RV road trip USA experience tips etc?

Dart Vader · Post by **Dart Vader** » Tue Sep 22, 15 9:27 pm

Ok, so me and my wife have just arrived in Turkey and have encountered flooding rock slides etc. Rain and thunder all day today and more forecast tomorrow.

Stuck indoors got me thinking

I have enough air miles for two seats to the US, so I want to hire an RV camper type thing for us two. West Coast for two weeks, LA, San Francisco etc

Anyone on here done it? Tips? Advice?

More about the RV and good sites to use to get one rather than the route or things to see

I just want the flexibility of going where we want when we want, stay somewhere longer, skip it and move on if it's rubbish.

What yer done?

Pete · Post by **Pete** » Tue Sep 22, 15 10:07 pm

Toured all around there a couple of times but not in an RV.

Brilliant place, love it.

Loads to do, nice and expensive!

Bloody hot in mid summer, may be Ok now.

cadboy · Post by **cadboy** » Wed Sep 23, 15 6:28 am

We are doing a trip to LA & SF Christmas time but not in a RV so will be able to tell you more after.

RV will be expensive for 2 weeks and requires good planning but fun I am sure.

Bilko · Post by **Bilko** » Wed Sep 23, 15 7:26 am

I've done it in an RV a few times. Great experience, and the flexibility is a big bonus. Go for a bigger one than you think you need as it's a pain finding space for your cases and we had to keep moving them about every night to use the beds. Search 'KOA' which is a chain of campgrounds throughout the US. (Kampgrounds of America). They have a site in nearly every town and are clean, cheap, well-situated and have all the basic needs like sewage, clean water and electric. Plan your trip using the KOA map and you can't go wrong.

Scooby · Post by **Scooby** » Wed Sep 23, 15 8:03 am

That part of the coast highway 1 it's a good drive and plenty to see and do plan your route places to go before leaving. ( we've just returned from the other Route 66) and used an RV the company we went through was Criuse America can recommend them . You can pick up the motor home in LA and drive and use as much as you can squeeze in. There's loads of campar parks we used the KOA sites clean tidy and have all the facilities . Hope this helps
Rich

ronfenton · Post by **ronfenton** » Wed Sep 23, 15 9:21 am

Bilko wrote:I've done it in an RV a few times. Great experience, and the flexibility is a big bonus. Go for a bigger one than you think you need as it's a pain finding space for your cases and we had to keep moving them about every night to use the beds. Search 'KOA' which is a chain of campgrounds throughout the US. (Kampgrounds of America). They have a site in nearly every town and are clean, cheap, well-situated and have all the basic needs like sewage, clean water and electric. Plan your trip using the KOA map and you can't go wrong.

How did you get into cities etc?

Cheers, Ron

Dave999 · Post by **Dave999** » Wed Sep 23, 15 11:06 am

did the same but just used the tokens in the free map/guidebook available on the counter at the car hire place and in every gas station to get motels

cheapest was $25 most expensive was $80 I think tokens give you anything up to 50% off

Fridays and Saturday most expensive mid week out of holiday time they are just glad of the custom

some you get a swimming pool others its mountain dew vibrating bed and cockroaches.

only santa monica needed booking in advance

we did up to napa valley

down to Carmel and Monterey

down to LA (Compton Inglewood and the backside of long beach need to be approached with caution although I'm sure all are a walk in the park compared with Afghanistan, you know what you are doing)

Bakersfield (why?) Fresno (Bananarama! no) santa rosa (Mmmm ok) Yosemite Vegas,

we ploughed our Chrysler Sebring through ghost towns wild west type places trailer parks area 51 death valley breakers yards indian reservations. saw the bits most Americans would be proud of and the bits most would not want you to see.

just went where we fancied spent mornings driving and afternoons looking about

all over the shop

was great met some scary looking but ultimately salt of the earth types.

even the most down on his luck American speaks so-correctly and is usually damned polite yes sir yeas ma'am etc. even Mr corn row hair, dark shades 4 shirts all buttoned only at the top button, bare tattooed stomach and jeans far too big just said What-What Mr Englishman cup of tea? cop o tea? laughed like a loon and wandered off exceedingly slowly swinging 1 arm behind with every step in an exaggerated manner.

it really was a great time

Bilko · Post by **Bilko** » Wed Sep 23, 15 12:17 pm

ronfenton wrote:How did you get into cities etc?

Cheers, Ron

That is one of the drawbacks. Once you're hooked up at the campsite, it all has to be packed away if you want to go into town. 90% of our trips avoided the city areas and we kept out in the sticks like Dave says. (Going into the Watts district in East LA in a 30ft Camper was 'entertaining'!) In the end we left the camper parked up and hired a cheap car to potter around in.

remind me to tell you the 'exploding RV toilet' story next time I see you Ron!