Airlines and other transportation companies are implementing stricter travel protocols and enhanced cleaning and disinfecting procedures.  Still, you may be nervous about traveling among those outside of your immediate household.  My family and I took to the road during our winter break to visit relatives in Georgia and Alabama.  Though we have made this trip hundreds of times, this was a new adventure as we chose to bypass all of the public venues and travel RV style.

An afternoon with Youtube videos informed us that our first step was to reserve our vehicle.  The agent explained that she usually rents four or five vehicles a week. However, during the pandemic, there are as many requests every day.  The day came for us to pick up our vehicle. After a three hour wait due to a mix-up (a story for another day), a tour around the vehicle, thorough instructions on all things RV travel, extra insurance and armed with our negative COVID test we were on our way.    

The RV was equipped with a private back bedroom with a queen bed and ample storage. The main cabin had a shower, a bathroom, and a kitchen area, complete with refrigerator, stove, and microwave.  There was also a sofa, a table and two seats, both of which could be converted into “beds,” and a queen sized sleeping area above the driver’s seat.  Storage was abundant. 

Driving “The Monstrosity,” as I called it, was more than a notion. At 30 feet long, ten feet wide and 15 feethigh, she weighed in at around 1500 pounds.  If you are in a hurry to get somewhere, you might choose another alternative. Keeping a safe distance behind the vehicle in front of you, being mindful when approaching sharp curves, and watching your tail when you turn corners are necessary cautions.  So relax, relate, release, and enjoy the ride.  Whomever you are visiting might need to be forewarned that you may need to borrow their car for quick trips to the grocery store. etc.  Driving an RV to the CVS to pick up a toothbrush can be a harrowing experience.

Gassing up, first stop-WAWA! It was surprisingly easy to maneuver into the gas lane. Turning off the propane, the generator and…well everything to be safe, we filled it up to the tune of $75.00.  Just for perspective, it still had a quarter of a tank of gas in it at the time.  Running the generator incurred an extra charge of $3.50 per hour. A ten-hour trip took us about 20 hours to allow ample time for the driver to get rest. Yeah, I had no intentions of driving that thing.  My husband shouldered the burden of the driving. A prayer before heading out is never a bad idea.  Encountering two fatal accidents along the way, we knew the angels were surrounding us.  

A final note... dumping.  I knew in the back of my mind that the waste could not just sit there, but it had not fully occurred to me that we would have to be the ones to take care of it.  “I’ll pay you a million dollars (which I obviously don’t have) to do it,” I begged my husband.  We Googled the nearest RV dumping area where we had to pay $10 to dump. I read the directions and handed him the hose. The rest I will leave to your imagination. I must move on because the thought of that part brings back nauseating recollections, even though the process was not at all messy or difficult, well, except for the odor.  But, let’s move on.

Gratefully we arrived, very tired, but safe and sound. We had a wonderful stay and enjoyed every moment of our time.  Deciding that we could not skip our traditional trip to Krystal Burgers when we visit the south, we pulled around to the drive through where we were stopped dead in our tracks with a sign that read, “8 ft. clearance.”  Undeterred, we yelled our order from a distance and had to get out and walk up to the drive-through window to retrieve the order.    

Twelve days after our departure, we arrived, safe and sound, back to our Columbia home.  We unpacked, cleaned and returned our vehicle and made mental notes for our next trip. If you are asking whether or not we would do it again.  The answer is, with a few tweaks, yes!  

Take care and happy RV-ing!