is an beautiful place and fairly large. The water is crystal clear. Sometimes th manatees are in that area.
RV Camping Information for Newbees
Be prepared is officially the Boy Scout slogan. But it really applies to many situations, especially planning for a trip in an RV.
RV Trip, Campground check list
Trailer Life is a must to find campgrounds throughout the US and how they are rated and contact information.
There are many clubs that you can join to save on your campground cost. Check the clubs out on the Internet and find out what campgrounds honor a discount for the campgrounds you wish to stay at.
Good Sam Club is a good club to join to get 10% discount at many campgrounds. Good Sam also has trip planning capability on their web site, which is really helpful. It works like map quest, and is geared to RV camping and will show all the campgrounds on your route honored by Good Sam, in addition you will get the total miles, time the trip will take, gas consumption and cost, and additional information that can be useful.
Other clubs are, Campclub USA which gives you a discount of 50%/night and Passport America also gives a 50% discount/night. There are some limitations though. There are more clubs. Check them all out to decide which ones will benefit you the most.
Call for reservations when you know you will be at a particular campground. If you are not sure if you will make it to the destination, don’t make a reservation. Campgrounds usually do not take cancellations unless the cancellation is 2 days in advance.
When making your reservation you will need to let the campground know the size of your RV, how many slide outs.
How many volts of electricity will you need (50 or 30).
If you have satellite TV, you will need to ask for a lot that has access to the south without trees blocking the path to a satellite.
What type of lot you desire. Pullthrough is much easier if you are towing a car, but it costs a little more. Many campgrounds have lots with a pad which is nice and makes it much easier to keep your RV clean inside.
Be sure to have a great trip!
Driving a Large RV
When I first got an RV it was small. I thought that driving a large RV would be so very hard, so I stayed away from large RVs. Little did I know that driving a large RV is not only easy, but fun. When on a trip to the Pensacola, FL area, I saw a lot filled with large RVs and decided to take a look. I found one that I really liked and thought it was a good buy. When I got in one for a test drive I was really anxious. The sales person assured me that I would not have a problem. He was right, I was amazed and thought this is really cool. That did it! I asked the salesperson to sharpen his pencil and tell me what it would cost. To this day, it is hard for me to believe that I bought it while on a trip, much less an RV so big. It is a 36′ Newmar Ventana with so many nice features. There is even a washer/dryer that works beautifully. No more going to the laundry mat! The only thing it doesn’t have is a back scratcher.
Over time I have learned to trust the mirrors, keep my foot on the gas peddle in the middle of the road. Trust me, that really works. Sometimes the roads are not much wider than the RV. I try to avoid them. Also I avoid driving on really strong windy days. It is strange, a tractor trailer doesn’t push me around as much as a dump truck. Driving on the interstate roads is a breeze, usually there isn’t much traffic, I go the speed limit with no problem.
Now that gas is so expensive, I go on short trips and stay longer, enjoying the RV camping way of life. No worries or responsibilities that I have living in a house. It is such a good break and not expensive, since I belong to RV clubs that offer discounts or 1/2 price at campgrounds. You don’t have to go far to enjoy meeting new friends, have a good time away from it all, and relax.