When you're driving cross country...

[texasmomoftwins]

Hi there!

I am currently planning our driving route for our WDW trip that's in just a few short weeks. Because we've got 2 year old twins (newly potty trained, I might add) we'll be stopping lots, and won't be driving straight through. We're driving from Dallas pulling a 30' TT, and will more than likely stretch the drive over the course of 2-3 days. My questions is...when you stop for the night in between destinations, do you "set-up" camp, or do you "hotel it", or somethings else? I can't help but think "hoteling it" is just going to be easiest, but DH thinks it'll be "no big deal" to find a park and set up for the night. Seems like a lot of work to just just sleep and eat and then turn around and pack up again first thing in the morning. Please tell me your experience and thoughts on this please. Clearly, this is our first long expedition with the TT, so sorry for the rookie question.

Thanks in advance!!

Lori

 

[ftwildernessguy]

When we had the pop up, we stayed in a hotel. Now that we have the hybrid, we do a quick set up. We leave it hooked to the truck, disconnect the umbilical, drop the stabilizer jacks and plug in the electric. Set up takes 10 minutes and take down in the morning even less. Since you are just interested in basically a place to sleep, full set up is not necessary. You can still use the bathroom facilities on the trailer - just fill the fresh water tank before you leave, dump the black water treatment in with some water in the black water tank before you leave, and you can dump the blackwater tank when you get to FW.

 

[clkelley]

I do the same thing, I try to get an easy-on/easy-off the interstate campground with pull through sites. I pull in, plug in the electric, and that's it. I don't have a shower in my little trailer, so I use the comfort station at the campground. I don't even bother with the stabilizers or the water. I have also dropped in at a fast food place shortly before arriving at the overnight campground, so no cooking.

Also, a lot depends if you can keep the inside of your travel trailer "sleep ready" on the road. A lot of folks have "stuff" that lays on the beds or in the middle of the floor when they are traveling, so that may make a difference.

Now with DH along, he insists on staying in hotels, and it seems like more work to me, cause we have to pack a separate overnight bag to haul into the hotel room. Also, you have to be careful and call the hotel directly to make sure they have parking for your rig. One time when I was pulling just a utility trailer for tent camping, I didn't do that, and found it a bit dicey getting the utility trailer in and out of the hotel parking (I had NO backing skills at that time. I'm much better now.)

 

[kc5grw]

We usually find an RV park. KOA typically (simply because they're pretty reliable location to location and I can reserve online easily). When on the road I just park it, drop the landing gear and the rear stabilizers, hook up the water and electric, put out the slide and go to sleep. I never disconnect the truck from the trailer and it never really takes very long to setup or take down. It takes longer to get everybody motivated and out of bed.

 

[big kahuna1]

We tow a fiver and do not unhook the fiver from the truck. We pull in to a pull thru if available and hookup the electric, water and sometimes the sewer and that's it. Unhook in the morning and drive off. Much easier than a hotel and usually cheaper. Plus, we sleep in our own bed.

 

[Born 2 Fish]

I agree with everyone here, we do the same things.
Only takes a few minutes to do quick set up,
and a few minutes take down in the morning, then your on your way !

 

[disney4dan]

... It takes longer to get everybody motivated and out of bed.

Reminds me of long road trips when we were kids. Dad would sometimes get started down the road with us in our bunks and get a head start on the day. Usually he would find a great place along the way with a view where we would stop for breakfast. Of course, you could ride in the trailer in more states back then and pick-ups only had a bench seat, so most people had to put the kids in the trailer.

When we took the road trip to the Fort last summer we would pull into an RV site like a KOA and stay connected to the truck. Most are level enough to allow this and be comfortable in the bed at night. I'd get the trailer disconnected and crank up the leveling jacks while Nancy and the kids finished breakfast and stowed the loose items in the trailer. Usually on our way in 20 minutes or half an hour with some sort of lunch packed in the cooler for the trip.

 

[LarryJ]

I would get killed if I even thought of staying in a motel, it's a KOA with a pull thru. Plug in electric, hook up water, drop tongue jack (don't even mess with jack stands, etc. for just the night), put out slide and relax. I usually don't dump the grey water till the next morning sometimes and if it's a light meal w/o any dishes which is what we do the first day out I don't dump until the second night. Maybe takes 10min to set up.

Larry

 

[Gatordad]

I usually put my family to sleep in the trailer. The constant rocking back and forth as it takes me 3 hours to get into a spot puts them to sleep. Then I pull into a parking lot and go to sleep myself.

 

[AuburnJen92]

I usually put my family to sleep in the trailer. The constant rocking back and forth as it takes me 3 hours to get into a spot puts them to sleep. Then I pull into a parking lot and go to sleep myself.

Who are you kidding? You find the closest person to drive your truck and put it in the spot for you!

 

[Gatordad]

last time Donnie wasn't around, i had to flail about aimlessly.

 

[stacktester]

last time Donnie wasn't around, i had to flail about aimlessly.

Next time we're at the fort I'll do a backing course lol. This last trip I had a cypress tree I had to pivot around. I got out, looked at how I wanted to get around it and got back in and put the trailer in the spot. This guy comes over and says, hey, you've done that before haven't you. Pete and I have the same pullrite hitch and our trailers are similar length. Once you learn how this hitch pivots and doesn't turn the trailer it's easy.

This thread reminded me of when we were all at the fort Labor Day. There was a couple in a outback tt trying to get into site 901 and the wife kept telling him turn this way, no too much, that way. They were yelling at each other and cussing. After they got in the site I came by and saw them kissing. Kinda funny how one minute he was a blank blank blank and the next it was smoochy smoochy.

 

[rlt7272]

We are making the trip from OKC in March. We are doing KOA stops in LA and FL panhandle. We are planning on 2 days of traveling.