How to Plan a Summer Vacation

It’s that time of year: summer time! The weather is warm, the kids are out of school, and it’s time to use up some of those vacation days you’ve been saving. But there’s a lot to do when you’re getting ready for a summer vacation. Sometimes it can be fun to just hit the road with no plans and no worries, but you can also waste a lot of time wandering around that way. Planning can be particularly helpful for families when you have little ones to entertain.

To help anyone who may be feeling like they’re missing something, Golden Gait Trailers & RVs has provided you with some tips for planning the best summer vacation in your RV. 

Don’t have an RV? Stop by our location near Charlotte, North Carolina and we’ll help you find the model that best suits your family. We proudly serve Columbia, Raleigh, Hickory, Asheville, Myrtle Beach, and Greensboro.

Choose a Destination

An easy way to get started is to figure out where you’re going. As fun and exciting as it is to explore our great state of North Carolina, America is the third largest country in the world. There’s a lot to explore the further west you travel. Follow our ancestors on the Oregon Trail or explore the deserts of the Southwest. You can also travel north to some of the country’s oldest states and colonial settlements, or farther south to experience some of the most vibrant cultures in America. Knowing the destination can help you plan a number of other things, like...

Plan your Route

...how you’re going to get to your destination. This is partially so you can decide what kinds of roads you’ll be most comfortable traveling on. Even if you’re hauling one of the smaller RVs, driving around with one, or in one, is going to be a little tricky, so find roads that aren’t going to stress you out. For some people, this means uncrowded backroads, while for others this means straight and narrow interstates.

Then map out how long you’ll be traveling each day and figure out where you’ll end up every night and how long you’ll be there. This is an important one, even if you decide to leave the rest of the trip fairly flexible. At the height of camping season, campgrounds are probably going to be packed. Even some of the remote ones might be tight for space, so making reservations ahead of time will help ensure you’ve got somewhere to rest every night.

As an added bonus, consider researching attractions and popular stops along your route. Not all points of interest are advertised from the road, and sometimes the only way you’ll know to pull off for something is to know about it ahead of time. This can help keep you entertained while also giving you and your family a chance to stretch your legs.

Make a Packing List

One point you may have already thought about--and had a chance to be overwhelmed by--is packing. Packing for an RV trip is very, very different from packing for a car trip or even tent camping. You’ll certainly have more space to store things, but there’s still a limit. You’ll need to find the right balance between packing the right gear without overloading your rig.

We recommend starting a list of items you use on a day to day basis. This will give you a starting point, and you can add and remove items as you see fit. You can also look into RV apps that come with a packing assistance section. These can include blank lists as well as pre-generated lists so you have somewhere to start.

While you’re preparing your family for your trip, you’ll also want to make sure you’re preparing your RV. Any possible mechanical concerns should be addressed before you hit the road so they don’t bring your trip to a screeching halt. For all maintenance and repair needs, contact our service department at Golden Gait Trailers & RVs. We welcome all current and future RV owners from Charlotte, Columbia, Raleigh, Hickory, Asheville, Myrtle Beach, and Greensboro, North Carolina.