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Topic: Like to hear from her women that drive their LD alone? (Read 390 times) previous topic - next topic
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Like to hear from her women that drive their LD alone?
We had a 1999 MB as our first LD and I drove it frequently, but mostly with my husband in the rig with me. We now own a 2006 30ft, IB and I am wanting to go on some trips alone with my 10 year old Boston Terrier. I find that I have some fears that are holding me back. I am going to start driving it around town and backing it up in different spots. And driving into gas stations that require some skill into and out. Our other LD's had back-up Cameras and this one doesn't-which causes me some anxiety.

Would like to hear from other women here that travel alone in their LD and what if anything did y'all do to prepare or did you just do it!
Thanks,  Sandra
2006 30' IB Anniversary Edition
Re: Like to hear from her women that drive their LD alone?
Reply #1 –
Not female, but my words apply to both sexes.

Gas stations - Only use those with large aprons. If the island is on your left, you need room to pull forward to clear the rear before making a right turn. Or wait for a lane that allows you drive straight out.

Backup cams are nice, but their use is limited. You will not have frequent occasion to back into a place where you need to see what's directly behind you. The side mirrors are your friend. Learn to use them, both of them. Practice backing up in mostly vacant lot keeping the rig between the lines.

If you can't see the tires of the vehicle in front of you -- back off.

Women are just as good at driving as men.
Don & Dorothy
Sold our LD in June of 2023

Our boring always non-PC travel blog
Traveling Dorothy
Re: Like to hear from her women that drive their LD alone?
Reply #2 –
"Would like to hear from other women here that travel alone in their LD and what if anything did y'all do to prepare or did you just do it!"

I've been RVing alone for almost 14 years now.  After taking delivery of my first Lazy Daze, a 23-foot Twin-King, I had a weekend of RV driving lessons.  I highly recommend taking lessons.  In May of 2017 I took delivery of my second Lazy Daze, a 27-foot Mid-Bath.  I was apprehensive about driving a larger RV, but did not notice much difference.  The back-up camera in the newer LD makes backing up much easier.  However, I have never mastered the skill of backing up, and I almost always get out, sometimes several times, to check while backing up.  I've RVed across the United States a number of times, and have RVed to Alaska and the Canadian Maritimes.  I have RVed solo, with friends, and belong to several RV groups including those for single RVers. 

Monica
Monica
2017 MB
Re: Like to hear from her women that drive their LD alone?
Reply #4 –
If you master using the mirrors, your confidence will soar. My DW has never mastered the mirrors. In a car, she turns around to look. She may be driving when it's time to park, but then I have to take over. As a spotter, she is of no help. The same hand signal means many different things. Hence I have had to learn to trust the mirrors, as I am essentially by myself. If I can do it, you can too.

I sometimes use a cheat. I will walk around and decide where I want to place a rear wheel and put a stick or stone just "outside" that point. I then backup looking at that object in the mirrors.

In the mirrors, look compare where your wheels are to the lines on the road. Don't do like my wife and hang most of the passenger tire outside the white line.

PS Other than noted here, she is an excellent driver.
Don & Dorothy
Sold our LD in June of 2023

Our boring always non-PC travel blog
Traveling Dorothy
Re: Like to hear from her women that drive their LD alone?
Reply #5 –
Sandra, much of the 'fear' of driving (and traveling/camping) solo usually fades pretty quickly when one has a successful first 'I did it!' adventure; to that end, I offer a few basic suggestions:

First, you have met the required 'prerequisite' of wanting to go on your own! This is a critical step, and with that attitude, the learning curve is much shorter! And, since you have already driven your rig, it will be easier still to become a skilled, confident solo traveler.

Consider taking a driving course; a patient instructor can not only offer many tips and techniques for safe maneuvering/driving/backing/parking, but he or she can help bolster confidence in your abilities.

RV School

Know and be aware of the dimensions (height, length, and width) of your rig. (The long rear overhang on a 30' can 'swing'; avoid navigating a driveway or 'dip' at too sharp an angle or too fast.)

Practice maneuvering, judging distances, backing, lane/line placement, using the mirrors (critically important advice already offered by other posters), and the mantra of GOAL, i.e., 'Get Out And Look'! If you can, find a large parking lot and set up 'navigation cones'. Drive surface streets, navigate parking lots (choose these carefully), and keep checking your mirrors! If you feel confident, take the rig on the freeway; merging practice, lane placement, and 'positioning' yourself in traffic are critical skills to master. Mirrors.....  ;)

Plan a short, close-to-base shakedown trip for your first outing; take it slow, and, if possible, select a 'convenient access' campsite, i.e., one that's not too narrow, short, or that requires more 'wedge it in' skills than you have mastered to this point.  ;)  (Pre-checking a campsite for hidden obstacles is always a good idea!)

You can do this; practice, go slowly and thoughtfully, use the mirrors, GOAL, and have a great time! We expect a 'maiden voyage' report, of course!  ;)





2003 TK has a new home
Re: Like to hear from her women that drive their LD alone?
Reply #6 –
There's always this option, Sandra:

We drive your RV | RENTED TRUCK DRIVER
Greg & Victoria
2017 Mid-Bath  “Nocona” towing a manual 2015 Forester
Previously a 1985 TK
SKP #61264
Re: Like to hear from her women that drive their LD alone?
Reply #7 –
"There's always this option...."
----
 ::)  Since I travel solo, if I were very ill or badly injured or in some way completely incapacitated to the point where I absolutely could not drive my own rig, had to get down the road, and had no other viable choice, e.g., a friend or family member, I might consider 'hiring' a driver - in a real emergency. Otherwise, I drive.

And, if I couldn't set up, take down, 'manage' and handle my RV in pretty much any 'on the road' scenario, I'd get one that I could. Yes, I carry emergency road service coverage - for me and for many others, this is simply a prudent decision - but if I had to depend on hiring or finding someone to drive my rig so I could travel and camp and goseedo, I'd give up the lifestyle.

On this one, YMMV, for sure!




 
2003 TK has a new home
Re: Like to hear from her women that drive their LD alone?
Reply #8 –
I am 73 years old. I have a 2007 MB and have driven it alone with my dogs for almost 70,000 miles. My husband has finally retired but even if we travel together he usually drives the truck and I drive the RV which works well for us. (he loves to listen to sports radio and I hate it! LOL!) I have been all over most of the United States except the deep south and east coast. I have had few problems but those I have had are usually because I am driving when I am tired or not feeling well.  It is easy to misjudge distance and depth when backing into a campsite tired. I have the dings and dents to prove it! LOL!

I agree with other posters that practice really helps learning how to maneuver your coach. Go to a large empty parking lot like a school after hours and set up cones and just practice backing and turning, etc. Other than that just get out and go. Take  a short trip on roads that you know and pick a close campground that will be easy to get in and out of and set up in. Just take it slow and easy.

One other thing: You may think people are looking at you and judging you while you are learning but that is not really true. Just ignore those feelings and keep doing what you need to do. And if you need help don't be afraid to ask other RVers. We were all beginners at one time and most people are very glad to help if needed. In fact as a woman driving solo you may end up getting too much advice rather than too little!
 
So take a deep breath and just do it! You will be glad you did

Stephany
2007 MB
Re: Like to hear from her women that drive their LD alone?
Reply #9 –
On another RV forum that I frequent there is a group who have offered to drive and or setup, etc. for anyone that has health problems or other needs.  That worked out great for a good friend who wrecked his motorcycle and broke his neck.  A member who was local helped his wife deal with dumping, etc. 
I think if someone would post here that there would be local members who could help in that circumstance.  I'm available in southeast Louisiana and other areas when I'm out traveling.
2004 26.5 MB
Enjoying retirement traveling, Rzr riding, photography, and of course the 2 grand girls!
Re: Like to hear from her women that drive their LD alone?
Reply #10 –
Hi, Sandra--

I was really anxious when I brought my rig back from SoCal--I'd driven cars in KC/St. Louis/Denver/Phoenix/Dallas metroplex, but everything I'd heard about Cali freeways was unnerving; plus, I'd not been trusted in a big farm truck since I was a kid (slipped off the clutch, rolled backwards, & learned fence repair that summer, too   :-[ ).

Ldy Lulubelle's previous family was so gracious--let me camp in their drive for three nights to get acclimated, driving lessons in parking lots/quiet streets/help planning the exit route, including best time of day to avoid the worst traffic/an escort from their house in Whittier with a wave off to the correct exit).  Though I prefer to stay off the interstates to see towns & life along the way, I took interstates (15, 40, 25) 'til I got to Denver because the traffic seemed more controlled, with wider lanes/shoulders; from Denver i was back in familiar territory & took US 36 back to north Missouri.  I remember feeling panicky that first trip, as I drove through Albuquerque/Colorado Springs/Denver because I was trying to leave 5-6 car lengths between the car ahead of me & people were swerving into the gap (I was thinking to myself "Those crazy people don't know that I don't know what I'm doing up here!")--but again, the Wisdom of Joan is invaluable: "...the 'fear' of driving (and traveling/camping) solo usually fades pretty quickly when one has a successful first 'I did it!' adventure..."

Like Stephany, I've had some battle scars. The LD drives so easily that I sometimes forget there's 20' feet behind me (perhaps that contributed to some overconfidence that earned some of those scars  :-[ ).  I learned Don's lesson about gas stations the hard way; the first scar was on the passenger side from a red pylon--red on green is just ugly on an LD   :-[ .  The worst was when I ignored Joan's GOAL mantra (thought I was just fine with the camera) & a snarling mailbox took a big bite out of the fake tire cover  :P .  To Stephany's point about judging distance when tired, I would add darkness--I pulled into my aunt's wide driveway one night with plenty of room on my side, and though it missed the passenger mirror, I'd misjudged the light pole (another battle scar on the passenger side).  GOAL is also important with height--I pulled into a back drive at my church that I'd used for years in the car; it was plenty wide, but the oddly whacked cedar on one side had an overhanging branch that caught the sewer vent pipe cap (yes, yes, yes to mirror skills--I caught something white out of the corner of my eye).  I immediately retrieved & replaced the cap, & the soft cedar had done no other damage to the top, but it was another lesson.  With the new paint job GOAL is indelibly engraved on my brain.

As you are planning your goseedo adventures, get in touch with Lauralee Scholes--wagonmistress extraodinaire--for info about Ladeze...a great gaggle of gals who are so generous with knowledge & experience & laughter.  I missed last year as I was busy whacking brush, but will always remember the beauty of the 2015 lunar eclipse with the Ladeze at Moab, Utah...and the wonderfully silly fun of howling at the moon ;D .  Also, should you come east of the Rockies into flyover country (whether solo or with your DH) I'll extend my open offer to LDs--I have a farm south of town that is available for boondocking, if one wants a base of operations to do day trips into Kansas City/St. Joseph/historical stuff like Jesse James/Pony Express/westward expansion trails/Community of Christ or Mormon stuff/etc., or a wide driveway in town if you're just looking to overnight (no 30 amp service yet, but I plug in with an adaptor just fine).

Have a great time with your solo adventures, and share what you've done.   :)

Lynne

 
Lynne
LDy Lulubelle, Green '05 31' TB
Lilly, the 4-Legged Alarm
Re: Like to hear from her women that drive their LD alone?
Reply #11 –
Quote from: sandralazydaze  - 
Would like to hear from other women here that travel alone in their LD and what if anything did y'all do to prepare or did you just do it!

I asked Margee about your question.  She doesn't post on the LDO Forum, so I'll pass along her comments.   While Margee doesn't travel alone, she helps with more than 50% of our RV traveling responsibilities.

So Margee said that we do best when we're doing everything slowly and refusing to be pushed by time, schedule, or people.  And at all costs, avoid doing things when tired, frustrated, or rushed.   So when I violate one of these "go slowly" rules, DW reminds me of the errors of my ways.
Re: Like to hear from her women that drive their LD alone?
Reply #12 –
Yes, I drive alone.  I had someone follow me home when I first purchased it.  Unfortunately the previous owner was delayed and it was dark by time business was concluded. It was a trial by fire driving 2 + hours home.  I frequently take it to dog shows within several hours of my home. It’s been a learning process.  I’d been infatuated with Lazy Daze for years before getting one. I did a ton of research and read everything I could. 
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