Well, that day you’ve so much longed for is finally here with you. You have already rented out or bought an RV to fulfill your long-awaited camping dream. But is an RV everything you need to make the trip a success?

Well, that is the first, and arguably the most important step for your RV-ing. At least now you have some means of transport to make your dream come true.

So what are the most crucial things you must know as a first time RVER before you embark on that trip?  Worry not! After this article, you’ll be well equipped to ensure you have the best RV-ing ever.

Here are some essential tips first-time RV-ers must check out:

Take Your Time to Plan

Although you’ve probably dreamt about this for a long time, you should never ignore proper planning. This entails creating a detailed plan of everything about the trip - from the departure date to the day you come back. Make sure you know your activities for each day, spots you’ll be visiting, duration at each camping site, your budget, etc.

One great tip here is to have a plan to help you enjoy every available site. Don’t overwhelm yourself trying to cover a large number of miles each day. Remember, one reason for taking this trip is to enjoy the incredible views the country has to offer.

Also, you don’t have to visit too many sites to enjoy your RV-ing. Once, you decide to camp on a certain place, take a few days to enjoy the area. Don’t just drive out of a camping site after one or two days - Unless it totally doesn’t fit what you were looking for.

Have Clean Water and Food Supplies

Depending on the length of your trip, you need to make sure that you pack enough food and clean water. Remember, you might be going far away from “civilization.”

When we mention water, someone may wonder! Don’t the camping sites have clean running water? Well, you will find water in most of them. But do you completely trust their sources?

Also, even if you empty and clean your RV’s clean water tank, the RV’s water system might not guarantee safe, clean drinking water for you. This is where having a source of clean water is essential.

So, how do you ensure you can trust the water you are drinking? Just buy an RV water filter, and all your water issues during the trip are sorted. With an efficient water filter, all you need is to refill it with the water available in the camping sites, and you are sure of clean drinking water throughout your road trip.

You don’t want to cut your trip halfway, because of water-related infections, or just spoil your anticipated great moment simply because of unclean water.

Research Campsites before Your Travel

Since you are a first-timer, it means that most of the sites you intend to visit are new to you. Therefore, to make the experience more enjoyable, make sure you have thoroughly done your research about the best campsites in the country. 

This will, for instance, help you identify, in advance, places that will need prior reservations to secure a spot. Some of the popular sites will sometimes be fully booked, even a year in advance.

You will also learn of any limitations and rules of the areas you’ll be visiting. Some campsites, for example, will not offer parking for large vehicles with slide rooms.

Prior research will help you learn about arrival and departure times, as well as park hours. Many of the parks close their gates at dusk, which might be a vital piece of information for you.

Pack Carefully

Besides food and clean water, you’ll need to ensure that you pack everything you need. Unlike most other kinds of travel, a trip in your RV requires you to pack everything right from appropriate clothing, medications, health aids, cosmetics, linens, to utensils. This means that you shouldn’t pack in a hurry as you might miss some essential items.

For instance, if there is a prescription you take, ensure you have enough to last you the entire trip. This is typically important because when you cross the state borders, you might not be able to get a refill. Most pharmacies and doctors are not willing to write new prescriptions, especially for strangers. They don’t want to risk losing their licenses. So, simply pack enough.

While packing, however, ensure that you take note of your RV’s loading weight, as well as how you arrange your items. This way, you will not encounter overloading problems, and you can easily locate your items when you need them.

Ensure You Have Reliable Power

Although most RVs come with a power generator, it might cost you hefty amounts when it’s a rental RV. If you are renting one, an ideal solution would be to carry a portable generator for your power needs. Make sure to bring a rechargeable one, so that you can recharge it at the campsite. One that uses gas would cost you more.

Remember, the sockets on your RV walls, won’t power your devices, unless you have that generator. Unlike the RV lights, the sockets won’t work with the cabin battery.

Download an RV App

Having an RV app on your phone can really save you big time. Despite having planned and researched well in advance, you might need the help of these apps to find a campsite, or overnight parking during your trip. You might even need to locate a dump station at the last moment. These apps offer quite incredible and helpful features.

And there are numerous of them - Ranging from Google Maps, Oh, Ranger! Park Finder, Road-trippers, to AllStays Camp & RV app, etc. You never know when you might need that guiding voice.

Key Takeaway

With the above tips, you are sure to have the most basic requirements to make your trip a success. But, you should note that there is so much more to learn. Each RV trip encounters different challenges and requires some custom-built solutions. Be ready to research and learn more every time. This way, you’ll always have the best time.