Five Mistakes To Avoid When You're Traveling Cross Country In A Camper For The First Time

When you travel cross country in a camper, you enjoy an amazing amount of freedom to visit, tour, and camp out wherever you want. The advantages of camper travel are obvious, but some of the potential pitfalls might be hard to foresee before you make your first trip.

If you want to get the most out of your first cross country camper trip, avoid the following five common beginner mistakes: 

Relying entirely on your GPS for directions

When you travel cross country in a camper, having a GPS device is very important. However, it's important to realize that you're not always going to have a strong enough signal to rely on a GPS device when you're traveling in out-of-the-way locations. 

It's always a good idea to bring a road atlas along for the trip so that you have something to reference for directions when you have no GPS signal. Also, remember to get a recent road atlas and not one from several years ago that might be inaccurate because many changes have taken place in roadway construction since its publication. 

Packing light

One of the great things with camper travel is that you have a lot of space available for storing items while you're traveling. A lot of first-time camper travelers are so accustomed to packing light that they neglect to pack liberally and bring everything with them that is likely to come in handy on the trip. 

Not putting enough thought into campsite selection once you arrive at a campground

If you're not used to staying at campgrounds, you might assume that all campground sites are equal. In fact, you need to select carefully to maximize the convenience of your stay.

Always try to face the door of your campers toward the picnic table or dining area so that it's convenient to transport dining supplies. Also, you probably will want to look out for a slightly secluded spot that provides you with some primacy during your stay.

Not practicing driving with the camper attached before your trip begins

Driving with a camper attached takes practice before you'll feel comfortable navigating roadways. If you haven't practiced driving with your camper attached before your trip, your trip is going to be more stressful than it should be.

Don't depart for a cross country camper trip until you feel very comfortable in the driver's seat. 

Traveling without adequate backup supplies

Certain camper components will absolutely need to be replaced before you can conveniently continue your journey if they malfunction during your trip. 

Items like fuses, nuts/bolts, connectors, and light bulbs seem like small details, but it might be impossible for you to continue your journey until they're replaced. It's therefore important to stock up on necessary backup supplies so that you won't be waylaid during your trip by a drawn out search for a hard-to-find part.