Smart RV Travel Guide For The Lower 48 States: List of RV, State, and National Parks, with Amenities, Contact Information, Suggested Routes, and What to See and Do in Each State

No no, no drama just a joke... Anyway, I'm going to start off by being super honest here: I already have the first edition of this guide. So why would I get it again? you ask. Well, it was serendipity mixed with curiosity. The first because I happened to see the guide while scrolling on the site and it caught my eye because it was free (for a limited time) and because I could've sworn I'd already read it but something about it seemed off. So, I clicked. First thing that gave away that I wasn't looking at a repeat was that it didn't say 'purchased on _date_' so I had my confirmation that this wasn't the exact guide I'd read. I went on to read the blurb, which at first left me confused along with feeling some major deja vu until I got near the end of it and then I finally noticed the bold proclamation on the cover “Revised & Updated Second Edition.” Lastly I just went in search of my other copy and yep, different cover. Now here's where the curiosity comes in, I was like 'just how different could it be? *It's a guide*' And I could easily think of dozens of textbooks I've seen in my day where the only thing that changed from one edition to the next was the cover and the 'printed on date', but because it was at the very affordable price of free, what did I have to lose? I got it, and I read/compared it.Now having the two versions I can tell you that the cover's claim is right on the money and I'd even go as far as saying that the second edition should've been called the expanded one. And yes, I did read in the author's bio *before* diving in that this version is the 'newly revised edition' that he added over 200 pages of additional information about what to see, where to stay and what to do in each of the lower 48 states. Needless to say, I was skeptical of what he claimed (stunk of advertising) but it turns out that the second edition IS longer, go figure right? What can I say? I'm more the 'seeing is believing' type. Oh, and I also want to point out that his other claim of listening to the feedback and how he takes his reviews to heart sounded sincere. It was nice to hear that reviews aren't just to boost sales numbers which is part of the reason I wend ahead and also wrote in on this second version.So going back to the actual book, my opinion of the first one was already good because to me it was already a great place to start when planning an RV road trip and this one though it has the same structure (as in chapter names) within those it's easy to spot that more information has been added: now there's maps (of the state as well as routes), there's links, and contact information which though admittedly none of that is anything you couldn't look up yourself I appreciate having the reference right there in the book.Other than that this is really about the same as the first book, which I think is perfectly acceptable because after all it's not like there are suddenly more than 48 lower states so it's not like a road trip guide on them would change THAT much, right?So to sum it all up I'm happy to report that this book is better than the 1st edition. I'd say the best way to describe the change is to compare the two covers: same pictures (framework), different colors (details).I'd still recommend this book to anyone who is thinking of taking a road trip in an RV keeping in mindthat the routes are ways that the author has personally traveled and as such this book is not all-encompassing of what every state has to offer; it's not a road map to your ideal trip. So if you want a detailed exposition of a state, this book probably isn't for you. If you are more experienced and are looking for those niche hard to find RV sites, than this is probably not for you either. Aside from that, I still think this is an excellent drama-free starting guide.

I've recently been down the RV and Van homes rabbit hole on YouTube and my thoughts went back to the previous edition of this book. I was pleasantly surprised to see that there was a second edition and was not disappointed when I bought it. It remains an excellent guide from RV touring and camping. With the addition of maps, contact information and park websites, I really think this second edition is practically planning your road-trip for you.The author has gone above and beyond in compiling this very thorough list of resources. Now more than ever, I'm serious about renting an RV and touring a few states. But as we are currently in the middle of a pandemic, I'm not so sure that's a good idea lol. I will say this though, a fire has been bit under me.This was definitely a step up from the previous edition. Every camper, RV owner or not, should have a copy.

Helps us finds places where we want to go.

info too general

My wife and I are starting to plan an RV trip to Utah to see a few of the amazing National Parks there. The description of the book (right on the cover!) led me to believe this was what we were looking for to answer our questions... what are the RV park options in or near each National Park? How far in advance are reservations accepted and required? What are the limitations of driving your RV in the national park? That type of thing.It contained none of that. The descriptions of the "Big 5" National Parks in Utah consists of just 6 sentences. It is difficult to imagine anyone that is thinking of visiting our National Parks not knowing FAR more than this book tells you. For Bryce Canyon, for example, we "learn": "...with unique geological structures. You'll find several hiking trails ranging from one to eleven miles in length". Really... that is it. No info about which RV parks are nearby. It DOES list all of the RV parks in Utah... but if you look online you can also where each one is located relative to the National Parks... the book seems pretty useless without that info.There are some descriptions of RV parks... but contact info, size, and amenities can take up (in some cases) over 1 1/2 pages for ONE park. Triple spacing, one amenity per line will do that...I suppose that if you had a Garmin, this book and a map but no cell data you could probably find a place to stay for the night. However it is certainly NOT something that I could use in actually planning a trip, and I returned the book.

If you are thinking about a cross country RV trip, then you do want this book on your dashboard. This book offers all relevant details on many of the top RV parks including what each park offers, what the cost is, if they are pet-friendly or no, along with contact info for each of the parks. The book also offers information on various cities along a route that the author follows and explains what is famous there and what to see and do. It is truly a wealth of info at your fingertip. Very well written.

It has a chart about what each campground has in amenities and if dogs are allowed.

Based on the size of the book I expected a lot of information. Not so. Big print, lots of space between lines. Little more than a State by State listing of State Parks. All could have been found on a cursory internet search.