As we wind our way around the country, we are reminded of RV advice
like the following tips — which might just come in handy for your
travels:

Selecting a Site: When you are lucky enough to pull into a park where you can choose your site, here are a few things to bear in mind:

• Where
  is the sun? And what is its path, relative to how the site is
  oriented? You may want to avoid a site where the sun will be beating
  down on your patio area, just when you want to be out enjoying the late
  afternoon and evening. On the other hand, you might want to take
  advantage of a spectacular sunset view, if you are equipped with an awning shade.
• Where
  is the signal? If having satellite TV is important to you, then look
  for an unobstructed view of the southern sky. Remember that the
  tradeoff of no trees may mean no shade.
• Where
  are the restrooms? Some people want to be near the restrooms and/or
  showers. Others may want to be far away. If it makes a difference to
  you, take a look around.
• Another bit of RV
  advice is to look at the traffic pattern within the campground. If you
  don’t want a lot of cars or foot traffic going past your site, then
  check it out as you make your selection. Or you might want to be right
  in the thick of things.
• Is there
  sufficient space? Ideally, you will have a site big enough for your tow
  vehicle and RV. Also consider the width of the site – for instance,
  when your RV is sitting level, will the picnic table fit or will it be
  sitting on a slope that renders it pretty useless?

Avoid sharp moves.
Specifically, avoid the temptation to pull into a place (shopping
center, parking lot, etc.) on impulse. If at all possible, try to look
before you leap.

• For one thing, you want to avoid pulling
  into a place where you will have no way to get around or get out. This
  is particularly important RV advice for a large motorhome towing a car,
  where you can’t back up. It’s a real pain if you end up in a position
  where you can’t move forward, and have to unhook the toad to get you
  rig out of the way of other vehicles.
• Another thing to guard
  against is a move into a lot without checking the grade of the entrance.
  An unanticipated slope taken a bit too fast and you might end up
  damaging your back end or undercarriage.
• Of course you won’t
  always be able to see what you are getting into ahead of time and will
  have to take a chance. If you MUST stop and a given place is your only
  opportunity – well, go slow and keep your fingers crossed. Depending
  on your specific circumstances, it might be a better option to drive
  further up the road. If you are in a motorhome with a car in tow, it
  might be prudent to find a place to detach the toad and use it to scope
  out the situation.

More RV Advice

Buyer beware: RV advice
at the RV fuel pumps – advertised fuel prices may be misleading. If you
see a great price on the signs, make sure you know if taxes are
included or not. Some fuel stations post the price for tax exempt
purchases (which applies to some truckers doing interstate traffic).
This gets the unknowing driver into the station, and more likely fueled
up, before the real price is discovered.

Take the “red roads”: You will probably hear this RV advice from
many veteran RVers…if you can, take your time and take the scenic
roads. The term “red roads” generally refers to those routes shown on
maps as red lines AND which also have some marking denoting them as
scenic routes. For example, our road atlas denotes scenic routes with a
series of dots (….).

Don’t
take the “red roads” terminology too literally – not all red roads on a
map or RV road atlas are scenic, and the scenic roads are not always
red. The “red road” concept simply refers to the preference of many
RVers to avoid the busy interstates, and instead travel the back roads
to see the local communities and landscapes of the country.

More articles and RV advice…

Have a tip to share?