By Barry Zander, Edited by Monique Zander, the Never-Bored RVers
I’ll devote this edition of the blog to a question from a reader and my response to her. As you know if you’ve been following this series, we are a little over a week away from hooking up with a caravan for a 48-day trip into the Maritime Provinces on the east coast of Canada.
Following is the question and my answer:
From Lois Thurston, I was sitting here thinking if I want to do an Alaska cruise when I saw your post that you took a caravan tour to Alaska and I thought thats how I want to see Alaska, so thank you! I have been doing a little research but do you have any advice on picking the right company to use?
Thanks for your blogs I really enjoy them and also learn from them.
Barry’s Response In answer to your question about choosing a caravan company, I have two quick suggestions — 1) pick a company that has lots of caravans to different places, and 2) ask the company about the wagonmaster’s style.
1) I don’t know of any caravan companies that have gone out of business, but I think a well-established company is probably safer. Among other things, the campground owners and others they deal with are more likely to court their business and try hard to keep them happy. Ask for catalogs from each of the companies, which can be found by an internet search.
2) We had no desire to sign up with a caravan company until I happened to meet a wagonmaster for one of the big companies and set up a time for him to tell us about the advantages of caravanning. We sat with him for about an hour, during which he explained why we should consider a caravan. It all sounded good, but when we left, we realized we liked what he said, but we didn’t like his militaristic style of controlling the caravan.
In a column I wrote for Trailer Life below, it explains more. What I would suggest is that once you look at the brochures, you call the companies and ask to speak to the wagonmaster.
We lucked out on our wagonmaster for the Alaskan trip (with Adventure Caravans). Our caravan to the Canadian Maritime Provinces, which begins in 11 days, will be with Fantasy RV Tours. We decided to join them because we met and liked the owner (Nel Filinger) and to give us an opportunity to compare companies. I know that both companies have many people who sign up for different tours year-in and year-out, which is a pretty good indication they know what they’re doing.
Other than that, I’d say that whichever company you choose to go with on your journey to Alaska, you’ll be in awe day after day with the adventure. Thanks for the note. I’ll probably turn this into a blog in the months ahead. Barry
Here is the column from 2010:
With your adventurous spirit – the one that got you to buy an RV in the first place – I know you don’t want to travel like a baby duckling following behind Mama’s tail feathers. I also know that you don’t want someone telling you where to go and when to arrive in the next RV park. What you really don’t want is to pay all that money for an RV caravan: it’s just not your style.
Ours either. Freedom. Independence. Budget. Those were the big three reasons we said we would never want to participate in a caravan. However, staring up at that great unknown between the Northwest and Alaska, we took weeks to weigh benefits against prejudices.
What opened us to consideration of a caravan was a chance meeting with a Wagonmaster (leader) from one of the top caravan companies. Darn if he didn’t make several good arguments for joining a caravan … well, after all, that’s his job.
Only thing was, we didn’t feel comfortable with his explanation how he conducts his caravans. But, wait, that’s a good thing, because while other trailer travelers would be more comfortable with the security of a regimented trip, that’s not our style. We decided after listening to him that we didn’t want to visit Alaska as part of a group … but there were enough nuggets in his sales pitch to keep us thinking about it long after we left his motorhome/office.
Two things got Monique (the navigator) to research and make a couple of calls to RV caravan companies. First, again, there was that incredible expanse of the unknown in the Yukon and Alaska. Magazine articles, Mileposts and other sources of information gave us some insight, but the prospect of her spending hours on the road looking at maps, worrying about fuel availability and where we would spend the night seemed like they could make the trip more of a hassle than a pleasure.
Second, a tour company brochure she picked up in an RV park laundry room had the itinerary of all that company’s tours. When I looked at the caravan for New Orleans (my hometown) for the upcoming year, I realized that it was an excellent plan – better than what I would have put together. For me, that qualified the company to be among those we considered.
Next decision for the Alaska trip was the length of the tour and what stops were on the route. Monique found the one she liked best, so we called the company and asked more questions.
Let’s get back to those three concerns I mentioned earlier, and go on from there. First Freedom: we were assured that we could go where we wanted using their daily trip guide to know what we would see each day. In the mornings, we could leave anytime often between 8:30 and 10 a.m. and arrive at the next destination within a reasonable time period (there is a good reason for that. The staff member called “the Tailgunner” leaves last and is on the road making sure no one has problems. When problems arise, it’s his job to get the traveler to the next stop. The point is, we had a choice of traveling on our own schedule or we could team up with others in our group.
Independence. We stopped at restaurants and attractions on the way at our own pace … or we didn’t stop.
Budget. This is the biggest benefit. The trip was, for us, a strain on our financial resources. We had the money, but our priorities made it a tough decision. After having paid all that money, we kept wondering whether we have spent our money wisely. I think the first time I was comfortable with the decision was when we arrived at the Columbia Icefield in British Columbia. If we had been on our own, when we saw the $49 senior rate to take the Ice Bus to the glaciers, we would have quickly said, “No, way!” But, since it was already paid for with the cost of the caravan, we went – we’ve very glad we did.
Cruises, parks with full hook-ups at almost every stop, vaudeville shows, walking tours, museums and more. All that stuff costs money that we would have had to agonize over every time before pulling out the wallet, and in most cases we wouldn’t have done it. This trip to Alaska that we’ll never forget was well worth the money we invested.
We never even considered traveling with other RVers in our years on the road. Too many personalities in conflict, each with his and her own interests. For us, two months interacting with all these people was not something we wanted to experience. Yet, much to our surprise, we actually loved our group.
It was a special pleasure when we pulled into a donut shop a hundred miles from nowhere to be greeted by our friends who had also stopped. “Did you see that Mama Bear at Mile 136?” Many evenings we had social get-togethers, sometimes with munchies or potlucks; other times staff-prepared dinners. It was an optional time to relax and talk about the day’s journey.
Three more benefits of taking the caravan. (1) On trips into the unknown, many people find it comforting to have the Tailgunner behind them in case the unexpected happens. They know a friend will be along soon to help them. (2) The Wagonmaster and his company knows where to go – and, maybe just as important – where not to go, plus members of the group get guidance on the attractions along the way, whether it’s visiting Alaska, battlefield, national parks, etc., and (3) One wife in our group said she didn’t like the prospect of having only her husband to talk to for two months. Sounds like a joke, but she wasn’t joking.
If you’re weighing the possibilities of caravanning, besides reputation of the tour company and the route, I suggest that the most important aspect is the Wagonmaster. Some are highly regimented. Other tour leaders, like ours, are pretty loose, which takes a special leadership talent considering the different personalities in the caravan.
Never say never. We went to Alaska mainly to check it off on the list of states we’ve visited. About three weeks into the tour, we heard ourselves saying, “When we come back to Alaska, ….” We were adamant – ‘Caravanning is not for us.’ We went, and as a matter of fact [we signed up for a caravan rally] for Mardi Gras in, where else?, N’Awlins.
COMMENTS TO RECENT BLOGS
From Jenny Patterson: Hi, I enjoy your blog, but I must correct a common mistake about Mt. Washington. At 6684 feet, Mt. Mitchell in North Carolina is several hundred feet taller than Mt. Washington, which I believe is 6299 feet. Mt. Mitchell is the highest peak east of the Mississippi, but there is a peak in the Black Hills of South Dakota, which is over 7000 feet, making it the highest east of the Rockies. I’m sure Mt. Washington is impressive, with its extreme weather conditions, but highest in the east it is not. Thanks for letting us share your travel experiences!
From Paul Arthur of Collierville TN — I really enjoyed your articles about touring Maine RV style. That’s on my list of places to visit in my RV and you certainly have given me many great ideas for places to visit, things to do and how to get there safely in an RV.
One thing I would like to point out though; you indicated that Mount Washington is the highest peak East of the Rockies but you’ll have to drive South to Mount Mitchell in North Carolina to climb to the top of the real highest peak East of the Rockies. If you do visit Mt. Mitchell NC, check out Black Mountain Campground. Black Mountain Campground sits in one of the valleys below Mt. Mitchell and the trail head of one of the many trails to the summit is located there. This is a great place to camp in an RV but be aware, there are no hookups. Sites share water faucets but no electric or sewer connections. Many of the sites are tents only so have a backup plan in the event the RV sites are occupied. No electricity means no air conditioning of course but nights and early mornings are fairly cool and comfortable at this elevation even in the heat of summer.
I enjoy reading your blog and hope to see you write about visiting the real highest peak East of the Rockies and Black Mountain campground soon.
Barry’s response – You are both correct, of course. Mt. Washington is the highest peak in the Northeast. We have been to both mountains and Black Mountain campground. I should have remembered or checked it out. I am not big on statistics. Also, we have been to so many place that if we did not have the pictures to refer to, we would forget a few. However, one look at a photo and it all comes back.
From Mary Hansen of Ontario — I realize that your itinerary in Canada is already prepared by your caravan leaders, but I know that when you get to Prince Edward Island you will be taken (or directed) to the “Anne of Green Gables home.” I sincerely hope that you have read the book “Anne of Green Gables” so you will have some understanding of why such a place is a popular tourist spot. Anne is a traditional heroine in Canadian culture (and even more so in Japan, of all places) and without having read the book you may not know why you are there! Welcome to Canada! I hope you will never be bored!
From the “Never-Bored RVers,” We’ll see you on down the road.
© All photos by Barry Zander. All rights reserved
Because of the numerous Spam comments on this site, the comments section has been deactivated. Please email us at [email protected] and I will pass along your comments. Learn about Alaska and see travel photos at ontopoftheworld.bz (and much more to come when time allows).
