Part of the fun of being a full-time RVer is, after packing everything up and checking the lights, pulling out of the park and heading to your next destination. However, like with everything else in life, it comes with its own set of challenges.
The first thing is to remember what you're pulling. You aren't going to be able to maneuver as easily as you would with a smaller vehicle, so don't try quickly changing lanes unless it's an absolute emergency, like unsecured debris flying out the back of a pickup truck. Secondly, use truck routes and take advantage of truck parking areas if you need to stop in a city for provisions. Except for the campsite, backing up should be a last resort. Pull through when you can. Most stores won't mind you taking up several spaces in the back, although the lots with heavy traffic will ban RVs, so be careful. Obviously you're not going to fit in a drive-thru, so call for instructions if you get to a food shop and there's no way to walk in; they'll usually try to accommodate, as your green is as good as anyone else's.
The one big thing to remember, when you're pulling, especially if you're using an engine that takes octane gasoline and/or ethanol (we don't use a diesel truck but this may also apply), your miles per gallon are going to suffer immensely when you're "heavy" (i.e. pulling your RV) vs. when you're "light" (i.e. not pulling your RV). You can try to help things out a little bit by using hypermiling techniques you learned during gas crunches in history, but it won't get too much back. As an example, with the soul of our adventure, we're able to get around 20 MPG highway and 15-17 MPG city/winding-rural when we're light, but only about 10-11 MPG when heavy. However, going into elevation is a completely different bear, as we've found ourselves to only get about 7-8 MPG when heavy in transition from the midwest to the mountain west, and transition from the south to southwest is anticipated to be the same. Be financially ready and plan accordingly, as gas stations are few and far between the further west you go, especially when using US highways instead of interstates.
Don't let any of this get you down, though. Driving with the RV in tow is plenty of good fun, even just as much as taking a nice Sunday drive while light to somewhere around you. It will take a little practice, especially when it comes to backing into your campsite and understanding how your rig moves, but after a while, it becomes as familiar as riding a bike, even if you take a few months break from a long-term stay. Have a plan, try to stick to it, cut down on the unnecessary detours, behave like a truck on the road (except for the honking because it just doesn't have the same impact), and the journey will bring as much joy as the destination, if not more, as that's one of the perks of living on the road.
So as you Follow your Internal Compass, have a wonderful time pulling your rig all across the country.
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