While we would love to be those free wheeling kind of travelers who never make plans and simply go wherever the wind blows, in truth our reality doesn’t allow for that kind of spontaneity. We actually tried that method of travel during our first year, and while it worked most of the time, we quickly learned that there are some times when it pays to plan ahead. Holidays and school vacations in particular. Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, and New Year’s Eve are the big ones. Either you need to reserve a spot far in advance, or you need to find a place out in the boonies where the hordes of holiday vacationers wouldn’t dare go. We’ve gone both routes.
Two years in a row we spent New Year’s Eve in the desert near Borrego Springs. No reservations needed!
work, work, work
The second reason why we plan is because we work. I only do some casual travel writing that requires no schedule, but for the past two years Tim has had a real job, where he’s expected to work real hours (m-f 8-4). Which means in general we stay in one spot for at least a week and only travel on the weekends. We’ve found that this schedule works best if we have at least a loose plan. We make a few reservations at the popular spots that we know will fill up (or during holidays) and leave the rest of the weeks open so we can make changes as we see fit.
Planning in action
Over the last few weeks we’ve been busy planning our route through the spring and summer. We already had a general plan to leave the Keys near the end of February and head up the east coast with our final destination being Vermont (where we’re from) for the month of September. Along the way we have several planned meet-ups with family and friends, a day at Disney World, and a 4 day camping/music weekend at a Bluegrass Festival in Virginia. We’ve made a loose itinerary around those events and a few reservations for the places we plan to go after leaving the Keys, along with the always busy 4th of July week.
We have our route mostly planned out, but are still working on where to stay in many of the locations. Since we tend to get the best recommendations from other travelers, I thought it would be fun to share our plans and ask all of you for any advice on places to stay, things to see, foods to eat, etc. along the way. Of course, we’re also always up for meeting fellow travelers, so please let us know if we’ll be near you at any point. Thanks!
2015 January-October
1/1 – 2/26 Florida Keys
2/22 – 2/27 Lake Worth, FL (R) John Prince CP (Stopping here to see some friends from VT who are visiting family in Boca Raton)
2/28 – 3/6 Orlando, FL (R) Bill Fredrick CP (We’re going to Disney World!!!)
3/7 – 3/14 St. Augustine, FL Anastasia SP (Full for that week right now, so we’re trying to get in on a cancellation. Any other ideas in the area?)
3/15 – 3/21 Jekyll Island, GA Jekyll Island CP ***update*** A FB reader told us to book Jekyll Island early. I checked & they were already full. Reserved a week at the nearby Blythe Island Regional Park instead.
3/22 – 3/28 Savannah, GA Skidway Island SP
3/29 – 4/4 Charleston, SC (Any ideas?)
4/5 – 4/11 Asheville, NC Lake Powhatan NF Campground
4/12 – 4/18 Charlotte, NC McDowell Nature Center Preserve (Stopping here so Tim can visit his work office in person for the first time. McDowell seems to be the only public park relatively close to the city)
4/19 – 4/25 My mom’s house near Jacksonville, NC
4/26 – 5/2 Outer Banks, NC Ocacoke CG (part of Hatteras National Seashore) or a private park, possibly Hatteras Sands CG. (The major drawback of the NS parks are no hot showers which means we might have to dump our gray tank mid-week. Something we always try to avoid)
5/3 – 5/9 Virginia Beach, VA First Landing SP
5/10 – 5/16 Shenandoah NP, VA Loft CG (A bit concerned about the cell service here. Anyone stayed here recently?)
5/17 – 5/20 Flintstone, MD Rocky Gap SP
5/21 – 5/24 Cumberland, MD (We’re planning to attend the 4 day DelFest Bluegrass Festival!)
5/25 – 6/6 Washington D.C. Greenbelt Park, MD (Seems like the best deal close to the city and public transportation. Anyone stayed here?)
6/7- 6/13 Delaware Cape Henlopen SP on the coast or Lums Pond SP to be closer to family in Newark, DE
6/14 – 6/27 Connecticut (family visit)
6/28 – 7/4 Gloucestar, MA (R) Cape Ann Campground
7/5 – 8/8 Southern NH into Maine (We have spent time in Maine, but never with the Airstream. Any campground suggestions are appreciated)
8/9 – 8/15 Lake Winnipesaukee NH (a family get together)
8/16 – 8/22 New Hampshire (another place we’re familiar with, but have never been to with the Airstream)
8/23 – end of September or later Vermont (staying with friends)
36 comments
Hello, you’re kind of doing a reverse of what we did this past 3 months. In Charleston we absolutely loved James Island County Park. Amazing facilities and location! Popular and a bit pricey, but can’t beat the location, hiking/biking trails, dog park, laundry etc.
Looks like you have something for VA, but check out Newport News County Park. Has very cheap laundry and excellent location on a lake. Nice trails. A little pricey, some sites not too level.
In NH (near Maine/Canada) we loved a newly added Umbagog State Park. On a lake, lots of hiking.
Thanks! James Island seems to be the place to stay in Charleston. I’ll look into Umbagog SP. Sounds like our kind of place.
Looks like a great plan for the future. Making reservations while on the east coast seems to more necessary than some areas of the west especially when there aren’t any boondocking spots.
It’s definitely a different kind of travel here in the east. Out west we always have boondocking as a back up plan. Here on the east coast that is not an option.
Hey Watsons! You have some great plans for 2015! Anastasia is definitely the best place in St. Augustine as far as scenery. There are some RV parks on the island as well, but if you can get the state park, you won’t regret it! I believe it’s the Savannah Visitor’s center that you can stay the 2 nights for $12, not the Charleston (definitely call first). As for Charleston, James Island County Park is fantastic! It’s about 5 minutes to downtown in one direction and 5 minutes to Folly Beach in the other direction. Not to mention it has great walking and jogging paths and a water park! It is a bit pricey for hookups, but you can do overflow (Boondocking) for $25/night with full access to amenities. If you haven’t been to Emerald Isle (beach near Jacksonville, NC) definitely check it out! The point at the southern end is a great place to watch the sunset and it has the biggest sea shells I’ve ever seen! Happy Travels and hope to see you when you pass through in March!
I hope we can get into Anastasia because I really don’t want to spend $60/night! You’re right, it is Savannah where you can stay at the visitor center. I got my cities mixed up. I think we will end up at James Island because about 10 people have now recommended it. Emerald Isle is about 10 min. from my mom’s house. I was there last winter and can’t wait to go back when it’s warm enough to enjoy. We’ll be in touch when we get close to St. Augustine and make a plan to meet up!
Anastasia is the most popular in St Augustine, I stayed at Bryn Mawr a few years ago, and it was nice, right on the ocean, but doesn’t have the privacy and seclusion Anastasia has…hope you get in!!
I hope we get in to, because while Bryn Mawr sound nice, $60+/night makes me wince!
I’d suggest visiting Greenville SC, and it’s great downtown while you are between Asheville and Charlotte (it’s about an hour from Asheville, and makes a nice day trip).
We may be in that area at the same time (Greenville or Charlotte) but it’s a bit early for us to know.
Thanks! I think we will try to stop there on our way to Asheville. Sounds like a cool place. Let us know if you are nearby.
I am originally from the east coast. We always loved Assategue Island, which is up the coast from Cape Henlopen. Nice beaches and the wild ponies are something!
We now live in middle Tennessee right off I-40 between Knoxville and Nashville. If you are through this area, give us a shout!
Trina
I forgot about the wild horse beach! We will definitely go there! We hope to go through Tennessee in the late fall. Will let you know when we come through.
I guess I should’ve said its Down the coast from Cape Henlopen :-)
We would love the chance to hang out and hear about your adventures!
you guys are sooo far away!!!! we miss you …
hector
We are far away…and not going to be closer any time soon. Miss you guys too. Sad that we missed out on the gathering in the desert :(
No way!! We will be at Disney World from Feb 22-27 and we’re staying at Fort Wilderness! I can’t believe we’re going to miss you guys by one day! We too travel on weekends because of work and totally understand that schedule. It’s worked well for us so far too. :)
Oh bummer! I hate those near misses. Where are you headed after that? We’ve been traveling on the weekends for about a year and half now and it really works for us. While I sometimes wish we had the flexibility that others have, I really like feeling like we have a normal schedule.
We’re headed over to Cocoa Beach to hit up NASA, then will be making our way to New Orleans!
We’re headed to the space center after Orland too, but won’t be there until March 7th so we’ll probably miss you again :(
March 12 there is a rocket launch scheduled from Cape Canaveral. Great view from the county RV Park (Jetty Park).
Alayne is right, it is the Savannah Visitor’s Center you can stay in. Here’s a link to a map I made this year of Savannah https://mapsengine.google.com/map/u/0/edit?hl=en&authuser=0&mid=zP6ql5A8nvDk.klKhqtBAmw3E. We went to school there and now have family there, so we stopped twice last year. I have a map from Charleston, too, https://mapsengine.google.com/map/u/0/edit?hl=en&authuser=0&mid=zP6ql5A8nvDk.kT7LGIQ5fnro. It’s not as edited, but just remember the Angel Oak restaurant and The Glass Onion. And James Island County Park is the place to stay.
We had a really good meal with Alayne at The Flordian while in St. Augustine and one with Kristin and Jason at Iceplant. Eric recommended it, too. And I agree with Alayne on Emerald Isle. We spent a month near Swansboro last year. And on to a random great anniversary meal at Seven Sows in Asheville. If they have butterscotch pudding, get it.
If you guys and Kate are going to the Magic Kingdom, make sure to go the Laugh Floor from Monster’s Inc. It’s funny and really well done, my friend who works for Disney always recommends it, too. Skip Disney Hollywood Studios.
Thanks for the maps and all the restaurant recommendations! I am sure we will put those to good use. My mom’s house is only 10 min. from Emerald Isle so I have been there before. Can’t wait to go back. Oh, and good to know about Hollywood Studios and the Laugh Floor. We only have one day at Disney so we need to maximize our time.
Hi Amanda! I found your website from a Facebook post of your mom’s. I am glad you and your husband are doing so well! We live in Virginia Beach. First landing is a great park with good trails. It would be great to meet up when you guys are in town!
Hi Beth! So nice to hear from you. Good to know about First Landing. Sounds like the kind of park that we like. I will definitely get in touch when we come through the area.
Sadly, I have nothing to offer — although I lived in Boston for 10 years I wasn’t RV’ing at the time. All of my expertise is on the West coast/Southwest/South. So I’m counting on you for great ideas, because we’re headed up the east coast to Novia Scotia in Spring of 2016. :-)
How fun! We really want to go to Novia Scotia, but can’t seem to fit it in time wise this year.
I can’t believe we are going to so many of the same places, but it looks like we will miss you at all of them! We’re starting our east coast trip in April, staying at Jekyll Island for 10 days. In Charleston I tried to get a spot at James Island but wasn’t able to because of a park event the weekend we will be there, so we are staying at Oak Plantation which I’ve also heard good things about. For Maine recommendations, check Betsy and Nancy’s blog – they’ve got a lot of posts about it. I’ll email you our full schedule, but I’m afraid we will be just ahead of you most of the time. Haven’t really planned our return trip though, so maybe we can make something work then.
That would be such a bummer if we missed you the whole way up the coast :( Hopefully we can make something work. I’ll check out Betsy & Nancy’s blog for ME recommendations.
While on your way to Jekyll Island, I recommend stoping at Crooked River State Park in Georgia (right on the Florida border). Lovely campground and excellent access to Cumberland Island National Seashore. Cumberland Island offers a nice comparison to Jekyll Island. When on Jekyll Island, be sure to check out the sea turtle rescue centre.
I just made a plan to stay at Crooked River for a night so we could go to Cumberland Island. One of those places I’ve alway wanted to visit!
St Augustine that week in March will be very difficult. It is bike week in Daytona and most camp grounds are packed I in a 50 mile radius. I live in Palm Coast just south of St. AUG and will check with friends. Bcollins7007@cfl.rr.com #destinationunknown
We just got into Anastasia SP that week when someone else canceled. Sounds like we should consider ourselves lucky!
The Washington Post just did a short feature on what’s hip in Greenbelt: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/going-out-guide/wp/2015/01/23/street-smart-what-to-do-in-greenbelt/ Though you will likely be exploring DC during most of your free time, rec’s near the campground are handy too! We live in DC – hope to be travelling by the time you are here, but happy to offer more tips/advice/orientation if you need any more local insight. I’ll keep an eye on the blog and chime in as you get closer!
Thanks! I just booked us a site there yesterday.
Regarding Shenandoah NP campgrounds: I cannot speak for Loft, but I have stayed extensively (as a car camper) at all the other Shenandoah NP campgrounds further north along Skyline Drive, and cell signals at those are pretty non-existent. Sometimes at night you can get a single bar and sneak a text or e-mail in or out; forget about any kind of browsing. I’ve tried Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint devices up there. But maybe Loft is different?
Also, in another century, I used to live near Greenbelt Park. It is indeed close to MetroBus stops as well as a MetroRail station where you can leave your Tow Vehicle (for a price!) while you go downtown to explore. It’s convenient to the “beltway”, which can get you to some nice restaurants in Silver Spring and Wheaton or, a little further along to the west, Bethesda or Rockville. May 25 is Memorial Day. The Campground will be packed, but it’s possible that a handful of weekenders will be checking out on Monday and you could get a walk-in site. Maybe monitor the reservations to see if it starts filling up and then pull the trigger. No H-ups! But a dump station.
Thanks so much for all the advice. We’ve decided that the Shenandoah NP campgrounds will not work for us, but I found an okay looking private park nearby that will have to do. Just yesterday I booked us a spot at the Greenbelt Park. Surprisingly there was still a good number of sites available. We had luck arriving at CG on Memorial Day last year. I guess most people are leaving instead of arriving on that day.