Howdy guys, I am in the planning stage of going full time and have been researching different applications for trip planning and routing. After checking out a few of the freebies out there I discovered RV Trip Wizard. It seems to have everything I would need. Anybody out there using this app? And how well does it work for you. Thanks for your time and Happy Trails!
Hey there Don. Sounds like you are making progress on your plans for future full timing. I have never used RV Trip Wizard but it certainly sounds like a great planning/mapping program with decent support.
Since it sounds like you will be starting out your traveling adventure solo, plus if you are pulling a toad 4-down you won't have the ability to back up, it will be important for you to know what lies ahead when you are on the road. Let me just throw out my planning steps and maybe you can incorporate something that could work for you.
I start by deciding the different legs of a long route. The end of that long route usually ends up being an extended stay in an area we really want to explore, like the Black Hills, southern Utah, or some other general area. I'll break the trip out into maybe a couple straight 300 to 350 mile drive days, then stationary for two days. I could end up doing a 400 miles day or a 280 mile day, it just depends on what we might want to visit or explore along the way.
Next I go to one of my apps. Usually RVParky will show me the most up-to-date campgrounds in the areas I am wanted to camp in. It also will show any Walmart, Cabela, or other dry camp location I might want to consider. I sketch these out and before making any actual telephone calls I go on my computer and Google Earth each location. I'm looking for easy in and easy out for my rig plus I'm going down to the street view and seeing what the surrounding neighborhood looks like. I then turn to my Trucker's Atlas and check the route to make sure there are no low clearances. Once I'm satisfied each of these stops would work I make calls to get reservations. When I make my calls I ask a lot of questions and request an email confirmation.
When the whole trip to my destination is set for overnight stops I go back and start figuring out my fuel stops and possible lunch stops. I utilize a discount fuel card (diesel only) so this is an important step for me. Since most of my RVs have been rather long, plus a couple I have had were without the ability to back-up, I check my possible fuel stops on Google Earth also. I want to see the exact route off the interstate or U.S. Route that goes into the pumps I will be using.
As far as my actual routing while traveling I used to run a large RV GPS plus a smaller GPS. Currently with my new truck my i-phone just runs through the truck screen and the DW uses our small Garmin on her side of the cab. I don't 100% rely on my mapping while driving because each morning before I set out I pretty much know my exact route and most stops.
Hope some of this helps.
