Traveling during the pandemic

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Calson

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In the past we would travel either with a 4WD truck and its slide-in camper or by driving by SUV to hotels and trying to find places with at least a kitchenette so we could do our own cooking as much as possible for healthier and better tasting meals. Now with the ongoing pandemic in this country the restaurants are closed for the most part and not safe regardless. This makes traveling by car more difficult but I am also aware of the limitations of traveling with a RV. The RV makes cooking and bathroom breaks easy but where one can stay is limiting than one might think.

I am curious to how others have approached travel planning for trips in the USA.
 
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Calson said:
I am curious to how others have approached travel planning for trips in the USA.
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I'll still stay in the occasional hotel, but for most of my photo and recreational travel we have a converted Ford Transit camper van. Bed, small kitchen with fridge, propane stove, solar power system with AC inverter for lighting, charging and even boiling water in an electric kettle. At least in the Western US it's not too hard to find places to camp, especially if there's forest service or BLM land around but I'm sure that gets harder in other parts of the country.
 
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In Pennsylvania you can camp at no charge on the 2,000,000 acres of state forest land (you do need a permit that can be obtained by email), in most areas there are designated campsites that will hold a camper van. Pennsylvania had a goal of having a state park within 25 miles of every resident, not all have camping and many are full in the summer but in the fall most would probably have room (parks have a camping fee). Although I hate to say it, many WalMarts allowed motor home camping in their parking lots (not sure if that's still true and not very aesthetic, but lots of places).
 
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With our 22 foot long 3/4 ton truck and cabover camper we usually had no problems "camping" as we were fully self-contained. Most of the Class B camper vans have limited storage and the center aisle makes stowing gear while traveling or while sleeping a lot more difficult. The Roadtrek Class B are nearly ideal but used ones sell for $100,000 or more and not sure we would get enough time to cover the cost. New Roadtreks start out at over $180,000 and after two years they are selling for $150,000 or less so a lot of depreciation even while they are parked. I expect by the end of 2022 the coronavirus will be contained in the United States (only 2 years later than with New Zealand, Taiwan, or Vietnam where the total infections in these three countries is less than for the White House.

I like to do photography during the winter in places like Yellowstone and so 4WD is important as rentin 4WD cars in the area is very difficult. May need to bite the bullet and buy a 4x4 Sprinter van.
 
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Just completed a 5 week trip to Wyoming stayed most of the time camped on BLM land or National Forest. Couple RV Park stops to dump tanks, laundry, and buy fresh supplies. Camper has Solar, Generator, and able to store drinking water and supplies in the UTV trailer. This photo couple miles off the Hwy Bridger-Teton National Forest.
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For the last couple of years, I've been traveling on and off using airbnb and vrbo. So far have been more than happy with accommodations and it allows taking
whatever vehicle I choose. All the places have had really nice kitchens, had good beds, and were clean. Have 4 more booked right now. Have been staying close to
home this year, within 2 hours drive.
 
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