With so much vast beauty across our country, it can be difficult to narrow down just a handful of trips to take. And regardless of whether you plan to pitch a tent or relax in your RV, there are so many different avenues and resources for finding trip inspiration. But before you get carried away planning that next trip, take a minute to really think about where you want to go. What would your dream camping trip look like? What would you see and do while you were there? What do you want the weather to be like? Having been full-time RVers for nearly two years, we are constantly thinking about these questions and seeking inspiration for where to travel to next. And we want to share with you how we’ve been able to find some pretty epic and memorable places along the way.
1. Choosing a Destination
Open a map. Close your eyes and point to anywhere on the map. Now open your eyes and see where you landed. Does picking a destination sometimes feel like this—a total shot in the dark? With countless, jaw-dropping places to see, you might be feeling like there are just too many to choose from. Relax! We’re here to help.
The first thing to keep in mind is that you don’t always have to go far to explore great things. If you are looking for a summer or weekend trip, we suggest checking out some local and semi-local state and national parks. Through our journey across the country, these have been some of our most favorite places to explore. With breathtaking landscapes, ample trails and programs for all ages, state and national parks are great places to start.
Inspiration for choosing destinations can also come from family and friends. Do you know anyone in a destination that you’ve always wanted to visit? Did someone just take a trip that you’ve always wanted to take? Local recommendations can be extremely beneficial, especially in areas that are unfamiliar or brand new. If you do decide to visit a friend or family member, try finding a place to camp nearby or even “moochdock” (using the power from a friend’s or relative’s house for your RV). This approach will let you enjoy the outdoors and have some personal space, while still getting to spend time with loved ones.
2. Finding Places Along the Way
Once you have a destination, you will need to fill the rest of your trip with activities and extra places to visit. In order to do this, we’ve learned to live in a constant state of investigation. Talking to other RVers while on the road, watching for sightseeing suggestions through online groups, reading travel blogs, even checking if campgrounds provide a list of fun things to do in the area can all be great places to find exciting points of interest.
Once we find something interesting worth exploring, we “save” the location, either as a note in our phones, written in a notebook or pin-pointed in an app (Google Maps allows you to star places). Regardless if we have set plans to visit or not, we make a habit of saving places from all over the country. That way, when we start looking up things to do in a particular destination, we already have a list of potential places to check out.
Another tool we use to find unique places is the Roadtrippers app. Roadtrippers is an excellent tool for uncovering points of interest and laying them all out in a drivable route. As we put point A and point B into our trip planner, other points start to get suggested. For example, our family ended up visiting the geographic center of the United States because it was suggested as a cool place to see that was close to our route—something we would have completely bypassed had we not had the Roadtrippers app!
3. It Doesn’t Have To Be Complicated
Inspiration for your next camping or RV trip can strike from any source, be it a scroll on social media or a passing word from a friend. Don’t forget to write or save the things you see and hear. Narrowing down where you want to go, and then utilizing travel blogs or apps to fill in the rest of your trip, is an easy, efficient way to plan your dream vacation. And remember, you don’t have to go far to have a great trip—there is something new to explore everywhere you turn.
