Ireland to America, 6 month trip begins

Hi all,

We posted a few months ago about our intended 6 month RV tour of America.  We are a family from Ireland, mum, dad and 3 kids.  I have forgotten our original login details hence the new user name.

Our adventure  begins on 31st January and we have hired an RV for the period of travel.  We start in Florida.  What we really want to experience is nature, countryside, scenery, walks, lakes, mountains, beaches etc.   We are not at all interested in big cities, touristy areas and paying a lot of money for anything at all.

Having looked into Florida I am under the impression that we best avoid the east coast where the prices for RV parks all seem a lot higher, and the areas seem generally more touristy.  I am thinking of sticking to the west coast of florida, and heading up into the gulf coast area.  Does anyone have any hints of tips for me about this? 

We have never even been in an RV before, let alone driven one on the wrong side of the road, so Im sure it will be an enlightening first few days for us! But we have 6 months to get used to it.  We have a passport america membership and want to stay in as cheap places as possible, enjoying the areas nearby rather than the actual RV resorts.  We plan to cook all our own food, rarely eating out, and are trying to keep the costs as low as is possible for such a huge trip.

We are keeping a family blog of our trip if any of you should like to visit it from time to time.  I'm sure I will be back to this forum looking for more advise!  http://freerangetravels.blogspot.com/
I look forward to any replies we receive. Any advice or tips will be welcome   We are ever so excited and a tad nervous.  Have any of you stayed anywhere near the everglades?

Hazel & Steve


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Yes, be careful and enjoy your visit to the US.  There are plenty of people out there that will help you along your way so dont be afraid to ask.  And be aware you might get ten different answers to any question but I am sure you will work thru it to find the best route to take.  Good luck and have fun.

Hi Hazel & Steve,

Welcome to the forum and our country!!! We visited your lovely country in 2001 with friends from England. We arrived in Dublin on 9/11. It was a tragic day for us and, from what we saw, for your country as well. The outpouring of sympathy was overwhelming. The trip was supposed to be a week in Ireland to visit Belfast where my Grandfather was born. It turned into a six week adventure of the U.K, Switzerland, France, Spain, and Andora which we will never forget.

Now, as far as Florida is concerned, I'm afraid you will find the west coast of Florida as touristy as the east coast. It will also be expensive there as well. Central Florida might be less expensive but it's mostly countryside, though some is very pretty. We live in Titusville, which is where Kennedy Space Center is located. We own a site at The Great Outdoors which is an RV community.

You will want to come to Titusville for at least a week as the next shuttle launch is scheduled for 7 February. Hopefully it will take off this time. It is something you and the kids won't forget! Where will you be arriving? I can give you names of some campgrounds in the area if you are interested. Again, not cheap but I think the experience will be worth the cost. If you do decide to stop here we would be more than happy to try to go over things to see and do during your visit. We have traveled most of this country, though haven't seen all of it, and hopefully can help you enjoy what we have to offer. We also have friends who own a lot here that is for sale. They haven't used it in two years and might be interested in renting if you're interested. We haven't spoken to them recently so don't really know the situation.

Please let us know if we can help in any way.

Hi Hazel, Steve and Family

I would advise that you consider leaving Florida as one of the LAST places to visit - not because it isn't nice but purely due to the cost of camping during the last couple of months of "snowbird season" (Feb/Mar) - you will find it much cheaper in July, even though it will be hot. If you stay clear of Orlando you shouldn't be overun with Brits either  ;D

How many States are you planning to visit ? - that would allow people on the forum to give you some ideas on where to go at what times ie to avoid (if possible) the less good weather and the crowds (higher prices).

Good Luck and have a great trip.

Paul

Hi, thanks for the replies so far.  I'm afriad Florida will have to be our first stop as our flights arrive there on 31st Jan (Orlando) and we will be ending either in California or Chicago (depending on time and money).  At the moment the plan is to visit Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana(we are planning to drive the gulf coast route from talahasse to new orleans), Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada and California.  If at the end of this we still have money left then we will drive from Oregon to Illinois, ending in Chicago.  If not, we will end in California.

Thats very interesting about the space launch.  We would love to see that but I imagine everything will be fully booked up for it? At the moment all I know is that we arrive in Orlando. We wanted to visit the everglades.  That is about the only part of Florida that I definitely wanted to see.  Apart from that Im still in the planning stage. Its all come upon us very suddenly.  One week ago we were still running a business and thinking about taking this trip.  Now, its suddenly upon us.

We posted a few months ago .... I have forgotten our original login details hence the new user name.

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Your prior messages and replies are here if you need to find them.

Will you be flying home from Los Angeles or San Francisco?

Hi, I remember doing what you are doing, taking six months off and travelling, only we left from Belfast and went to Europe.

Re shuttle --the seats that you see on the TV newscasts will be booked up solid, but you can still see it from a distance and it is still worthwhile. The 'free' spots are around Cocoa Beach, Jetty Park is the best, but there are lots of places, eg anywhere along the waterfront in Titusville on US 1. Stop at MacDonald's or Dog's R US, for instance and you can see the launch pad across the lagoon a few miles away. It's still quite a show, lots of loud noise and bright light, though it only lasts a minute or two.

Secondly, don't necessarily abandon the East Coast of Florida. Flagler Beach State Park is worth a visit if you like a world-class beach, and it is cheap, and you can book it on-line in advance. In fact you had better book it online in advance, because it's small. The drive up the coast around there is lovely, and often very quiet. St Augustine is a tourist mecca for good reason, but the camping is pricey.

Personally, I haven't found much difference between the East coast and West coast prices, especially for short stays.

Best Wishes
Rankjo

The Everglades National Park would be a great place to start.  The National Park web site is  a great source of information.  Also theCorp of Engineer Parks and state parks would be a better camping choice, as it's snowbird season.  We do have a beautiful country.  We hope you and your family have a safe and happy vacation.

Barb

Wow thanks for all the responses. I am on my computer all day today researching everything and am visiting all the sites youve advised.  What a wonderful place to get information.

In answer to that question, we will be flying out of san francisco (at least that is where the RV is to be left at the end of the trip - unless we decide to travel for longer).

And also, we may well be interested in hiring that lot if your friends are keen.  You could let us know

cleopatrani said:

Thats very interesting about the space launch.  We would love to see that but I imagine everything will be fully booked up for it? At the moment all I know is that we arrive in Orlando. We wanted to visit the everglades.  That is about the only part of Florida that I definitely wanted to see.  Apart from that Im still in the planning stage. Its all come upon us very suddenly.  One week ago we were still running a business and thinking about taking this trip.  Now, its suddenly upon us.

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Campgrounds will be busy but usually you can find a spot. Let me contact our friends and see if they would be interested in renting and for how much. There is a rental pool here at TGO which is busy during this time of year but may have spots available. I'll see what we can find. Other campgrounds in the area are a KOA  and Seasons in the Sun in Mims, just a few miles up Rt.1, Jetty Park, as mentioned in another message, Manatee Hammock in Port St. John,  which is a county park and Airstream Park in Christmas which is about 10 miles west on Rt.50 from Titusville.

Viewing the actual launch will be from about 12 miles away unless you have a special pass. They are hard to get. It is still a very spectacular sight.

Wow, thanks for all your help

Out of interest, Im seeing some cheap national park spots where you can stay but without hookups.  Would anyone recommend this? Im not too keen on the idea but wondering whether it would be ok for the odd nights stopover.

Hazel,

National Parks are fine. The only limitation usually is length of coach. I'm guessing you may be renting a Class C which should not pose many problems. Another great series of parks are the Corps of Engineers. They are very nice but tend to be smaller. Many do have hookups. State Parks also should be fine.

We haven't done many of the above mentioned parks since we're living in a 40' motor coach and the length prohibits us many times. However, many on this forum have done so and I've never heard of any problems. Most parks have Rangers or volunteers on duty to help with any questions or problems. Just keep in mind that those parks might be very busy if they are in a "must see" location.

Since you have Passport America you may find many campgrounds along your route that will be very reasonable. A few years ago we traveled from Florida to Arizona using PA as much as possible and some boondocking on the desert both free and for a fee. Our average cost for lodging on that trip was around $9/night. Now I'm sure it will be higher but significant savings can be had with some prior planning. Also, it's much harder to boondock with a family than just two people. ;D

So if theres no electrical hookups does that basically mean that we will need to use the generator for electricity?  If so, will the weather be ok at night to sleep without air conditioning etc? 

Im sorry to have so many questions.  Ive never met anyone who has been in an RV from Northern Ireland, lol. So its hard to get advise. Ive read so many books now my head is pickled.

cleopatrani said:

So if theres no electrical hookups does that basically mean that we will need to use the generator for electricity? 

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Batteries actually.  Running a generator all night is fine way to be really, really disliked in a campground.  The genset charges the batteries during the day and they power the house facilities, fridge, furnace, lights, water pump,  at night.   The two things batteries cannot power are the microwave and the air conditioning.

If so, will the weather be ok at night to sleep without air conditioning etc? 

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January thru March along the I-10 corridor from Northern Florida thru Texas, and Arizona, absolutely.   In fact, in the southwest at altitude, the furnace will run.  From April thru June the deserts and valleys will be warming tho there will be some snow left in the mountains and on the high (6000 ft.+) plateaus.  Death Valley for example, in June will be in the 90s to 100s.  (90F).   You have to remember you will be driving the rough equivalent of the run from Calais to the Ural Mts in Russia.  More if you take in the sights you should see, like the Grand Canyon and the national parks of southern Utah, Yosemite, Sequoia NP, and the Redwood Parks of California.

Im sorry to have so many questions.  Ive never met anyone who has been in an RV from Northern Ireland, lol. So its hard to get advise. Ive read so many books now my head is pickled

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.

And now is the time to just do it.   ;D

You will have a great time.   

Minor hint:  The 25 cent piece, which we call quarters are the universal coin for vending machines and laundry machines in the USA.  Go to a bank in the US and buy 2 or 3 $10 rolls of them and keep them in your RV.

Even more minor hint:   Buy a small flag of your country and fly it somewhere on your RV in camp.  Good way to meet Americans.

Ok, thanks everyone for all the hints and tips. I cant tell you how much I appreciate them.

I have been online all day researching and Im having trouble finding any RV parks with vacancies.  Are we going to get to Florida and realise everyhwere is booked up?  Or am I just looking in the wrong places?  Im getting a tad stressed.

Im starting to wonder if we should go to another state first and try to squeeze florida in a few weeks later.

Hazel,

Please don't get stressed yet! We called our friends but had to leave a message. We will also check with the rental office to see what the situation might be. We hope to have some information early this week. I would imagine there will be space available at some campgrounds that are not located near the coast or major attractions.

In campgrounds spaces can open up at any time. Sometimes people will reserve in advance only to find out they can't make it. Hopefully we will find a spot for you close by.

Jim is a great friend and a wonderful resource. I know he'll go out of his way to find something for you at TGO. We turned up at TGO a year ago with friends, and Jim was waiting at the welcome centre to greet us and ensure we were OK.

Since you'll be flying home from San Francisco, be sure to let us know in advance when you'll be in the area. We live a couple of hours drive from there and would be glad to hook up with you on your way there. Just to be sure, it is San Francisco, not Oakland, right across the bay, right? (Oakland is actually closer to us).

Forum staffer Carl, who you've already met in this topic, used to moderate a UK political forum, so you'll see/hear him practice his BritSpeak. Doesn't work very well on my wife and I because we're originally from (not so) sunny South Wales. Carl and his wife are wonderful people, and Carl always has good advice. He also wrote this file for our forum library on touring the western United States.

As you see, we're a friendly bunch and many of us have been online together for 15 years or so. We also have forum rallies, they might be called "meets" over there. By staying in touch with us here and keeping us updated on your itinerary, we can let you know if you'll be close enough to attend a rally and meet some of the wonderful folks here.

Attached are a couple of photos Jim, his wife Pat, and Chris (my other half) when we spent time in the California dessert a couple of years ago. One thing Jim didn't tell you is that he's a bagpiper and he was serenading the ladies on the dessert floor.

Tom,

I would say serenading is a far cry from what was coming out of those pipes!!! ;D ;D ;D Sure did enjoy that time in Anza Borrego, though.

Hi Hazel,

I just sent you a private message regarding the lot.

Wow those pictures look awesome. Just look at that scenery, so very different from Northern Ireland.  I cant wait to see these places.  Everyone in our house is beyond excited now.  The kids have just 5 days left at school, we have both finished work now and closed down our businesses.  We are in the process of packing up the house, sorting out power of attorney for our matters whilst away, etc etc.  Its manic to say the least.  The kids are so excited they are practically swinging from the light fittings.  


Perhaps someone can tell me this...  if we bring our laptop for wireless connection , do we need to set up some sort of ISP to be able to get online?  And can we do this once we get there? 

I must say, you all seem like such a lovely helpful bunch   Thanks for the tips about coins and flags, we shall certainly do that.