Planning Our First US Road Trip - Grand Canyon or Bust!

We've all seen the movies - most of them comedies surrounding bizarre situations and unfortunate mishaps - about the good ol' US road trip. While we have been preparing and thinking about what we will do for our summer vacation, images of Robin Williams being covered in sewage while emptying the waste from his rental RV are stuck in my head.

Road Trip Loop: Phoenix - Black Canyon - San Diego - Las Vegas - Grand Canyon - Black Canyon - Phoenix

However, using these movies as my guidebook of what not to do, we have finally decided on the plans and have begun the process of locking in the logistics of our very first RV (recreational vehicle) road trip through Arizona, California and Nevada.

Bobby and Cindy lost in the Grand Canyon

It's important to note, that my only experience with the Grand Canyon was watching a 'Brady Bunch' episode many decades years ago when Bobby and Cindy went missing.

I will not give away the dates for obvious reasons, but the vacation will see us fly (almost) free of charge into Phoenix, AZ (thanks to Delta Sky Miles), where we will collect the RV. From there we will be spending a night at Black Canyon City before heading west over to San Diego, CA. Then it's up north to Las Vegas, NV before gambling rambling our way east to the Grand Canyon.

The trek over these days will obviously be more than just driving (the longest stretch will be around 6-hours - we won't just be driving, sleeping and driving again... we will be spending more than just a night in some locations), and Sammi has already started locking in the sight-seeing and popular tourist attractions along the way.

After the Grand Canyon, we will be heading back to Black Canyon City for the final night and driving the final hour to Phoenix to catch the return flight back home here to Tampa.

In all, it's going to be awesome! I've created the 'umbrella framework' (booked the flights, the RV and the nights at the RV camping grounds) and now Sammi is filling in the spaces with the detail. In my usual slightly anally retentive way, I've created a document with each day mapped out - locations, maps, routes, start and stop times, etc. Outside of that, the intention is to 'go with the flow' and spend some time experiencing what millions before us have had the opportunity to experience.

The RV we have reserved - 28.4' Ford E27 (sleeping capacity for 6 people)

Finally, the difference between Robin William's famous adventure in the classic comedy, "RV" and my own expectations of work-life balance, is that these days we have AT&T networks for mobile data and each camping ground comes equipped with WiFi. Don't get me wrong, I do not expect to be working through my vacation, but at least I have the comfort of knowing that my staff are only an email or phone call away should they need me in an emergency.

Robin Williams just couldn't (secretly) get the signal he needed to keep his boss happy!

We will be acquiring a tent before we head off so that the kids can get that worldly experience of living with nature for a short while. I have made sure that each camping ground and the sites that I have reserved come with space for camping next to the RV as well as a fire pit and picnic tables, etc.

Obviously once we kick it all off (some weeks away yet), I will be posting pictures and videos to share what I have no doubt, will be an absolutely amazing road trip in the United States of America!!

Watch this space...

In case you're too young to remember the Brady Bunch: