It's time to make our 2021 RV Travel Resolutions! We challenge you to make as many of them yours, too.

Who would have thought that 2020 would have been the kind of year it was? But with growing optimism that 2021 will once again see RVers on the road in close to pre-pandemic numbers, now is the time to set some clear travel goals and strategies to make the RV Lifestyle all you have hoped for.

People are already on the move.

The RV Lifestyle Snowbird Migration is again underway

We counted 14 RVs just yesterday, four Class A motorhomes, four Class C motorhomes, 2 Class B coaches,  2 Fifth Wheels, and two travel trailers, pushing the snow flurries around in their slipstream as they moved down the interstates near my Michigan home.

And that was just what I spotted on a 150 mile trip across the state from a visit with relatives.

That's what got us thinking and talking about making this new list of our 2021 RV Travel goals.

There's nothing like seeing other RVers on the road to get a person motivated. And RVers are definitely on the move.

Truth is, since Christmas, we've seen a steady stream of recreational vehicles out there. And they will continue to be on the move for the next couple of weeks.

Migrating Snowbirds.

RVers fleeing the winter weather of the north for warmer temperatures down south.

Most, probably, to Florida and the Gulf states, some to places like Quartzsite, AZ in the Southwest, or the Texas hill country.

They're really the second wave of snowbirds. The first departed in late October or early November. This current migration waited till Christmas so they could spend time with kids and grandkids. This is the big one.

Happens every year about this time. And from what I can see, it seems almost as busy as normal,  despite continuing concerns over the pandemic

Heck, Jennifer, Bo and I will soon be joining them in a week on our first trip of 2021, heading to cover some RV stories along the Great Snowbird Route that will end us in Tampa, FL on Jan 13 for the start of the huge Florida RV Supershow at the Florida State Fairgrounds.

This is the first major RV event in almost a year. All the other RV shows this past year were canceled. And Tampa is always one of the nation's biggest, big for the industry and big for consumers.

I hope to do several video reports from there, as well as things we run across in Kentucky, Tennessee and Georgia.

CLICK HERE for an interview I recently did for the RV Podcast with the show's marketing director about how it will be different this year

Our Top Ten 2021 RV Travel Resolutions 

Every year since we started this blog back in 2012, we have set RV Lifestyle resolutions for the New Year. As we share our goals, we encourage you to adopt and adapt them to fit your goals for the year. 

Ready? Here are our resolutions:

1) Make more camping reservations

The pandemic caused a huge boom in RV travel in 2020. All indications point to continued massive growth in 2021. That means you will have more competition in state parks and commercial parks.

So early on, make reservations as far in advance as possible. Most state parks let you make reservations a year in advance. Some, like Michigan, restrict it to six months in advance. Get those reservations. You can always cancel if plans change.

2) Do more boondocking

One of the things we like most about our RV lifestyle is we can pretty much go anywhere and stay anywhere. When we first started, it took us a few months to be comfortable to venture off the beaten path and away from the convenience of commercial campgrounds but once we discovered boondocking – camping off the grid and totally self-contained – we were hooked.  

CLICK HERE for our Beginner's Guide to Boondocking e-Book

CLICK HERE for information on this comprehensive article on finding free and cheap boondocking spots

3) Eat right and exercise on the road

While traveling in your RV, it’s pretty easy to overindulge. The challenge is to eat good healthy food. That means in 2021, to resolve to plan your meals much more care while traveling. Jennifer and I vow to eat more locally grown fruits and produce and avoiding fast food places. We'll do our best to hike, ride our bikes or visit a local gym each day. Avoid sitting disease, something RVers are prone to “catch.”

4) Get off the Interstates

For maximum enjoyment of the RV Lifestyle, drive the two-lane state and country roads. Some people call them “Blue Highways” because on most printed maps, they were blue in color. This is where you really see the land, where all the most interesting attractions are found, where quaint towns and villages are located along, where life is more relaxing and friendly.

5) Plan our trips with Trip Wizard

We're all for serendipity. But since we started using Trip Wizard to plan our trips and locate places to stay, we have seen so much more than we would have on the freeways. We've also had more free time at the end of the day and been much less stressed about “where will we stay tonight?” The program that we used is found in a $49 a year subscription called RV Life Pro, which has a whole bunch of valuable RV trip planning tools. They give you a week's free trial to be sure you like it.

CLICK HERE for a detailed article and Podcast interview we did on how RV Trip Wizard works in planning an RV trip

6) Do more 2021 RV Travel in Canada

As awesome as U.S. National Parks may be, Canada’s network of 44 national parks and hundreds of provincial parks are equally stunning.  The US/Canada border has been closed to RV travel since March of 2020 because of COVID. It is expected to be open again by spring 2021 and we hope to spend a considerable amount of time exploring up there.

CLICK HERE for an article and video we did on taking an RV from the U.S. to Canada

7) Faithfully adhere to our 330 Rule to RV Travel

We do our best to follow this rule but sometimes, I admit, we get overcommitted and have to put in some marathon RV travel days. In 2021, we resolve to give ourselves permission to stop for the day after driving NO MORE than 330 miles, or by 3:30 PM local time.

The idea is to get somewhere while it is still early enough to explore, chill, enjoy the place when you’re not wasted from driving mega miles. Is there anything worse than pulling into a campsite after dark? Less mileage and stopping early will be our chief guiding principle when on the road in 2021.

8) Learn how to do some of my own maintenance

 

I am, admittedly, the most unhandy of handymen. But being a responsible RV owner means I need to understand how my motorhome works and how to maintain it properly. 

The first thing I am going to do is actually read – cover-to-cover) the big thick loose leave binder of manuals and instructions for our RV and its appliances that came when we bought our unit. I’ve also resolved to read up on RV electrical and plumbing systems to further my educational process.

9) Do not make compulsive purchases on RV Trips

Case in point: Two folding bikes. I shelled out over $1200 to buy two Black Friday folding bikes a while ago when I saw them at an RV rally in Oregon. 

Big mistake.

Yes, they were cool bikes. But, really, we didn’t need them. We have two full-sized bikes at home. And two e-bikes. If we will be using a bike a lot, I just need to put them on a bike rack attached to the rear hitch.

I sold them on Craig’s List when we got back home and made a promise to Jennifer to never again buy on impulse. I also sold the StowAway2 cargo box I bought a couple of years ago (another $700 impulse buy.) Yes, it held a lot of stuff. But we really don’t need a lot of stuff.

The more we RV, the less we find we need to pack. 

10) Meet more of our followers in person in 2021

After being locked down, restricted in our travels, and socially distant in 2020, we're hoping that in 2021 we can resume meeting many of our RV Lifestyle Fellow Travelers.

We hope to announce well in advance where we will be and arrange spontaneous meetups and gatherings at parks, restaurants, and campsites. We think of you as family. And being face-to-face again is at the top of our 2021 wish list.

We also plan to organize a long weekend campout sometime this summer for our Supporters and Members. 

So… those are our resolutions and goals for 2021.

How about yours? Please share them in the comments below,

To all of you… let's have a great 2021!

See you out there.

Looking for Expert RV Trip ideas and RV Travel suggestions?

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In each location, we provide a suggested route and itinerary (7 stops in each guide, one for each day of a week trip!) as well as links to multiple campgrounds and boondocking spots, local tips, and interesting things to do at each location.
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Planning an RV trip can be very time-consuming so that’s why we’ve done the research for you! Just take our guides and use them, we’re sure you’ll have an RV trip for the ages! Instant download. CLICK HERE for information on our RV Travel Guides

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