Every trip requires a plan.  Be it simple, complicated, detailed, or sketchy, kept in your head or written on paper.  Whether it is for a weekend, a week, a month, or even a longer trip, having a plan is a good idea.
One of the keys to a successful trip is to ensure that everyone involved has a share in the decisions of where they are going, things they want to see and do, places they want to visit.  The trip is for everyone, so have everyone involved in the planning.  With children old enough to participate, get them involved, have them do research on the internet, challenge them to suggest specific things, get input from everyone.  Excitement mounts in direct proportion to people's involvement in the planning and feeling that this is their trip too.
Have you planned an RV trip before?  Perhaps what Lucy and I do will help point you in the right direction:

• Decide where to go on the RV trip.
• Decide what is the purpose(s) of the trip (visiting friends and family, fishing, canoeing, back-country hiking, visiting historical locations, attend a wedding, etc.  This will influence what you decide to take on the trip.)
• Determine the departure and return dates.
• Make up an itinerary (travel plan).
• Check out all the equipment to ensure everything is working properly.  The time to get things repaired is before the trip, not during.  DO NOT ASSUME it is working or that all the parts are there!
• Gather all the items and load-up the RV.
• Have a shakedown cruise, as we like to call it.  This is short trip prior to the big trip just to make sure all is working, people know where to stow things, everything gets sorted out, and routines established.  This short trip always turns up something that needs to be attended to and believe me; it is easier to attend to it at home rather than on the trip.  In one case, we know of a person that did not fit in with the group of campers, and that person opted out of the trip. 

We use our computer and the internet to develop the plan, that when completed is printed out and shared with family members and others.  We stress that the plan may be changed at anytime due to a variety of reasons and that we will attempt to keep people updated.  Should the need arise for others to contact us, there is at least a starting place for tracking us down.  It also enables friends to know where we are, should they decide to join us along the way.  The other benefit of the plan is that if we need to make any reservations, we already know many of the details.
Microsoft Streets and Trips computer program is one of many planning tools that are available.  We like this software as the Canadian maps are improving with each edition.  You can plan for the shortest route, scenic route or a combination.  Campgrounds can be indicated, and along with many other features including printing the map and being able to send the map via email.  Most versions of this type of software are compatible with many global position systems (GPS), meaning that when you connect the GPS to your computer, you can see where you are on the map as you travel along the highways and byways across our great country.  We are noticing that more and more parks are listing their GPS co-ordinates so that you can input these for ease in finding the park.  For those with satellite connections, having the GPS location is a big help.  
Road maps, atlases, and tourist guides are an immense help when planning a trip.  Every tourist office will gladly send you information but you need to do this early so that the information has time to get to you.
We use a word processing program with columns to give an overview of our trip sorted by date.  (Columns include: dates from/to, map number corresponding to a map reference number, location where we will be that night(s), nearest town/city, location phone number, notes (such as fishing, visiting friends, or other useful data), roads that we plan on traveling to get to our destination and also an indication as to whether or not we will be in cell phone range.  We share this package consisting of a covering note, map, itinerary, and emergency information with family and friends.
When going to a new area, we like to obtain as much information as we feel we need.  For example when going to the Maritime Provinces, we downloaded information with our computer on the various parks, maps of local areas, some marine information, local live theatre performances that would be playing while we were in the area.   You will have your own list of items that interest your group.
Having assorted checklists reminds you to bring everything you will need, as forgotten items can be expensive to replace while on the road. The internet offers many checklists (for example: Google “RV Checklists”) will bring up hundreds of websites to consult.  While many are from a USA point of view, there are a number of Canadian sites.  You will want to consult a number of checklists to find what best suits your needs.  Look for lists that include:  (see end of article for website suggestions):

• RV preparation (what needs to be done before departure).
• RV Maintenance – (manuals, basic tools that you should have).
• Water & Sanitation – (what do you need to have)
• Back home list of things to be taken care of before departure.
• Documents to have with you... (in Canada, going to USA, pets.)
• Crossing the Canada-USA Border – check for the latest information from both sets of boarder crossing officials.  The regulations are changing frequently.
• Lists that include - kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, living room, outside equipment.
• Lists that include items for the females, the males, the children, the pet.
• Specialty lists - are you bird watchers, fishermen, photographers, hikers, canoeists, kayakers, skiers? Without a list, something will be forgotten.
• The Grocery Store list is rather important.  Remember that almost every town has a grocery store so you can replenish your supplies as you go along, but you will need to have the basics on hand.
• If you are renting an RV unit of any kind, then you want to make sure that you know what is supplied and how everything works.  We recommend taking dated and time stamped pictures of each section of the exterior, including the roof, and interior plus all the supplied items.  That way if there are any questions when you return, you have something to prove your point and don't forget the odometer/fuel gauge.  You may want to take a second set of pictures upon your return for comparison.

The auto expense record book (available from any office supply store) is used to keep track by date of our odometer readings at fuel refills, oil changes, campground names, campsite numbers, and propane refills.  We regularly refer back to this information when discussing trips, answering emails, and visiting a park that we have been to before.  Our computer records our journal entries as we write the interesting things about our trip that is later emailed to friends and family plus the regular updating of our blog (http://flspence.blogspot.com/ ).
It is good to know the opening and closing dates of tourist offices, parks, ferry(s), and other attractions to avoid disappointments.  What is normal in one area is unheard of in another, so check it out before hand if at all possible (good task for those computer whiz-kids). 
We recommend that you replace your hard suitcases with soft-sided ones that fold up.  Hard cases only get in the way and are difficult to store.  With your belongings in cupboards and drawers, there is just not enough room in an RV for things like a suitcase to be left lying around to be stepped on and over. 
Plan to do laundry on the trip, thereby reducing the number of extra clothing items.  Every campground has an on-site laundry or one nearby.  Do the laundry while another person does the grocery shopping if you happen to be in town.
Travelling with children:  Single parent and grandparents need to ensure that they have the proper identification and permission(s) to take the children out of their home area.  This applies to bringing a child's friend on the trip too.
ID Kit:  When someone goes missing, gets lost, or just disappears, one of the questions asked by the authorities is “Do you have a recent picture of the person(s)?”  What was the person wearing, what is their height, weight, colour of hair, colour of eyes, etc?  Having that information available would dramatically help.  With the digital cameras of today, having a recent picture is easy.  We suggest that before leaving on the trip, two pictures of each person should be taken (full-length, head & shoulders) and print that out on a sheet of paper that includes the other information about them.  Leave one copy with someone back home and take a copy with you on the trip.  Then if anything unfortunate does happen, you have a good start at helping the authorities locate your loved one.   This applies to the pet(s) also.  The copy back home along with the itinerary can be used by relatives should the whole family become overdue.  
Whenever possible, plan to arrive at your evening stopover by mid afternoon, that way you will have a good selection of campsites, give everyone an opportunity to enjoy the local area, and you will still be in a good mood to have fun.  Fun is what RV'ing is all about, a time to enjoy.  We like to stay a couple of nights as a minimum but then we are retired and can afford the time.  For those who are on a tight schedule, such as the annual vacation, keep the distances short and you will arrive rested, in good spirits and happy, ready for a super vacation.  Watch the travellers who arrive late in the day, and observe the levels of frustration, shouting, people angry with each other, overtired, and hungry.  You will be glad you stopped early.
Creating exciting memories in an RV is easy - it is quality time with family and friends.  Pictures bring back memories and we encourage you to not only create the memories, but keep a both a log of the adventure and pictures of the daily happenings, so that all can relive those happy times over and over again.
We cannot stress enough the need to take it easy, slow down, and enjoy the experience.  RVs are made for travel but not at high speeds.  Remember the children's story of the tortoise and the hare?  Make like the tortoise and you will win big time with all the family members.  All across Canada, we have a superb system of National, Provincial, Municipal and privately sponsored campgrounds.  Canada's listing of available camping locations is awe-inspiring, so take the time to enjoy them.  There are many locations for every interest and desire, waiting for you to discover.

Send us an email:  frankspence@hughes.net or lucyspence@hughes.net if you have any follow-up questions.  If you happen to be in the area during the fall where one of our workshops is being held, we would encourage you to join in and learn how to expand your RV’ing to include all seasons.  (http://rvworkshops.blogspot.com/ )

SIDEBAR
A few helpful websites:
http://www.google.ca/  search:  “RV Checklists”
www.paushe.com  - Free - click on the Packing list (left side)
www.thecampingjournal.com/RV-CHECK-LIST.htm (many free items)
http://www.thecampingclub.com/zzcheckl/rv.html (a good start)
Listing of tourism websites in Canada:
http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/sitefrancais/english/maps/peopleandsociety/tourismattractions/tourist_info.html#touristinfo

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