First Timers

[jdink]

Just purchased a 2019 27fb globetrotter will be picking up in March. We are Excited, Nervous, and experiencing a little anxiety. This is our first RV we are planning to retire in one year then seeing the country, well that is our plan. We plan on using it locally this summer to get use to everything.Any tips on how we should start out on this journey would be greatly appreciated. etc; types of RV sites, traveling from place to place, boondocking, Do RVers sleep over at rest stops for the night? As you can see we are a little nervous
Thanks

[n2916s]

Welcome to the world of Aluminitis. Some things you want to do:

On pick up day, take copious notes, lots of photos and even a video or two of how things work. Make whoever is doing your delivery demonstrate EVERYTHING: water in the tanks - does the water pump work, does the water heater work, do all the faucets run and so forth.

Go camping nearby (or at the dealership). Operate everything again, deploy the awning, get the reefer cold, operate the stove... You get the idea. Make a list of anything that doesn't seem right and bring it back to the dealership to get it right.

As often as possible in the near term, go camping again, even if it is in your front yard. Go through everything again. Get it all squared away before your summer odyssey.

Buy Rich Luhr's book about Airstreaming.

Then enjoy the next thirty years or so of ownership.

[n2916s]

By the way, you are going to read some real horror stories on this forum. Keep in mind that most people don't post about their positive experiences. But those who have had real problems will holler long and loud. Simple human nature.

You certainly will have glitches. You have a three year warranty to address them. If you keep up with the routine maintenance, you will have a far more successful ownership experience.

[Acheron2010]

They are gorgeous trailers. I'd second n2916s' remarks, but strongly suggest you test absolutely everything on the dealer lot, and before you hand over the check. Once you drive off, it's back of the line.
On the lot, cook a meal, use the restroom, deploy the awnings, sleep on the mattress, everything you would do in a normal camp setting. Ask questions. My briefing at Colonial Airstream was six hours, and I stayed on the lot two nights. YMMV.
I found a vacant lot next to the dealer, and practiced backing up with my tow vehicle. I figured out how to do it, and not make wild swings of the wheel. Came in handy later when I had to make a K turn on a busy street, but that is another story.
Other threads here give you a list of accessories to have - read it, get the dealer to throw in as much as he can.
I started with KOA camps, knowing for the most part they would be pull-through, full hookups with 50 amps. Gave me some peace of mind so I could focus on practicing set up and take down procedures.
Read the entire manual and all accessory manuals when u are in camp.
Watch every YouTube video you can on Airstreams and on your specific model. Good info there.
Call around for insurance, but include FCIS Insurance on your list.
Research Escapees, Thousand Trails, KOA, WBCCI, Good Sam and all the other groups - see what fits your needs.
Relax, have fun, bask in the glow of aluminum.

[Piggy Bank]

Congratulations.

My advice for starting out is to gain knowledge on the factual aspects of towing and trailering, learn as much as you can about safety-related topics, figure out your local options that you want to try, and then tweak your rig to meet your personal needs.

Second would be that anytime something happens that is wrong or that you didn't expect, stop and figure out what happened and why, so you can fix your process.

1-lots of you tube videos on your trailer, how to hitch and unhitch, how to back up and to park and turn while towing. Your goal should be to be pretty familiar with what is inside and outside your rig, so when you do the walkthrough you are seeing "in person" what you learned about in the videos.

2-Safety is key. Make sure you understand how all of the equipment works, what it does, and what tools you may need to ensure safe travels. You at first will need to be able to check the air pressure in the tires, so you will need a tire gauge . You may want an air compressor so you can inflate them yourself without having to maneuver a vehicle and trailer at a gas station. Watch a video about how to change a tire and have the correct tools to do so. Read and learn about how to best load the trailer and your vehicle for safety. Best safety tool is go slow and use a check list when hitching and unhitching.

3-figure out some local options to camp. I am not familiar with your area. Here where we live we have found 4-5 places we like to go that are 45 minutes to 2 hours away from our storage facility. This is important if you will try to go Fridays after work. Always try to avoid setting up when it is dark. (actually look up the time of sunset online). There are state parks, commercial RV parks, and corps of engineer parks we use. They all have different reservation systems. We always have advanced reservations, and every place we camp is always full on weekends. Many places allow reservations 6 months in advance, so you can get some reservations NOW. Use google earth to look at the campgrounds to help pick your best site. When booking sites pay attention to what kinds of hookups are at each site. We have many places that are electric and water only, some are only electric, and some are full hookups. All are fine, but if your site doesn't have water you will need to fill the freshwater holding tank before setting up camp. There is an internet site (with weekly email) called Campendium that has reader-provided reviews of campsites, with a lot of off-grid and such as well as standard campgrounds. It has been very useful for us.

4-tweak your rig for your personal needs. If you hate cooking then what you put in your rig will be different that if you love to cook. So what you need will depend on how you want to live. I would recommend having Airstream-only items that stay in the rig, so that when you head out to camp, all you need to bring are the clothes for the weekend and the food for the weekend. All of the toiletries, pots, pans, bedding, towels, DVDs, tools, flashlights, etc that you will need for camping should stay there. This is just way easier than having to remember what to bring each time. The other thing is that the Airstream is a small space, so it is very very important that things don't add visual clutter or it can drive you nuts. Plus for safe travel things need to be stowed. Figure out where things will go, and make sure you have a plan.

Second big thing is what just happened? When you have a mistake or near-miss, figure out what step you missed, or what you did wrong. We have learned about judging curbs at gas station entrances, wheel chocks and hitching, not forgetting to raise the stabilizers, and a lot of other things by using this process. Also it is all about safety, so you should "expect" to have the other person "check your work" as a double check. This is not a lack of confidence thing or a reason to nit-pick, it is a safety thing. If one of you puts up the awning, the other person does the walk around before leaving making sure the awning is latched and all of the windows are latched. This way you get a second chance before you drive down the highway with the cover of the dump hose tube dragging along the ground.

[Jdubya]

You have a beautiful trailer there! GMFL just started a new thread for all things Globetrotter. I hope the link I’ve attached works

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f142...-new-post.html

Safe travels!

[Adventure.AS]

Originally Posted by jdink

... types of RV sites, traveling from place to place, boondocking, Do RVers sleep over at rest stops for the night?

I have stayed in Welcome Centers, Rest Stops, Cracker Barrel, Walmart etc. etc. for quick overnight stops while traveling. Most are safe, but do your research on where you want to stop for the night. Many people prefer to stay at a campground, even when only stopping for the night. If I do that I prefer a pull through site and remain hooked up for a quick departure in the morning. If trying to put miles under the wheels I have found that most campgrounds waste time as they are too far from the highway.

For planning purposes I use RoadTripPlanner on my Mac. I also highly recommend AllStays Pro web based app on my laptop. AllStays Camp & RV and AllStays Rest Stop Plus and AllStays Truck Stops work well on my iPhone. AllStays also has lots of other travel apps that would be useful.

If you join WBCCI you will also have access to members who offer free courtesy parking.

Have great travels!

[kb0zke]

Welcome, jdink. Do you know anyone near you with an Airstream? If so, spend some time with them. Go camping with them if possible, ideally at neighboring sites. Is there a Rally in your area? Go.


Since you are starting out with no RV experience your learning curve may be a bit steeper than other first-time Airstream buyers, but it isn't insurmountable. Just take it easy at first. Keep the travel days short and have a couple of days of camping between them. Driveway camping is a good way to start if you can do so. If not, spend a day or two at the dealer's place to get all your questions answered, then go to a nearby campground for some solo experience.


One warning: DO NOT let anyone interrupt you while unhooking or hooking up. If it happens, start your checklist over. Double check what you've already done, so that you don't accidentally skip a step and create a safety hazard for yourself.

[Overstreet]

Originally Posted by n2916s

............Go camping nearby (or at the dealership). Operate everything again, deploy the awning, get the reefer cold, operate the stove... You get the idea. Make a list of anything that doesn't seem right and bring it back to the dealership to get it right.…………..

We did and found the hot water a little cold. Returned next day and they found a valve in the wrong position. Good advice.


Sleep overnight at a rest stop? Kind of noisy. I'm retired. I can plan better than that, but the option is open. (ugh)