Travelling South in a forty-foot vehicle is not akin to driving in a car.  Apart from the obvious size difference, there are other factors to take into consideration.

For one, the dashboard heater has a lot bigger job to do.  If you are like me, the idea of heading into warmer temperatures makes me want to wantonly discard my winter attire.  (My husband usually flies south in shorts and sandals.)  I also don’t like to get cold, and as it was days before we reached a warmer climate, I was glad I wore layers and took extra blankets.  In fact, as weather can be unpredictable even in the south, I have not regretted any of the warm clothing I hauled along, including fleece lined pants, and merino wool tops.  I did, however, opt to wear layers instead of lugging boots and a winter coat.

Also, the windshield on the RV is much larger than a car, and does not have visors.  My husband was smart enough to bring sunglasses, but I relied solely on my transitions.  Did you know transitions don’t always change when there is a window between you and the sun?  My sunhat was safely packed away in storage – a definite mistake on my part.

One great benefit of the RV is that there a washroom on board.  For a frequent user like me, that was a Godsend.  We kept a jug of water behind the toilet so that flushing wasn’t an issue while en route.

What I wish I had done was to pack better snacks – maybe pre-made sandwiches.  The U.S. has wonderful rest stops along the way, but these do not include food courts like the road side service centres in Canada.  Vending food is all that is offered, and since I already had lots of junk food on board, that was not helpful.  I will plan better next time – eating is an important part of my health regime, and by the time we reached our first destination, I was feeling really sluggish, with a complaining gut.

The other thing I failed to do was to stick to my medications routine.   I completely missed taking one round, which also contributed to feeling unwell at the end of the day.

Travelling is an adventure, however; illness does not take a vacation – in a case like mine, where health is the primary concern, it is important to maintain certain routines.

We are learning as we go along, and as my husband always like to say:  “Tomorrow we’ll be perfect!”