Is RV LIFE Pro A Good Fit for You?
Wondering about tools and resources to make RV travel easier? One of the most popular RVing resources is RV LIFE Pro. We have used a lot of different online tools during our years of RV traveling, and keep a lookout for new resources to save time planning RV trips.
RV LIFE had great reviews from other RVers, so we decided to check it out for ourselves to see if it could assist us in our RV travels. Read on to learn what you can do as a member of this multi-functional RV travel planning program and if it is what you’ve been waiting for!
What is the RV LIFE Pro Membership?
RV Life Pro is a suite of helpful resources to help you save time and money on your next RV trip. I don’t know about you, but we are all for anything that helps to simplify trip planning.
Sometimes RV trip planning feels a bit like being a travel agent. It’s quite a bit of work to plan a trip. To have a successful trip, you have to figure out where to travel to, the best route to take, where to stop along the route for gas, where to stay on your way, the best place to stay at the destination, and what to do when you get there.
Since we have been full-time RVing, we are constantly planning the next stop and all of the details that come along with it. Luckily RV trip planning resources have come a long way in recent years and can help make this process easier and faster.
What Does The RV LIFE Pro Membership Include?
The RV LIFE Pro Membership includes a suite of comprehensive RV trip planning websites and an app to help you with each step of your trip. The membership includes four main resources for RVers. You get access to RV LIFE Trip Wizard, RV LIFE Campgrounds, RV LIFE RV Safe GPS App, and RV LIFE Maintenance.
Let’s look at what each resource is used for in the RV LIFE Pro Membership so you can decide for yourself if it is worth using in your RV travels. Keep reading to learn more!
1. RV LIFE Campgrounds
Looking for where to stay on your next RV trip? Choosing campgrounds to meet your needs can be challenging. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the options. RV LIFE Campgrounds can help you filter your campsite search and find customer reviews to help you pick the right place to stay in your RV.
Find Membership and Discount Program Campgrounds
One of our favorite features is the ability to search by type of camping, campground chains, discount clubs, and even campground membership. Since we live in our RV and camp non-stop, we have many campground discount programs and memberships to help save money on campground stays.
Campground memberships are one of the biggest ways to save money to afford the RV lifestyle. When you live on the road, campground fees can sometimes be as much as a house payment. Savings programs can be a big help. Finding participating campgrounds in those programs in your desired location can take a lot of research. This tool greatly simplifies the search to help you save!
RV LIFE Campgrounds has a filter option for popular camping discount programs and memberships, so you can quickly search for campgrounds to save money in your desired travel locations. Some popular programs you can filter for include Passport America, Thousand Trails, KOA, FMCA, Good Sam, Coast to Coast, RPI, and more. This is a huge time saver when looking for campgrounds!
You can also search for types of camping options. For example, if you love to boondock or dry camp, you can filter your campsite search for BLM areas. If you prefer to camp in state or national park campgrounds, you can filter to find just that type of camping in your desired area. Canada locations are also included in the database of campsites.
Reviews From Other RVers
One of the most helpful parts of RV LIFE Campgrounds is the reviews themselves. Sometimes when you are comparing different campground options, it really helps to read reviews by other RVers.
Reviews and recent tips can provide information such as campground utilities, bathrooms, sites, phone services at the campground, and activities in the area. You can even sometimes find photos from other RVers of the campground. All of this information is helpful in picking a campground that meets your needs when RV traveling.
Filter Campground Features
Looking for campsites with specific features? You can filter RV LIFE Campgrounds for common amenities like pull-thru sites, sewer hookups, pets allowed, big rig access, pool access, kid-friendly, and cable TV. There are many campgrounds to choose from, so being able to narrow down the options with the filter is a helpful feature.
RV LIFE Campgrounds is available to both the free tier of RV LIFE, as well as the RV LIFE Pro membership. Head over to RV LIFE Campgrounds and sign
2. RV LIFE Trip Wizard
Planning a trip and finding a good route can be a challenging part of RVing. The RV LIFE Trip Wizard is a website resource in the RV LIFE Pro suite that stores information about your specific RV to help you choose the right route to reach your destination with no issues.
Trip Settings – RV Info
On the left side of your screen, you will enter Trip Settings. The planner asks you to enter your RV height, length, and weight. It also asks if you are carrying propane (important information for tunnels) and your vehicle fuel type, fuel capacity, and miles per gallon.
Trip Settings – Routing
The trip setting information is then used to avoid routes with low clearances, tunnels with propane restrictions, tight turns, bridges or roads with weight limits, steep road grades, and narrow-width routes.
Once you input your fuel and miles per gallon information, RV Trip Wizard can help notify you of how far you can travel before needing to get gas. A fuel icon shows up on your route to remind you when you need to fill up.
RV LIFE Trip Wizard doesn’t just stop there. You can also set valuable routing and distance parameters. You can select to avoid tolls, highways, ferries, tunnels, and unpaved roads as part of the routing options.
We love how detailed these features are in the trip settings. Our rig is a large 42-foot extra wide body 5th-wheel pulled by a long bed dually truck. This RV setup is also very tall at 13’6″. It’s very important to make sure our route is big rig approved to avoid low clearances, narrow roads, and tight turns.
Our goal is to travel a maximum distance of 200 miles per RV travel day. In the past, we have gone as far as 350 miles a day, but long travel days are exhausting for our family. It is much better for our family when we travel less than 200 miles per trip.
Once you set the maximum distance parameter, it displays a circle from your current campground out to that distance. This helps you find the next campground within the mileage parameter. You can also set a minimum distance. Or you can choose to set the number of hours you wish to travel versus the distance. This is such a great feature!
Trip Settings – Expenses
RV LIFE Trip Wizard can also be used to estimate your daily trip costs. You can update for each stop to track campground costs, meals, and gas for each day of your trip. This tool can be helpful in estimating costs and tracking expenses.
Research – Parks or Campgrounds
On the right-hand side of your screen is the Research area. This is where you can find more detailed information on the campgrounds and campsites in your search area. You can filter the parks by park types, ratings, features, and pricing.
Research – Points of Interest
In the Research area, you can also find Points of Interest to add to your trip. Helpful spots include gas stations, dump stations, rest areas, overnight parking, and RV supplies.
3. RV LIFE RV Safe GPS App
The RV LIFE RV Safe GPS App is possibly the most important feature in the RV LIFE Pro suite of products. RVers can’t rely on using Google Maps or other non-RV GPS navigation sources. It’s important to use navigation specific for RVers to avoid low clearances.
The RV LIFE App takes the information you provide from your RV make and model and automatically creates a safe route free of low clearance issues, tight turns, propane restrictions, and steep road grades. That peace of mind is important to prevent issues while driving your RV.
One great benefit of the RV GPS is that it can be used offline for times when you are without the internet. It can be scary when you are using traditional phone navigation and realize that you suddenly have no service. The ability to use the RV GPS offline is a huge benefit, especially for the RVer that really wants to get away from it all. Simply download the trip in advance to use the maps offline.
RV LIFE Trip Wizard integrates your trip plans right into the RV Life App to use on your phone or tablet in your RV or vehicle. If you would like to use a larger screen, such as a laptop or tablet, to create your trip via RV LIFE Trip Wizard, that trip, once saved, is easy to select in the app for turn-by-turn RV Safe GPS directions.
4. RV LIFE Maintenance
RV LIFE Maintenance is a website included in the RV LIFE Pro suite of resources that helps you track and schedule maintenance tasks on your RV. The website loads the manufacturer’s recommended maintenance schedules so you know what task needs to be completed next to take care of your specific brand and model RV.
You can use this tool to build your own maintenance schedule custom to your needs, track maintenance expenses, and keep track of warranties, receipts, invoices, and other important RV documents. You can also track your fuel usage and cost for your RV and generator.
5. Other Helpful Included Resources
RV LIFE Masterclass
Not only is the gang over at RV LIFE interested in helping you plan a great trip, but they are also into helping RVers learn more about this lifestyle. There are courses included on topics from how to boondock, tips for RVing, purchasing an RV, and even info on full-time RVing.
RV LIFE Communities
We discovered early in our travels how friendly and helpful RVers are. It is truly a one-of-a-kind community that enjoys helping and encouraging one another. As part of over 20 RV LIFE Communities, you can ask questions and connect with other RVers who also own your RV brand or enjoy the same RV camping style.
Cost Of RV LIFE Pro Membership
Now that you know just how comprehensive the suite of resources is in RV LIFE Pro, the price is the last piece to consider if this membership is worth it. The RV LIFE Pro membership costs $59 per year.
Is RV LIFE Pro Worth It?
For our RV travels, the RV LIFE RV Safe GPS App alone is worth the cost of the membership. The last thing we want to worry or stress about is ending up on a non-RV-friendly route with our big rig. RV LIFE Pro is a very comprehensive suite of resources, so there is honestly a bit of a learning curve to take advantage of all the tools included. We haven’t yet used every part of the membership, but the trip planning and GPS features make trip planning much easier. Check out the free 7-day trial and see for yourself if RV Life Pro is worth it!
