| By Ron Jones Have you ever thought of taking a road trip with a small group of RVers? It's a great way to travel, a fun way to see the country, there is a level of safety in numbers, and it's common for small groups of RVers to travel together. From my experience, two or three RVs (assuming a maximum of six people) is the perfect size group for this. Since three large RVs can require lots of parking space, when traveling in groups of more than three, simple plans such as stopping for lunch can be a real challenge. Continued from newsletter…
You can do a sit-down dinner for six inside an RV although it requires a bit of special effort from everyone—but feeding eight (assuming there are four RVs in your small group) is nearly impossible unless it's just standing around munching appetizers. You cannot plan on being outside every evening. Some older campgrounds may have just a few spaces that will accommodate large rigs. I strongly recommend calling ahead for reservations if you are traveling with a group of three or more large rigs. Before you embark on a trip with a small group, here are a few ground rules to help make the trip a success.
10 Ground Rules for Traveling in Small Groups
When planning to travel with others, we always recommend talking over some "ground rules." While these, at first, may seem somewhat blunt, they work, and no one will have their feelings hurt later. Here are some we use and you can add your own. None of these are meant to be taken personally… 1. We don't have to get together and visit every night. A quick chat about the next day is fine but sometimes we want to be alone. So don't take it personally or get insulted if we turn you down when you ask if we want to go out to eat, come over and visit, watch a movie, or sit by the fire. Conversely, we won't when you turn us down. 2. Bring your drinks with you. Don't expect us to carry a variety of drinks for everyone—we don't have room. Whether for a happy hour or a meal, bring your own drinks. Of course, if I buy a special bottle of wine (or anything) and invite you to share it, that's different and is usually for a special occasion. Also, if I am serving something specific to drink with dinner, I will ask if you like it. If you do, great! If not, bring your own. 3. If we are gathering outside, bring your chairs. We carry two. That's a perfect match since we have two people living in our coach. We don't have room to carry seating for others. When planning to cook and eat together, agree up front if one couple will provide the entire meal or it's to be potluck. However, if we agreed that I would provide the entire meal, don't "surprise" me by bringing something. Since I didn't plan for it, I likely don't have room for it, and it may not even fit on the table. Remember, we are eating in an RV. 4. Don't assume that if you invite me, I will bring something. I won't unless you ask. Please don't hesitate to ask. I enjoy helping. 5. When driving down the highway, if someone wants to stop (for whatever reason), we stop. If you have no interest in visiting a particular tourist stop, park, museum, or shop, say so. If I do want to visit it, I will say so, too. We can stop, we will go in, you can wait, come in, or drive on. It's okay to part for a few hours or a few days and plan to get back together later. You may want to stay longer than we do in a particular area. It doesn't make any difference why. 6. Choose the lead driver based on their ability to judge RV maneuvering and parking. They have to have a pretty good "feel" for the space needed for all the coaches when pulling into or having to get out of some parking area. 7. Let's agree on a speed to drive. The lead driver can change this temporarily when conditions warrant it. 8. Let's agree on a route. If something comes up, we can change this during the day and the lead driver will have to choose the way if needed. We can all monitor our respective GPS units and offer suggestions. Let's agree on some approximate destination or number of miles for the day. This, of course, is changeable. 9. If you are the lead driver, drive with the cruise control. I don't care if you are convinced that you can hold a steady speed, you cannot match the steadiness of a cruise control. Let's agree on a time to leave in the morning. (Note 1: Be careful here. If one couple is an early riser and the other is a typical late morning pair—the relationship will likely not work for long. You must be relatively compatible.) (Note 2: You can leave and travel at different times and just get together at a prearranged stop for the night.) 10. Let's agree to pay for our own meals as we go. It eliminates the unnecessary haggling at the restaurant. We will ask the wait staff to split the check accordingly. If I want to pay for some special dinner, like a birthday celebration, I will invite you and let you know I'd like to take you out for dinner. Your acceptance does not, in any way, require you to reciprocate. A Successful Trip
Some compromise and flexibility on the part of everyone is the key to a successful trip. Agreeing on some/most of these "rules" just makes sense. However, traveling in a small group provides numerous advantages. You can check on, help, and watch out for each other. We've made several trips with friends and I can attest, it's a great way to travel. Questions??? Contact Ron Jones at info@rvstuff.org or visit his website www.rvstuff.org.
___________________________ Ron Jones has been camping on wheels since 1962. He and wife Sandy are full-timers and have traveled extensively across North America in their RV. They present seminars on the RVing lifestyle at rallies, shows and other gatherings nationwide. Ron has written eight books including co-authoring "All the Stuff You Need to Know About RVing," and the recently released "Full timing for New and Used RVers," and "RVing Alaska." He also was collaborator with Sandy on "Wrinkle-Free RV Laundry." Ron's articles and columns have also been featured in all major RV magazines, including Highways, Motorhome, and Coast to Coast. He is a regular contributor to the Good Sam website, providing weekly RV tips. |