We are currently looking into either a trip to Alaska or a trip across Canada in 2024, and are allocating 6 – 8 weeks for either trip.
There’s several things we’ll need to check into, regardless of what trip we take.
STATESIDE
We haven’t been to the US in our RV in a long, long time. We were surprised to learn of a few changes in prices such as:
1 – Certain State Parks have higher prices for out of state campers, here is a list. https://go.campendium.com/state-parks-fees-out-of-state-campers/ According to this , it doesn’t look like Alaska is one of the states charging non-residents extra to camp. That said, we will be looking into all camping options – private campgrounds, National Parks, etc. to get the best rate.
2. KOA Campgrounds (which used to be our go-to for their consistent service, cleanliness, etc.) rates have gone up dramatically. See my rant here. At times it feels like a hotel would have cheaper rates.
3. According to https://www.finder.com/gas-prices “US gas prices over the last year (2022-2023) are among the highest since 2018” which may have been the last time we travelled there in our RV. We’ve since modified our diesel truck to get better fuel economy, which will help.
4. And, of course, food prices are through the roof everywhere. One person commented recently US food prices have increased as much or more than Canada.
5. Know before we go. I always need a refresher on what foodstuffs you can and cannot bring into the US (hint: what you can bring into the US is getting less and less.). We’ll have to refresh our memory on what we can bring back into Canada as well, and how much you can bring back that’s duty free. (Hint: depends on length of stay in the US: https://travel.gc.ca/returning/customs/bringing-to-canada/personal-exemptions-mini-guide# However there are also restrictions on duty free food stuffs. For example, for dairy products, it looks like the duty-free quantity is limited to $20 per person.)
6. We now have a dog, so I needed to familiarize myself with what types of dog food can cross the border. Raw is a no; canned and dry or other shelf stable products that contain no sheep, lamb or goat are okay. Food must be in original packaging. We also need to show proof of rabies vax for our fur baby, Bailey the Wonder Whoodle.
I stumbled across this guide on how to plan an RV trip in Alaska; might be useful information for us and others: https://uploads.alaska.org/maps/How-to-Plan-an-RV-Trip-in-Alaska.pdf
ACROSS CANADA
We will definitely need to be mindful of wildfire season. Wildfires occurred practically coast-to-coast this year, the season started early, and in some provinces like Alberta, could burn underground all winter long.
EITHER TRIP
- Type of Site:
- Know what we need for how long we need it . For example, as we use medical devices, one night stays’ require a power site.
- Know our fresh, grey and black water tank capacities to determine what type of site to book for longer stays. We’ve mostly stayed in full hook ups so we will need to check into this if we want power/water only sites, which are cheaper, generally. One of my pet peeves is paying to use the campground’s showers, but this will have to change if we do power/water only. We will do a “test run” before we leave by staying a few days at a power/water site to check tank capacities. There will also be times when need an RV park with laundry facilities.
2. Cost and Campground Booking:
Look into municipal, federal or provincial / state campgrounds for potential cost-savings over privately run. Figure out how far in advance we need to book the campgrounds.
3. Set a limit on:
- How much driving we can handle;
- How long to stay in the places we want to visit;
- Budget
4. Communication:
- Will the campground have wifi? What about cell coverage and data plans?
So much to consider!
Since either trip is longer – and further – than we’ve ever gone before, we’re going to need organizational help so I will be checking into RV trip planning apps. I’ve found some comprehensive posts on RV trip planning apps like this post on RVShare: https://rvshare.com/blog/rv-apps/ but need to research further to see if the apps are mostly US-based.
While I wrote this primarily for my own reference, hopefully this post helps others planning a long RV trip. If anyone has any other tips, please feel free to post in the comments.
Our Hotel On Wheels 