Trip Planning

May 31, 2022 by J Chickery Leave a Comment

A Quick Guide to Planning the Perfect US Camping Trip

When you think of the perfect camping trip, what comes to mind? For many people, the ideal camping experience involves spending time in a beautiful location, surrounded by nature. If you’re planning a camping trip in the United States, there are plenty of amazing destinations. In this blog post, we will provide you with some tips on how to plan the perfect US camping adventure!

Image of a tent and camper at a campground in the Pacific Northwest

1) Choose your destination:

The first step in planning the perfect camping trip is to choose your destination. When selecting a location, it is important to consider the type of terrain you will be camping on, as well as the climate. For example, are you looking for a place with beautiful hiking trails? Or do you prefer a more relaxed setting where you can enjoy some fishing and swimming? Once you have an idea of what kind of environment you would like to camp in, research different locations that fit your criteria. When choosing your campsite, book one with all the amenities you need, such as running water and electricity. You should also check to see if any restrictions or permits are required if you plan to camp off grid in the area. Follow these three tips for finding the best campgrounds.

2) Pack your gear:

Once you have chosen your destination, it’s time to start packing! When packing for a camping trip, it is essential to bring all the necessary items. If you’re tent camping, you’ll obviously need a tent, sleeping bags, and food. No matter whether you’re in a tent or RV, there are also some other things you might want to consider bringing, such as bug spray, sunscreen, and a first-aid kit, you can find all your camping gear requirements online at ECOGEAR FX. Also, make sure to pack enough clothing for the number of days you will be gone, as well as extra socks and shoes in case of wet weather. And don’t forget to bring along some fun games and activities to keep everyone entertained!

3) Prep your Vehicle

Key to any good road trip, is a vehicle that is in good working order so be sure to perform all the necessary preventive maintenance. You’ll also want to make sure that you have good insurance coverage. Finally, in this day and age, it is also a good idea to bring the contact details of a reputable car accident lawyer with you. You might not like to think about having an accident, but if you’re driving a long way, the chance is always there that it could happen. It’s far better to have the details and not need them than need them and not have them!

4) Plan your meals:

One of the most critical aspects of planning a camping trip is to make sure you have enough food. When packing your food, it is crucial to consider both perishable and non-perishable items. Make sure to bring along plenty of snacks and easy-to-prepare meals, such as sandwiches and trail mix. If you are bringing any perishable items, pack them in a cooler with ice packs. And don’t forget to pack some drinks, too! Water is always a necessity, but you might also want to bring some juice or sports drinks.

5) Don’t forget to explore

One of the best parts about camping is getting to explore your surroundings! Once you have set up camp, take some time to wander around and discover all the hidden gems of your location. If you’re camping in a national park, check out any nearby hiking trails. And if you’re near a lake or river, don’t forget to go for a swim! Make sure to bring along a map to find your way back to camp, and always let someone know where you are going before heading off into the wilderness.

Following these tips will help ensure that you have a fun and safe camping trip! Remember to choose your destination carefully, pack all the essential items, and plan your meals ahead of time. And don’t forget to explore your surroundings and have fun!

April 25, 2021 by Julie Chickery Leave a Comment

Finding the Best Campsite in the Campground

It’s camping season and you’re ready to hit the road! Now you have two challenges: finding the best campground and then finding the best campsite in the campground. In this article I’ll share tips on how to do that, basic terminology for new RV campers, and tools that you can use to make the process easier.

Campsite Terms Explained

Step one is locating the best campground for you and your camping preferences. If you haven’t done that yet, read my 3 simple steps for finding the best campground. Once you’ve done that, take a look at the available sites. Here are some common terms you might see and considerations of each:

Back-in Campsite – This means that you will have to back your camper or RV into the site. If you have a towable RV, like a fifth wheel, travel trailer, or pop up camper, you’re going to want to ensure there is enough maneuvering room in front of the site to make adjustments as you back in. We have a fifth wheel and really prefer it when back-in sites are at an angle rather than a 90 degree turn. If you have a motorhome and are towing a car, you’ll need to disconnect the towed car to back in. Regardless of your RV type, you’ll also need to ensure there is adequate room for the car as well. If it isn’t long enough for your tow/towed vehicle, you’ll want to see if there is available overflow parking. To me, the best back-in campsites, have a designated parking area adjacent to your site.

A photo of the Chickery's Arctic Fox 5th wheel with the awning out. It sits in a campsite with a paved patio and bistro-style table and chairs. The bright blue sky above has just a few wispy clouds.

Pull-thru Campsite – These sites are nice because you just pull right into the site. Again, you’ll want to make sure it is long enough for your tow or towed vehicle. It’s also important to try to determine how they are placed in the campground. While it may seem that a pull-thru campsite is the easier to park in, there are some that are more U shaped and can be tricky for a long fifth wheel or travel trailer.

Buddy Site – This refers to two adjacent campsites with alternating orientation allowing you and your “buddy” to have a shared space in between. Your front doors face each other instead of your front door facing their sewer connection. This allows friends to have a larger place to hang out when camping together.

Full Hookups – This refers to a campsite that has water, power, and sewer right at your site. One thing you’ll want to check here is the type of power. Most full hookup sites have 50amp and 30amp power, but not all. That is why it is always good to check. Having an adapter for your RV power cord will also allow you to use the available power connection.

Partial Hookups – This refers to a campsite without full hookups. Sewer is usually not included at these sites, but most will have at least 30amp power and water. However, we have stayed in electric only sites, so be sure to read the description. One consideration if you stay in a partial hookup site is if the campground has a dump station and how long you’ll be staying. We can go 10 days without having to dump, so if our stay is shorter than that we don’t mind partial hookups. If we’re staying longer, then we’ll use our portable RV waste tank and drive it up to the dump station. Some RVers like to use the bath house instead of their RV shower when staying in a partial hookup site.

Other Campsite Considerations

The next thing to consider when selecting a campsite is where it is located within the campground.

Bath House – There are two sides to this coin. The bath house typically gets a lot of use, so if you are not going to use it, you may want to choose a site away from it. On the other hand, if you are going to be using the bath house, you might want to choose a site near it. Choose based on your needs and preferences, but make sure you are making a mindful decision.

Playground / Pool – Other areas that are busy at the campground and may have a little more noise are the campground’s playground and pool. Again, it will depend on you. If you are bringing along children, you might want to be closer to them. If you’re not going to be using them at all, you may want to avoid this area.

Dog Park – This will obviously depend on whether you have a dog or not. Also, if you like your dog being off leash with others. I do know people whose dogs don’t play well with others, so they choose to stay away from sites closest to the dog park.

Traffic – Consider the flow of traffic around the campsite. We like to pick quieter sites near the back of the campground for normal trips, but pull-thru sites up front for overnight stops. If you have children that are going to be riding bikes, a site near registration that gets a ton of traffic, may not be the best option.

Views – Many campsites, especially those around the exterior boundaries of the campground, have fabulous views. There are some that back right up to scenic lakes and beaches. Others with unimpeded mountain views perfect for those fabulous sunsets. Meanwhile, the central campsites may only have a partial view over the RV parked in front of you.

Lost Dutchman State Park was a fabulous location to both stay and play within the park itself as well as serving as a base of operations for our exploration around the Apache Trail and within Phoenix itself.

Locating Your Ideal Campsite

Now that you know exactly what criteria makes an ideal campsite for you, how do you find it? We use a variety of tools including:

Campground Map – The first place I look is the campground map. This will often show me things like the location of the bath house and playgrounds, as well as the orientation of the sites themselves. However, you can’t stop there. Because many of these maps are not really drawn to scale it is hard to tell how wide the roads are, how much maneuvering room you have to back in if needed, or what the view may look like.

Campground Reviews – I love the website campgroundreviews.com and Campendium. I find the users of both sites to be very helpful. They share all kinds of tips like “this area of the campground is in full sun” or “these sites have plenty of trees for privacy, but can be tight for backing in.” YouTube can also be pretty handy for this. In fact, we also have a Campground Review Playlist on our YouTube channel. Here’s an example of what our reviews are like.

Google Earth – I also like to take a peek on Google Earth, but if there are a lot of trees, you may not see anything.

Campground Views – Campground Views is a website that provides 360 degree video views of all the different campsites in a campground. They have some free videos on YouTube that you can view, but they are working to to have 400 campgrounds (starting with state and national parks) in their online program by early summer 2021. You can already see the first version by clicking here.

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Learn all you need to know to pick the best campsite in the campground. We'll share tips and tricks for making sure you have the best views and access to all the campground has to offer for your next RV vacation.

April 24, 2021 by Julie Chickery Leave a Comment

Making Your Next Trip Awesome, Even On A Budget

Going on a trip is always going to be a fun adventure. And you don’t have to spend a lot of money because the most important things are the people that you are with, the beautiful places you get to visit, and the memories you make. That means that even if you are on a budget, there are ways that you can make your next trip awesome and in this article, we’re going to be looking at how you can do this.

Learn all the tips and tricks for saving on your next vacation.

Plan In Advance

The first thing that we are going to suggest is that you plan your trip in advance. You can find some pretty sweet deals on campgrounds, hotels, or flights if you check early enough. This will help you avoid spending too much money on getting to your destination, which will leave you with more money to play with throughout the duration of your trip.

Planning ahead will also help you find the best deals on amazing opportunities. We all know that experiences at your destination are important, so we recommend that you plan out some things that you would like to do while you are there. For example, during a stay in Tampa, Florida you might want to visit the Raymond James Stadium to watch the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or attend a concert. You could also enjoy a day at one of the Tampa Bay area’s beautiful beaches or head to Disney World! Take your time in advance to look at all the things that your chosen destination has to offer and then prioritize which ones will mean the most to you.

Allocating Your Spending Money

We know you’ll likely have a budget for spending money when you were going through your holiday finances, but even more important is dividing among the days that you are at a specific destination. Other than anything that you have already booked and paid for in advance, you’ll need money for things like food, drinks, experiences and souvenirs. You don’t want to spend a ridiculous amount on the first day, only to have nothing left for the last three days of the trip. This means you’ll need to spend a little time creating a vacation budget, and allocating funds by categories. If you end up having money left from one category, you can either save it for the next trip or splurge on something extra. This approach will ensure that you don’t run out of money or end up with a huge credit card bill.

Find Fantastic Deals Online

When you’re creating that travel budget, you can find fantastic deals online that will help you save some money on the trip. Our favorite site to find deals for activities and tours is Groupon. Another way to find deals online is to see if the place you want to go has a website or Facebook page where they may post deals. If you are a member of KOA Rewards program, they have a discount section in their app for your destination. You can also just Google the word “Discounts” and the city you’ll be visiting.

We hope that you have found this article helpful, and now see some of the things that you can do to make your next trip awesome, even if you are on a budget. Be sure to check out our other tips for saving money on RV travel. There are so many incredible things that you can do without having to spend a small fortune. All you have to do is take time to look around and find them. We wish you the best of luck planning your next trip, and hope that you have a fantastic time!