Destinations - The Dreaming Phase

1 - Destinations
The first step you should always make it to be sure you are ready for a one year trip in an RV with kids. Once you've decided that you are and committed to the planning, it's time to start.  This is definitely the most fun part of the trip planning. It is during this part that you get to leaf through all those magazines you see in line at the grocery store, flip through books in a section you wouldn’t otherwise visit and browse the internet for something other than clothes and electronics and let your imagination go crazy!

Grab a sheet of paper - it’s time to start planning. All those places you’ve always wanted to visit, throw them on the list.  All those places you see on travel shows and your favourite TV shows, throw them on the list.  All those places you’ve heard about from other people who have been there and bragged about it, throw them on the list.  Don’t worry about how far apart they are from one another, or how silly they may seem. Put them on the list anyway - this is your trip after all.  So have fun with it, nothing is too far away, or too impractical!

Discovering New Destinations
Now sit back and revel in your work.  Look at that list, how wonderful does it feel to have taken that first step?  And I will bet you anything that it includes one of the following: Paris, London, Amsterdam?  Or maybe all of them?  Good on you!  There’s a reason those locations are so highly coveted since visiting them is akin to reading the classics.

But what else it out there? We started with books. There’s also the internet, and there is a ton of information and once you’ve written a well organized list the internet is great for researching specific locations. Get a book, lots of books, it will be worth the cost and you won’t be able to put them down.  Trust us!

Take Your RV to Europe
This is the first book we bought and awaited anxiously for it to arrive in the mail.  We had to order it on Amazon but it has quickly become our bible and I’m sure will remain that way for years to come.  The Milavsky’s have detailed pretty much everything you could ask for in this book from readying your American RV for Europe, to shipping, to useful tips in each country they visited.  LOVE!

RV the World
While this book is literally about RVing the World, there is so much information crammed into this book, the Contents pages are enough to start you salivating!

Europe in a Motorhome
This is my current read.  This is a cross between a novel and travel book.  Not much is held back in this book since the Jackson’s traveled with their 13 year old son.  It’s an entertaining and eye-opening read! It also has a great list of European campsites.

Europe by Van and Motorhome
Too much information is never enough and while many of these books contain similar information, each one has provided some new and interesting tips, tricks, lists and stories.
 

Lonely Planet – Mediterranean Europe

Of course what would travel be without Lonely Planet?  While this is the 6^th Edition  and they are currently printing the 10^th Edition we covet this book since it is the second we purchased after making the decision to do this trip.

This is what our initial Destinations Lists looks like:

We are continually updating our Destinations and we will post all of our new updates as we complete a new list.

Next up we will get practical and look at what you need to know before you travel.  As well we will take a look at the often unfortunate aspect of cutting your fantasy travel list down to something practical for you and your family.  Also known as the “Budget”.