First Trip Booked!

Amidst snow banks and ice, I am so very happy to report that we have booked our first bus trip for 2014.

This. Just NO.

Last year at this time we were preparing to leave for Orlando on the bus. This year, due to many circumstances (6 feet of ice snow around the bus being one), we are not able to go. The price of diesel fuel has skyrocketed. And, we found that all that traveling for one week was a lot!

After my much-needed research on a destination for a few days- not too far away, things to see and do....

Trip #1 is to Association Island in NY State.

 

You might remember that last year, we spent our May 24 weekend in Lake Placid, NY. Just beautiful. If you haven't been there, check out our photos!

 

Allow me to give you some details on this year's May 24 trip.

1) May Long Weekend (usually Adam's birthday)

2) We are going with the Herliheys! (Yay!)

3) I'm counting the days.

 

Doesn't this look amazing? A whole ISLAND to ourselves? And we booked "Lakefront" sites. So cool!

 

Here is something I didn't mention in my last post. We stay at KOA campgrounds alot because we know we will fit (important) and they always have great amenities. The KOA website also has their own "reviews". I checked here first in my research:

 

Then I went to RV Park Reviews and found some more info.

 

Then Google Maps! Not too bad of a drive for a 4 day weekend. Near a town to get supplies, and a bonus was the State Park that is so close!

 

 

Well, everything was coming together. I went online and booked! Cannot wait. 

Countdown starts now.

Here are some other photos: 

 

 

 

Just can't wait to get back on the bus, get things organized, and hit the road!

Many more bus trips in the works....stay tuned!

Travel Research

I am the first to admit it-- I am a researcher. A planner, if you will. I read articles, reviews, order brochures, look at maps and generally just try to think of every possible angle when I am making decisions.

This is why my husband allows me to plan our bus trips. First, we try to think of a few possible destinations. Then, I start by looking at the Tourism websites to decide whether it is some where we could go and have fun for x amount of days. I really enjoy it!

There are so many places we have been, and so many places we want to go and see!

My ultimate bus trip would be to do a circle of the perimeter of North America. It would take a few months, and I think I would love it! (but that is another post)

So here are my steps:

1. Determine how much time we have for our getaway.

• a weekend?

• a long weekend?

• a week?

• two weeks?

2. Look on Google Maps to see if a destination catches our eye. (on a sidenote, we usually try to keep the driving to 3-4 hours a day for a weekend or a multiple destination trip-- or if we are going much longer we have a longer travel day at the beginning and end of the trip)

• is it child friendly?

• what is there to do?

• how far do you have to travel to get to the attractions/touristy things?

Google Maps. Easy to navigate.

3. If the desintation makes it this far, I start looking at RV parks. I always look at www.rvparkreviews.com first. I really like how its organized. It has all kinds of parks- public and private, in Canada, the US and Mexico. Members can write reviews and include the fee, the date and a rating. And, believe it or not, more campgrounds are showing up on Trip Advisor. I am a huge fan of Trip Advisor, and always write reviews when we return from our trips!

Things I am looking for:

• MOST important: can the park accomodate a 40 foot bus with tow vehicle? (sometimes they say they can, but the rvpark reviews usually have hints from class a motorhomes)

• what amenities do they have? Admittedly, we are NOT roughing-it type campers. Depending on the season, I like a nice pool, playground, etc.

• Where is the location? Is it close to the stuff we want to see? Will we have to drive to get everywhere?

• What is the atmosphere like? We've been to real "campgrounds" and ones that are concrete jungles.

• Does it have an affiliation with a club? We are members of KOA and Good Sam. There are perks. This is not a deal-breaker, but I usually check!

• Price should be a factor, but to be honest, it's not. We would rather have a place that we like and pay extra.

Sample RVParkReivew.com Review.

4. Once we choose a few parks, we look at the website. Then we search YouTube. Usually there is a promotional video, but more important-- campers sometimes take home video and post it. I love these! You get to see a real "sense" of what the park is really like. We have eliminated quite a few parks in recent research, just based on these videos.

Another great resource is Insider Perks. This is a website that reviews and makes videos of hotels and campgrounds. They have a YouTube channel. However, I do keep in mind that these are usually "promotional" videos and not "true" home videos.Nonetheless, it is usually a good starting point to learn about the area.

5. Next, we contact the park. We make sure they can accommodate us, ask if you can pick a certain site (this is why we try to plan early), and find out the cancellation policy.

6. We book the site, using our memberships if applicable. I print off the reservation and put it in my "bus binder" that contains all my necessary stuff.

 

7. We wait!

 

8. Once we return, I write a travel review for others. I use them all the time-- so I feel that I need to "give back" and share our experiences too.

9. Also, I keep brochures of everywhere we went- different outlier states and other places we might want to come back to. See the "inspiration" in the above flowchart! :)

It's been a lonnnng time....

Well, it has been wayyy too long since I have updated this blog!

Truth is, things got busy. Well, life is busy.

School started. Fall came and went. And then the dreaded winter.

I hate winter. I really do. This winter has been especially snowy and cold.

I sit and look out the window at the snow covered bus. 

Something inside me just cries to see it just sitting there.

My view from the kitchen.

You see, I am not a winter person. I hate snow, and I hate cold. I hate all the "extra work" that goes along with it.

For example, my husband has been snow blowing. This is what he looks like.

 

No. JUST NO.

And the driving is bad. There are accidents, and busses cancelled and it's dangerous.

So it's been a long winter so far-- November, December, January. Still, this is what I look at each morning.

My husband did get a new "project" vehicle, so he has been busy. Me, I've been thinking about the bus.

Our new tow vehicle?

I'm not sure if the van will be our next tow vehicle. Oh, remember the Tracker-- our beloved Toad? Well it is parked at the back of our property. Oh, you can't see it? Oh right, TOO MUCH SNOW!

You can just see the tow bar sticking up there. To the left of the boat. BRUTAL.

Alright, so I hate winter. It's not going away any time soon.

So how do you beat the WINTER BLAHS? You start planning for the upcoming BUS season! That is what I plan on doing. Lots of brochures are coming in the mail, now just looking at a calendar and planning some trips!

 I spent a few, solitude moments on the bus a few weeks ago. It was great, and just enough to motivate me to think ahead to spring!

I will post some of my ideas as they come in....