Thursday Thoughts: CHMGS's RV Road Trip

Providing ideas and insight that can inform agency and partner strategies for improvement of park, recreation and hospitality operations and assets.

Geoff Baekey’s RV Adventure!

CHMGS’s Managing Director, Geoff Baekey, just returned from an RV trip across the country! With one young adult graduating from the University of Denver, and one finishing her freshman year, the frenetic pace of the initial shutdown of the University due to COVID-19 meant some loose ends to close. Wanting to travel as safely as possible, and also to experience for themselves a bit of the current chatter about RV travel, the Baekey family rented an RV from Cruise America and set out from Boston earlier this month. Geoff kept us updated along the way with photos and comments on his experience. We caught up with him upon his return to hear a little more about the good, the bad, and the not-so-ugly of his experience!

Give us a quick re-cap of your trip and where you stayed!

We stayed in a mix of private campgrounds and state park campgrounds: Erie KOA, Mckean, PA; Des Moines East KOA, Newton, IA; Cherry Creek State Park, Aurora, CO; Perry State Park, Ozawkie, KS; Indianapolis KOA, Greenfield, IN; and Treasure Lake KOA, Dubois, PA.

So, how did the RV work for you on your cross-country trip?

Functionally, it worked great. We had a full kitchen and bath, plenty of sleeping space, and really did not feel like we were on top of each other. The only real downside was the type of RV we had. Because we rented a Class C RV on a truck frame, the profile of the RV made it really susceptible to wind and drafts from tractor trailers. If I were going to rent again, I would probably get a larger, Class A, which is less affected by wind. 

How did amenities compare between the KOA campgrounds and the state park campgrounds? Which amenities would you say you used the most?

The KOA campgrounds had a few more items in comparison to the state park campgrounds, but the amenities actually also varied across the KOA locations we stayed in. One KOA – in Indianapolis - actually had food delivery to the campsite – so we definitely took advantage of that. Many of the amenities were closed on our trip out to Denver, but open on our return trip. We think that was a function of the phased re-opening of the different states we traveled to. Aside from Cherry Creek State Park in Denver, we were only in each location for one night, so we didn’t have time to take advantage of what each campground might have offered. We would definitely have used the pool or other things if we had more time.

Aside from the obvious (sleeping arrangements, cooking, etc.), what do you think is the biggest difference between your RV vacation and your typical, flight and hotel-based vacation?

I think the amount of pre-planning we had to do was much more significant than we would normally do for a hotel vacation. Because we were going on a long-distance trip with many stops, and because of uncertainty as far as what would be open or closed due to COVID-19, we had to take much more time to plan our trip in advance than a typical plan/hotel vacation. We also had to make sure we had enough food and supplies. We identified places we wanted to stop every eight to ten hours of driving time and researched what campgrounds would be available. I will say that I don’t think this vacation was really any cheaper than a plane/hotel vacation. After RV rental, extra costs for mileage, fuel, and campsite fees, the costs compared to plane tickets and hotel rooms were pretty comparable.

What surprised you the most about your experience?

We never felt that we were too confined, even though it was a relatively small space for traveling, eating, and sleeping. The RV had adequate space for our entire family and being able to get out of the RV and hang out and relax around a fire each night was great. Also, that we ended up being as prepared as we were! I think with COVID and the uncertainty of what would and would not be available, we spent a little more time than maybe we would have researching the overall trip. The only thing we didn’t have enough of were blankets! The nights in Colorado were much chillier than we were expecting!

Any last thoughts?

Everyone we met along the entire experience was wonderful – from the campground staff to the other people staying in the campground. We would definitely do an RV vacation again – but this time take more time in each spot to enjoy the journey as well as the destination!

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