We made it back to Columbus, OH around 7:00 last night. The trip home took longer than expected, partially due to the fact that we had to dump the tanks and refill the gas and propane before we returned our rented RV to its owner. We cleaned it all out, and Jason and Curtis returned it safe and sound.
We all loved our trip and talked a lot about the pros and cons and what we would do differently if we ever did it again or if anyone asked us if they should consider an RV trip. Here are my thoughts, in no particular order.
First, we had several advantages and/or things that worked in our favor for this trip:
1. The weather. We had great weather for our entire trip, minus a very few rain storms that didn't really affect us as they were short lived, not severe, or happened overnight. If the weather had been bad, travel would have been difficult, and if we'd had to entertain 8 people trapped inside an RV with no place to go for hours on end, we would've all gone crazy.
2. Experienced and handy drivers. Driving an RV is not for the faint of heart. Jason and Curtis both had experience driving large vehicles/trucks/farm equipment. They worked together the entire trip watching out for other drivers, navigating, and keeping each other awake. I personally would not have enjoyed the role sitting up front and helping the driver. I was fairly stressed out when we were navigating through tiny city streets or through heavy semi traffic. Having the 2 of them to drive was perfect for us. Also, both Curtis and Jason, even as an actuary and a computer programmer, are extremely mechanically inclined and know how to fix things. We had some issues with the electrical system and some warning lights that came on the dashboard. They were able to troubleshoot these and address them. They thought ahead to take a tool bag with them, and this came in handy. We never had to call anyone to come help fix us.
3. We had a newer RV and good insurance. Curtis did his homework when he found this RV. He was able to add it to his insurance, so we had full coverage, not just state minimum. Thank goodness we didn't need it, but if something had happened, it likely would have cost a lot of money. Also, we didn't break down. If we had, we likely would have had 8 people stranded without a car or contingency plan.
4. Resources. Both families budgeted extra money to allow for transportation, eating out, shopping, and activities on our trip. We used Uber to get into Boston, and rode the subway and ferry boats in NY. We increased our cellular data usage plans to allow for internet access. This was not cheap. If we hadn't planned for this, we would have been stuck without as much to do to entertain the kids. We travelled around a lot with the intention of seeing many different things, though. If you intended to stay in one place and just relax, you may not need the same planning, but you do need to choose a good RV park.
5. Our families get a long well. We felt our kids were at the perfect age for this (10, 8, 6 and 6). Any older and they would need more space or get bored, any younger and RV travel would be hard. I cannot imagine RV travel with an infant or toddler. Our kids really enjoy being together and we like spending time together. You cannot dislike each other for 10 days in a small space!
6. Planning. Sheri did a great job of planning our trip and worked hard to make reservations ahead of time and talk to the managers at each RV park where we stayed. She signed up for a Good Sam membership to take advantage of discounts, too. She booked our sites several months out. You really cannot go somewhere popular and just drive up and hope they have a place for you to park your RV. We also planned our food and brought plenty of groceries and water for the trip. We had extra towels, sleeping bags, a first aid kit, motion sickness medication, games, books, DVDs,...etc. It really isn't easy to just run into a store if you're traveling in an RV. We did stop at a Walmart along the way to restock, but only because they had easy access and a huge parking lot.
Things that we learned along the way:
1. Not all RV parks have full hookups. As first time RVers, we didn't "speak" RV. I am proud to say I now know what class of RV we were, what gray water and black water is, and what slides are. However, I just assumed that we'd pull up and be able to use our shower and bathroom no problem. I do not camp, I do not like public restrooms, and the thought of using a campsite shower house made me cringe. Well, I was pushed very far out of my comfort zone. Our first RV park only had electric and water, no sewage hookup, so we could not use our RV shower/bath. I reluctantly had to trek down do a shower house and hope I didn't catch anything. Ha. I completely skipped showering at the RV park in New Jersey. Nothing in the world could convince me to go to there after the guys came back with not so glowing reviews. If that makes me high maintenance, I will proudly claim that title. I took a LONG shower when I got home last night. There is not much better than your own bed and bath!
2. It is a lot of work to set up and take down camp. Our intent of this trip was to see and do as much as possible, so we didn't stay in one place for long. Secondary to this, we had absolutely no down time at all. There were no books read, no relaxing naps, no Netflix binges. It took time to hook up, put the slide out, pack and repack, and hook/unhook the trailer. We'd have to dump our tanks at each sites, sometimes more than once. We said if we ever did this again, we'd probably just choose one or 2 places and spend longer times there. We'd also make sure they had full hookups and decent amenities.
3. It would have been nice to have a car. I enjoy exploring little shops, restaurants, and small towns along the way. We just couldn't do that with the RV. We were completely reliant on shuttles and public or private transportation. At Acadia, we literally spent hours on the shuttle bus (although it was free), to get to where we wanted to go.
Would we do this again? Yes, but not right away, and I personally wouldn't want to do this for every vacation. I still enjoy a nice resort or hotel or beach condo. This is a perfect bucket list trip, though, and our kids will never, ever forget these experiences. We made so many memories and laughed so much each day. We will have those Sunday dinner table stories for years to come and many pictures to remind us of our journeys!