5 Tools for Fast RV Trip Planning
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RV Trip Planning Tools
Have you ever sat down to plan an RV trip and suddenly realized three hours have passed… and you’ve accomplished nothing but twelve open tabs, a snack break, and a mild headache? 🤦♀️🤣
Yep. Trip planning is one of those things every RVer has to do. It can be so fun and exciting… right until it isn’t. One minute you’re dreaming of mountain sunsets and perfect campsites, and the next you’re buried in route options, campground reviews, and “No rigs over 35 ft” panic attacks.
But good news! After seven years of full-time travel, we’ve found a handful of tools that actually make planning feel manageable and sometimes even (dare we say it?) enjoyable.
These are the tools we use every single time we hit the road. They help us:
✅ Save money on campgrounds
✅ Choose the safest RV-friendly routes
✅ Spend less time planning and more time living the adventure
And today, we’re sharing them with you so you can take the stress out of planning and keep the fun in RV travel where it belongs.
Let’s dive in… 🚐💨✨
Canyon Lake, Texas
Tool #1: RV LIFE Trip Wizard: My Ride-or-Die Trip Planner
Every single RV adventure we take starts right here with RV LIFE Trip Wizard. It is, hands down, my absolute favorite trip planning tool. I’ve used it since day one, and at this point, I’m convinced I would accidentally end up in the wrong state without it. 😅
I’ve tried other trip planning apps over the years, but nothing has the ease, flow, and stress-saving magic that Trip Wizard offers. The best part? I can easily play around with travel days, campground options, and routing “what ifs” while mapping out our next route, and it keeps everything organized so my brain doesn’t melt.
Trip Wizard has:
20,000+ campgrounds with real reviews
Photos so you can quickly see what you’re getting into
Filter options for… pretty much everything
Full hookups, overnight parking, big rig friendly, pet friendly, you name it
Campground categories like city parks, COE, state parks, military, etc.
It’s like having a personal RV assistant who never forgets anything… unlike me, who constantly double-checks dates because I have an irrational fear of showing up at a campground a day early… or worse, a day late! 😳
RV LIFE Trip Wizard keeps me sane, keeps our travels smooth, and keeps us pointed in the right direction (literally).
👉 If you need a trip-planning tool that’s smarter than your sticky note system (guilty!), this is it. Use our RVT link and save 25% on your first year.
We have several videos to walk you through RV Trip Wizard so you can take full advantage of all its features!
Harvest Host: Vineyard in New York
Tool #2: Harvest Hosts: Overnight Stays You’ll Remember
Once we’ve got our main route planned, the very next thing I check is Harvest Hosts, because why rush to the next campground when you can spend the night at a winery? 🍇😄
We LOVE this membership. It reminds us to slow down, take the scenic route, and enjoy the journey. Every Harvest Hosts stay feels like a little surprise adventure tucked into your road trip.
They now have nearly 10,000 unique overnight locations, including:
🍷 Wineries & breweries
🌽 Family farms
🏌️♂️ Golf courses
🎡 Museums & amusement parks
…and so much more!
And let’s be real, it beats a Walmart parking lot every day of the week. 🙌
One of our all-time favorite stays was at a small family farm in Maine. The owner knocked on our door one morning and invited us to watch a baby alpaca being born. I mean… how do you top that?! 🦙 (Watch the Video Here)
Every stay is different, but the best ones are where you get to meet the owners, learn their story, support their business, and feel that connection to the local community. Those are the memories that stick with you.
👉 Want to add some unexpected magic to your travel days? Use our Harvest Host link & code to save 15% on your membership! 🎉
PRO TIP: If you use RV LIFE Trip Wizard and Harvest Hosts, you can populate HH locations directly in Trip Wizard. It makes it super easy to slide these stops right into your route. 💪✨
Medicine Lodge State Archaeological Site, Hyattville, WY (It’s a cool spot!)
Tool #3: Campendium: The Boondocker’s Best Friend
If boondocking is in the plan (and we love a good off-grid stay), then Campendium is a must-have tool in our trip-planning lineup. It’s totally free, super easy to use, and has the most detailed reviews for off-grid camping that we’ve found anywhere.
This is where we go to answer all the important questions like:
✔ Can our 35 foot fit?
✔ Is the road safe for our RV?
✔ How long can we stay without being chased away? 😅
✔ Will we have cell signal, or should we warn friends we’re going dark?
Campendium also gives you GPS coordinates, so when you arrive in the middle of nowhere, you’re not left circling dirt roads wondering if you accidentally crossed into a rancher's backyard. Insert Empire Ranch, AZ here… 👀🐄
Details you’ll find on each location include:
📍 How to get there
📝 Rules + stay limits
📸 Photos + reviews from other campers
📶 Cell service ratings for all the major carriers
🚽 Info about nearby dump stations & services
It’s truly our go-to for boondocking. As soon as off-grid camping hits the plan, we’re on Campendium. Every. Time.
Creede, Colorado (Our favorite boondocking spot!)
Tool #4: Open Roads App: Because Fuel Shouldn’t Cost a Kidney
Once our route is dialed in, my next mission is to save on fuel because Ruby loves diesel like I love Taco Tuesday… a lot. 😅
That’s when I open the Open Roads app. It shows fuel prices at truck stops all along our route, so we can plan the cheapest places to fill up before the tank starts yelling at us.
This card is only for diesel RVs, but if that’s you, it’s a total game-changer.
We’ve saved as much as $1.10 per gallon!
Multiply that by a 100-gallon tank and… 🤑💰 That’s a whole lotta extra travel snacks.
Why we love Open Roads:
✅ Discounts at major truck stop chains
✅ See diesel prices along your entire route
✅ Completely free to sign up
✅ Can use a credit card or bank account to pay for the fuel
✅ Savings go straight back into the adventure fund
You can learn more in our blog post:
📌 Save Big on Diesel or go right to their site and sign up for your card today.
🚨 PRO TIP: Fuel prices can change daily, so double-check the app on travel day for the most accurate prices!
👉 And if you’re a gas rig, don’t worry! We’ve rounded up our favorite gas-saving apps for you too. Because everyone deserves cheaper fuel and more ice cream money. 🍦
Cracker Barrel Overnight, Albuquerque, NM (NOTE: Overnights no longer permitted at Cracker Barrel)
Tool #5: Allstays Camp & RV: Our “Where the Heck Is…?” App
Last but definitely not least, Allstays Camp & RV. We’ve had this app since the day we hit the road seven years ago… which basically makes it a founding member of this lifestyle. 😄
This is the tool we rely on while we’re traveling — when we need to make quick decisions like:
➡️ “Where’s the next rest area before Phil gets hangry?”
➡️ “We’re full… where’s a dump station?!”
➡️ “Can we refuel here, and do they have propane?”
➡️ “Where can we safely park for the night when we didn’t plan ahead?” (It happens. Often.)
You can filter for everything:
🛑 Rest areas
🚽 Dump stations
⛽ Propane
🅿️ Overnight parking (Walmart, Cabelas, casinos, etc.)
🏕 City + County parks
…and tons of other RV-specific needs
We also use it occasionally during planning to compare city and county parks with RV Trip Wizard. These parks are usually affordable, quiet, scenic, and always high on our list when we are planning our route.
👉 In short? If you RV full-time (or even part-time), Allstays is a must-have for a smoother journey.
Someday Crew Muster: Colorado
RV Trip Planning
Trip planning may never be your favorite part of RV life (unless you’re one of those super-organized superheroes 👀), but with the right tools, it doesn’t have to feel overwhelming.
These apps and resources have kept us on schedule and saved us from overpriced, sketchy campgrounds, all while keeping us on budget! 😅
And the best part? The less time you spend planning, the more time you can spend living the adventure, making memories at that perfect campsite while sitting around the fire with your new friends from the Someday Crew!
✨ Today is Someday, so let’s make every mile count.
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Meet Stacy! Stacy and her husband, Phil, are a wanderlust couple who have been roaming the great USA for an epic 7 years! They ditched the daily grind to embark on thrilling adventures and inspire fellow dreamers to chase their travel dreams. Curious about how they do it? Check out their awesome YouTube channel, Today is Someday, where they're spilling all the secrets to living a life on the move. Get ready to pack your bags and join them on this incredible journey.
Today is Someday, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, 2025