Do you like to head off on an RV trip with no plan other than to just move forward on an interesting road to see what’s around the next corner? And the next corner, and the next… And when you leave your camping spot for the night, do you look ahead through your windshield and decide right then and there which direction looks most appealing: north, east, south, west? And, decision made, you just head off in that direction and hope for the best.
There’s a certain thrill in not knowing what’s next—a hidden roadside attraction, an unexpected view, or a mom-and-pop campground that turns out to be the highlight of your trip. For some RVers, that spontaneity is the heart of the adventure. The road decides. The journey unfolds naturally.
Of course, the flip side is that you might end up circling a packed campground at dusk or spending the night in a noisy parking lot because everything nearby is full. No reservations means no guarantees. And for some travelers, that unpredictability takes the fun out of it.
Or does the idea of following a strict schedule, where you need to be at Point A on one day and then Point B on another—does that keep you smack dab in your comfort zone? Does it make you uneasy not knowing where you will stay that night or the next night without reservations?
So, which is it with you: Do you prefer a tightly planned itinerary or one that’s totally free-form, just like the RV industry preaches in its ads —”Go where you want, when you want!”
Please leave a comment after you vote. Thanks!
MORE POLLS YOU WILL ENJOY:
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- Do you agree with this statement: “With an RV you can go where you want, when you want”?
- Which campsite do you normally choose, a pull-through or back-in?
- Have you ever ordered a pizza delivered to your RV?
RVT1217b
We do a little of both. When we start out, we have a basic plan in place and maybe two or three nights reserved. We may stay on our plan and make adjustments along the way.
A lot depends on the time of year and even the days of the week. In the spring and fall, when kids are still in school, you will find more vacancies than during prime vacation times.
Also, Sundays through Fridays are usually not as busy.
I often travel by myself, so I need to have a pretty good plan as to where I am going and where I will stay. I hate getting reservations and rarely stay at places where I need them. I boondock or stay at first come, first serve campgrounds. It works for me!
Years ago it was a last minute thing to pack up and go “camping” now one has to plan ahead like it was a some sort of living estate deal just so you can find a spot…even in remote campgrounds. Too many people.
I normally plan a destination and the general area I will stop each night. If I need to be somewhere on a certain date, say the Volks walk at the Crazy Horse monument, then I will reserve a spot for the night before.
We try to plan things out and make the reservations. We don’t get to go often enough to risk ending-up in a Walmart parking lot because we didn’t do our homework. Sometimes feel a little rushed, but it’s our own fault when we do.
I prefer spontaneous trips, but realize they just aren’t easy to do anymore. Our last big trips have been planned with no gaps to avoid having night’s with no place to park legally
I prefer to have my stops planned. Unless this is just an overnight rest stop, I try to leave plenty of wiggle room as to how we spend our time once we know our rolling hotel room is set up.
I grew up with my parents deciding to go somewhere without any planning and no issues. We seldom ran into full campgrounds. I miss those days where we could just decide we needed to just get away and point the camper in any direction and go. I hate having to reserve sites six months in advance, I might be ill at the time of the planned trip and you have to figure out how to cancel the sites if you are a decent and considerate camper and hope someone else can enjoy the sites you had to give up.
For longer trips we usually plan out our camping on the way to our destination which is usually a national park. The return trip home is figured out partly after we reach our destination and maybe modified to see something new on our way there.
We spend our summers traveling up the west coast of CA, OR & WA. Being that this area is so popular reservations are good to have well ahead of time as most parks are filled up. When traveling across the country a few years ago we made our reservations just a few days out without any problems.
I have it planned out including campground reservations. But when it comes to serious travel, I don’t hop around, I like to stay in one place for at least a week, then its spontaneous sightseeing and exploring.
We have done it both ways and now prefer the middle road. We make reservations for our longer stays – 7 to 30 days or longer. I “plan” nightly stops along our route but do not make any reservations until a day or two in advance. That gives us some flexibility in route changes or delays just in case and lets me reroute us if needed. The only rule I avoid breaking is never drive over 300 miles in a day.
If that couple is looking for a place to go, they might turn the map. If we see the lower US than theirs is upside down. We never plan our trips. With timed entry to parks it makes it mandatory to be somewhere that spoils our immediate travel
We do both, planned and spontaneous. It depends on time of year and where we’re going. If it’s a campground close to home or along the coast, best to have a reservation. Heading out to BLM lands, we just go.
We plan our longer trips on the outbound side with campsites and reservations, and wing it on our return trips home. Usually on our 4 to 10 week trips
I like the point the truck and go philosophy, but my wife is more of a plan each stop and have reservations way in advance. Guess who wins.
We always have a destination in mind and normally have reservations there. We usually don’t make reservations more than a day or two ahead enroute, except for areas we know will be crowded. Too often there are unexpected things that crop up, lately mostly mechanical problems with the motorhome, so our plan is to get to the destination early if possible or somewhere nearby.
THE TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGiN’ – As we enter our 20th year of RVing (8 years full timing to all 49 states) we made very few reservations in advance and always got a spot. Now, we can’t go anyplace with out making advanced reservations, especially if it is a weekend. GEEEEEZZZZZZ
Thank you for the question, RV Travel! I voted for a little spontaneity. I prefer that trips are scheduled, planned, and reservations made before departing each location. If there is spontaneity, it can be for the activities we do at each location. Have a great weekend and safe travels!
Planning is just part of the trip for us, we travel to explore. My husband won’t retire for a couple of years, so we want to make the most of vacation time. We began making reservations for all, or almost all, campsites more than 25 years ago, because if we don’t, we tend not to have a site. We don’t plan to the smallest detail, and usually have a list of things to do longer than can be finished.
I openly admit to being OCD about planning. I even go as far as to plan where to refuel. I’m not so bad that I get upset when something happens that I didn’t account for, I just start planning an alternative solution. My wife of 50+ years has adjusted to my ways and lets me map out how we will arrive where we want to be, when we want to be there.
Since most of our travels are west of the Rockies, we are pretty much spontaneous. We boondock, stay at clubs, USFS parks, or BLM parks and an occasional rv park if they have some fcfs sites. We don’t like to have to be somewhere at a certain time on a certain day. We do plan where we want to go, just not when and where we are going to stay. It works for us.
As many have said, years ago spontaneity was possible with our little pop up. But now with our big rig, reservations are a must most of the time – especially Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day. We are retired and travel 200 miles or less in a day. We have time, and we’re full time RVers so there’s rarely a hurry. I found in the Yukon and some parts of Alaska near Tok, I felt comfortable “winging it”. We’re boondocking more these days (which means 10 days each year, not a lot by other people’s standards). I’d like to be more spontaneous, but it isn’t reality.
One of my favorite expressions: “Plan to be spontaneous”
Our plan is ALWAYS to travel North. There is not much South in Florida.
I call it the 3:00 pm argument, my wife likes to go spontaneously, myself not so much, so as we’re driving my wife is googling parks in area and I’m hoping for a spot
We used to wing it but that is harder now days.
My best experiences have been following coastlines and wandering the US SW without any other agenda.