When is the best time to visit (insert destination here)?

[Phoenix]

Just wondering, when you're retired and can travel anywhere and anytime, when is the best time to visit specific places.

After asking all of our friends and neighbors, and researching several Websites (including this one), we found that most people recommended visiting Florida and the eastern gulf coast between the first of the year and spring break. Unfortunately, in 2015, that period had mid-20 degree temperatures, snow and black ice; so we waited... Then came Mardi Gras, spring break, rain, hail and tornados; so we decided to delay that trip until next year.

Instead, in late spring, we departed Phoenix and headed north along the eastern slope of the Rockies; and we camped in snow, and later, rain, hail and tornados -- until now.

After recently turning eastward, we are now camped near Fargo in 90 degree weather with 80% humidity; and there are still occasional severe thunderstorm, damaging hail and tornado warnings nearly every place we stop.

We don't want to drive and camp in the northern states in the winter, but this 85-95 degree heat and high humidity seems worse than the 110-115 degree "dry heat" in Arizona. Plus, we aren't used to the hail and tornados, which are rare in the desert southwest.

So, the big question is: When is the best time to visit MINNESOTA?

I guess the short term answer is TOMORROW, since we are near there now. However, I'm open to suggestions on all of the other states in the US; so I can do a little better planning for future trips.

Also, I would appreciate any suggestions on how to adjust for the humidity inside our Bambi. We figure that the weather outside is what it is, so we just cover ourselves in DEET and sweat a lot. (At least, it's not snowing!) However, with the dew point being about the same temperature as what's comfortable inside our Bambi, the humidity is almost unbearable; especially when we are used to less than 10% in Phoenix.

While it seems ridiculous to us, we are about ready to crank the air conditioner down to about 65 degrees and unpack our sweaters and sleeping bags, just to be comfortable inside the trailer. However, I'm afraid it might start raining in here!

[crispyboy]

Being that I live in KY I feel the best time is May, June, the latter half of September and October.
You will always have a risk of rain but usually the temperatures are decent enough for enjoyable days and cool enough to sleep at night. On a typical year July and August and the first part of September are hot.
All the other months are too rainy, wet, cold, muddy, etc........

[Bluto]

Phoenix,
I've been told that June and Sept are good months for visiting MN. Aug seems to be a little warm(hot) and high humidity in the twin cities area.
Where are you camping near Fargo? I may be up that way in the Fall and will be looking for a place to stay for a couple of nights while traveling.

[moosetags]

Here in the Florida Panhandle Gulf Coast the very best time to visit is October. The temperatures have cooled off. The ocean water is still warm from the summer. The tourist are gone. The snow birds have not yet arrived. You can eat at a restaurant without a two hour wait. There are plenty of campsites available.

Brian

[greghoro]

Use your Air Conditioner to control the amount of moisture in your trailer.

Air Conditioning takes moisture out of the air by passing air over a chilled surface. A dehumidifier acts on the same principle, just on a smaller scale. Notice that the Air Conditioner is engaged when you put your tow vehicle in defrost, which seems to be counter-intuitive.

So by turning on the Air Condition in your trailer, you will lessen the amount of humidity in the trailer. No chance of inside rain.


Greg

[sbeckett]

Big Bend, Texas: between October through April. Pretty hot the rest of the year though it is very dry most of the time. Big Bend National Park and Texas' Big Bend State Ranch are excellent places to visit. When at BBSR you are very close to Ojinaga, Mexico; not like any other border town but you still have to watch where you go and who is around you. Living here, we visit quite frequently. Safe travels and happy days!

[CAK]

We also had high humidity problems with my 19' Bambi International (Bought new in 2006 and kept until 2013). Never could get the humidity out with air conditioning alone. Finally found the best solution was a combination of air conditioning and a dehumidifier (Kept under the dinette table). Worked like a charm - though it was a pain emptying the humidifier pan regularly and would recommend you work out connections to a drain, if possible.

[SeeMore]

Personally, I like to visit places when their weather suits me. Given a choice, I prefer to sweat rather then become a prune or raisin from 'dry' air. I hate cracked cuticles. For me, that means doing a bit of research on the weather web sites looking at data on mean and average temperatures, precipitation/humidity patterns, and then matching that expectation to my general geographical travel plans. Day to day is driven by watching the weather forecast and scooting from place to place as weather fronts dictate. Being retired has the benefit of not being expected at any particular place on non-Holiday dates.

I spend a great deal of time outdoors each day and find my body more easily adapts to seasonal shifts when I avoid too much time inside in conditioned air that attempts to shift the season. Each to their own.

[Norm States]

Living in a small condo that operates a campground (Camper's Holiday) near Brooksville on the golf coast the best time to find a good campground and enjoy all the fresh spring flowers is April or May. Another good time is October. You miss the snowbird rush and the weather is beautiful.

[dames7]

We are in Yellowstone for the last 10 days and the weather is great (76 to 52), we are from PHX also and looks to get out of the heat as all AZ people do this time of year. There has been several AM time we had to turn on the heater.

Next year we are going to Canada, We have meet several Canadians and with their reviews of places to go it on our list.

[Seemore2006]

Visit anywhere on Lake Superior now - mid July - and you will enjoy exceptional fresh air - great temps ...bring a windbreaker for eve - no bugs but only if you stay close to Lake Superior. Duluth and all cities north along big lake won't disappoint. All state parks along lake are fantastic and popular on weekends but don't be discouraged. Private campgrounds on Lake Superior are nice too. Try canal area in Duluth - nice marina across lift bridge. In southeastern MN in bluff country - state parks with brown trout streams have no Mosquitos or just a few - great brown trout fishing and cool temps when rest of state is miserable. Don't give up on Minnesota there is a reason we put up with weather extremes - I think you will see why when you drive up Lake Superior to Canadian border but it will take you a lifetime to find hidden waterfalls, lakes, moose and other treasures. Happy treasure hunting!

[wvstreamer]

Northern WV mountains. State parks great. Weather comfortable. Elevation 3000'. Check Cannan Valley state Park and many others for a West Virginia Staycation. And dump stations at rest areas too!
Dave

[mandolindave]

Originally Posted by greghoro

No chance of inside rain.


Greg

Greg is right…no chance of rain, but sometimes, on very hot days, when you crank up the AC, moisture collects on the ceiling and falls down.

[mandolindave]

The best time to go, can sometimes mean the most crowds, higher prices.

Sometimes I like New Orleans during Mardi Gras. Sometimes I like it when it quieter.

Here's one tip. The Government publishes weather data for just about everywhere and every big and little town. Monthly, annual highs, lows and averages. Do a google search for a location and U. S. climate data.

Another tip….think elevation. Quite often I have a good amount of snow, but my friend who lives a mile down the hill has none.

[CaddyGrn]

Best time to visit in California (for most places) is in the Spring. Sometimes along the coast other months are good... The downside is some parks, and camping areas aren't open until after Memorial Day. But if you can visit before school is out, and camps are open... yay!

[weirdstuff]

Best time to visit coastal Southern California, is the winter. Why? Because the weather is beautiful, and you'll miss the summer fog. You'll also miss the hoards of summer tourists. Of course, the ocean is colder, but, it's always cold, so you probably won't go in anyways! Unless you're a surfer, and then, you'll know to bring your wetsuit, and the waves are better in winter! So, winter it is!

[Protagonist]

I have heard of one full-timer retiree whose only plan is to "move toward 70°F." If it's colder than 70° for more than a few days he packs up his Airstream and moves someplace warmer. If it's warmer than 70°F, he packs up and moves someplace cooler.

As travel plans go, that one's not bad…

[phlegm]

Originally Posted by Phoenix

We are now camped near Fargo in 90 degree weather with 80% humidity; and there are still occasional severe thunderstorm, damaging hail and tornado warnings nearly every place we stop.

Too bad I didn't see this earlier. I work in Fargo every day M-F. If you have never witnessed the power of a thunderstorm rolling across the plains, they are a site to behold. Growing up, we used to vacation to ND, and it was almost guarenteed that we would experience a thunderstorm. I looked forward to them then, and I look forward to them now.

This picture is looking over my barn toward the SE corner of the state, on this night Wahpeton, ND was getting pummelled by rain, lightening, and strong winds. Which is another thing to remember, just because it isn't rain or hail, doesn't mean you are OK. We get 'straight line winds' here that can reach up to 70mph.

Unfortunately, aluminum dents easily...

Originally Posted by Phoenix

We don't want to drive and camp in the northern states in the winter, but this 85-95 degree heat and high humidity seems worse than the 110-115 degree "dry heat" in Arizona. Plus, we aren't used to the hail and tornados, which are rare in the desert southwest.

The humidity does get oppressive, I'm an Oregon native originally from just on the East side of the Coastal Range about 40 miles West of Portland.. Buxton OR, and as much as everybody says the Pacific North West (PNW) is always raining, all I remember is brown lawn. Visiting Oregon is difficult, I like to visit early in the late Spring to early Summer for the best fresh produce selection, but I like late summer (late Aug-Sep for visits to the coast.

Originally Posted by Phoenix

So, the big question is: When is the best time to visit MINNESOTA?

I would aim for either spring, May/June or late summer, Aug-Oct. But don't come up this way past Halloween, we here in Fargo are almost guaranteed to have snow before 10-31 every year, and it usually sticks around until mid March through early April. Airstreaming would be ill advised Nov-April 1.

Unless you really like bitter cold and snow, I swear humidity drops to negative percentages.. it is so dry the snow blows like sand to create dunes/drifts.
These are random pics from Winter 2012-Spring 2014

This snow drift is about 5ft high and hard enough that I can walk on it.

Originally Posted by Phoenix

While it seems ridiculous to us, we are about ready to crank the air conditioner down to about 65 degrees and unpack our sweaters and sleeping bags, just to be comfortable inside the trailer. However, I'm afraid it might start raining in here!

My house is set at 69f, my office is set at 68f. Both are well in the acceptable temp range; I live on a hobby farm and I am used to being outside in -15f temps to move hay for horses.

Originally Posted by Bluto

Phoenix,
I've been told that June and Sept are good months for visiting MN. Aug seems to be a little warm(hot) and high humidity in the twin cities area.
Where are you camping near Fargo? I may be up that way in the Fall and will be looking for a place to stay for a couple of nights while traveling.

I'm curious where you stayed also. Since I never had a camper of any kind before July 4th, I will eventually have to start learning my own terrain.

I don't know if there is a recommended website to visit, weather.com is good for current temps/activity.

Earlier this Summer we considered a move to MT and found this
City-Data.com to be a very useful resource. You have to scroll through a lot of demographic information about growth, industry, population, and crime. But keep going, eventually there is a section that has annual temps, wind speed, moisture, and humidity listed per month.

This is the URL for Fargo.
Fargo, ND -- 58102


Safe Travels my friends... hope to see you out there.

[tsunami]

Being that I also live in KY I feel the best time is during the Bardstown Bourbon festival in September. Well any time would be good because you can tour our great state and partake in the Bourbon trail to visit the distilleries to see how Bourbon is made.

[wvstreamer]

And for great leaf color come thru the northern WV mountains later Sept and early Oct. Amazing. Weather is comfortable as well.
Dave