Newbie wondering about advance planning

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   Hi FolksMy wife and i are new to the RV world and in my short time of perusing the Forum I am really impressed with the wealth of information here.  Thanks! We have a 179 which we love and we have used it about 6 mostly short trips.  
I will start with a most basic question: We are leaving for Florida in a couple weeks driving our 179 from Wisconsin to Florida. As newbies we aren't quite sure how far we might drive on any given day.   I am wondering how much advance planning we need to do to find places to stay. Can we wing it and just look for places when we have a good idea of when we might want to stop? Or do we need to call ahead and book something one or more days in advance?  We are pretty flexible but would prefer not to have to stay in a Walmart lot or truck stop.  We have plans to visit relatives in the Ft. Myers/ Naples area but  have considerable freedom going to and from.  If we were to stay a five days in the Naples area do we need to book something before we even leave?  
Thanks for any advice you veterans may have. 

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Rob179 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 24 Jan 2016 Location: Southeast WI Online Status: Offline Posts: 4	Topic: Newbie wondering about advance planning Posted: 27 Jan 2016 at 6:06pm
	Hi Folks My wife and i are new to the RV world and in my short time of perusing the Forum I am really impressed with the wealth of information here. Thanks! We have a 179 which we love and we have used it about 6 mostly short trips. I will start with a most basic question: We are leaving for Florida in a couple weeks driving our 179 from Wisconsin to Florida. As newbies we aren't quite sure how far we might drive on any given day. I am wondering how much advance planning we need to do to find places to stay. Can we wing it and just look for places when we have a good idea of when we might want to stop? Or do we need to call ahead and book something one or more days in advance? We are pretty flexible but would prefer not to have to stay in a Walmart lot or truck stop. We have plans to visit relatives in the Ft. Myers/ Naples area but have considerable freedom going to and from. If we were to stay a five days in the Naples area do we need to book something before we even leave? Thanks for any advice you veterans may have.

CharlieM Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 23 Nov 2012 Location: N. Colorado Online Status: Offline Posts: 1797	Posted: 27 Jan 2016 at 6:40pm
	I admit to being a bit obsessive, but I like to have a reserved place waiting when I stop. As a beginner you should plan ahead and confirm reservations where you plan to stop. As you gain experience you’ll learn when you need reservations and when you can wing it, depending on locations, times, and seasons. Longer stays are harder to secure, especially in Florida this time of year, as we are maxed out with snowbirds. We usually plan to drive 6 hours a day and that’s at 60 MPH, not Google time. Commercial campgrounds tend to be more available than national or state facilities, but nowhere near as nice. Campgrounds tend to fill up early. It’s easier to drive longer if you have a guaranteed reservation ahead. You DO NOT want to end up at Walmart.
	Charlie Northern Colorado OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD

Tars Tarkas Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 14 Jan 2013 Location: Near Nashville Online Status: Offline Posts: 1454	Posted: 27 Jan 2016 at 6:53pm
	We just went from Nashville to Nova Scotia and back. Stayed at covenient Walmarts coming and going. Very easy, free, seemed perfectly safe. I admit to going into Pod camping with misgivings about spending nights in Walmart parking lots, but there are a lot of advantages, and other than being slightly wierd, there's not much downside. To eac his own. TT
	2010 176 FJ Cruiser

Camper Bob Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 26 Sep 2011 Location: Portland Oregon Online Status: Offline Posts: 913	Posted: 27 Jan 2016 at 7:37pm
	We usually book our destination park before leaving. Most of our travel has been in the "high season" read summer. On the in between destinations, we usually look for a place about 3 P. M. Any later than that during the summer becomes more of a problem. We also travel with the Good Sam travel guide and Campground directory. It lists all campgrounds by amenities, price and most important a phone number to contact the park. We travel about 200-300 miles a day including rest stops. Traveling at 55 mph is comfortable for us. Hope that will give you a little insight. Safe Travels.
	Camper Bob and Camper Sue Gracie the Wonder Dog (12 LB. Mini Dachshund) 2013 Rpod 171HRE(ORPod) 2016 Lance 1685 2015 Nissan Pathfinder

Podster Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 16 Sep 2014 Location: San Antonio Online Status: Offline Posts: 1108	Posted: 27 Jan 2016 at 7:47pm
	If you have a smart phone, 2 of the great free apps: RVParky and ALLstays. If you can, download the two and check them out...these tools can be very helpful when on the road and winging it. You can find places to stay that you didn't know about.
	Cliff & Raelynn Ranger 4.0/178 (1/2 ton 5,800lb tow capacity)

techntrek Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group - pHp Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Location: MD Online Status: Offline Posts: 9062	Posted: 27 Jan 2016 at 8:02pm
	Welcome. We've planned multiple long-distance trips, currently planning another 4-week trip for this summer. Here are some tips we've learned. If you are on a tight schedule, you will want reservations. For a night in the middle of two long days on the road, the free options are also usually closer to the interstate than a campground and you don't need to spend time to check in. We prefer truck stops to Wal-Marts. We've had a few issues over the years at Wal-Marts. There are other options like some Cracker Barrels, Camping World. Always go inside to ask if it is ok and where they want you. When you are planning your trip, if you use Google multiply the time it gives you by 1.3. On all-day drives add another hour on top of it for meal stops. Don't plan on going more than 9-10 hours unless you are still feeling really good at the 10 hour mark - towing is much harder on you than driving a car the same distance.
	Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual

furpod Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Moderator Group - pHp Joined: 25 Jul 2011 Location: Central KY Online Status: Offline Posts: 6128	Posted: 28 Jan 2016 at 8:45am
	Another thing, 'cause these guys already covered most of it.. this time of year, the farther north you are, the more CG's there are that aren't open... Make sure to call ahead just in case. But if they are open, it's probable getting a space won't be an issue, until you get farther south..

Leo B Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 13 Jan 2012 Location: Lyndonville, VT Online Status: Offline Posts: 4518	Posted: 28 Jan 2016 at 9:47am
	Welcome to the group!
	Leo & Melissa Bachand 2017 Ford F150 2021 Vista Cruiser 19 csk Previously owned 2015 Rpod 179 2010 Rpod 171

Capt Kidd Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 18 Aug 2015 Location: Chico, CA Online Status: Offline Posts: 215	Posted: 28 Jan 2016 at 11:48am
	I did a 10,000+ mile trip around the US last year in my teardrop. Mostly stayed in KOAs. Never made a reservation except on the 3 day memorial day weekend. I left Chico, CA on April 15 and arrived back on June 10th. I was not traveling in the heart of the season so did not need reservations. What I would do was to sit down with the KOA directory and plan out 3 or 4 days drives so that I had a KOA to stay at. Mostly did not have to drive over 200 to 250 miles a day. There are lots of alternatives to KOA however. I used RV park reviews on my laptop also. Picked the city I wanted to stay near then looked to see what was in the area. In as much as the teardrop was not self contained (no bathroom) I stayed away from Walmart etc.

Rob179 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 24 Jan 2016 Location: Southeast WI Online Status: Offline Posts: 4	Posted: 28 Jan 2016 at 5:15pm
	Thank you all for the warm welcome and helpful advice. Now i have to get to work and do some planning for the upcoming trip. Thanks to you all I won't be completely winging it. Glad to have you all as a resource. Rob