Hello Iam a new owner of Marathon coach 1118. Iam a complete novice but very willing. I need a instructor for hire to teach me what it takes years to accumulate. Does it exist? A travel agent for Coach owners that want to hop in and go and utilize the experiences of forgoers. I would like someone to plan a quick trip for my family from Nashville to NYC. Really looking for the traveling portion and not the NYC tourist portion. Any advice is welcomed. Kurt in TN
For your two questions, here's my opinions:
1) Knowledgeable Expert: Gil Johnson. 'Nuff Said.
2 I absolutely agree with you about having a travel agent who specializes in luxury motorcoach travel. I met with the owner of Marathon Coach two years ago and presented this idea and he thought I was a crazy man. I also met with Prevost marketing and since they already have many of the necessary pieces of the puzzle in place, I thought they would be the perfect company to offer this type of travel service. While they didn't say no, they didn't say yes. My thought was fairly simple...
- Have the ability to call and speak to a human being and tell them starting and end point along with the desired departure and arrival dates. Have them do a coach-safe route and be able to make reservations at big rig friendly campgrounds/resorts along the way. You would be able to add information such as the desired miles/hours per day of travel as well as the type of locations you're comfortable staying. They would also be able to tell you of "friendly" Walmarts or other safe overnight locations.
- Should something happen along the way (weather, sickness, etc.), be able to make a single call to have the travel route modified. For example, if you find you are headed into a storm and are not comfortable proceeding, simply calling the number, providing your location and have them advise the closest, safe location to pull over to wait out the storm as well as to juggle the remaining stops on the route. The same in case if illness.
While this type of travel service is not for everyone, I have no doubt there are enough Prevost owners who would feel comfortable paying a fee to delegate travel planning duties to a professional. IMHO, it would be a notable service.
I have run mega yachts for the last 35 years, and getting tired of it (looking for something else to do). My life in the yachting industry involves planning months at a time for yacht owners (short trips, long trips, day trips, sight seeing, restaurants, etc.) There is always plan B and many times C & D due to weather, tides, or owners/guest are just not feeling it. My wife and I have owned and traveled in RV's for over 20 years. Sometimes we do the resorts, sometimes its a state park, sometimes Walmart's. We have covered most of the lower 48 and Alaska.
Still working on yachts so my time is currently limited but I never considered a concierge service for Prevost/motorhomes. Seams it's something right in my playing field. If you would feel comfortable doing it, Private message me your perveances, how long you like to drive each day, do you want to travel every 2nd, 3rd etc day (in other words how long do you want to sit in a specific location)what kind of RV parks are you comfortable with (resorts, ma & pa places, Walmart's etc) and I will suggest an itinerary for you.
You mention Nashville to NYC, and a quick trip. How many days do you have to travel and where (in a perfect world) would you like to end your trip in the NY area.
Don't know if this will work for you but if your up for it I am willing to give it a try. Might be the beginning of something.
Until such a program is developed with human contact, there are programs out there to do most of the planning. We full time and left Florida the first of May and I knew every stop/stay over for the entire summer of travel. I used RV Trip Wizard; it cost around $40 for a years service. With this program you put in destination and it gives you the campgrounds in the vicinity. It also gives you the suggested route pending the travel criteria you gave it. You can look at the details of each facility- website, full hookup, services, amenities, etc, and then select the campground you want. It is up to you to contact the facility and make the reservations. You can also select number of miles you want to travel in a day and the program tells you the availability of campgrounds at day’s end and the attraction in the area.
At the ending if planning, it will provide you with all of the info including campground, length of stay, miles between stops, suggested route plus more info all on a printable spread sheet. There is also a comment section for each stop you fill in for future reference. I used this program to plan our summer/fall travel including about 20 stops.There is a lot more to this program so I am only hitting the highlights.
RV Trip Wizard is a work in progress and while there's some good features, it's far from perfect for full size motorhomes. For example, even though the coach dimensions are entered into the program, the routes are not necessarily RV friendly. I produced a multi-part series on the RV Trip Wizard and here's the conclusion:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPz37esBpNI
I purchased the AllStays Camp & RV App, if memory holds true I believe it was $6.00. Although it doesn't create a trip route for you it will show all the campgrounds Public and private, Walmart's, Cracker Barrel's, truck stops, truck repairs, rest area's, low bridges, and many more items if chosen/turned on in the menu. Once you choose/click on a location it provides more details both from the business and the public that have used it. You can also get the locations web site if available, their phone # and directions to the chosen location via Google or Apple maps.
I have used this app successfully in all of the lower 48, Canada, and Alaska. It has provided me with locations and information that I have not found combined all in one app before.
Down load it and try it, for the one time small fee it's worth it even if you find you don't like it.
If you're looking for coach use confidence training, I have done that training many times.
I'll vouch for Gil's abilities in this field. He has nerves of steel!Quote:
Originally Posted by Gil_J
Certainly interested in a tutorial. Unsure of what, when, who, or how much$
Watched the YouTube. Excellent content. Think Iam getting more and more comfortable trusting technology but a human(s) with experience are Master Class!
Being new all around my largest fear is getting into a situation of maneuverability. My aunt makes a fabulous living being a Cruise Planner. She knows the dos and donts. Her clients pay for her knowledge and planning and they enjoy having her free up the hassle. Seems like Motor coach owners would have something...
Nautiquer:
Just private messaged your suggested trip itinerary, let me know your thoughts.
Chuck
Kurt,
Next time you're in FL or I'm in TN we can get together.