Mapping 2018

Few things fill RVers with such delight as plotting trips for a new year. From pouring over travel books to scrolling Pinterest for travel inspiration, this is the time when RVers start crossing bucket list adventures off as they dream and conspire.

That planning, though, often begins long before the ball drops on New Year’s Eve. With reservation windows open on average six months to 12 months in advance, we know we aren’t the only ones who add reminders to our phones alerting us on the first day we can make reservations. Thus our 2018 travel planning began in earnest several months ago. Here’s the scoop on where our travels will take us this year:

This year our plans find us spending the very first week of 2018 in Charleston, S.C., at one of our favorite campgrounds. It’s been four years since we first stayed at James Island County Park, and now that the kiddos are a bit older, we’re excited to again share it with them and create more memories as a family.

This wasn’t the original plan for our winter camping trip. Months ago we had plotted out a three-week trip hitting highlights in Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, and Louisiana—including the chance to eat beignets at Cafe du Monde on my birthday. But then just a week before Christmas we lost a close family member, and we are going to need time to handle the affairs. Rather than scrap the whole trip, though, we decided to take a few days to start the new year off right as a family, enjoying some quiet time before heading back into the craziness of everyday life. Fortunately we were still able to snag a site at the popular James Island County Park Campground, even though we were making reservations just two weeks before our arrival date.

Camping plans for the rest of the year

Aside from our little New Year’s trip, we already have a few other trips planned for 2018. In February we are excited to be heading down to Georgia’s Jekyll Island, where we will be working with the visitors bureau to highlight the amazing family-friendly touring opportunities there. Over the years we’ve had numerous people tell us we need to visit Jekyll Island. And after I did a bit of online researching, I was sold. My only concern is how we’ll be able to see and do all the things on our list while we are there!

A couple months later, our summer adventure will find us returning to the eastern half of Pennsylvania before launching into lower New England to explore parts of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. In addition to visiting with family, we’ll be able to visit some sites we’ve long wanted to see, including Mark Twain’s home, the Norman Rockwell Museum, the Eric Carle Museum, and more. Then on our way home we’ll swing through New York to discover for ourselves why everyone raves about the Finger Lakes.

We’ll probably sneak in some last-minute mini camping trips in the summer too, but we didn’t over-schedule ourselves to allow lots of time to work on renovations to our 1976 Silver Streak, Tilley. The goal is to have her finished by the end of the summer—if not sooner. (Keeping our fingers crossed for no unexpected surprises!)

We also have not made any fall camping plans yet, although we have several spots we are currently eyeing. If Tilley isn’t finished in time for our summer camping trip, it’s possible our fall adventure will mark her maiden voyage—and that’s an exciting thought!

Now that you’ve heard about our 2018 plans, what about you? Where will 2018 find you? What places are you hoping to explore? Leave us a comment below sharing your plans for the new year! 

Psst! Need tips and ideas for planning a camping trip? Check out these resources:

• Camper in Training: How to plan a camping trip
• Using Good Sam’s Trip Planner
• Three Trip Planning Essentials
• Camping countdown: How we plan and prepare for our camping adventures