For newcomers, maybe oldcomers too

[stiles watson]

This forum has provided some valuable help for me. One help has been publications helpful for travel. I thought I might start a thread to share with everyone these resources.

• Woodalls or TrailerLife Directories: Good for locating CGs on cross country travel
• Next Exit: Great information for every exit by number on the interstate highway system, but only the interstates
• Motor Carriers' Road Atlas: Loads of information, good maps.
• RVer's Friend: provides information on non-interstate routes.

We prefer the TrailerLife to the Woodalls for ease of use. Once you understand the format of the Next Exit, it is easy to use, more so than the RVer's Friend. For us, these are planning tools as well as navigational tools while enroute.

We try to stop at the Welcome Center of every state on entering that state to get an up-to-date state map. These are kept in a file in the RV and are mostly used for planning. Only the state map for the day's travel is carried in the truck.

I feel certain that others will come along with other, perhaps better resources. I did not include any specific club directories, however, they are very helpful too, i.e., Passport America, Happy Camper, Escapees, etc.

[boylanag]

Great idea, Stiles. For us that still use the Delorme or Microsoft Streets and Maps GPS system on our laptps, a good site is also http://www.discoveryowners.com/cginfo.htm This will load campgrounds, low clearances, Wal-Marts, etc onto the map.

[nailbender]

Good idea Stiles.
We also like to stop at welcome centers for maps, they seem larger and more detailed than maps from AAA and others. Maybe some day we will move beyond maps to GPS, but at the moment maps are fine for us and also free. For campgrounds directories we use AAA Campground books, Passport America, and KOA.

[Driftwoodgal]

We have only been on one long trip to Tennesse so far and have found that we used both the Trailer Life and the Woodall's books for finding campgrounds. Sometimes one book would have a better map or driving information to the CG. We have a Garmin and have found that the directions that it would give to us to get to the campground would lead us onto roads that could have low over hanging limbs, or run us straight through the middle of town. So we actually use all three for directions.

We have the Next Exit and found it so much easier find diesel with the book. Our newer editions have it marked in RED for the larger RVs that can't get in and out of a normal station.

Stiles, I will have to look for the RVer's friend. Thanks for the tip as we won't always be on an interstate. Do you remember where you got yours?

Colleen

[Parrothead]

You might want to add recreation.gov to your list of campground finders. I was amazed at how many campgrounds with full hookups, even 50 amp, I found here and they are not listed anywhere else. There website is very easy to use and you can reserve and pay for your site. You can choose your site from their very informative maps. Also if you have Golden Access, you get 50% off.
Happy trails...................

[mamashappy]

we have found the maps in the Welcome Centers helpful as well, along with the coupons available sometimes. We have used GPS, along with computer program "Streets and Trips" for finding campgrounds and diesel, etc. I dont like having my head/eyes on the computer all the time tho ... so mostly just figure out where we want to end up and make our way there.

[ggranch]

Stiles, The only addition I would make to your list is the Trailer Life Trip Planner & Navigation software. I use it very often in my everyday life, not just for trips out of the area. I use it most for finding where an address is with the instant zoom and cursor flags that identify each road/street and the address range in that section. Don't have to be on-line to use it either. It also has the campground info loaded into the program. Bob

[stiles watson]

There is a whole array of software programs available. I use Garmin Nuvi, but I was mainly listing printed materials. GPS is great. I wonder how I got along without it. However, Nuvi can't always be trusted, especially around new construction.

We like to use printed materials to supplement the GPS. We have found we don't like working with the computer in the cockpit. We use it for planning. We often use Good Sam's trip planner, but are not a slave to the suggested route.

I like being able to see the map of the state. I can't do that on GPS. There are two types of info I want. One I will call "global" info. I want the printed map for that. The GPS handles the other which is specific information and step-by-step details.

[MAMalody]

Try www.rvbookstore.com

[sreigle]

Stiles, we carry all of those you listed plus the directories from Passport America and Escapees. We no longer get an updated Woodall's. Ours is several years old and I seldom reference it. I also have the Trailer Life CD, which I find very helpful for locating a park near our intended stop.

For those not aware, the Motor Carriers Atlas contains LOW CLEARANCE locations listings. Very handy.

The Next Exit we use any time we're on interstates. It highlights in red those places that can handle rv traffic, including filling stations and restaurants, among others.

The RV'ers Friend is truly our friend. We use it mostly when not on interstates as it shows all the truck stops in the country. We know we can navigate in truck stops.

I use the Garmin GPS nearly any time we're on the road in unfamiliar areas, whether sightseeing or towing. Wherever we have parked our Montana, I have that marked as "home." Then we can sightsee without worrying about remembering how to get home. I just hit the Find button twice (others work differently) and it plots a route to our Montana.

[Driftwoodgal]

Two other books that might be helpful are the ones that show you the grades steep grades on the roads. They have one for each half of the US. We got ours at CW and keep them in the TV.

If anyone needs the name of them I will pull them out of the RV if they them.

Shucks.... I just gave away that the RV isn't going any where soon

Colleen

[rames14]

I have the Rand McNally truckers atlas in big print/laminated format. It has all of the trailer rules by state, information on the different states and is very useful for traveling. Plus, you could use it as a wipe on/wipe off map for planning trips. Also, for those who have been (or in our case planning a future trip) to Alaska, the Milepost is an invaluable resource for planning and finding things. Electronically, I also use the woodalls.com website when looking for specific features at a campground.

[mail2us]

Thanks Stiles Watson for starting a thread of tremendous value to a newby like me and Judy. I never focused on heights of overpasses, train trestles, etc, until I got our 5th wheel.

In anyone's 5th wheel experience, are there any interstates that are acutally lower than most Montana's?

Thanks
Dennis