There are not many RV tips and hacks that can save you thousands of dollars … but this one can!
When you are planning a car camping road trip, you don’t
have to worry about low clearances, weight limits and propane-restricted
tunnels.
These RV travel tips
are intended to prevent you from getting in big trouble during the driving
portion of your trips by providing tools to find RV safe routes.
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RV Trip Tips
Our FREE printable camping trip planner template is designed to help you think about every aspect of your trip before you start your vehicle to drive to your camp destination.
Our planner is NOT an interactive tool to help you navigate along routes that an RV can safely travel.
You don’t want to end up with thousands of dollars of damage
because you tried to drive under a bridge without enough clearance for your
vehicle!
Some RV camping tips for beginners won’t actually come in to play until after a few excursions when the trip route is out-of-the-ordinary when even experienced RVers can have accidents.
RV Safe Route Travel Tools
The best camping apps that are FREE usually don’t provide enough data for planning a safe travel route with an RV.
There are some premium versions of apps as well as stand-alone dedicated GPS units that do include all of the necessary data for trip planning along RV-friendly routes.
This is especially important for your RV road trip ideas that take you to out-of-the-way places with unusual roadside attractions.
Garmin RV 785 & Traffic, Advanced GPS Navigator for RVs with Built-in Dash Cam, High-res 7
Using a dedicated GPS that is specific for RV travel is one
of the most popular tools many RVers choose to find RV safe travel routes.
The Garmin RV 785 provides routing based on your RV’s size and weight.
It includes warnings regarding steep grades, sharp curves, weight limits and more.
It also has a directory that includes RV parks, public campgrounds and RV services.
You can pair this unit with your phone for hands-free calling, smart notifications
and voice-activated navigation.
This GPS has a high-res
7″ touch display as well as a built-in dash camera.
One of the biggest benefits to a dedicated GPS navigation
device is that it prompts you in advance
of required lane changes and exits.
You are not trying to do “double duty” with your phone if
you are using your phone for other
purposes (if you are a passenger, of course.)
Also, this 7” screen
size is much larger and easier to see
than an app that is on a phone.
The biggest drawback to stand-alone GPS units … the initial purchase price is a bit steep but the
cost/benefit over time is well worth it if you do a lot of RV traveling to new
destinations.
RV Life App
If you need RV travel tips and safe travel routes but have a
budget that won’t allow for a dedicated
GPS device, you can always use your phone with an app that has affordable monthly and annual subscription
options.
The RV Life app is available for iOS and Android devices.
The RV Life app is a community-driven
GPS navigational aid that allows you to enter your RV’s height, length and weight to produce RV Safe routes
specific to your rig.
It will route you to avoid
low clearances and unsafe mountain
passes.
In addition to turn
by turn directions, lane guidance and real-time
traffic … the app also has a database of campgrounds, RV parks, reviews, activities, weather forecasts and
more.
If you also have a subscription to RV Trip Wizard website,
the RV Life app has RV Trip Wizard
Integration which means you can plan your trips on the RV Trip Wizard
website then access them to use the RV Life app to actually navigate.
RV Trip Wizard Website
The RV Trip Wizard website is a route planning tool that includes an RV info tab where you enter your RV’s height, weight, length, type of fuel and whether or not you are carrying propane.
Here is a quick video of the RV Safe Routing portion of RV Trip Wizard.
When you are planning your trip, you can choose “standard routing” (good for cars) or “RV safe routing” (good for RVs)
depending on how you are traveling during each leg of your trip.
If you select standard routing, it will show an
automobile-friendly route but will show a warning for low clearances,
propane-prohibited tunnels etc.
If you select RV safe
routing, it will automatically change the route to accommodate the specifications of your RV.
Some of the most popular settings allow you to choose
routing to:
- Avoid unpaved roads
- Avoid highways
- Avoid ferries
- Avoid all tunnels
As far as propane-restricted tunnels are concerned, some tunnels do not allow propane at all … other tunnels permit you to drive through them if your camping propane is turned off prior to entering them.
In addition to RV safe travel route planning, the RV Trip
Wizard includes information on campgrounds
and RV parks, points of interest, reviews, budget planning for fuel and camping
fees as well as driving times and
distances.
You can print the map or export it to your GPS device or Google Maps (some functions must be done on a computer rather than your phone) or you can get the RV LIFE App (we discussed above) which integrates with RV Trip Wizard so you get the GPS routing right on your phone or tablet.
TruckMap App
If you are looking for a free option for safe RV travel routes you will have a hard time
finding one that is specific for RVs.
As the name implies, the TruckMap app is designed for truckers but lots of RVers use it too.
The thinking is … if
a semi-truck can safely travel along a route … most RVs can probably do it too.
The TruckMap app is available for iOS and Android devices.
You can’t put in the
specific size of your rig … instead you can choose from size ranges rather than the exact dimensions.
It provides information on routing, weigh stations, truck parking and fuel prices too.
When you know how to plan a camping road trip your adventures are much more safe, stress-free and fun!
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