RV NJ to LA

[s0lip]

My b/f and I will be RV'ing for the first time, which we're very excited about because we've never had the time to do such adventurous things! We are relocating to Hawaii and thought it would be great to RV across and ship our car and belongings from LA. We will have about 10 nights/11 days to get across and the only thing on our list of things to do is Grand Canyon and eat BBQ ribs in Memphis.

1. Is it possible to RV across in 10 nights?
2. What are the MUST see's
3. What are the best highways to take across for an RV
4. Any tips on RV'ing in terms of car maintenance and towing a car with the RV.

[kcstockdale]

THere is an RV Park in New Mexico that does AWESOME BBQ. They cook everything on site and deliver it to your camper door. Some of the best BBQ I've ever had. My family stays there often. I cannot recall the name, but Bobby Flay featured it on one of his shows on Food Network.

[Mark Sedenquist]

My b/f and I will be RV'ing for the first time, which we're very excited about

Cool -- we published a couple of articles that you should certainly read and think about. The first details the types of RV rentals that are available and the second can be printed out and should be taken with you the first time you pick up the RV.

1. Is it possible to RV across in 10 nights?
2. What are the MUST see's
3. What are the best highways to take across for an RV

Basically, any road that a passenger vehicle can travel on is OK for RVs.

Mark

[Midwest Michael]

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

It looks like a good trip. I love that you are taking the chance to see some of North America before heading off to paradise.

10 days will give you enough time to make a couple of stops along the way. I'd guess, particualrly in an RV pulling a car, your trip alone will take 6-7 days, so you should have time to visit the grand canyon and a few other places along the way.

As far as the best highways to take, I'd recommend staying on the interstates. All interstates are built to standards that will keep you from having to deal with narrow, curvy roads while driving an unfamiliar vehicle with car in tow.

I don't have much experience with towing a car, but make sure to look at your owners manual for the best way to pull it. Many cars require you to have at least 2, if not all 4 wheels off the ground when being towed.

There is one point that i'm curious about, how much have you researched this? While I have not ever looked into the costs of moving to Hawaii, I would almost suspect just having things shipped from NJ may be cheaper and much easier than trying to pack everything into an RV for a cross country trip. That's not to say you shouldn't enjoy a trip across the states before getting on a plane, but I would be a little concerned with how much stuff you'll actually be able to pack into an RV and still be comfortable.

[Mark Sedenquist]

and thought it would be great to RV across and ship our car and belongings from LA.

Wow, I missed this on my first read -- Midwest Michael's point is well taken -- RVs make terrible moving vans. An over-weighted RV is not fun and depending upon which model you use, most have very little storage capacity.

Now, if you are going to ship your stuff and use the RV only for human transport and the normal vacation luggage, you will have a great time.

Mark

[s0lip]

Let me first start with answering some of your questions...
We will Rent an RV.
B/f and I decided to RV (vs ship from NJ) because we will probably never get this chance again. We don't own a lot (Just several suite cases of clothes) and most likely everything will fit in the towed car. In terms of financing the trip, his new employer gave us a very fair budget for relocating, therefore we will probably go for Class C motorhome about 23 - 25' and possibly invite another couple.

Thank you for your tips! They're great. I will definitely print off the "First time you pick up an RV"

And I LOVE LOVE LOVE the BBQ RV PARK suggestion... b/f and I will make it a point to stop by there.

[s0lip]

Hi KCSTOCKDALE: I went searching for Bobby Flay's BBQ RV Park in New Mexico but google is not cooperating today and I'm having a hard time finding the spot. Do you have any other information regarding the park? Such as city...

[Mark Sedenquist]

I went searching for Bobby Flay's BBQ RV Park in New Mexico

Bobby Flay doesn't own a RV park -- he is cooking show host on the Food Network and he travels around to various BBQ places in the southwest-- I think this could be the episode in question.

There is a truly excellent guide book to NM cuisine that I use whenever my travels take me to the "Land of Enchantment" -- here is my review of Scott Sharot's "New Mexico Chow".

When you get to Phoenix -- you might enjoy Bob Schaller's picks .

Mark

[kcstockdale]

Bobby Flay doesn't own a RV park -- he is cooking show host on the Food Network and he travels around to various BBQ places in the southwest-- I think this could be the episode in question.

Yes! This is the one I was talking about. Try to stop there. You wont regret it!