Road Trip Discussion

[20th Century Rider]

I'm older now (72), but still love road trips. I used to drive professionally, so marathon drives are no problem...
Now I 'commute' occasionally between my Florida home and my Queens apartment. I am researching purchasing a motor home now, as it looks like train travel and cruises may be years away...

It's always been a dream of mine to own a motor home. I go back and forth with the pros and cons. You do have complete freedom to go just about anywhere... including off the trail and 'boon-dock.' VS the car trip where one needs to find lodging for the night. And there are sometimes issues with noisy neighbors, uncleaned rooms, etc. Whereas with your own home on wheels it's all set to go the way you want it. Just go back there and you're 'home.'

Motor homes are expensive, and require more gas, repair, set up and take down... insurance, maintenance, storage, etc. I'm 72 also... and would like to know more about your thoughts regarding a motor home.

BTW... between FLA and NYC can be a beautiful drive with detours to and through the Appalachian Mts. Also very historic. Also your home on wheels is freedom from pandemic concerns. That is a big edge in favor of mobile home consideration.

Because everyone else feels the same way, pricing and availability are effected. Wishing you the best on your travel plans!

 

[Qapla]

Something to keep in mind with motorhomes

Some of them have "slide outs" to give you more room. They are nice while stopped, as long as you have time and weather to set them up. However, some of them make using the RV with them pulled in rather difficult while traveling. Some of the RV's with slide outs are virtually unusable with them retracted.

 

[railiner]

While I would love to own a luxury Prevost 45 footer, since I drove them for a living at one time, they are out of my league, financially. I could buy an old one, but the cost of maintenance and fuel would also be very high.
My use of an RV would be more for comfortable travel, rather than camping out for extended periods, so I am leaning towards a Class B, or B+. Some of the Sprinter's supposedly yield close to 20 mpg, which would be great. I would not consider a slide-out, since the possibility of trouble with retracting them, is not something I would want to deal with. Not to mention possible leaks or other ailments.

 

[Alice]

I still like road trips, especially since a long distance train is not that much fun in a wheelchair. A couple of years ago I bought a very small trailer (no commode, which isn't any worse than road trips with just the car). Very easy to pull (with minivan) and back, can park in many lots, fits in underground garages and drive-throughs. I no longer have to set up a tent or move everything so I can unfold the bed in the car. I chose one sized so my car and trailer will fit in most BLM camp sites with space all around.

I have a few friends who upgraded from trailers like mine to Sprinters and similar and they absolutely love them, but miss some of the limits on where they can go. One woman in particular didn't think enough about her electrical system, so she cannot camp without hookups for more than a few days. More battery capacity and solar are in her future when her budget works out right. She got a composting toilet that she really loves, no need to deal with a black water tank. She got good insulation but no heater, and now is deciding between sticking to parks where she can plug in and use a 110v space heater, or getting an expensive propane heater, or just starting the car for a few minutes for heat and AC. That last would be easier with a remote starter, which she was looking to see if she can get aftermarket last time I camped with her. I guess my points are (1) research first, (2) spec well. If you are handy, a DIY conversions could be a good choice.

I went to a number of RV shows before deciding what I wanted, then rented one for a 10 day test drive including all driving and camping conditions I might do. After I purchased, I went to a gathering with around 130 or so trailers like mine, but I should have gone first. Although maybe not, one very beautiful and well-appointed wood one was for sale cheap; I have no business owning wood because I camp all year round, no winter downtime when I could spiff up its varnish.

 

[me_little_me]

We had an RV for nearly 10 years that we bought used. When you add in the cost of operation and the depreciation, we could have stayed in a LOT of nice hotels for a LOT of years and, as my wife says, could have avoided all the cooking and cleaning while on VACATION!
The worst thing is that we used it when we should have left it home because "we need to get our money's worth out of it".

 

[20th Century Rider]

While I would love to own a luxury Prevost 45 footer, since I drove them for a living at one time, they are out of my league, financially. I could buy an old one, but the cost of maintenance and fuel would also be very high.
My use of an RV would be more for comfortable travel, rather than camping out for extended periods, so I am leaning towards a Class B, or B+. Some of the Sprinter's supposedly yield close to 20 mpg, which would be great. I would not consider a slide-out, since the possibility of trouble with retracting them, is not something I would want to deal with. Not to mention possible leaks or other ailments.

Hey there Railiner... if I may ask, did you drive for motorcoach tours by any chance??? I used to be a tour director for AAA Motorcoach Tours out of St. Louis in my younger and more 'eager' days. AAA would hire those beautiful Prevost motorcoaches and it was a thrill not only to ride in them... but to be a tour director... although it was hard work for low pay and the day lasted endlessly. As a tour director my pay was meager and reliant upon tips which were also meager... but I was a public school teacher at the time and it was a fun way to spend my summers. I also grew to appreciate what a wonderful culture is the backbone of America. So here's a toast for 'rolling wheels' whether they be on the highway or the rails!

 

[railiner]

Hey there Railiner... if I may ask, did you drive for motorcoach tours by any chance??? I used to be a tour director for AAA Motorcoach Tours out of St. Louis in my younger and more 'eager' days. AAA would hire those beautiful Prevost motorcoaches and it was a thrill not only to ride in them... but to be a tour director... although it was hard work for low pay and the day lasted endlessly. As a tour director my pay was meager and reliant upon tips which were also meager... but I was a public school teacher at the time and it was a fun way to spend my summers. I also grew to appreciate what a wonderful culture is the backbone of America. So here's a toast for 'rolling wheels' whether they be on the highway or the rails!

I drove them on line runs for Adirondack Trailways. They were great to drive, but the LeMirage XL-II model's were even better, from a driver's standpoint. Especially in strong crosswinds....

 

[20th Century Rider]

I drove them on line runs for Adirondack Trailways. They were great to drive, but the LeMirage XL-II model's were even better, from a driver's standpoint. Especially in strong crosswinds....

If I remember, they were all beautiful coaches... smooth ride! Upstate New York has some Beautiful scenery!

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I also love this term. Is this more PC? When you're too late it has to be Bio-Hazard?

I have often heard this term used while listening in on space walks on the ISS and the Hubble repair space shuttle missions.

I've been working in offices for many years and it grew on me over time. If you're in the company of friends nobody cares what terms anyone uses but I tend to lean on euphemisms when talking about bodily functions to strangers, coworkers, acquaintances, etc. I just never saw the point of going into more detail and this has served me well in the era of collateral career damage. Better safe than sloppy.

 

[MARC Rider]

I guess it varies by jurisdiction, but restrooms here seem to have been an afterthought in re-opening. We have yet to "dine-in" at a restaurant since that became an option a few weeks ago, but most take-out places still have their restrooms reserved for staff and essential workers. That was the case in KFC yesterday and the McD near here has porta-potties in the parking lot for the general public.

The McDonald's in Lancaster, NH had restrooms open to the public. In fact, in my quadrant of the country, I haven't seen a fast-food or convenience store that's open to the public that doesn't have restrooms open.

Also over the past week I was a two Maryland state parks in which the restrooms/changing rooms were open as usual. So I don't know why the restroom at the other park is closed.