Different ways for getting my Airstream from Northern Vermont to Florida

[My3Aussies]

I am still new to the Airstream way of living, but I can't wait to get back on the road especially to escape some of the harsh winter months in Albany, VT. As much as it is beautiful up in the Northeast Kingdom when snow falls day after day, getting a glimpse of few deer leaping into the forest from the rolling meadows around me, keeping the wood stoves going while staying in with my 3 Aussies on days in the teens or 20s, it does get old after a month or two or three. It snows starting the end of October easily into the end of April. So I ordered myself a 2019 Flying Cloud 28 QRB that arrived this past July. Her name is "Habibi" meaning beloved. I took her out twice on short State Parks trips, then snow arrived at the end of October, then she went into storage for the winter until the beginning of April 2019.
My question is especially for those who live up North and want to spend January and or February in a warm state such as Florida or Gulf Shores Alabama, how and when do you decide to start the journey driving South? You can easily get stuck driving in snow storms even in places like Virginia or North Carolina, and doing so while pulling the AS is somewhat intimidating, for first time around anyway I looked into having it shipped to a place in Florida early on say in September, and I could drive my Ford F250 XLT Diesel truck down to meet her and start our "Winter vacation" for whatever time span I want. The Airstream can eventually get stored in that "warm weather" state, I could drive back up to VT, and drive down the following year , pick her up and head off to another adventure. Do you have any recommendations or safe routes for what I am trying to get accomplished? I guess I could just go for it , driving the whole package in late January with minimum overnight stays, and hope for the best that we won't encounter dangerous winter conditions on the way to paradise. Thanks!

[Acheron2010]

I would go for it, given a solid weather forecast, and just use the interstates. This time of year, even Tennessee and Georgia have temperatures in the 20's, so plan and camp accordingly.
Pics of the Aussies, please.

[Foiled Again]

Weather forecasts tend to be quite reliable 4 to 5 days out, so just leaving early enough in a calm period should work.

Avoid after dark travel in winter - black ice is invisible starting at twilight. Also PLAN to include emergency stopping places along the road and never try to beat a storm that suddenly gets worse. Learn from my mistakes, and when it is noon and the radio predicts the storm will hit at 5 PM head for the quickest bolt hole campground. Truckstops etc will be overflowing, and propane refill stations can run out. Carry a rubber mallet in the cab of your truck just in case you collect a 75 lb lump of frozen slush on the trailer steps. Gotta go, and no way to open the door is NOT a fun scenario, especially for a female. I spent 3 days just north of Savannah because all of the bridges over the river were closed. Tractor Supply and all other public suppliers of propane could not get refilled for 2 days.

Worst part? I-95 is your best route though I dread the whole thing especially NYC thru Richmond.

[TouringDan]

It looks to me like you are making it a bigger problem than it really is. Pick a time when you want to go, look for a window of good weather, maybe take a slightly longer route taking 81 rather than 95 to avoid NYC and the Philadelphia and DC corridor, and just do it. Maybe stay in motels until in Florida since you will be traveling without water, I presume, to make it easier.

Good luck, Dan

[HappyHapgood]

As others have said - weather forecasts out 4 or 5 days are quite reliable, so just pick a good window and go. That’s plenty of time to get south, and you can tour the northeast and New England in the summer when the weather is more hospitable.

As for leaving the trailer south... my wife and I are taking a similar route. We are leaving the trailer and TV out west (we live in NC) and flying out when we are bake to get a couple of weeks to wander the west. Then we just leave it near another airport and fly home again. We plan to do that through the late spring.

Habibi - great name, though mine would have to be Habibti :-)

Matt

[My3Aussies]

That sounds like good advice, thanks! Great looking Aussie you have, how old?
I'll try to post couple pics of mine.

[My3Aussies]

My 3 Aussies, Sparky, Icy and Finley! Finley's the red merle, 16 months old.

[My3Aussies]

Thanks for the good advice, makes good sense!

[sb55]

We also live in Northern Vermont. After a fall trip, we decided to leave our AS in Virginia right off of Rte.81. Yes, it can snow there, but it won’t last as long and I’d rather not tow through the slop. We did it last January and it wasn’t fun.

[jackbickel]

We just made the trip to Florida 4 weeks ago. Highly recommend the I81 Route. We drove to miami in 3 days from Boston. We slept in the AS in VA in a Cracker Barrel parking lot the first night and had started the furnace 2 hours before stopping. Nice and toasty. We carried 3 gallon jugs of water to “flush” the toilet and it worked fine. Other years we have stopped in a hotel the first night. Second night was in SC at a campground where we dewinterized and packed away our winter clothes.

We are almost three weeks now in the keys and it’s hot here. Running the roof fans. Come on down.

[My3Aussies]

Thanks for the response! You're so lucky to be in the keys now! I left my home in Northern VT a week ago to escape arctic conditions with temperatures between 15 and -5 degrees! It's slightly better in MA where I am staying with my partner for few days where temperatures are in the 20-35 degrees range. I will be in Gulf Shores the last week of February, not with my Airstream but I will checking out different RV resorts and campgrounds where I will definitely be staying at next year. I can't wait!! Have a fantastic time!

[SerenityVT]

Originally Posted by My3Aussies

My 3 Aussies, Sparky, Icy and Finley! Finley's the red merle, 16 months old.
Attachment 331628

Attachment 331629

Gorgeous!

[obsail]

My3Aussies,I am messaging you from John Prince County campground in Lake Worth Florida.
Left Eastern Long Island January 5th. Arrived here January 8th. Left Long Island with our 25 FB International Signature fully winterized. Overnight CG stops at Dumfries, VA, Lumberton, NC and St Augustine, FL. Flushed toilet with 50/50 mixture of RV antifreeze. Used small space heater at night. Warm blankets and bedding are helpful. See very good YouTube video on winter traveling on Long Long Honeymoon. Fortunately no big storms. Only one night dipped below freezing. We were comfy. Heading back end of February. If we encounter a big storm will simply hold up at campsite and wait it out, choosing to avoid towing in ice or snow. All very doable. Part of the adventure. Good luck, travel safely.

[My3Aussies]

Hi, thanks for the information; that's what I wanted to find out. I was wondering though why you used an electric heater instead of using the AS propane heat? You did not want to travel with full propane tanks? Thanks!

[Wayne&Sam]

Go south?? And miss the best Vermont skiing season in 50 years?? I'll keep heading up there every week!!

Oh, and here are our herders, Sky the Border Collie and Tourie the Pyrenean Shepherd:

[My3Aussies]

I do some snowshoeing on my property, but I am not a skier! I live in the center of the Northeast Kingdom, Jay's Peak 45 minutes to the north, Stowe one hour South of me, Mt. Mansfield 45 minutes south of me, Burke Mountain 45 minutes southeast of me, so no shortage of ski resorts around me! I do enjoy the peaceful winter up here, but don't need 5-6 months of it and no need to stick around when the temperatures dip to single digit numbers! I'm a Mediterranean girl and a Carribean or Southern states visit in the winter months has always been on my calendar. Do you always take your wonderful looking pups Airstreaming with you?

[obsail]

Used electric ceramic heater when temp no much below freezing or higher. More than adequate. Will use propane fed AS furnace if temps plummet to well below freezing. In very cold weather the furnace can use up propane quickly. Just trying to conserve the propane for when really needed. We do travel with full tanks full but off for safety on the road. Use freezer packs in frig..Turn on frig overbite at CG and referees packs.

[My3Aussies]

I see, that makes sense, thanks for the clarification. There is a lot for me to learn in this new chapter of my life, so excited!

[mefly2]

Be sure to winterize before you travel through the sub freezing zones ...

[Wayne&Sam]

Originally Posted by My3Aussies

I do some snowshoeing on my property, but I am not a skier! I live in the center of the Northeast Kingdom, Jay's Peak 45 minutes to the north, Stowe one hour South of me, Mt. Mansfield 45 minutes south of me, Burke Mountain 45 minutes southeast of me, so no shortage of ski resorts around me! I do enjoy the peaceful winter up here, but don't need 5-6 months of it and no need to stick around when the temperatures dip to single digit numbers! I'm a Mediterranean girl and a Carribean or Southern states visit in the winter months has always been on my calendar. Do you always take your wonderful looking pups Airstreaming with you?

I know I'm an outlier, I can't get enough of winter.

Our pups are one of the main reasons we got an Airstream. Yes, we always travel with them!