Heading South for Winter in Your RV: What You Need to Know

Winter is coming, and that means it’s time to plan your winter adventures. In my opinion, the best place to take an RV during the winter months is south. In fact, we’ve spent every single winter we’ve been in our RV in a southern location. This allows us to stay warm, avoid winterizing the rig or worrying about frozen water lines, and continue to enjoy activities in the great outdoors.

If you plan to head south for winter in your RV, this is what you need to know.

Choose Your Winter Destination

The first step is deciding how far south you want to go. Popular winter RV destinations include Florida, South Texas, Southern California, and Arizona. I’ve experienced all of them, and while each offers a different climate, landscape, and RV experience, they are all wonderful choices.

Before choosing a destination, think about what you want from your winter.

• Do you want to be near the beach?
• Are you looking for hiking and outdoor activities?
• Would you rather spend the season in a warm, bustling RV community or somewhere quieter?
• Do you want easy access to restaurants, shopping, medical services, and entertainment?

Your answers will help narrow down your options, so you can choose the best winter spot for you and your crew.

Pick a Site Wisely

Once you know where you want to stay, you’ll want to choose a campground. Make sure whatever sites you book can accommodate your RV. It’s also important to ensure it has the hookups you need to be comfortable. If the site doesn’t offer full hookups, make sure there is a place to dump tanks and fill water nearby. If only 30-amp sites are available, make sure you can run everything you need to run on 30 amps.

Lastly, be sure you understand the cancellation policy in case plans change.

Don’t Wait Too Long to Make Reservations

It might seem backward for winter to be a peak travel season anywhere, but believe it or not, many southern RV campgrounds fill up during the winter months. This is especially true in the popular destinations mentioned above.

Not only do campgrounds fill up, but they can actually be fully booked months ahead of time. For this reason, it is crucial that you book your southern campsites for the winter season well in advance.

Having trouble finding a site? Sometimes waiting until closer to the time of your visit helps. Because winter reservations are often made months ahead of time, it isn’t uncommon for cancellations to happen, which leads to open campsites that you may be able to snag at the last minute.

Prepare Your RV for the Trip

Because we tend to do a long haul to our winter destination each year, I like to use the month or so before to do a thorough inspection and make any necessary repairs.

I do all of the following before heading down:

• Check the tires for age, condition, and pressure.
• Test the brakes and lights.
• Check engine fluids and generator oil.
• Inspect belts and hoses.
• Check windshield wipers.
• Test smoke, carbon monoxide, and propane detectors.
• Inspect roof seals and exterior caulking.
• Check your batteries.
• Make sure your emergency equipment is accessible.

Plan for Changing Weather

Heading south allows you to escape the worst of the winter weather, but it doesn’t mean you can forget about the cold entirely. Depending on when you leave and what your route looks like, you may end up going through areas experiencing freezing temperatures, snow, ice, or strong winds.

For this reason, I always check the forecast before our departure, and I do my best to remain flexible in case winter weather develops along our route. We have delayed our departure to avoid hazardous conditions in the past, and I’d absolutely do it again.

Keep in mind that even after you reach your warm destination, unexpected cold snaps can occur. We like to keep a few cold-weather supplies available, including warm clothing, blankets, and ways to protect exposed plumbing if freezing temperatures are expected.

Make Time for Friends

For my family, one of the best things about heading south for winter is reuniting with friends. So many of our friends head to the same winter destinations that the entire winter season becomes a super fun reunion of sorts.

We try to match campground stays with our friends whenever possible and often even make a point of parking near each other. We plan outings together, have regular campfires as a group, and even enjoy meals together a few times a week. This is actually a very important part of our RVing lifestyle, and without our friend-filled winters, we’d likely feel very lonely.

If you don’t have any RV friends yet, staying in a popular campground over the winter months can be an excellent way to find your travel community. Most RVers are very friendly, so don’t be afraid to say hi to your neighbors or strike up a conversation with a fellow parent at the playground. When you find people you click with, exchange contact info and try to plan some meetups or even caravan together whenever possible. This is how lifelong friendships are made.

Enjoy the Journey

Heading south for winter allows us to escape the winter cold and see our friends, and we are always excited to do both things. That said, we still try to take our time getting to our end destinations. We often drive long distances to get to our southern winter home, meaning there are tons of opportunities for sightseeing. I recommend seizing this opportunity and enjoying the journey south before you settle in for the winter months.

About the Author: Chelsea Gonzales

Chelsea Gonzales is a full-time RVer and freelance writer with over six years of experience living and traveling on the road. Having visited more than 25 states, she writes from real experience, bringing practical, firsthand insight to every topic she covers. Chelsea is a recognized voice in the RV lifestyle space, known for turning on-the-road knowledge into content that actually helps fellow RVers make the most of their adventures.