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As a Professional-Organizer-turned-full-time RVer, I invest a lot of time (and I mean a LOT of time) researching where I want to take my rig for its next adventure. And today, I’d like to share some of my process with you.

Why The Web?

How do you figure out the best sights to see? Places to eat? Cultural activities? RV parks to stay at? You could ask friends/family for recommendations — but you may miss out on some amazing experiences if you limit yourself to what your inner circle has already done on vacation. These days, it’s much easier for a do-it-yourselfer to find both the fun activities and the super-saver deals — by harnessing the power of the interwebz to plan a safe, successful, stress-free trip.

This Ain’t Your Daddy’s Trip Tik

I remember as a child, spending hours poring over my father’s AAA books and Rand McNally maps — imagining all the places I might visit in the future. Unfortunately, those days of pulling out a road atlas to figure out where you want to go are over! You could ask friends and family for recommendations, but you may miss out on some amazing experiences if you limit yourself to what your inner circle has already done on vacation. These days, it’s much easier for a do-it-yourselfer to find both the fun activities and the super-saver deals — by harnessing the power of the internet to plan a safe, successful, stress-free trip. Now you’re generally expected to plan your route online or via an app. The good news is that every bit of information contained in those old foldout gas station relics is now available with just a click of the mouse.

Off The Beaten Path

While we’re on the subject of roads, let me just say right now that I personally believe driving across the country via interstates is not the way to go — I prefer to get off the main thoroughfare and see some of the real America! It might take you a little longer to get there, but who cares when you could be traversing a canyon rim or driving along a lakeshore or investigating picturesque towns (instead of whizzing past the world at 80 miles an hour, surrounded only by 18-wheelers and asphalt). You can search for scenic routes using sites like Road Trip America and America’s Byways. You are almost certainly guaranteed a more interesting and aesthetically pleasing driving experience.

The Road Less Traveled

The nice thing about the internet is that it also allows you to move beyond the crowds. I’ve got nothing against theme parks and beach resorts, but I usually prefer to escape the crowds by taking the road less traveled. Websites like Lonely Planet can point you toward some amazing places that most of the rest of the world ignores — cool little towns that have managed to keep out the chain stores and corporate corruption, beautiful natural areas where you won’t see another two-legged soul for miles, artist colonies filled with funky galleries and hip cafes.

I’m also a terrible sucker for those tacky old-school tourist diversions that make most folks roll their eyes so far back you can’t see their pupils — places that are lucky if they get two visitors a day, and you wonder how they stay in business. The kind that used to have Burma-Shave-style billboards along the highway, encouraging a lengthy detour to see a double-headed calf or a redwood you could drive through or a monument to the boll weevil — with cardboard dioramas and misspelled signs and dilapidated displays so awful they’re awesome!