5 Helpful RVing Tips for Beginners
Are you ready to hit the road for good?
You’re ready to travel the country with your life packed into one RV.
But do you truly know what it takes for your first-time RV camping?
You may not, and we want you to be prepared. We’ve compiled a list of the top RVing tips for beginners that you may need as you take off on this new journey!
1. Take a Practice Drive
RVs are much bigger than cars and therefore drive differently. Before hitting the road for a long trip across America, it might be best to get used to the steering and braking systems.
You should definitely take a practice drive if you plan to tow your RV or your car behind the RV.
2. Understand How Your Electrics Work
When you’re on the move, your power will most likely be coming from the battery of the vehicle, propane, or a portable solar generator.
Whichever you choose, you need to make sure to do the research on the life of the electricity, the power of the electricity, and the cost of the different kinds.
Since there’s no telling what happens on a road trip, you may want to do your homework on your RV’s electronics. Take into account the consumption of the electric-powered HAM radios, appliances, gadgets, and other accessories in your vehicle. This way, you know your power needs and prepare accordingly.
3. Plan for Tank Dumps
RV living can bring quite a bit of change from your normal lifestyle. For instance, there’s no more flushing the toilet and forgetting about it.
You need to know if your RV has full hookups or if you need to fill the fresh water and empty the holding tanks at a station.
Instead, you have to worry about dumping your tank when it becomes full. You’ll definitely want gloves for this job.
4. Reserve Your RV Camping Spot in Advance
There’s nothing worse than pulling into a camping spot and the lot is full. Where would you sleep for the night?
To prevent this from happening, you should research the area you believe you’ll be in come nightfall and make reservations for as long as you plan to stay.
You can even lookup some free campsites to park in overnight if you don’t need any hookups or electricity.
5. Create a Campground Setup Checklist
When you get to a campground, there are a few things you should be immediately doing to set up. This is for both safety and practicality:
- Secure the RV by chocking the rig
- Attach the sewer hose to the drain hook-up
- Always locate the electrical, water, and sewage hookups
- Check the site for any bumps on the ground or branches hanging loose
As you pull into the campground, this checklist will ensure you don’t forget anything.
Read Through the RVing Tips for Beginners? It’s Time to Hit the Road
Don’t feel bad that you needed to read through these RVing tips for beginners! It’s important that you know exactly what you’re getting into since RV living for beginners is a bit different than house-living.
If you enjoyed these tips, check out other tips and guides in our other blog posts!