If you like cruises and all-inclusive travel, a guided RV tour sure makes sense. Except instead of ships, you're cruising in an RV “land yacht” with all your camping, excursion, and most of your meal costs covered at no additional costs.
In Episode 453 of the RV Podcast, we discuss Guided RV Tours and determine whether they are right for you. Essentially, a company takes care of all the details—including booking reservations, trip planning, gratuities, and often meals—so that you can simply show up with your RV and enjoy the vacation. Think of it as a guided tour you might take in a bus but using your RV for accommodations and travel.
Below, we summarize what was discussed in the podcast, but you can also watch the complete interview that goes into even more detail…
You can watch the video version from our RV Lifestyle YouTube Channel by clicking the player below.
Taking a Guided RV Tour [Interview]
We hear from many people either by email or on our RV Lifestyle Facebook group who are feeling overwhelmed planning a big RV trip, or are looking for people to travel with. One option these folks, and others, may want to consider is booking a trip with an RV touring company.
RV touring companies do all of the planning for an RV trip, handling everything from campground reservations to detailed maps and special activities. On our show to tell us more is Stacey Rabung, the operations director of Fantasy RV Tours, an RV touring company with more than 40 years of experience.
Among topics we discuss:
- What does an RV touring company do?
- Why hire a company to do this instead of taking care of the planning yourself?
- Fantasy RV advertises caravans and rallies (Not tied to a club or group) – what is the difference between the two?
- Where are some of your more popular rallies? How many people are typically at these events? What is a typical itinerary?
- Where are some of the most popular caravan trips?
- How many other RVers are on a typical caravan tour?
- How many miles are between the different campgrounds in a typical caravan trip?
- During drive days in the caravan tours, does everyone have to travel nose-to-tail?
- What if someone does not want to do a planned activity at one of the stops, but has something else that looks more interesting to them, is that permitted?
- How much does it cost to go on a caravan? What are the price ranges? And a rally?
- Do people tend to sign up with friends, or do people tend to go in without knowing anyone?
- Are there many repeat travelers?
To hear the complete answers — Watch the video interview above. But here are some brief summaries, as well…
What Does an RV Touring Company Do?
Essentially, a company takes care of all the details for your RV tour—including booking reservations, trip planning, gratuities, and often meals. So, you can simply show up with your RV and enjoy the vacation.
Think of it as a guided tour you might take in a bus but using your RV for accommodations and travel. Stacey explained that Fantasy RV Tours is the world's largest provider of guided RV tours and guided RV vacations.
Why Hire a Company Instead of Planning Yourself?
Stacey detailed that the major advantage is the complete control and meticulous planning that Fantasy RV Tours offers. From making all the reservations to organizing excursions and activities, the company ensures everything runs smoothly.
This allows participants to avoid the overwhelming logistics and uncertainties that can accompany RV travel, particularly in remote or less-known destinations.
Caravans vs. Rallies
Fantasy RV Tours offers both caravans and rallies, and Stacey explained the difference between the two. A caravan moves from one destination to another, providing a comprehensive travel experience across multiple locations. In contrast, a rally stays in one spot, with participants enjoying activities and excursions within that particular area.
Both styles offer unique benefits based on your travel preferences—whether you enjoy the ongoing adventure of changing scenery or prefer a stationary, detailed exploration of a specific location.
The Most Popular Caravan Trip
Among the caravan trips, Alaska stands out as the most popular destination. Fantasy RV Tours runs 13 different caravans to Alaska each summer. These adventures often begin at a “Rally Point,” where participants gather and are then led through their journey by experienced wagon masters.
Typical Caravan Group Size and Daily Travel Distances
Stacey highlighted that a typical caravan consists of 22 guest rigs and two ambassador rigs (the wagon master and the tail gunner). They aim to cover no more than 300 miles in a day to ensure the journey remains enjoyable and not overly exhausting.
In some instances, particularly in remote areas of Alaska, this limit may slightly increase but rarely exceeds 350 miles. This travel style fits our RV 330 Rule that we like so much.
Travel Flexibility in Caravans
A common question arises about the flexibility during drive days in caravans. Stacey reassured that participants are not required to travel nose-to-tail. They have the freedom to leave at different times, explore recommended stops along the way, and enjoy the journey at their own pace.
They can choose different activities or detours as long as they keep the wagon master informed, ensuring the tail gunner is aware of their schedule.
Cost of Caravans and Rallies
The cost of joining a caravan or rally varies significantly. For instance, a 13-day “Made in America Music Tour” costs around $5,000 for two people, whereas an extensive 60-day Alaska tour is about $15,000. These prices encompass camping fees, meals, and excursions, making it a comprehensive package with minimal hidden costs.
Group Composition: Friends vs. Solo Travelers
Participants often wonder about the social dynamics of these tours. While some individuals sign up with friends, many join independently and make lasting friendships along the way. These new connections often lead participants to rebook future tours together, creating a close-knit community of RV travelers.
Repeat Travelers
Indeed, many people become repeat travelers. Stacey pointed out that some individuals, after their first experience, consistently book new tours, often meeting up with friends they've made on previous trips. This sense of community and the excellent experiences offered by Fantasy RV Tours contribute to the high number of repeat participants.
Is It Worth the Cost?
Fantasy RV Tours provides an organized, worry-free way to explore the open road and discover new destinations from the comfort of your own RV. Whether you're a solo traveler or a group, the company offers diverse options to suit different interests and travel styles, fostering a vibrant community of RV enthusiasts.
As such, we understand why many RVers think RV Tours are well worth the investment. Less planning, less stress, and a tried and proven itinerary!
Some of Our Tried & True Itineraries…
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RV Tip of the Week from Brenda of Queen Bee RV
In this same podcast, we also received an RV Tip of the week from certified RV Inspector Brenda of Queen Bee RV.
Brenda’s focus is on educating RVers on how to care for their RVs – especially women RVers – and she is a regular contributor to the podcast, sharing her expertise with our entire audience.
Here’s Brenda.. The RV Queen Bee… with this week’s RV Tip.
Understanding your RV’s Plumbing Systems
The freshwater distribution system, aka the plumbing system, is what sends water throughout the RV to your showers, sinks, and toilet. There are two ways that this system is pressurized and that is either from the City water connection or the freshwater holding tank and your on-demand water pump.
City water receives pressure from the city, county or wherever you are connected. You will need to utilize a potable hose to connect to a spigot or hose bib and the other end to the RV. If you have ever been in a campground, you are probably aware that the water pressure can be unpredictable, sometimes extremely excessive.
This can be problematic for RVers, because your plumbing fittings are typically rated to withstand about 55-65 psi on average. If the pressure exceeds that, it can wreak havoc on the system by way of water leaks, sometimes slow and difficult to detect, which can be costly and time consuming.
To combat this, RVers will implement various kinds of pressure regulators. Note that you get what you pay for on this item. Some are low-end and single function. Others are a little more expensive and have adjustable settings that allow you to customize your experience. You can connect the regulator either at the hose bib or at the RV.
A potable water hose is important to make sure you are not introducing lead or anything that is not safe for human consumption to the system like the old green garden hoses from back in the day. These also come in a variety of price ranges ranging from the low-end white kind that is not the easiest for handling and storage, to the nicer woven fabric types that are really lightweight and take up much less space.
Pro tip: keep a packet of the rubber hose washers on hand. These will head off that annoying hose drip at the spigot or the side of the RV – which is quite common.
Now let’s talk about reasons RVers like to use the freshwater holding tank and how to get water in there. One big benefit for using the freshwater tank and water pump is for boondocking – you can take the water with you.
Other RVers like to immediately fill the fresh tank upon arrival at the campground in case there is a water main break and the City water connection becomes a moot point. Also, your water pump is calibrated to match your plumbing fittings, so no excessive water pressure issues to worry about.
You might have a gravity fill opening or a threaded cap type connection option to fill the freshwater tank. Gravity fill has an opening that is bigger than the end of your hose. You simply place the hose down into the opening and wait for water to come gushing back at you indicating the tank is full.
Some RVs have a threaded hose connection either on the side of the rig or in the water bay area. If you have a threaded fill, you will know the tank is full by watching the monitor panel inside or if the tank overflow starts spilling onto the ground. This is normal and not harmful to the RV.
The freshwater tank sends water throughout the plumbing system by way of the on-demand water pump. This component is powered by the 12Volt DC coach battery, so you will need to confirm that the battery stays charged.
When you open a faucet, the pressure drops which signal to the water pump that the human is calling for water and you will hear it kick on with the telltale rumbling noise. When you close the faucet handle, the pump will shut off. If you hear an intermittent rumbling noise from the water pump even though one of the faucets is not open, this could mean there is a small leak somewhere.
A few more tips: try not to travel with a full freshwater tank. Water weighs approximately 8.3 pounds per gallon and that can add up really quickly. If possible, wait until you are a little closer to your destination to fill the tank.
Or, if you choose to travel with a little bit of water in the tank for washing hands and flushing the toilet, make sure that you turn the water pump off when not in use. This will prevent any flooding mishap in the event that a faucet handle got bumped open while in transit.
Ladies, are you a female RV Traveler? Want to learn more about safety, troubleshooting problems and maintaining your own RV? Head to www.queenbeerv.com and click on “events” to view the locations of our nationwide women's RV workshop tour – we’ll see you there!
App of the Week – Monitor public service radio communications
Time now for the RV App of the Week segment, taken from the pages of NewTravelTech.com – our sister blog that celebrates the many ways technology enhances the travel experience.
This week's app is called Broadcastify, and it's an app and website that lets you tune in to police, fire, EMS, rail, aviation, and public service two-way radio broadcasts from thousands of locations across the nation.
This is great when you are traveling and maybe you hear sirens, or see smoke or need to know what’s happening around you. You can also listen on your computer to local services, but check the map as some counties are not on the service yet. Click on this map and then into your State.
It’s available as a free app for iOS and Android, but the free version features a 30-second commercial at the beginning. You can purchase an ad-free version with some extra features for $30 a year.
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We have a Space for all sorts of things you want to know as an RVer, including Boondocking, Travel Planning, Electrical, Plumbing, Traveling with Pets, Gear, and more.
You can join each Space individually and only see what's being discussed in just that Space. Or you can see everything in the main Feed.
You can watch livestreams that are focused on one Space or another – like we recently did for Internet on the Road!
It's a calm, well-organized, friendly space to meet other RVers who might be traveling near you!
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