Tip Advantages while Traveling with a Travel Trailer
Tips to Keep in Mind When Traveling in an RV camper. Are you a nature rookie but can’t give up all the comforts and pleasures of home to go into the wild? Most family vacations revolve around car trips and camping grounds, but they always end up with someone belligerent about the incivility of those excursions. The disparaged line between the two has been fast-waning since the inception of recreational vehicles (RVs).
Travel trailers, however, are an affordable personal mobile vacation home. The range of campers spans the gamut from primal rustic facilities to luxury resorts with coveted amenities. Individual freedom, comfort, and convenience have contributed to the increasing popularity of RV trailers. The immense flexibility allows you to stay put wherever you like and pack off and leave when desired while saving yourself the overheads of lodging and hefty restaurant bills.
Traveling in a camper for the first time can be pretty daunting. To make the process easier for you, we have compiled a list of tips while traveling:
1. Can the Food
If you are known for your culinary éclat, you might gag at the mention of canned food, but the reality is that campers don’t leave room for such gourmet fares, nor the specialized equipment to create them. Taking that beloved cappuccino machine (you can’t live without coffee, that is) or holiday waffle maker is just getting in the way, and they are superfluous gear to cram up the space.
It’s time to load the shelves with canned food of every nature, just in case hunger pangs kick in for a bowl of bean soup or a sandwich. Plan your meals, keeping your hunger paranoia in check so you don’t haul extra food on your trip. Estimate how much you and your family can consume and buy accordingly. Besides, if you run out on the way, you can always restock from the closest gas station or diner. A handful of utensils and a large pot and pan will suffice.
2. Check Road Conditions
When traveling in an RV, it is always a good practice to monitor road conditions. Bad weather, construction, and traffic jams can cause discomfort and delay your excursion. The US Department of Transportation has the necessary resources on its national traffic and road closure information page, classified by state. Click on your state to determine if the road conditions are favorable or if you should change routes.
Some states even allow remote monitoring of traffic cameras on their websites. This can help you predict traffic jams on particular high passes or roads and adopt an alternative route beforehand.
3. Battery Operated Fans
For those torrid summer afternoons and stifling nights, keeping a battery-operated fan inside your trailer is very handy. When you turn off the engines and air-conditioning is not available, these fans are lifesavers. Even if you have a generator, you might have to shut it down after sunset, as dictated by most park rules. If you leave the windows open, the fans will ensure a cool night’s sleep and ward off mosquitoes.
4. Tips for Conserving Power
Your fuel cost might be more than the cost of the entire excursion. Since you don’t take with you an unlimited pool of power resources, it is imperative to conserve power so that you don’t run out of gas in the middle of nowhere.
- Always keep an auto battery charger to charge your camper
- Keep changing the oil in your generator regularly
- Furnaces consume a lot of power. In cold climates, turn down the heater temperature a notch and wear warm clothes instead.
- Use solar panels in areas of open flatlands to generate power and reduce dependence on fuel generators.
- Instead of using the dash AC to power the air-conditioning, switch to your generator. This improves the speed of travel and ensures your engine doesn’t get burned out.
- Try to park in shaded areas to alleviate the need for excessive air-conditioning.
- Turn on the water heater only when crucial.
5. Travel Trailer Propane Safety
Better safe than sorry! Propane can cause catastrophes if mishandled. If propane leaks inside one of the lines and is ignited by a source of ignition like a cigarette or match, an explosion can ensue.
You should inspect your propane-operated appliances before the trip, including refrigerators, lanterns, stoves, and furnaces. Check for any leaks and get them immediately replaced. When traveling, try not to overfill your fuel tank and leave space for vapor with rising temperatures. Stop and evacuate immediately if you smell gas inside your camper while traveling. Leave the doors and windows open to air the rig and close the supply valve. Always keep a fire extinguisher at hand.
6. Save Water
A camper has separate holding tanks for storing clean water, wastewater (Black Water Tank), and runoff from showers and washing (Gray Water Tank). These tanks have limited holding space, and care should be taken not to overfill them:
- Don’t leave the water on when shampooing or brushing teeth.
- To conserve the gray water holding tank, wash dishes in a dishpan and empty the water into the black water tank.
- Keep the black water holding tanks closed to prevent unpleasant odors permeating the camper. Empty when the tank is half full. Emptying a tank early prevents buildups and blockages.
- Use a water pressure regulator when connecting the tanks to an outside water source to protect the plumbing.
