2024 UPDATE: We’ll, I wasn’t even sure I was going to get out this year. As reported on various blogs from late 2023 and early 2024, I had a shoulder injury that had the potential to sideline me for this year. Thankfully, the injury seems to have fixed itself and I was cleared for travel. So back out west I go, this time focusing on Montana, Idaho, and Nevada – pretty much covering what was on the original plan for 2021. I’ll also visit an old AF Buddy I’ve not seen in decades, check out my cousins new digs in CO, and visit a half dozen or so National Parks. I’m keeping this years trip shorter than normal – only five month from mid May to mid Oct, but covering 15 states with 43 stops along an 8,000+ mile trek. Should be an epic trip once again as I meander through the country taking in all that it has to offer. I’ll return to the FL home base at the end to enjoy yet another seasonally warm and comfortable winter.
2023 UPDATE: Once again, the original plans have sort of gone to hell for this year. While I do intend to continue my westward trend, I also need to be back to my hometown to participate in a 50th elementary school anniversary celebration. Accordingly, I won’t have enough time to fully do my western pass which would have taken me as far north to Montana and Idaho. Instead, I’ll focus my time on Arizona and Utah, then work my way towards the east to arrive in NH by Oct, then head south to once again return to the home base for the winter. Overall, it will be an almost 7,500 mile trip with 44 stops along the way, spanning a full 7 months on the road. I will also be taking in upwards of a dozen national parks, and visiting with lots of friends and family. All in all, it’s gonna be a great trip!
2022 UPDATE: Well, almost another year has passed. I did thoroughly enjoy spending the summer in MD to spend time with my daughters and grand kids. It was a very nice catching up with them, and with other family and friends in the area. After the 3-month MD getaway, I returned to FL to my home base where I enjoyed another snow free winter. We had another bad spike in the pandemic from Dec thru Jan, but have seen it significantly recede since. The CDC has recently loosened their indoor mask recommendation, and (knock on wood), things appear to be getting back to normal. Accordingly, I have created a 200 day, 6,100 mile, 30 stop trip back out to the west to sort of pick up where I left off. Many of the reservations I have to 2022 are re-do’s from my 2020 plan. I’m definitely looking forward to getting back on the road! I now need to update the 6-Year Travel Plan map above – dates have changed.
2021 UPDATE: Well, times certainly have changed. We were in the midst of a pandemic, civil unrest was prevalent in many large cities, and frankly being a full-time nomad traveller was just not much fun in 2020. As such, I had suspended all my travels, and settled into my newly purchased home base in Lake Wales, FL. I thoroughly enjoyed spending the winter in FL, soaking up the sun, and being in the company of family and friends (when and where allowed). While the pandemic has gotten much better and many, including myself, have been vaccinated, things are not yet fully back to “normal” in order for me to resume my full-time adventures. Staying in FL for the summer was not a desirable option, so I decided instead to spend the summer in MD to enjoy the company of many friends and family, especially my daughters and grandkids. I’ll be there thru the fall of 2021, at which point I will return to my FL home base for the winter season. Come the spring of 2022, I’m hopeful that I can then resume my normal nomadic lifestyle, head west, and pick up on my journey where I left off. In the meantime, I’ll enjoy spending the summer in MD, and later another winter at the FL home base. Stay tuned for further updates as the future plays out.
Original Plan: Well, my first bit of planning for my retired full-time RV adventure has me going across the United States over the next five years or so, followed by a trip up to Alaska in year six. I’m trying to visit as many people and places as I can on my first pass as practical, without rushing or constantly being on the move. The red icons on the map represent all the National Parks that I plan to visit. When I’ve completed this journey, I will likely come back across the country, again taking another five years or so, but this time focusing on visiting Canada as much as possible during the spring/summer/fall months. But I get ahead of myself. The map above is a rough outlook for my first six years of retired RV travel.
Where Am I?
As I travel along my RV journey, I’ve been often asked how will we know where you are at any given time? Well, here lies the answer. You can click on the itinerary on the right to see a detailed list of my travels for the current year. Then, through the magic of computers, Google Maps, and the Internet, you will also be able to get a glimpse of where I am as time and travels progress. The interactive Google map below represents all the places I’ve been so far, my current location, and a look ahead to all the future places for which I have confirmed reservations. I try to keep my travel planning to about a year in advance, so the map below should reflect my confirmed schedule for the next year. If you see me going someplace you’ve always wanted to visit, reach out to me and maybe you can come and meet up with me, and we can visit together!
– Current Location
– Future Location
– Past Location
(Note: You can click on the icons on the map below for date and campground details of that specific destination)
Where Have I Been?
Using a wonderful tool called Travellerspoint, I’ve created a year-by-year map showing all the places I’ve been since starting this journey in 2018. Check it out here! (Note: you can select a specific year to see the details of each stop for that year)