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)
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. |
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