As summer approaches, a lot of people are considering heading out on the open road for a road trip across the country. Some will head out in the family car and camp out in tents every night. That would be perfect for you, if you were 20-something and single. But if you’re hitting your golden years in stride, then you probably want to get a motorhome and tour the country without leaving behind all the comforts of home. But before you break open that nest egg on a shiny new RV, consider the following four tips.
Check If You Need a Special Driver’s License or Add-On
First, you need to know that several states will require you to upgrade your driver’s license if your motorhome exceeds certain size and weight limits. Requirements vary from state to state, and they can change over time, so you might even need to take a test to show that you can handle a larger vehicle such as this. Here is a list of requirements for different states.
Take a Practice Run
If you’ve driven larger vehicles in the past, then you can skip this step. But if you’ve never driven anything larger than your family sedan or a pickup truck, then you should probably take a test drive—or even a test mini-vacation—in a rented RV to see how it handles out there on the highway. Driving a large vehicle in high-speed traffic can be frustrating for beginners, and you don’t want to spend your life’s savings only to realize a few hundred miles down the road that you don’t have the driving skills and experience to safely handle a big RV.
Plan Ahead for Emergencies
When planning a road trip, you need to prepare in advance as much as possible—and this doesn’t just mean planning your route, calculating fuel costs and reserving campsites. What will happen if you have a tire blowout or if your water pump dies 100 miles from the nearest town? Make sure that your auto club membership is current and that you have purchased high-mileage towing options through AAA and your insurance policy.
Purchase Adequate RV Insurance
Speaking of insurance, you’ll need to add your motorhome to your auto insurance policy. For peace of mind and to be thoroughly prepared for contingencies, you should discuss with your insurance agent what amounts of coverage you’ll require.
Hitting the road this summer in an RV can be an unforgettable experience that you’ll cherish for years to come. To make your experience as positive as possible, be sure to follow the four motorhome tips above.
