Your longest Pop-Up trip?

[Zagami]

We have had an inquiry from one of our readers wondering what the longest trip in a Pop-Up trailer was for members of our community.
 
How far (miles) have you gone on a single vacation?
 
How many consecutive days have you stayed on the road with your Pop-Up?
 
It should be interesting to see just how far and how long you travel in your favorite RV.
 
Let us know.  
 
Thank you.

[OC Campers]

We haven't gone too far away (furthest trip was 500 miles) but we have stayed in the popup for 10 consecutive days.  One of these years I want to do a 3 week trip.

Jacqui

[batsignal2]

When I was younger, my family took two 3 week trips with a pop-up.  The first time, we started in PA went through the central states down into Texas through to New Mexico up to Colorado and back.  The second time we went straight through to Colorado came back through the Dakotas, Michigan, and back.  My parents had friends in Colorado so that was always our halfway stop.  The second time was better for my parents because I was old enough to drive.  Much easier with three drivers.  Not sure of the mileage in each....but it was looong.  The thing that made it the hardest was every two or three days putting the camper up and down.  It got tiring.  I think if I was to do it with my family now, I would pick a few stops, maybe up and down 3 times total in three weeks.

[PLJ]

Longest trip so far was from the Twin Cities to Fairfax, Virginnia. One-way mileage was 1100. Our 5, 7 and 10 year olds handled the mileage remarkably well. We spent 10 days there comuting into Washington, DC. Awesome vacation.

I'd love to spend 3 weeks travelling completely around the 5 great lakes.

[AustinBoston]

It started June 21, 2001 at our home at the time, just south of Boston.  It ended 56 days later at the same place.

We visited 19 National Parks and Monuments (and several state parks and a few other attractions) in 17 states.  We put more than 10,000 miles on the camper, and another 3,200 on the van (side trips).  Imagine getting your oil changed four times while on vacation!

The stories we've told and the pictures we took and the memories we've shared pale in comparison to the changes in us from having taken that trip and spent that time together.

Our second longest trip started in the same place, but ended in Minnesota.  Once here, we lived out of our pop-up for 5-1/2 weeks between when the house in Mass sold and the house in Minnesota was bought.  But that was in one campground.

If there's more you'd like to know, email me.

Austin

[abbear]

5000 miles and 5 weeks all up and down and over the western US and Canada.

[SpeakEasy]

We try to take a 3-week journey each summer, if possible. The longest was from home (western NY) to Glacier National Park in northwest Montana. We found Lake Michigan to be in the way, so on the way out we went south of Lake Michigan (through Chicago), and on the way back we went through the upper peninsula of Michigan. This return route brought us close enough that we stopped in at Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore. All-in-all the mileage was about 5500 by the time we were back home. I love those long journeys, but the price of gas is making me crazy.

[GeneF]

Our longest trip in a popup was around 1991.

We had an 8 foot Jayco.  No fridge,  no furnace, no pottie, no electric brakes and pulled by a Plymouth Voyager. No trannie cooler or wdh.  Very basic unit.  Of course, back then, I didn't know any better.

Dw, Me, Ds and DD did a 49 day trip from NH to Seattle, down to San Francisco and then home.  Somewhere around 8000 miles or so.  Other than 3 nights with a friend in Seattle, we used the popup every night.

Kids are a lot older now but they still have some good memories of the trip.

We have also taken several trips that ranged from one to three weeks in a popup.

With the hybrid, we do longer trips as the amenities make it easier on us older folks. Longest being 62 days.  We currently plan on spending next March in a campgournd in Florida.  

Biggest factor on long trips is getting into a routine when setting up and taking down.  DW and I can set the Kiwi up in about 15 to 20 minutes if we have a level site.  She takes care of the inside and I do the outside stuff.  

With kids, give them a job or two to help out.  They will feel like they are helping and it is a lot less stress on you.  Our rule on the road was "Once the camper is all set up, you can head to the pool or playground."  That was part of their incentive to help out.  Dw generally went with them while I made the final adjustments.

Long trips can be exciting and very educational.  Biggest recommendation I can give is to be flexible and don't lock yourself into a set timetable.  There are a lot of unexpected exciting things that you will discover on the road if you give yourself some time.

[AustinBoston]

Long trips can be exciting and very educational.  Biggest recommendation I can give is to be flexible and don't lock yourself into a set timetable.  There are a lot of unexpected exciting things that you will discover on the road if you give yourself some time.

In other words, BE ADVENTUROUS!  People who never have adventures live rather boring lives.

Austin

[orangepridepopup]

I am so jealous!!  All of your trips sound like so much fun!!  So far we have only taken short trips on long holiday weekends and we have only had to drive 150 - 160 miles roundtrip.  We are planning to take a weeklong plus trip this summer but for now with three kids three and under we are still doing short excursions, plus hubby only gets limited time off.  I guess until we get more weeks of vacation we'll just dream..lol  Thaks for sharing your stories!

[GeneF]

I am so jealous!!  All of your trips sound like so much fun!!  So far we have only taken short trips on long holiday weekends and we have only had to drive 150 - 160 miles roundtrip.  We are planning to take a weeklong plus trip this summer but for now with three kids three and under we are still doing short excursions, plus hubby only gets limited time off.  I guess until we get more weeks of vacation we'll just dream..lol  Thaks for sharing your stories!

DO NOT BE JEALOUS.

You have one of the best things going right now, camping with your three kids.  They are too young to enjoy a long trip and that time will come but for now, enjoy, enjoy, enjoy the joys of camping with your three kids locally.  Time will fly fast enough to a time when they won't want to camp with you.  Enjoy your camping with them now.  There are so many wonders with kids that young.

DW and I often wish that our kids were still camping with us but one is married and the other is a sophomore in college.

DS and his wife finally got some time to camp with us last summer.  DS was very ill and left the next morning.  So much for a family trip.  Maybe we will try again this year.

[threebeachboys]

We haven't ventured out very far away distance-wise, but we camphosted for three summers at our local state park for more than 6 weeks each time.

The first year camp hosting, we actually camped for 8+ weeks because we had sold our home and were unable to move into the new one.  The loop that we were in was "officially" closed for the last 2 weeks we were there.  We had it all to ourselves; it was quiet and beautiful.

Unfortunately, the kids school schedule no longer allows us to serve as hosts . . . . we'll miss it.

Pam

[RCA]

My favorite line in our owner's manual:  "Use of this camper as a permanent residence will void all warranties".  So don't go there!  

[Cheryl]

The longest camping trip I've ever been on was when I was in fourth grade, many ,many moons ago. We travelled from Barstow, California in a homemade Truck-bed camper (that my Dad built) all the way to Bladensburg, Maryland for my Dad's new job. My brother, our cat and dog, and I rode in the truck camper while Mom and Dad drove the old International Pickup truck across the country. Dad had taken extra time so we could zig-zag a little along the way. We took three weeks to cross the country in that old pickup, towing a boat that my dad had also built. After crying for the first three days of the trip, I really got into seeing all the sights, and was almost resigned by the time we arrived at our destination. Spent the next 12 weeks living in a motel room while my parents house-hunted. Boy, I haven't thought about that trip in a long time until I read this post!
Cheryl

[Fuzzymike]

Our longest trip to date was in May of 2004.  We took our 2004 Niagara and our ferrets to Florida to get married.  Yes a Honeymoom PU.  We drove from Fox River Grove, Illinois.  [40 miles west of Chicago] to Sarasota Florida [my p's]for the wedding and stayed at a Rv park there and then we drove to Key West for our Honeymoon stayed at Sugarloaf Key / Key West KOA.  Closest we could find to Key West.  Next we drove to Orlando [DW p's] and  stayed at Fort Wilderness.  Then home.  About 4000 miles and a million memories.