Miami to Vegas

[jackallen]

Hi guys,

There are six of us coming over from England to drive from Miami to Vegas in the first half of July this summer. Most of the trip is already planned out with accommodation booked at the start and the finish, so I'm just looking for a bit of advice for the massive middle section, as well as some travelling advice.

As there are six of us we plan to hire out an RV and use this as for sleeping as well as driving, so I guess my first question is how easy is it to park-up somewhere for the night and sleep? Are there any sort of specific areas that we should be looking to stop in or is it going to be harder than we imagine?

We're also a bit anxious as to the size of the RV, so if anyone has any advice or warnings or even words of comfort, on driving across the country in one of those beasts, then that would be very welcome.

In terms of places to visit we're pretty keen on New Orleans (hopefully we'll be there for independence day - will that be good?) and the Grand Canyon, but other than that we figured we'd just follow the road to Vegas and see what looks good whilst we're there... so any more imaginative thoughts would be brilliant.

Thanks a lot everyone,

Jack

[Midwest Michael]

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

Generally speaking, you should be looking for RV parks and campgrounds. It's not hard to find them, but they aren't free. You'd be looking at anywhere from $10-20 for a bare bones site at a public campground, to $50+ for a resort style private campground with full hookups of water and power for the RV.

[Southwest Dave]

As above, you can't just pull up by the side of the road or in a field and set up camp as you could be breaking bylaws as well as trespassing. There are no shortage of campgrounds and if need be you could use a truck stop, but you wouldn't be able to set up camp so to speak. It would be a case of getting a few hours kip among the big rigs that are pulling in and out through the night.

The RV's are big, but the main roads in particular are designed to deal with them and big rigs. Navigating around City centres can be more challenging although you can usually find an RV park with transport links into the City or a shuttle service in some cases. You will find superstore parking lots are handy for parking in built up areas for short periods of time, just be sure to find a quiet corner away from the main area.

With 6 of you travelling you will most likely require a 29ft class C which will feel big to start with, particularly if none of you have experience driving larger vehicles. So don't put pressure on yourselves by trying to travel to far too quickly early on in the trip so that you have time to adapt. Always have at least one person out of the vehicle when reversing and you need to be aware of the rear over hang behind the rear wheels. There is a lot of 'swing' at the back so steer away gently from fuel pumps or when near to other traffic and obstacles.

They really are not that bad to drive, but you need to allow extra travel time and on top of the camping fees and extra charges like bedroom and bathroom kits, prep fees etc, plus most likely a large one way drop off fee, budget for a return of 10mpg. The RV really is more at home in the open spaces and National parks than in the City, so as well as cost you need to consider whether it is the right Lifestyle choice for your group. If there is anything else you need to know just ask.

[Lifemagician]

......... and if need be you could use a truck stop, but you wouldn't be able to set up camp so to speak.

Be aware, that when using truck stops, you would not be able to use the slide in your RV, which, with six, could make it quite cramped.

It would be a case of getting a few hours kip among the big rigs that are pulling in and out through the night.

As one who has spent many nights at truck stops, let me dispel this exageration. Most large truck / travel plazas have an area set aside for RVs. This is usually well away from where the trucks fuel and park. Mostly on the opposite side of the building, which is likely to include a shop, bathrooms, restaurant, select fast food outlets and shower, laundry and other trucker amenities. They are no more noisy than many a campground at which I have stayed.