Planning to head out on an RV road trip this summer? Excellent choice! There’s nothing quite like hitting the open road on an exciting adventure. That said, you will want to make sure things go as smoothly as possible. That’s where our tips for summer 2024 road trip planning come into play.
Use these quick tips and you’re sure to have an amazing time!
Pick a Cool Destination (Literally)
The very first thing you’ll need to do is decide where you’re going. Since RV air conditioners can only keep the inside temperature about 20 degrees (°F) cooler than the outside, we recommend heading north for slightly cooler weather if possible. If that isn’t possible, a spot under trees or by the water is your best bet for staying comfortable while RV camping.
Choose the Right RV
Choosing the right RV is an important step toward ensuring you have an amazing RV getaway. Consider whether you’d prefer a towable RV or a drivable one, what kinds of floor plan best suits you, whether slide-outs are necessary, how many sleeping spaces you need, and which amenities are requirements. This will ensure you get the perfect rig for your needs.
Get Insurance and Roadside Assistance
Next on our list of tips for summer 2024 road trip adventures? Make sure you have good insurance and roadside assistance. By renting through RVshare you will get both of these things automatically, so you won’t even have to think about this step!
Book an Ideal Campground (or Multiple)
Make sure you know what you’re getting when you choose your campground—or campgrounds, as the case may be. Look at where each campground is located in relation to the things you want to see and do, along with the RV hookups provided at each site, the amenities offered, and the price.
Once you’re sure you’ve found the right campground, book it right away! Campgrounds book up quickly in the summertime, and you want to make sure you have a place to park.
Save on Attractions and Activities
Paying admission fees can get expensive quickly. Fortunately, there are tons of ways to save on these fees:
- Look into reciprocal memberships for museums, zoos, and amusement parks to see if you might save by using a membership.
- See if local libraries offer visitor cards and/or free passes to local museums.
- Check Groupon for deals.
- Invest in an “America the Beautiful” Pass.
- Check into getting a state park pass if you will be visiting several parks in one state.
Make Attraction Reservations
If you plan to visit one of the national parks that will require timed entry passes this summer—or if you want to see a performance of any kind—it is a good idea to book as soon as possible. This will ensure you get to do all you want to do during your visit.
Use a Route Planning Program
Route planning programs such as RV Trip Wizard are wonderful. This awesome program will help you avoid steep grades, low bridges, and other obstacles while also showing you where to find campgrounds and fuel along the way.
Know Where You’re Going to Sleep
Speaking of campgrounds along the way, if you’ll have to travel for more than one day to get to your destination, make sure you know where you’re going to sleep each night. The best option is probably to book campgrounds along your route, but it is also possible to sleep in rest areas, Cracker Barrel parking lots, and Walmart parking lots (provided they haven’t posted signage denying this privilege).
Don’t Be Afraid of Detours
Another one of our top tips for summer 2024 road trip adventures is to take the detours. Yes, it might add time to your trip, but driving through scenic areas is so much more pleasant than driving through fields of nothing. Just make sure your rig can handle any mountains, curves, or bridges that might come up.
Plan for Bathroom Stops
Obviously, you will need to stop using the restroom from time to time. Plan for this. Know that stopping with an RV tends to take more time than stopping in a smaller car—as parking is more difficult—and pad your total travel time accordingly. We also recommend making sure the whole crew uses the restroom every time you stop to avoid stopping again a few minutes later.
Avoid Rush Hour
Driving through a big city during rush hour is always a nightmare. This is even more true when you’re driving a big rig. To save yourself a headache, avoid rush hour entirely by either A) routing around big cities entirely, B) starting early in the morning and stopping before rush hour begins, or C) timing things right so you don’t end up in the big city during rush hour.
Don’t Rely (Only) on GPS
GPS is an amazing thing when it works right. Unfortunately, if you are too far out in the middle of nowhere, it won’t work correctly. Be prepared for this by downloading your map, plotting your route on a physical map, and writing step-by-step directions out.
Stay Well Rested
It’s easy to become exhausted when on an exciting road trip. Unfortunately, exhaustion can lead to a variety of problems. Driving when tired is dangerous, and it’s much easier to get sick if your body hasn’t had enough rest.
For this reason, it’s important that you make time for sleep. Luckily, when you’re traveling by RV, you have a bed with you wherever you go!
Save on Fuel with GasBuddy
Paying for gas is never fun, especially when you’re filling up an enormous RV tank. Fortunately, there are tools that can help you save a little at the pump. GasBuddy is our favorite. Use it to find the cheapest gas in your area so you know you’re getting the best deal possible. (The info in the app is crowdsourced, so we encourage you to submit pump costs you see while fueling up.)
Fuel Up Often
As mentioned above, nobody enjoys paying for gas. This can lead some of us to put off stopping to get more gas for as long as possible.
Unfortunately, this can backfire pretty terribly. There are some parts of this country that are completely devoid of any fuel stations for many, many miles, and it would be awful to find yourself in one of these spots with only ⅛ tank of gas or less.
To avoid this situation, fill up regularly, making a point of keeping the fuel gauge at or above the halfway mark as often as possible.
Stock Up on Essentials
If you end up parked (or broken down) in the middle of nowhere, you will want to make sure you have the essentials on hand.
These include:
- Plenty of food
- Plenty of drinking water
- A first aid kit
- Spare tire
- Tools
- Shovel
- Road flares
- Reflective triangles
- …etc
Download Entertainment
Long road trips call for plenty of in-vehicle entertainment. Be sure to download plenty of podcasts, audiobooks, and music before you hit the road so you can drive for hours without getting bored. If you’ll be a passenger, downloading a movie or two could be a good idea as well.
Keep the Kids Busy
Of course, you’ll also want to find ways to keep the kids busy. We love the following ideas for making sure they’re thoroughly entertained while traveling:
- Window clings
- Pipe cleaners
- Sticker books
- Color Wonder
- MagnaDoodle
- Road Trip Bingo
- Tablets with headphones
An over-the-door shoe holder can be hung on the back of the seat to hold toys and games, and a plastic cereal storage box is perfect for holding small pieces of trash while containing the smell.
There you have it, our top tips for summer 2024 road trip fun. Ready to hit the road? Rent your RV now, because summer will be here soon!
