Time to Plan a Trip

Sadly, we haven’t retired yet so our trips always come to an end.  We are X-Games after all, so our trips also include something exciting which requires planning ahead. 

Mark travels for work and gets to see all of this great country.  He finds out fun places from customers, hotel employees, restaurant staff and anyone else he chats up.  Some of our best vacation adventures started with a recommendation from a customer. 

Mark also belongs to the Tiffin Forum and bookmarks places the guys talk about.  Join a forum as it’s a wealth of good information from fellow owners. 

This is when the real planning begins.  We search the area for campgrounds and narrow it down based on location, reviews and amenities.  Mark keeps a bookmark folder online where he puts websites of campgrounds that look promising.  Don’t get me wrong, we are totally fine dry camping in the middle of the California desert or in the cool pines of the Arizona high country but there are times when you want your campground to have a nice pool, cafe and a place to get a drink.  Since sitting and relaxing doesn’t happen much; we like a campground with wide enough spaces to play corn hole or ladder golf. 

Next we scout out activities.  We are “those people.”  Those people that set their alarm on vacation.  White water raft rides start early; we’ve yet to find a full day ride that starts at noon.  Where the activities are may change where we camp.   Our goal is to stay centrally located to our activities, but that doesn’t always happen.   I love a campground with a good bike trail nearby.  It’s fun to cap off an action packed day with an afternoon ride along a bike trail.  Many times these trails meander next to a river or near the beach and if I’m lucky, into town or a cute little area to explore. 

We google activities for the area we’re going to.  It really is a great place to start.  Some places have more activities than days available so we pick and choose based on our schedule, location and reviews.  We like to reserve and pay for our activities in advance so there is minimal cash outlay on the trip.  We also avoid the vacation credit card bill by doing this. 

Now, some places are known for certain activities.  When we are at the beach in California, it’s pretty much a play in the ocean and ride our bikes kind of trip.  When we are in Colorado, it’s hiking, Jeeping and exploring the landscape.