Well here it is January 2019, another year has passed and another one is in the forefront. January is always the time of year that I start to do my RV planning for the upcoming camping season. Planning allows me to get ahead of the game and ensure that we get sites that we want in the campgrounds we want to go to. Also planning RV maintenance and deciding when I should get any work done allows me to get my rig in to the RV techs before the great rush of the season begins.
This year I have several things to plan out Here is my list:
Rig work:
- Replace & fix awning
- Replace propane tank
- Install battery monitoring system (Bogart Trimetric 2030 monitor)
- Spring wake up procedure (Checklist)
- Seasonal maintenance (Checklist)
- Regular maintenance (Checklist)
Camping Itineraries:
- Plan trip to Medicine lake Alberta
- Plan Trip to Banff Alberta (Johnston Canyon)
- Plan Wedding Trip and Honeymoon (West Coast Loop)
Now this is a somewhat typical list of items that needs to be addressed before we even make it out of the driveway for our first trip of the season. Every year the lists are different but the premise is the same, plan it out! Planning and taking stock of issues that need to be addressed with your rig will allow you to make informed decisions; like when to wake up your rig from its winter slumber, and make appointments to get the work done. I always start this list at the end of every season and then look at in January of the following year. This gives me time to source parts, get quotes on repairs, book tech time and know when to wake up my rig, which is usually the first week of April. This way I am always ahead of the curve and never get stuck with my rig in the shop for weeks on end.
Once the repairs are done and I can bring my rig home then I start on the checklists and begin to dewinterize and wake the RV up. Which is usually around the end of April. By then I have already planned out our camping season and booked sites and created itineraries back in January, and this ensures I don't miss a campsite booking opportunity.
When it comes to creating the lists they can be very simple, mine are. I use Word to create simple lists that I store in a maintenance and itinerary folder on my computer. As I think of places to go or issues that need to be fixed, or upgrades I want to make to the rig, I just jot them down in my lists so that I don’t forget what I have just dreamed up. I also date these ideas so that I know how long they have been waiting to be actioned on. Then I prioritize them when I am looking at them in January and decide which items I will address or what campgrounds we will visit in the upcoming season. Then I budget everything so that I have a reasonable understanding of what the costs will be for us to action our wish lists and itineraries for the new camping season.
As I have stated many times throughout our site, planning is the best way to get the most out of our short camping season here in Canada. Planning will allow you to have the freedom you want during the times that are available to you, without having the disappointment of having your rig stuck in the shop or finding your campground is fully booked.
Happy Trails
The Glampurs