Each year we get a little better with planning--our first summer, we literally just pointed our van in the direction of Iowa for the Grand National Rally and plugged in Forest City to the GPS. It was so much fun, but we knew there were missed opportunities with our lack of planning. Let me state right up front--we are not organized people (I know a disorganized librarian...) with color coded binders, bags of travel books, and detailed hour by hour itineraries--that would drive us crazy if we were even capable of it! But we needed some planning strategies that moved us beyond 'we have 3 weeks to get to Forest City Iowa.' We're pretty happy with the balance we've created between planning and flexibility.
Here's how we roll for our long trips. Our planning consists of three steps: 1) Map it--we're both very visual, so seeing everything on a map helps prevent wasted backtracking time or missed opportunities; 2) Create a 'playlist of favorites'-- museums, parks, farmer's markets, dog friendly beaches, restaurants, etc and 3) Find Overnighting Locations--identify multiple options that will work with our playlist locations.
First we create a custom map using Google My Maps so we have a base map for the entire trip. Here's the beginnings of our Newfoundland trip map which is still a work in progress and will have several layers when it's done: favorites, overnight, and dog friendly layers. For Michigan last year we had restaurant and shopping layers, but didn't use them much--so this year we're just trying a 'favorites playlist' layer.
Next we collect information for our 'favorites playlist'. We pick up the AAA tour books and maps. Then we start googling keywords like 'Newfoundland itinerary,' 'Newfoundland pet friendly' 'Newfoundland RV,' 'Newfoundland hikes,' and of course 'Newfoundland tourism.' We also email the official tourism bureau to request their guide.
We add the resource links to a planning document. Here are a few of the kinds of links we found about Newfoundland--Adventure Caravans, Canadream's itinerary, Frommer's Newfoundland intinerary.
On those sub-zero winter nights, we create our 'favorites playlist'--no particular order--just a list of places we'd like to see or things to do--it can include everything from National Parks, to dog friendly beaches, to yarn stores. Then we plot the pins on our custom map. Sometimes we attach website links to the pins--to easily find more information later. Most of the pins get added over the winter, but sometimes we're still adding pins from the road when other travelers or locals share their 'favorites.'
The last stage of our trip planning is always about where to stay. That may seem backwards to some folks who reserve a campground spot first and then head out to see what's in the area, but here's where Travato traveling shines! The big difference is that we can be 'travelers' in our Travato and not just campers. As travelers, what we want to see and do always comes first! There are definitely times we do the camper thing and hang out at a Vermont State Park with the screen tent, a floor mat, and a clothesline--that's just a different kind of vacation from our long trip.
Here's how we locate overnight stays. We usually begin with Harvest Hosts since that's our first preference. We add the HH pins to our custom map. From the AllStays app, we pin state or provincial parks--another favorite option. We also add boondocking spots like dispersed camping areas, rest areas, Walmarts, Cabelas, etc. As the map shapes up we use it to decide how many days in each area we'll need to see our favorites, and we may edit here if we've been over ambitious. We'll also pin a few private campgrounds with laundry or town laundromats.
After several years of planning we now build in 'flex days' to our itinerary so we have discovery and wandering time. Thee flex days ensure we don't miss those 'favorite' stops toward the end of the trip and we rarely say 'oh we never got there because we ran out of time.'
Here's the simple template we use to organize a written itinerary to go along with our map. We have columns for Day and Date mostly because we aren't sure exactly when we'll be leaving. The Stay column usually has a couple options for overnighting in the area--a Harvest Host, a boondock site, a state park.... Last summer in Michigan we were fortunate to have state park options with 30 amp listed since we were in an unusual heat wave.How many flex days? Where to schedule them? It varies depending on weekends, driving distances, weather, etc. But honestly it doesn't matter. We might not use them where we scheduled them, or might use two flex days in a row, because the point is we know we have them available! Since the itinerary is on a Google Doc, we just share it with our daughter so she knows where we'll be when. It's easy to update with the Google Doc app on a phone or tablet.
So on those chilly winter evenings when Rosie is cozied up to Linda and jealous of the the attention the laptop is getting, little does she know Linda is in search of dog friendly beaches, outdoor cafes with doggie water bowls, and some off-leash, off the beaten track places to visit.
