Newbie to RV Living

agile49

New Member
Joined
Jan 12, 2025
Messages
2
Location
California
Hi folks, I am currently in England (am English by birth) but have work in USA and Mexico advising on restoration of drylands. I'll be arriving in USA early Feb and I'll be picking up a Winnebago Travato in the NE USA ready to start traveling south.

This is a big adventure for me and I am very glad to have found RV Living as it is all a bit scary on the face of it but seeing y'all seem to be enjoying the life-style is very reassuring.

Looking forward to meeting good folks in the community in the near future.
 
Hello agile49, and welcome!! That is quite an adventure you have planned. Our first ever van-RV rental was in England, and it was an eye-opener. Europeans seem more versed in van-dwelling than Americans, so I assume you have some experience?

You do realize that there will be no usable water facilities (sink, toilet, shower) since it will be "winterized" due to cold New England weather. Even places in southern US are experiencing nights below freezing, so it may need to stay winterized for a while, depending on where you are going. You may already know all of this, but just an FYI in case you didn't.

Secondly, pay attention to where you will be parking overnights. The US is a lot stricter than the UK for overnight parking, so familiarize yourself with this if (again) you haven't already.

Good luck with your adventures!!
 
In addition to how far north you are, flatlanders sometimes don't recognize how much elevation matters. A long time ago, I once drove from Minnesota to the "tropics" and decided to stop and tent camp at the Grand Canyon. It was below zero(F) at the rim. The park's warnings about the dangers of heat were amusing. There is a lot of high desert out west where nights will be cold even when daytime temperatures are relatively mild. So you may need to be prepared to winterize almost anywhere.

The other thing is that intuitive distances are different out west. Someplace that seems to be next door on the map can be an 8 hour drive.

Don't rely on google maps or gps anywhere beyond civilization anywhere in the desert. Don't rely on having a cell phone signal. You may need to carry tire chains if you are traveling in the mountains even on major interstate highways. My guess is that the Travato is not a high clearance four wheel drive vehicle. So you need to be careful that the "road" on the map doesn't require one.
 
Sparky/Ross - so glad you replied with your valuable heads-up advices. I'll be all the better prepared thanks to you ..
 

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