How long are your typical trips?

Mtbikelover said:

When DH and I retire in a few years, we want to travel around the US in a camper.  We are trying to figure out what the right amount of time for a trip is.  I know there are tons of variables but I would love to get an idea of how long your typical trips are (for those that don't travel around full time in theirs).  DH thinks he would want to come home every 3-4 weeks but I am feeling that isn't near enough time to really explore areas...especially if we are going out west (we live in Wisconsin).

Truth be told, I would be happy to go for a year but he has hobbies at home that he wants to be able to do so we need to reach a compromise.

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You made me go look as We left home June 11 and kind of plan on being home somewhere around Sep 15. This trip is to the North East. Well we didn't go directly as we also were in Michigan at the The Henry Ford Museum and in Dayton OH at the AF Museum.
I try to drive a average of 300 miles a day on travel days. We stay someplace from 2 to 20+ days.
You absolutely need a toad to go explore in.
Made me querious so I looked up the mileage so far on this trip 3297.5 and I am in RI and still need to get home.
Bill

I have never owned an RV. I am still in the process of buying one so I'm NOT speaking from experience. What I'd like to contribute to this topic is a psychological component.

My wife and I have done some travelling like vacations to places we want to experience. When travelling this way, in your mind it's always about getting from point A to point B, enjoying what we went there for, then driving back to point A. From a psychological perspective, when you travel this way the driving is mental work, especially the drive home. What is luring me to buy an RV is to get rid of the mental work part of getting to a destination.

Here's my take in a general sense:

"When travelling in an RV you are always home".  There is no mental work trying to get to or from someplace.

Man I hope this philosophy proves to be right since I'm about to spend a lot of money...Ha Ha.

JustGo, for me personally, the drive is half the fun. Ok, maybe not half lol, but you're right, it's less of a chore because it's part of the adventure.

JustGo said:

Here's my take in a general sense:

"When travelling in an RV you are always home".  There is no mental work trying to get to or from someplace.

Man I hope this philosophy proves to be right since I'm about to spend a lot of money...Ha Ha.

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Not by a long shot. Driving an RV is much more stressful and physically tiring than a passenger vehicle.

There are two distinct components to an RV: the Recreational and the Vehicle. You need to get the Vehicle to the Recreational place. That involves traffic, construction, fuel stops and the like.

It is a great adventure to discover new places, but it's not a magical world with no issues.

Driving an RV is much more stressful and physically tiring than a passenger vehicle.

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While that is true, because it does take more concentration, some of us get enjoyment from that driving regardless, and even a feeling of accomplishment from herding it a few hundred miles (or often a lot more), even though we tend to get more tired than the same distance in a car.

There is no mental work trying to get to or from someplace.

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That is something that depends on the individual. For me, if I'm looking at driving 8 hours or more in a day, I start (mid-day to late in the day, at least) getting some of that "get there-itis" but for a drive under four hours or so, it's often a more relaxed attitude, even though the concentration while driving must remain just as intense. Of course I like to drive, which isn't true of everyone.

So perhaps it'll work that way for you, especially if you keep your driving days relatively short.

HappyWanderer said:

Not by a long shot. Driving an RV is much more stressful and physically tiring than a passenger vehicle.

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I full timed it for ten years in class As, class Bs, and class Cs. When I finally settled down in Florida and hung up the keys I bought me a Hyundai Veloster. It was way more stressful driving that then any RV I owned. I felt like I was the smallest thing on the road. Backing up is a nightmare compared to backing up an RV with those giant mirrors and backup cameras. The only good thing about the Veloster is the gas mileage.

It is a great adventure to discover new places, but it's not a magical world with no issues.

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No one here has ever claimed there are no issues. Where did you come up with that? Driving a big old honking RV is just a blast. Just last month we had a lady come in asking about how difficult it was to drive a large class A. We told her it was a piece of cake and she would love it. She flew down to Tampa last week and bought a 30 foot class A and drove it back to New York. She was in love with driving it within one day and ready to sell her house and go full time in two days.

I LOVE driving our 40' DP!  Yes, it the weather gets dicey, traffic is horrendous, or something isn't working quite right it gets more tense but under normal conditions it's a pleasure to drive.  If things get too bad we pull off the road and hole up for a while.  That alone eases the stress.  I think part of it is the RV itself.  Some are just easier to drive than others - which also is true of cars - maybe because they handle better.

ArdraF

I have found that you can figure on averaging 50 miles per hour and should use that number to base your travel days on. 300 miles = 6 hours. Or my favorit is on the road by 9am and off by 3:00 so you can be set up by happy hour.
"Driving an RV is much more stressful and physically tiring than a passenger vehicle."
This sounds like someone making excuses. When traveling I can pull over when I am tired and want to take a break. I also have the added benefit that I don't need to "FIND A RESTROOM" I have one with me and a refrigerator full of food. If necessary I can stop in a rest area and eat use the restroom and take a nap if I want to and never go outside you know those times it might be pouring rain.
Bill

We go on one 4-5 night trip with our Elks RV group, generally within about 250 miles, each month from April-October. We often sneak in a 3-4 night trip in between those outings, generally someplace closer to home...Ocean Shores is only about 125 miles...about 3 hours of driving. The longest trip in the RV has been to Central CA and back...about 2 weeks...and to Yellowstone and back...that trip took almost 3 weeks...just because we could.

WILDEBILL308 said:

"Driving an RV is much more stressful and physically tiring than a passenger vehicle."
This sounds like someone making excuses.

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I said that, and it's not an excuse for anything.

The OP has never driven an RV, and expressed the mistaken thought that somehow once you're behind the wheel, all your worries disappear because you happen to have your house with you.

Traffic, weather, road conditions, mechanical problems (it is a vehicle after all), impatient drivers cutting you off because they don't want to be stuck behind an RV, etc, etc, etc - all affect the operator of the vehicle.

It can be very stressful, thus tiring, and is one reason we advise newcomers to limit the number of hours spent behind the wheel. In fact, that practice has been mentioned repeatedly in this very thread.

HappyWanderer said:

The OP has never driven an RV, and expressed the mistaken thought that somehow once you're behind the wheel, all your worries disappear because you happen to have your house with you.

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Actually, I didn?t say that or imply that I don?t think. That comment was made by someone else.

I don?t want to spend hours behind the wheel. I?d like to spend minimal time driving and spend extra time really exploring the areas we get to. That?s my concern with only taking a 3-4 week trip.

I probably did not state this properly and it's being misunderstood.
I was not referring to the physical part of pulling an RV or how hard or easy it is. Or that all your worries end and your living in fantasy land.

Please disregard this post. I hit the tab before I was finished and can't figure out how to delete it. Sorry

JustGo said:

I have never owned an RV. I am still in the process of buying one so I'm NOT speaking from experience. What I'd like to contribute to this topic is a psychological component.

My wife and I have done some travelling like vacations to places we want to experience. When travelling this way, in your mind it's always about getting from point A to point B, enjoying what we went there for, then driving back to point A. From a psychological perspective, when you travel this way the driving is mental work, especially the drive home. What is luring me to buy an RV is to get rid of the mental work part of getting to a destination.

Here's my take in a general sense:

"When travelling in an RV you are always home".  There is no mental work trying to get to or from someplace.

Man I hope this philosophy proves to be right since I'm about to spend a lot of money...Ha Ha.

Click to expand...

I probably did not state my above post properly and it's being misunderstood.

I was not referring to the physical part of pulling an RV or how hard or easy it is. Or saying that all your worries end and your living in fantasy land.

I was referring to the psychological part of knowing you have your home with you that should make the driving part mentally pleasurable. In other words your not just trying to get some place, enjoy the event or whatever it is, and then just trying to get home when it's over.