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When I was first preparing to hit the road with my new rig, I was quite nervous. I usually like to power through any fear or anxiety that may arise when embarking on a new adventure, but I have to say—this nearly took me down. I’m a solo female traveler through and through and have plenty of experience traveling by myself but never with a 3,500 lb trailer in tow. My main fear was: what if I got in over my head when I was alone on the road?
A lot of people have messaged me saying that they’ve been considering hitting the road in an RV, and they all have very similar questions, fears, and anxieties. Here are five tips that helped me deal with the fear and get going.
Tip #1: Learn about your rig.
The first thing I did when I got my Airstream was to learn the basics of how the thing works. This includes studying the electrical and plumbing systems. You don’t have to know it like the back of your hand, but you should know it well enough to be able to troubleshoot any minor to moderate problems that arise. The goal is to understand how to manage your main resources and how they all fit together:
Water (via hookup or tank)
Electric (via hookup or battery)
Sewage (via grey/black tank)
Propane (for heat, stovetop, and, optionally, your fridge)
I won’t go through it all here because the exploration is half the fun. Forums, blogs, and Google in general will be your best friends.
The rig. A 1997 Land Rover Defender LE and a 16-foot Airstream Sport (a.k.a. “Bambi”).
Tip #2: Gather your physical tools.
There are some gizmos and gadgets you’ll need when you’re on the road, and you don’t want to be caught in a bind wishing you had bought them in advance.
RV specific: hose for drinking water, hose for grey tank flush water, sewage hose, RV power cord, RV toilet paper, black tank treatment pods
Car specific: jumper cables, tire pressure gauge, spare tire kit
Toolbox basics: hammer, drill/bits, screwdriver, socket wrench (I’ve used that a surprising amount), pliers, measuring tape, level. My dad was kind enough to put together the perfect, lightweight toolbox for me as a bon voyage gift. I like to work on ranches/farms (more on that later), so I also found it useful to have assorted nuts and bolts, a hand saw, and assorted screws/anchors.
Miscellaneous: zip ties, work gloves, disposable gloves (great for sewage dumps), Sharpie, electrical tape, voltmeter (I’ve used it to troubleshoot electrical issues), Command hooks/strips, rope, flashlights/lanterns, headlamp, camping chair
Absolutely not necessary but pretty nifty: power bank, fire stove, hammock, hose caps (keeps storage nice and clean)
Tip #3: Gather your digital tools.
Before I left, I downloaded a suite of apps meant for RVers. These apps in particular were perfect for getting me started:
CoPilot: RV-specific navigation, crucial for avoiding restricted roads. $29.99/year.
Ultimate CG: Huge database of public campgrounds, from paid to dispersed sites. The filtering feature has a bit of a learning curve, but it’s very powerful once you get the hang of it. Free.
Campendium: Another, more enriched source for campgrounds of all types. The kicker for me is that they provide information on cell service for a variety of carriers. I work on the road, so cell service is crucial. I wish I had used this to pick my first campground! Free.
These go-to networks helped pave my way without staying at a traditional campground:
Harvest Hosts: A wonderful network of wineries, breweries, and farms that welcome RVers to camp on their land overnight. A great way to meet people, taste/drink lovely things, and save money. $79.99/year for their classic plan. This may seem like a lot, but if you think about it, you pay it off by staying ~4 nights (a decent campground is ~$20/night).
WWOOF: Another delightful network of farmers/ranchers who welcome travelers to work on their land in exchange for room and board. It’s a great way to meet interesting people, pick up interesting skills, save money, and have a generally interesting time. WWOOF is a little wild-west in nature, so be sure to read the reviews of your host before committing. $40/year.
Workaway: Super similar to WWOOF, but open to more work opportunities than just farm/ranch work. $42/year.
Hip Camp: Hip Camp is like the Airbnb of private campgrounds. Pay to stay on usually lovely, usually private land. Variable price.
WWOOFing on a horse ranch in NC. I had water and electric hookups and got to care for 8 horses and 8 dogs. Bliss.
Tip #4: Choose a reasonable first campground.
Maybe I’m just a baby, but I think that the best way to ease into the experience of being on the road is to choose a campground with full hookups (water, electric, sewage) and plenty of cell service. If you’re towing, a pull-through site is icing on the cake.
On full hookups. When it’s your first time on the road, you don’t want to be worrying about your main resources. There are plenty of other things to worry about… water and electricity don’t have to be included in that list. Boondocking (camping without any hookups) will come.
On cell service. I made the mistake of choosing a campground with full hookups and zero cell service, and it definitely complicated some things for me. I couldn’t scope out my next move, I couldn’t Google how to do things that I’d never done before, I couldn’t research things to do around me, and I couldn’t work. No bueno. I ended up having to drive to the nearest gas station (also with no service) and talk the nice proprietor into letting me use his WiFi. I worked/Googled from my car in the parking lot for three days. 🙃
On pull-through sites. My very first site was a tiny back-in site, and this was my first time towing anything. Pro: it made me learn how to navigate backing up very quickly. Remember that (1) everything is backwards, so when you turn your wheel left, the trailer will go right, and (2) the shorter your trailer, the more magnified your movement will be (go slow and beware of jack-knifing). Con: it was terrifying. I broke a sweat.
Tip #5: Ignore fear until it goes away.
That’s just my life motto though. 😉If you made the leap to buy an RV, you probably live your life with some boldness—have a little faith in yourself. It’s amazing what Google can do and how resourceful you can be when you’re in a bind. Don’t overthink it, don’t over-prepare, just get out there and learn as you go.
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I’m definitely no expert, and there’s still a lot for me to learn, but doing these five things helped me break down the experience of preparing to hit the road. Best of luck to any first-timers out there!