Trip Planning and Navigation are a 2 man job in our coach. I usually do all the planning and reservations and Ken does the driving – but the Navigating is ‘real time’ and take both of us. It’s a joint affair of both of us watching the road and the exits and surrounding traffic to get us safely to our destination.

For planning, I would suggest getting a calendar/planner that you can write on so you can jot down the name, location and phone number of the campground, reservation numbers, distances and pertinent notes for all your trips and stops/reservations. I note the number of days reserved, the campground, confirmation number or who I spoke with, how many miles to get there, how many hours it will take. I usually book weeks or months in advance but sometimes we find ourselves winging it and just stopping at a Walmart or Cabela’s overnight.

I also use a notebook when initially making my plans before putting it on the calendar because things change as you are planning. Always use pencil because you WILL make adjustments. It never fails!

We always put our next location into our Rand McNally GPS before we leave. It has lane assist that shows the driver what lane he needs to be in and will show the actual exit signs. I also plug it into Google maps on my phone and will periodically look at it in case there’s traffic or to help advise when we have an exit coming up.

Note: You have to keep in mind that usually Google Maps is set to find the quickest route which isn’t always the right one for an RV!

Allstays – This is an app that you can download to your phone or iPad. You can use it to look ahead for gas stations, rest areas, Walmarts, Cabelas, Gander Mountain, Camping World, Cracker Barrel and campgrounds. It will also show any low bridges on your current route. This is my #1 go-to app!!

Rand McNally RV GPS or equivalent is a must. You can enter your coach information (height, weight, tolls, no tolls, etc.) and it will route your trip and keep you from going on roads that have clearance issues. We use it in conjunction with Google Maps.

Google Maps – We prefer Google Maps over Apple Maps because you can scroll forward to see what’s coming up on your trip. You can see turns, freeways, etc.

Waze – We use this from time to time to see what traffic problems are ahead or to watch for cops and obstacles in the road or on the side of the road.