{"id":36190,"date":"2020-06-29T17:15:33","date_gmt":"2020-06-29T17:15:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.travelocity.com\/inspire\/?p=36190"},"modified":"2021-06-10T01:17:51","modified_gmt":"2021-06-10T01:17:51","slug":"5-things-to-know-before-taking-an-rv-trip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.travelocity.com\/inspire\/5-things-to-know-before-taking-an-rv-trip\/","title":{"rendered":"5 things to know before taking an RV road trip"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b><i>Note:<\/i><\/b><i> All travel is subject to frequently changing governmental restrictions\u2014please check federal, state and local advisories before scheduling trips.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re longing for a vacation but not comfortable getting on a plane just yet, an RV road trip may be the perfect option. RV trips are a great way to get out into nature and escape the crowds. If you\u2019ve never RVed before, it can seem a bit intimidating, but just a bit of knowledge can help prepare you for the trip of a lifetime! Here are 5 things you need to know before you take an RV trip.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.travelocity.com\/inspire\/6-ways-to-get-your-dog-road-trip-ready\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>RELATED<\/strong>: 6 ways to get your dog road trip ready<\/a><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Know the different types and where to rent<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>One of the most important things to consider is which style of RV to take on vacation. There are two main types of rigs:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Motorhomes you drive\u2014including larger A class models, smaller C class models and vans<\/li>\n<li>Towable trailers you pull behind a car or truck \u2013 including fifth wheels, travel trailers, toy haulers, teardrops and pop up campers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Assuming you don\u2019t already own one of these types of RVs, there are plenty of places where you can rent one, and RV camping spots are easily booked through online travel sites like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.travelocity.com\/vacation-rentals\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Travelocity<\/a>. Just click the Vacation Rentals tab, and then enter &#8220;RV&#8221; in the Property Name field. If you can&#8217;t find any available in your area or your destination, there are corporate companies that offer fleets of RV rentals, or you can rent directly from other RV owners on peer-to-peer lending platforms where you\u2019ll find a large variety of rigs.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Write down your dimensions<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Once you have your rig picked out, it\u2019s important to know the length, height and width of the RV. Low hanging power lines, lower clearance on bridges or tunnels, and twisty mountain roads can all be disastrous to new RVers if you don\u2019t know how long or tall your rig is.<\/p>\n<p>Take a bumper to bumper measurement of your RV to get the full length dimension. Then measure from the ground to the topmost vent on the roof for the height. Write out the length, width and height of your rig on a notecard or sticky note and keep it on your dashboard where you can easily reference it. That way if you come across a low bridge or a restricted length sign, you\u2019ll know instantly if your RV fits or not.<\/p>\n<p>To make sure you don\u2019t accidentally end up on a road with a low clearance bridge, download RV travel apps like <a href=\"https:\/\/copilotgps.com\/en-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Copilot<\/a> or RV\/trucking GPS maps. These apps let you enter your rig\u2019s dimensions directly into their platforms and they will calculate the safest and most RV friendly routes to your destination.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Build in extra drive time<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>If it takes you three hours to drive somewhere in your car, it will always take longer when driving an RV. This is especially true when going up hills or through mountain passes. You\u2019ll also be stopping for gas more often, so include extra time in your schedule. Rushing isn\u2019t safe or fun, but if you plan extra time on driving days you\u2019ll arrive to your destination safely, calmly and ready to enjoy your vacation.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Make reservations in advance<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Summer is the busy season for RVing, and it\u2019s highly recommended to make reservations for your site. Weekends and holidays tend to book up first, so make sure you reserve your RV sites early.&nbsp;Travelocity makes it easy to search for RV parks and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.travelocity.com\/aa\/RVParks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">book your sites<\/a>. Simply enter your destination and the dates of your trip to search hundreds of RV parks and book right from Travelocity\u2019s website. This way you\u2019ll have peace of mind knowing you have a place to park your RV before you even leave for your trip.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Understand camping in National Parks <\/strong><\/h2>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-36196 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.travelocity.com\/inspire\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/rv-in-the-national-parks.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"640\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.travelocity.com\/inspire\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/rv-in-the-national-parks.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.travelocity.com\/inspire\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/rv-in-the-national-parks-300x188.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.travelocity.com\/inspire\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/rv-in-the-national-parks-768x480.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.travelocity.com\/inspire\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/rv-in-the-national-parks-400x250.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\n<p>One of the best reasons to take an RV trip is to visit the National Parks. But they typically offer only a few RV camping spots inside the actual parks, and these tend to book up well in advance.<\/p>\n<p>But not to worry, there are plenty of RV parks right outside most National Parks where you can stay. You can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.travelocity.com\/aa\/RVParks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">book your reservations<\/a> for these RV sites directly on Travelocity. And to make your trip even easier, you can also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.travelocity.com\/things-to-do\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">purchase entrance tickets<\/a> to your desired National Park on Travelocity before you leave. This way you\u2019ll have more time to enjoy your day at the park instead of waiting in line at the entrance.<\/p>\n<p>RVing is a wonderful way to see the country. You can travel to some amazing places and see sites that you wouldn\u2019t normally visit on a vacation to the city. We hope these tips help you feel more comfortable when planning and taking your RV trip!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ready for an RV vacation? You are now!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":180,"featured_media":36195,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[609],"class_list":["post-36190","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel-tips","tag-road-trips"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.8.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>5 things to know before taking an RV road trip - Inspire | Travelocity.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.travelocity.com\/inspire\/5-things-to-know-before-taking-an-rv-trip\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"5 things to know before taking an RV road trip - Inspire | Travelocity.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Ready for an RV vacation? 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