Mixing air travel and RVing

For the last two weeks, I've been mixing air travel and RVing. I flew from NC to Denver to visit relatives for five days. I landed in single-digit temperatures with six inches of snow on the ground and six more inches in the forecast (that didn't happen).

Then I flew to Houston, rented a car and drove to Galveston, TX for a week to attend the Full-time RV Freedom Week. That was informative and a lot of fun. It was right on the beach, and the temperature was in the mid-70s until the last day. That was a big change from Denver.

Then I flew back to NC. The forecast for Banner Elk, NC where I was camped was for seven degrees and snow the next morning, so I quickly got packed up and headed down the mountain. I drove 150 miles south and spent the night in a Walmart parking lot. It only got down to the mid-50s there, so it was good sleeping weather.

The next morning I drove 500 miles further south to Cedar Key, FL (I don't usually drive that far in one day), and this is where I'll be until February.

So, you can mix RVing and flying and get the best of both worlds.

What to do when you leave your RV in cold weather

I had a friend stay in my motorhome while I was gone for two weeks because the forecast was calling for it to get down in the teens, and I didn't want to winterize my RV. It worked out fine. They turned the water off outside on the cold nights and ran the furnace. That kept the pipes from freezing, and they enjoyed their time living in an RV.

The picture at the top of this page was shot while sitting at my kitchen table looking out the window towards the ocean here in Florida. It was a cloudy day with no sun, so there is not much color in the picture. As you can see, there are not many RVs in the campground yet and I have a clear view of the water. The campground will start filling up in early December.

Flying gives you more travel options

I've flown over two million miles on Delta (in my previous life), and sometimes I get upgraded to First Class at no charge, but not on any of the legs on this trip. Some people worry about getting a middle seat on long flights, but I don't sweat it. I can sit on top of a flagpole for two or three hours if necessary. And by the way, I got an aisle seat on every leg of my flights without having to pay for selecting a seat.

Bottom line: There are times when traveling in an RV is not the best option. Don't forget to consider flying from time to time.