Rv trip Journals

Discussion in 'General Community Discussions' started by Paythebill, Apr 4, 2018.

  1. Paythebill

    Paythebill
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    I am curious, do you keep a journal/log of your experiences while traveling and/or the campsites you have stay at? Do you use a computer/laptop based program to accomplish the task? I am looking for a computer based program that I can just fill in the blanks with a section that I can add my thoughts of the experience I had at the campground.
     
    #1 Paythebill, Apr 4, 2018
    Last edited: Apr 4, 2018
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  2. Rollin Ollens

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    Since we began full timing we do keep a log of sorts.

    We use Google Earth to track our travels mostly because we use it to plan our moves. We also use Google Earth to save our "Bucket List" places to visit.

    On top of what we post on RV Park Reviews, we do keep a blog of sorts. We update family and friends every couple of weeks to let them know what we have done, what we plan to do and where we have been. And then there are photos. We picture almost every campsite we stay in plus places that we see etc. These are all logged chronologically and tagged with location etc.

    Everything we use to diarize our journey is digital but we do not use anything commercial.

    It would be very easy to set up a "Word" document on your computer that you could use to just fill in the blanks.

    Darrell & Jerry
     
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  3. BankShot

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    We've done a trip log since day one but being somewhat old fashioned we use a small log book that we each hand write in at the end of the day as to where we drove from/to and the various stops of significance we made along the way. We log our starting and ending mileage for each trip and along with the time we started out in the morning and when we got to our daily destination, etc. Writing it out in a book is fun and at times we have sat down with a glass of wine in the evening and taken turns reading out loud about past trips that had both funny and not so funny commentary made about them. We just recently started a new book and we will keep doing this until we hang it up. We could have done all this on a notepad we take along but we started with the log book and it just stuck.......:D

    BankShot................(aka Terry)
     
  4. Paythebill

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    Bankshot,
    Can you tell me the log book you and your wife use. Sounds like something my wife and I would be interested in using.
     
  5. BankShot

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    Don't laugh but it's just a simple hard cover lined page book that we hand write each days activities in. Pretty old fashioned but it does the job for us and it also keeps our handwriting skills peaked....:D

    Terry..............(aka BankiShot)
     
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  6. mdcamping

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    We've been using a journal/log book for some years also. Similar to what Terry uses, a hard covered lined page book, nothing fancy. Almost everything I write in is logistic stuff. i.e. reservation #'s deposits, address etc etc. This said I am very careful to write as much info as possible because my memory is like a colander and the book has come in handy many many times. I have referred a few times back to my PVPR profile/reviews for info needed on some verious things... that has come in handy too.

    For about 10 years when we were doing family camping with our boys I would build detailed camping books of our trips on the shutterfly website, I would write captions on most pages, very cool! I'm hoping these books will come in handy as proof to our kids that YES we did take them on trips! LOL
    Now that I'm thinking of this my first couple of books were done in FILM! am I old! :p

    Mike
     
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  7. Paythebill

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    Can we say Kodachrome?.....:)
     
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  8. Fun finders

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    We don’t keep a written journal but what we do keep are the campground maps that are handed out at check-in. Then when we are walking or biking around the campground we make note of the spots that we would prefer next time we visit. Other than that or reviews that we made on RVPR that is the extent of our journals.
     
  9. Rollin Ollens

    Rollin Ollens
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    Well.....way to go Terry!! I have just been told that "we" are adopting your method as well as what I (we) are already doing. Jerry likes the idea of tracking mileage etc. I am the "digital" one of our duet so Jerry will do the writing and I will just transcribe to the computer so we will have both type of record. It's a good think that I have time on my hands!! ;)

    Darrell & Jerry
     
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  10. Texasrvers

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    Great ideas.
     
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  11. Fitzjohnfan

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    We are kind of different. In our sticks and bricks home, we have a map posted on the wall of all trips I've done.

    We also track where we've been by using this site and the National Parks Passport Program.
    Chris g. IMG_20180407_224807.jpg
     
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  12. mdcamping

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    I really like your map, coming from the east coast I can't help but notice that you went up I-95 through NJ/NY/CT. That is a tough stretch of highway that I will try to avoid. :)

    Mike
     
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  13. docj

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    Having lived in Maryland for many years, we've always headed north on I-81 rather than on the I-95 corridor. Although our exact route to New England varies a bit from trip to trip we usually cross the Hudson around Albany and cut east from there.

    We've even driven to the Canadian Maritime provinces by way of Montreal and Quebec, heading north around the top of Maine before going east. It's a much more pleasurable drive than any of the routes through the US.

    Google Maps makes it very easy to compare the estimated time and mileage for various alternative routes. For example, on a trip from Frederick MD to Halifax NS, the difference between going up I-95 vs going through Quebec is ~3 hours and 200 miles additional out of an estimated ~17+ hours and 1,100. What you can't directly compute is the likelihood that there will be delays along I-95 that add back a significant fraction of the "time advantage" for taking that route. Also not included is a measure of the "mental stress" of taking a 40' motorhome up the Jersey Turnpike and across the George Washington Bridge! For me it's a no-brainer; I'll take the longer, more relaxing route!
     
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  14. Onemoretrail

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    When it comes to journals, I am old school by using journals. I started with those ones that already have the year and the day, but now use one with lined pages where I can write in the date myself. I also keep a map like Fitzjohnfan which I update after every major trip.

    IMG_20161111_145325 Glenn's Trail Map.jpg

    BTW mdcamping, you are not kidding about I-95 through NJ/NY/CT. Once was enough for me.:eek:
     
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  15. docj

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    Speaking of journaling, is everyone aware that Google Maps creates a Timeline for you as long as you're using location services? Your timeline shows every move you have ever made while carrying the phone. It shows our ventures in the UK and Norway last summer and even knows what portion of our touring around London was done on a bus! When you stop at a museum or other tourist destination it dutifully notes that. It's a little creepy, but for journaling and blogging it is quite helpful.
     
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  16. Fitzjohnfan

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    Thanks fir tge comments. The map is too big to show some detail. We actually drove route 15, the Merritt Parkway, from Cheshire CT, down to NY. Note that this was in 1995 in a car, two years before we got our first motorhome. Beautiful Highway, I hope to be able to drive it again someday.
     
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  17. BankShot

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    i just this morning finished up taking a U.S. map, such as the one you use, and have highlighted in yellow all the interstates, highways and as many secondary roads as the map allowed, that we've driven on since we began RVing. Great Idea Chris...(aka Fitzjohnfan) and thanks for posting your map as you did. One doesn't begin to realize how many roads they've been on until you do this. And it's also fun..........:D

    Regards, BankShot.............(aka Terry)
     
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  18. Fun finders

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    Instead of using a wall map that doesn’t have all secondary highways,we used our Rand McNally road atlas.
     
  19. mdcamping

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    When heading out west we gererally will take I 84 to I 684 to I 287/Tappen Z bridge. Tappen Z bridge area is bad enough but much better compared to the GW bridge.

    One more thing of note, I 684 through CT/NY is in awful shape, uneven/broken pavement, pot holes everywhere. More than once I have seen the highway eat up 5th wheel's, seen them on the side of the highway with blown tires. We take it real slow as everything is bouncing, usually at the next gas stop were picking up stuff off the floor of the camper...

    Mike
     
  20. Monica998

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    I usually use a Notebook App to take some notes, which was downloaded from the Apple Store.
     

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