Nursing mom, very old dog, an "I don't want to sit still" baby who also eats three solid meals a day that need to be warmed, and a 16 hour drive... that means we're renting a RV if we are to go anywhere this holiday season! 🎵Holiday ro ooooo oooad!🎵
Kris and Kathy are the owners of the 24' 2016 Thor Motor Coach Freedom Elite, they call her Marshmallow. It has a queen bed in the extended section (for use when parked), a booth style table that turns in to a bed, a bed over the cab, generator (4 hours included with rental), 100 miles free per day, a kitchen sink, oven, microwave, fridge, freezer, bathroom with shower, cabinets for storage, TV, DVD player, fresh water tank, pet friendly, and no smoking.
Communication was great, price was right, they helped us get acquainted with the ins and outs of an RV; we were ready to make the 800+ mile trip to Florida to visit friends, family, and the beach!
Since we were not quite using the RV as it is intended, meaning we weren't going to be camping or spending the night at camp grounds, I'll highlight some of the pros and cons for how we used it and you can decide if it's something you would like to try for your trip.
One, do not stay overnight at a rest stop. It was so loud! We pulled over around 0100 and the place was packed, trucks everywhere! Turns out, they keep their engines on so although my baby boy likes white noise when he sleeps, I do not. What we did on the drive home, was pull over around 2100 before any of the truckers were there. Much better experience that time.
Two, if you're driving/camping in the winter, it was really nice to have the generator to use for the heater but I still recommend bringing warm clothes and lots of blankets. It is a vehicle, not an insulated home.
Three, my baby's stability is amazing, he was standing and balancing a large portion of the trip! We kept the booth with table put away so Koa and I had the bed to play and lay around on during the drive. It was super convenient to be able to switch on the generator for the microwave and baby food warmer when it was time for him to eat. I even set up the seat of his high chair so I could go to the bathroom and get the food ready hands free and while my husband kept driving!
My only negative is that the TV, DVD player, and the outlets only work while the generator is running so if you were planning to watch movies during the ride, be prepared to go over the allotted generator time. Or load up a tablet with anything you might want to watch.
And with just a few hundred, thousand, or so blinks of an eye, we were in Florida, cousin Eddie style!
We enjoyed time with family and friends we hadn't seen in years with a special highlight on Juan and Gabby's carne asada and guacamole... I dream about their food it's so good!
Now let's talk about the beach because what we experienced is very important to how I will assist travelers looking to go the the Gulf Coast.
Wiggins Pass State Park was always my most favorite beach in the Lee and Collier County area so that is where we decided to take Koa. Some of you may have heard of Red Tide, it's a type of naturally occurring algae bloom that can make it hard to breathe for humans and can result in the death of fish and contamination of shell fish. Unfortunately, due to the dumping in Lake Okeechobee and the excessive use of lawn care chemicals, this bloom is much more frequent and hazardous. When we arrived at the gate, the attendant warned us there might be some dead fish on the shore due to Red Tide. Okay, no biggie, I had lived in that area for 10 years and never even experienced the effects of a bloom. I should have gone back to the lady to correct what she was telling paying patrons; there were dead fish EVERYWHERE and after a couple minutes my breathing was laboring ever so slightly. We snapped a quick picture and got the hell out of there before it could affect Koa (he didn't seem to have noticed and showed no signs of irritation).
In conclusion to our unfortunate beach experience, I will be doing extensive research in to the current state of the beaches before recommending or helping plan any trips for my clients there. It's also one of the reasons why I will always work with and promote suppliers that are eco friendly. This beach should be gorgeous year round but due to human negligence, it's not and it's getting worse.
I have to say this trip went much better than our tiny home experience in Myrtle Beach over the summer! Looking forward to traveling more with our little one in 2021. Remember how important it is to explore and have adventures, travel brings us together! There are ways to travel while we ride out the Covid conundrum that are safe on all different levels. I'm happy to help you plan your trip with whatever level of safety you are comfortable with!
~In the words of Aunt Bethany: "...with liberty and justice for all. Play ball!"
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