It’s that time of year again. In 10 days, we’ll be pulling out of our driveway for a month-long RV adventure through the Midwest, visiting State Parks and family along the way.
Long-time followers know that my wife and I like to take an extended RV trip each summer, with an occasional curveball thrown in for fun (a cross-country train trip, a cruise to the Arctic). We bought our 2018 Reflection 5th wheel and 2017 F250 a few months before I retired in 2018, and have gotten our money’s worth from the investment. After 8 years, we’re still happy with our choice, and suspect we’ll be using them for years to come. Sure, they were expensive, but if they’re amortized over 15 years, it’s a reasonable expense for the benefits they bring to our lives.
Tip: For those on the cusp of retirement, buy your toys before you retire and hold them for a long time.
Here’s a summary of all of the major vacations we’ve taken since I retired:
- 2018: A 7,000-Mile Train Trip
- 2019: A Summer In The Pacific Northwest
- 2020: Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and A Drive Across America
- 2021: A Tour of The Midwest
- 2022: How COVID Attacked Our 2022 RV Adventure
- 2023: Slow Travel Visiting Family
- 2024: The Maryland Shore and A Month in The Ozarks
- 2025: A Trip To The Arctic
Today, we’re sharing our plans for the RV Adventure of 2026!
It's that time of year again. We're heading out on a month-long RV trip! Here's what we've got in mind.... Share on X
Our 2026 RV Adventure
As always, we map our trip and book all of the campgrounds in advance. Our 2026 route is shown above. As I wrote in How To RV in Retirement, we’ve learned from experience that it’s less stressful to arrange things from the comfort of home rather than seeking out campgrounds en route.
We also follow the 330 Rule (never drive more than 300 miles in a day, and stop by 3:30 pm), which makes it easier to map our route in advance. Finally, we typically stay 2-3 nights per spot, allowing time to “catch up” to our itinerary if there are problems en route. It’s helpful to have that flexibility built into the itinerary, though in 8 years of RV travel, we’ve never had to exercise that option.
The Shake-Down Cruise
Every year, we plan a few shorter trips before our “big trip.” This year, we took a midweek trip in April to nearby Vogel State Park with some friends who had just purchased an RV. It was fun teaching new RV’ers the lessons we’ve learned over the years, and we enjoyed a few relaxing days together, hiking, eating meals in the campground, and enjoying s’mores by the campfire.
In May, we joined another group of “Fido Family” friends on a trip to 4 Paws Kingdom, a dog-focused “campground and dog retreat” an hour outside Asheville, NC. With 4 families and 11 dogs, we took full advantage of the dog-oriented amenities of the unique campground, including numerous dog parks and a beautiful fenced-in pond for the dogs to swim in. It was chaos, and it was wonderful. Here’s a glimpse into what we did for a few days:
It’s helpful to take some shorter trips as the RV gets older to reduce the chance of surprises on the bigger trip. On our last day at the dog campground, our 8-year-old 50-amp power cord shorted out in the rain, allowing us plenty of time to order a new one before we hit the road for a month. Better safe than sorry, and a good excuse to get in a few shorter camping trips early in the season.
The 2026 RV Adventure Itinerary
Below is a quick summary of each of the State Parks we plan on visiting during our June RV adventure:
Paris Mountain State Park, SC: A chance to add the “South Carolina” sticker to our RV map. Paris Mountain is in Greenville and comes highly recommended from friends. It’ll be a 2-night visit, and the first on our trip.
Hungry Mother State Park, VA: 1,881 acres nestled in the diagonal ridgeline of the Appalachian Mountains, we visited this park once for a short visit and found it worthy of a longer, 3-day visit. I’m hoping to get in a few swims in the gorgeous mountain lake that is the central feature of this park.
Hocking Hills State Park, OH: Our favorite State Park in Ohio, and a frequent stop on our trips to visit family. It’s a beautiful gorge with waterfalls, miles of hiking trails, and various campground options.
Mosquito Lake State Park, OH: We’re fortunate to have this park just a few miles from family, and plan on spending a full week here. We used to live nearby, so we’re visiting some of our old friends while in town.
Findley Lake State Park, OH: After a week with family, we’re taking a few days for ourselves in this charming park halfway between our “Ohio Family” and “Michigan Family.”
Pennyrile Forest State Park, KY: En route home from MI to GA, this will be our first visit to this park. We’re looking forward to spending 3 days exploring the miles of trails with the dogs.
In addition to the State Park visits, we’ll be attending a family reunion at my sister’s new retirement lake house in Southern Michigan. They recently retired, sold their farm, and built the house of their dreams on a Michigan lake. We’re looking forward to seeing their new house for the first time and reuniting with extended family at a family reunion she has planned during our visit.
Conclusion
- Summertime
- Retirement
- Go-Go Years
We love our annual RV adventures, and look forward to taking a “vacation” from our normal routines. I encourage all of you to get outside, escape the rut, and enjoy life in these golden years.
While I’ll be offline for the next month, we have three posts planned to keep the blog content flowing. Next week, you’ll see the May guest post (Sahil Bloom), and Dana will be writing an article in mid-June. At the end of June, I’ll share another guest post (Jordan Grumet), before returning to the keyboards in July.
That’s our plan for the summer of 2026.
What about you?
Your Turn: Do you have any vacations planned for the summer? Do you find value in breaking up the “routine” in retirement? Let’s chat in the comments….
Looks like a great trip! We also take one extended trip each year. Last fall we made it out to UT and CO (from NJ) with stops in all the states along the way. Next month we’re heading to the Canadian Maritimes for about a month. Safe travels!
Godspeed and safe travels! I am hoping to be able to do more camping/traveling like this once we retire. You will be going right through my area, Toledo, OH when you hit the northern part of Ohio. Depending on what you like, there is beautiful botanical gardens, a great zoo and MudHens minor league baseball. Plus when you skirt along the lake over by Cleveland and Geneva there are some fantastic wineries.
We received an unexpected wedding invitation from some new friends we met a FI Friends Travel vacation. We’re turning this into a week long road trip and visiting some destinations new to us.
Ten years into retirement and we plan for and take two to three trips a year. This year we spent a month exploring Panama, a country where we felt we could have stayed even longer. An August trip to the Adirondacks to catch an open air opera and visit an old friend followed by a full month trip to southern Spain in December. I have two quotes pinned in my office “You worked hard for the money. Let it do more than pay bills. Let it buy moments, sunsets, laughter and stories you’ll carry forever.” The second is “aiming for a life full of ‘we saw so many cool places together’ and not ‘we have so many cool things.’ ” The aim is to go now knowing that we will slow down within the coming years.
wow seems like an arduous trip in an unattractive part of the country.
you do you, Rich. Thank goodness we don’t all like the same things…
Great planned trip! We love Rving in our Tiffin Bus. This year we are leaving Spartanburg, SC to Grand Tetons and Yellowstone then who knows where – we will decide. Taking the kids and grandkids to Yellowstone
Rving may not be the least expensive mode of travel but certainty in my opinion the best experience.
Making memories ! Take Care
Looks like another great adventure Fritz!
We retired last year, and took our first long RV trip to Yellowstone. It was awesome! We have a Reflection 5th wheel as well (and an F250 – bonus points!)
We leave in three weeks for a month plus to Glacier National Park and the Canadian Rockies. 4,000 miles total from Indiana. Looking forward to a great trip!
Sounds like a great trip! We bought a campervan (Travato with lithium power pack) several years ago and have taken three cross country trips (Napa to Maine) with our dog (5 yr old Labradoodle), and many shorter (one week or so) trips. Every one has been a memorable adventure, and a learning experience. We mostly use HipCamp to find places to stay, since we are small and self-contained. We’ve stayed on beautiful, remote public lands, beaches, and private properties like ranches, farms, and vineyards. After decades long careers in healthcare, our retirement mantra is simple: More Time Outside. Enjoy your travels!!
Mosquito lake sounds like a horror film for me.
Have a great time and enjoy the countryside.
I’ve camped twice at “Hard Labor Creek” in Georgia, about 20 miles east of Atlanta.
It got its name from a historical time and doesn’t reflect on modern days at all. Details on their website. Beautiful place and nice hiking. Full of deer.
It was a great place to take our horses to and trail ride, I especially appreciated the chain link enclosure around the horse barn area, which makes it far more secure should someone’s horse get out of their stall.
Road trips are the best! If y’all have a couple hours while in Cincinnati, visit the Underground Railroad Museum. By far, one of the surprise gems Tina and I have discovered during our travel adventures.
We thoroughly enjoyed Paris Mountain State Park when we were there several years ago. This year we will be taking a 3-week trip to New Brunswick and Cape Breton in Nova Scotia with our travel trailer, as well as a few week-long trips within our home province, Ontario, mostly provincial parks. Camping is our happy place and we extend our shorter season as much as possible. Enjoy your travels Fritz!
My wife and I are in the last part of month long road trip around Tuscany. I chose my 2017 Specialized Fuse only because it has a carbon frame and wheels so it met the 23kg limit on luggage (bike and roller bike bag combined). We were delayed a full day in London and so were able to tour Fuller Brewery in Cheswick – yes, unlimited tasting was included. The route started in Florence crossed Chianti down to Piombino, up to Casteglioncello to visit a cousin. Then we continued North to Pisa and Carrera. Now we’re headed to Sienna before going back to Florence. We keep a similar schedule, 50 to 60 km per day and try to finish by 15:30. My wife makes reservations the night before, that way if we want an extra day, we can make arrangements. Best thing is that it’s shoulder season – lots of things open, but not crazy busy. An open schedule and a willingness to change plans as the trip progresses is a good way to do a road trip.
I always thought it would be cool to bike around Europe, especially scenic places like Italy.
What a great experience you two are having!
Your trip sounds wonderful! We plan to do more of that when I retire. We live in SE Michigan and bought a motorhome last year. We did a trip to Hocking Hills in November and it was fantastic. Each year we do a trip with about 25 people to Clear Lake State Park in the upper lower peninsula. This will be our first year with our own motorhome. The last couple of years we rented a 5th wheel from a guy near the camp. That got us hooked! Enjoy!
Really enjoyed this perspective on making the journey itself part of retirement instead of rushing from stop to stop. One thing I’ve heard come up often in retirement blogs from full-time RV travelers is how important it is to revisit your Financial Plan every year, since travel costs, healthcare, Social Security timing, and even rollover or Roth IRA decisions can shift more than expected once you’re living on the road. Having a fiduciary Financial Advisor or CFP (Certified Financial Planner) to help review things like ETFs, annuities, and long-term Retirement income can make those adjustments feel a lot less stressful over time. Ruby Financial Planning also shares some helpful educational resources for people navigating this stage of life: https://rubyfp.com | 502-326-0000
We depart for our longest adventure so far, 3 weeks in the UK. Unfortunately I believe we will be gone about the same time as you are in my area, would be nice to catch up. Enjoy your trip and time with family!
Safe travels Jackie and Fritz! It will be a wonderful time with your fur babies, hiking and visiting family!
We are attending a 3 day concert festival in Dyersburg, IA during Labor Day weekend, the site of the Field of Dreams movie. Carrie Underwood is the headline act on Sat. evening! Many bands play from noon to 2400.
Another trip is to Nashville to attend the last Alan Jackson concert in Nashville in late June. Fun times…
Have a wonderful summer everyone! Steve
You’ve definitely got this down to a science! For our big 8-month RV trip, we did well on the 330 Rule, which is wonderful. But, it took us a couple of frustrating months to realize that we needed to change our strategy and stay at least a couple of nights (usually more) at a place before moving on. It was driving me bananas not having time to actually settle and enjoy a place – we’d set up shop, spend the night, and then break everything down the next morning. It was insane. After we made that change, our trip was great.
That’s such a smart move doing small trips before to see what’s not working – inevitably, always something. Genius!
Hopefully, we get a chance to see you guys when you make it to Ohio.
Enjoy the road, my friend!
It’s only when we travel that we can make a true and honest accounting of ourselves.
Enjoy your trip! Some awesome stops we have visited as well. Please prepare yourself for the larger than normal fuel costs! We went on a two week trip to Alabama in March and spent nearly $1000 on diesel.
Thank you for the update. Hope to make the tripe over there from CA somtime. Have a great time!!!
Hillsdale, Michigan, is the site of Hillsdale College of course, which has political significance for some people. While in that vicinity you should tour the college, which is small. Easily seen in a half hour. The statues are worth the price of admission, which is zero seven days a week.
This is funny to me, only because the poster has no knowledge that you (and I) grew up in Hillsdale. Of course the campus has changed significantly since then.
Small world!
Hillsdale, Michigan, is the site of Hillsdale College, of course, which has political significance for some. While in that vicinity you should tour the college, which is small. Easily seen in a half hour. The statues are worth the price of admission, which is zero seven days a week.
Fritz — that looks like such a fun few weeks. Hanging out at campfires and adventures with the dogs sounds like a great way to enjoy summer. If your drive through SW VA takes you up towards Roanoke, I highly recommend The Homeplace. It’ll be one of the best—though maybe not the healthiest—meals you ever have. Homemade, local food on a beautiful country farmhouse with several great hikes nearby (MacAfees Knob and Dragon Tooth).
Safe travels – hope you’ll share some pics
Bill
Thanks for sharing your RV adventure and some of the preparation steps that go into taking longer trips. I like the 330 rule for driving! Anymore, if the trip is further than 400 miles, we fly and rent a car.
This year, we finished a Backroads Palm Springs CA Hiking Trip in February. Great weather and sIghts. June, we’re going on an 11-day European River Cruise starting in Zurich. We loved last year’s river cruise and signed up again this year. In September, we’ll go to Acadia National Park for 5 days. We love Maine, the hiking, scenery and B&B where we stay. Enjoy the summer!
I think it’s great that you went with your dream in early retirement in splurging for the vacation 5th wheel camper/home and heavy-duty F-250 truck. You certainly have gotten much use out of it through the time you’ve had it and the memories I am sure are priceless. I am curious however on the comments and “suggestions” you got at the time you were contemplating buying it since it’s a large amount to spend just prior to retirement. Many of my friends were told that it was not a good choice to plunk that kind of money down on a depreciating asset at retirement. Everyone is different but maybe you could share your experience with the “advisors.”