Over the summer my girlfriend and her step-daughter leftBaltimore, Maryland and headed for Texas. After Texas theyheaded to California. From there it was on to Mount Rushmore andhome. Well, you get it - she drove all over the country. In factover 7,000 miles.
What she drove was a 31 foot Coachman RV. She did 99% of thedriving; her step-daughter did do a little. But they did worklike a team and watch each other when they had to park in thecamp sites. We all know how tight some camp sites are, but witha little faness anybody can drive a large RV. Lori is only 5ft2in tall and weights 110lbs. She has gotten really good drivingthe RV.
The reason I'm telling you all this is because when we are onthe road we always have someone ask if she drives the RV. Whenthey hear that she does the next question is always how well shedoes.
So we were wondering, what is the deal with driving the RV. Forall those not used to driving an RV and think that it is hard todo, we want to share some tips. The trick about driving any sizevehicle or towing is the way you set your vehicle up. What Imean by that is getting your head on straight and setting yourmirrors properly because that is all you have to work with. Knowthat when you make a right hand turn you need more room than acar does. Therefore allow for it every time.
Most accidents are caused by not watching how much room youhave. One thing you can do to practice how much room you havewhen you use your mirrors is to have some one drive down theroad in the right hand lane and you practice moving to theright. They can use their lights if you do not have enough roomto move over. This way you can learn without hurting anything.
You can also do this at night. Practicing at night is a verygood thing. A school parking lot is a good place to practicebacking up and turning or even parallel parking. Yes you canparallel park a motorhome. My girl had to parallel park the 31foot RV at a restaurant where they had stopped to eat. You donot have to be afraid of driving a large RV or trailer or even a5th wheel.
If you take the time to do a little practice, you will be fine.Plus your partner will appreciate this. It is always nice tohave that extra driver or second pair of eyes. I have all thefaith in the world in my girl when it is her turn to drive. Welove to travel a lot and wanted to share a little bit ofinformation on our experiences. I hope this article helps you.Maybe we will see you on the road some where.
Happy RV'ing and Blue Skies
About the author:The author and his girlfriend are avid RV'ers who love travelingin their motorhome and seeing the beautiful sights all acrossthe United States. http://www.1RVdirectory.com
