RV Travel During A Pandemic - 5 Coronavirus Travel Tips
/For all of you travel bugs out there, the spread of the Coronavirus and COVID-19 has been a massive blow to our travel itineraries, and traveling during this time can be a scary proposition for anyone. However, travel during a pandemic can still be done, and can be done safely. The pandemic has dealt a blow to air travel, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get and travel in an RV to explore our own country!
Recreational Vehicles, or RVs, are making a huge resurgence since the start of the pandemic. As a matter of fact, i tried to get an RV rental to drive and visit family, but everything was rented out. I tried multiple websites and RV rental centers, but there simply were no vehicles available to rent.
So, after discussing it with my wife, of we went to a nearby RV dealer. Several hours later, we purchased a really nice Four Winds by Thor RV. A solid 32.5 feet long with a”super slide" that extends the entire length of the coach. This rig can sleep 8 very comfortably, and if you have some smaller passengers, you could add two more for a total of ten! Plenty of room!
Our first stop at “south of the border” in South Carolina. Nice little grassy area with some decent shade.
RV Travel During A Pandemic - 5 Coronavirus Travel Tips
We started our first cross country trip by heading south from Virginia to Valdosta, GA where our oldest son was getting released from active duty from the Air Force.
We had stocked up on food, face masks and various sanitizing wipes and liquids prior to our departure, so staying clean and healthy would be a bit easier. Oh, and of course we had our two furry companions to come along for the trip as well!
We stopped at many nice RV Parks along the way to California along the southern routes, and then returned along the northern routes. We were on the road for 32 days, and had an absolute blast!
Here are 5 RV Coronavirus travel tips we learned along the road, and we hope you find them useful:
Coronavirus Travel Tip 1: Plan Your Trip Route and Destinations
The Garmin RV 785 GPS Unit
Traveling in an RV during the pandemic might have actually be easier than when things are normal, since there were less people on the road (although the roads are now picking up with more traffic). We tried to plan our trip but we were kind of flying by the seat of our pants, and occasionally were trying to find RV parks as we were driving toward them! There are lots of phone apps out there to help in your planning, as well as websites and dedicated RV safe GPS devices. These can help you plan your trip from start to finish, and some have safety in mind for navigating your specific RV!. I’ll cover these in another article here.
Another main point you want to take in to account while planning stops at various RV parks and resorts is how busy the parks may be. We found that many parks/resorts were very packed with other travelers, which made social distancing a little challenging at times. Plan accordingly to avoid exposure to the Coronavirus by picking less popular and less populated destinations.
Coronavirus Travel Tip 2: Prepare Your RV for Your Trip
Route planning, making reservations, and finding boon-docking sites well in advance of arrival day are great ways to prepare for your RV travel during a pandemic. However, there are lots of items you’ll need, and some you’ll want went traveling in your RV. Being properly outfitted will lessen the number of times you’ll need to shop, and therefore limit your exposure to the Coronavirus during the pandemic.
This outlines just a few of the must have pieces of gear you should have for your trip. I have omitted the obvious items like: sewer hose, water hose, electrical line, etc.
RV Gear
Before setting out on the road, you want to make sure you have every piece of gear you might need or want to use on the road.
Must have RV trip gear:
Leveling Blocks - Use these so you don’t overextend the leveling jacks and lift tires off the ground.
Tableware: plates, silverware, bowls, napkins, salt and pepper, etc.
Cookware: pots, pans, cooking utensils, etc.
Coffee Maker: Hard to survive without coffee!
Outdoor Gas Grill with Hose: Grilling outside is the best!
Air Compressor: low tires are no joke while RVing, so be prepared!
Outdoor Table and Chairs
Hand Sanitizer and Sanitizing Wipes: You need to ensure you keep yourself and your RV clean from germs and viruses.
Nitrile Gloves: How many people touch those gas pumps and other areas? A LOT! Wear gloves when pumping gas!
Two-Way Walkie Talkies: When backing into sites, you’ll want a spotter and a way to communicate with them!
There are many other must have pieces of gear you’ll want to have, but these will get you pretty far out the gate.
Grocery Shopping
Yes, this is part of planning, but in a much more detailed sense! Personally, I don’t like going shopping for groceries during this dreadful pandemic. I prefer to keep myself very socially distanced until this thing passes over.
I almost exclusively order our groceries online and have them delivered to our doorstep. I then sanitize every last item before bringing into the house. Once we had everything in order, we were ready to load up the RV refrigerator. Don’t forget to turn your fridge on before you start loading it to ensure it cools off your food.
Coronavirus Travel Tip 3: Work, Play and Have Fun!
Remote Working in an RV
Many of us are now working remotely and have the opportunity to work as we RV travel around the country. Our first long distance trip was somewhat of a marathon, and we only stayed for one or two days at most stops. This definitely made working on the road a lot harder, as full time work and driving can be difficult.
Shorter driving times did make the work/drive balance a little easier to work with. The plan was to drive no more than six hours between each destination to allow for a good balance of work and travel. This way, I could knock-out at least half of my workday before we hit the road, and then finish it off after we setup camp at the next spot.
Don’t Forget to Play and Have Fun
When you’re working full-time and traveling in an RV, especially during this pandemic, it can be very difficult to remember to enjoy the scenery and have a good time! What’s the point of traveling if you don’t enjoy it? Try to make longer stopovers in your target destinations to make sure you can really enjoy the scenery, hiking and other amenities.
Grand Tetons National Park
Can you imagine being too busy to stop and gaze upon the Grand Tetons? I couldn’t, so we stopped by to get some nature into our blood. This is a stunning place to visit that is less popular, and thus less crowded. If it’s along your path, why not spend a day or two exploring?
Coronavirus Travel Tip 4: Always Use Checklists for Campsite Arrival and Departure
We not only travel and camp in our RV, but we rent it out on RVShare.com as well. Since we don’t want our baby destroyed every time it goes out, I’ve developed comprehensive checklist for arriving at the campsite, as well as for departing the website. Trust me, even the most seasoned RVer will tell you to use checklists, AND to have someone double-check your work! If you skip over the necessary steps, you could cause damage needing repairs, which again will give you more exposure to coming in contact with some infected with COVID-19.
I created an entire user manual for myself and my renters. Of course with complete checklists!
Campsite Arrival Checklist
A good RV checklist will ensure that both beginner and veteran RVers will have disaster free arrival at your campsite. It should include items such as:
Using leveling jack pads to keep your tires from lifting off the ground while leveling the vehicle.
Detailed instructions on the operation of ALL equipment on the RV.
Hookup instructions for power, water and sewer.
Instructions on outdoor grills, awnings etc.
Campsite Departure Checklist
Your campsite departure checklist is even more important than the arrival checklist. The last thing you want to do is drop your leveling jacks before bringing in the slide outs, or driving away with the awning out! Your checklist should include:
Step-by-step instructions on breakdown of the campsite.
Packing and stowing instructions for both the exterior and interior gear.
retracting the awning, slide outs and leveling jacks.
And oh so much more!
Also, make sure you have someone shadow your breakdown to ensure NOTHING is missed.
Coronavirus Travel Tip 5: Cleaning Your RV
Cleaning your RV should be an ongoing process that continues from the time you start your trip, until it’s time to return to your home-base. Since the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic, we have all been much more careful with keeping everything wiped clean and using up our valuable sanitizing wipes. This is why keeping your rig clean is paramount while RVing around the country.
Cleaning the Outside of your RV
Bugs: While you’re driving to your destination, your RV will be dutifully collecting a wide variety of insect specimen. These need to be cleaned off as soon as you can get to them, or they can damage the finish on your RV. Use a spray such as “BugOff,” or “Armor All Extreme Bug & Tar Remover.” Products like this help to break down the bugs so you wipe them off with a wet rag.
Do NOT use an abrasive to remove bugs! That heavy-duty window squeegee is NOT for paint! Sorry, I’ve had renters do this and had to do some major buffing to get the shine back. So don’t do this to your own rig!
Dust and Mud: If you’ve gone down a really dusty road to get to your campsite, you’ll want to do at least some cleaning of the dust. The air conditioners on the roof will gladly suck that dust up and blow it right into your RV interior. Not fun, especially if any passengers have allergies.
Storage Compartments: Don’t overlook the need to keep your exterior storage compartments clean. They can accumulate dust, gravel and any number of other dirty things. Since they store many of the items you’ll be using, such as your outdoor grill, you need to wipe, and or vacuum the dirt out to keep them clean. The dirt can and will affect the operation of the hinges on the storage compartments as well.
Cleaning the Inside of your RV
Countertops, switches and controls: To keep the Coronavirus at bay during this pandemic, make sure to always wipe all of your handles, switches, countertops, driving controls, RV controls, and other frequently touched surfaces and objects with disinfecting wipes.
Floors: Let’s face it, most campsites can be very dusty. Even if you have a no-shoe-wearing policy in your rig like we do, you’ll still track dust, gravel, leaves, and twigs into the RV. We vacuum the inside floors out at least 5 times a day. We also use a wet Swifter to mop the floor at least once a day. This helps keep your feet from tracking more dirt around and eventually into your beds at sleepy-time.
Dishware, flatware, and cookware: As you’re aware, there is not much sink or counter-space to hold lots of dirty dishes. We suggest that you clean and put away all of your “eating” wares before you go to bed. Who wants to wake up do a dirty RV? Plus, all those food smells will linger much longer with dirty dishes and pans lying around.
Bathroom: Keeping your bathroom clean during a pandemic is absolutely necessary. As we suggest to all of our renters, sit down when using the tiolet, whether going #1 or #2. Yes, even for the guys. The amount of splashing you’ll get in the room will take several minutes to wipe down with your disinfectant wipes. It’s much easier and quicker to just sit down and save the trouble. You will still want to ensure you wipe everything down after use. We all like clean bathrooms!
There are so many other tips out there, but this is a good start. Have any other tips to share? Please add them in the comments section.
Thanks for reading and happy trails!
Disclaimer: We are not Coronavirus specialists, and all tips contained in this article are meant to be used as “our experiences” and opinions only. Consult your doctor and the CDC travel website for any concerns and safety tips based on your own health risks.
