Our longest trek to date. Almost 6,000 miles

We are almost "full timers" but we cheat because we have a 5th wheel in Tucson and a 30 ft. TT in Michigan. Our Roadtrek 210P is our exploration vehicle.

We left for the west in November and returned at the end of April. Our most recent trek of 5+ months has ended. Total actual miles 5,948. Planned distance 5,671. The other miles were side trips, miscellaneous excursions, maintenance (changed the engine oil in Tucson, replaced the coach batteries (at 4.5 years), etc.). We stayed at multiple locations ranging from Tucson, AZ to Fredericksburg, TX to Baton Rouge, LA  and continuing to the west coast of Florida and then to the Florida Keys. Some stops were much longer than others. I prefer to spend at least two nights in each location, but we sometimes spend only one if we are going for distance.

Once we find a great locale we may stay for weeks, or months.

Some days we may only travel a couple of hundred miles. On others we may go as far as 713 miles, which was the maximum distance on one day for this trek. We simply wanted to get from point A to point B.

The trip was not without a few mishaps. No real issues with the 210P, but people sometimes break.

We are "almost" full timers; we could have delayed our "return" by three days and gone directly to our summer site in Michigan. But we didn't. Instead we went to "home base #1" No issues of any significance with our 2013 210P on this trek, but I did take the opportunity to replace the coach batteries which were nearing 5 years of age and not able to provide the desired capacity.

Current odometer mileage 25,698.

The above is a mileage history for one period for this trek. The data is from my Verizon Hum, which monitors the vehicle vitals via the OBD port as well as GPS. In general, I guess the data is accurate. I assume the high speed was achieved going downhill because I generally drive the speed limit. For much of the interstate travel that was posted at 70 MPH, but there were segments posted at 75, 80 and 85. My preference is speed limit to 5 MPH under if conditions are good. However, it seems that more than a few travellers prefer 5  to 10 MPH over the posted speed limit. Traveling on four lane interstates can get interesting (two lanes each direction). One can stay in the right lane and attempt to dodge those entering who apparently don't understand how to merge, or one can move to the second lane and be pushed down the road. However, the further west we go the easier it gets, until one hits CA that is, Then all bets are off.

Here is a longer term history summary for this trek:

We had a great time. But we did have a few advantages. For one, we have an automobile stored in AZ. That allows us to do a lot of local AZ travel without using the Roadtrek 210P, which is our major trekking vehicle.

For another, we have positioned a 5th wheel and a travel trailer at two locations which permits us to use these as "home bases" and to put our feet up in more comfort (more than the 700 cubic feet of the Roadtrek) and for longer periods of time. However, we have lived in the 210P for up to about 100 continuous days. I've made 20+ modifications to tailor it to our lifestyle.

Here's our AZ abode; 1-1/2 baths, 5 slides and more than enough room for a "home base." And it has an outdoor cookstation. However, we do take cast iron and in induction burner with us in the Roadtrek. We like to cook.

During this trek, I was able to bake my special recipe of cinnamon buns. We gave most away. I was pleased by the results of this 1/2 batch. No complaints by anyone.

There were the desert scenes, the sunrises, the sunsets and the rainbows:

We experienced wonderful Florida sunrises and sunsets, as well as low and high tides.

and Texas wildflowers as well as the desert bloom.

We experienced mermaids

And we ate extremely well. Most of or meals we prepared.

Ad, or course there were the people we met on our journey.

And there was the wildlife, or "not so wild" life. Some creatures large, and some small.

We stayed at a variety of campgrounds and resorts and even boondocked.

And of course there was laundry to do at a variety of facilities.

Rv Wifi Issues

Checking internet speed using Fast.com

"Let's make campgrounds who say they offer wifi to actually provide wifi. I'm so tired of seeing "connected, no internet" or just not being able to connect at all, all the while that I'm looking at a campground's wifi information that I got when I paid them for it at check in...information that is useless."

So complained a full time RVer recently on a social media site. They have a point, but it isn't always the campground's fault. That internet connection has specific data restrictions and it is shared by many users.

We run into the issue frequently when trekking. I bit the bullet some years ago and got a jetpack on a Verizon plan. I saved my bandwidth (4 GB as I recall) for those times when I needed to get email, etc. and the campground internet connection was slooooow or non-existent. Back then I had a flip phone and it could not connect via the cellular network to the internet.

Today there are many "unlimited" plans available via cellular carriers, or at much better prices than a couple of years ago. So I now have a plan for 24 GB per month. Cellular isn't perfect, however. I had dual smart phones for a few years; one on Verizon and the other on AT&T. There were areas where I could get a good AT&T cellular connection but 0 Mbps internet! Just like at some campgrounds.

For one thing, connecting to wifi simply means one has connected to a wi-fi hotspot or router. That device is a bridge to the internet. Everyone who connects shares that internet pipeline. The more who connect, generally the slower the connection as those Mbps are parcelled out to all of the users. Eventually the internet connection slows to a crawl, or even 0 Mbps.

Sometimes disconnecting from the wireless network connection and then reconnecting will restore some bandwidth, but more usually this trick doesn't work. When the pipeline is down it is down!

I've been in campgrounds which seem to get throttled by the ISP after using all available bandwidth for a period of time. The connection works for a while in the morning, then as users connect it slows. Eventually it just stops (0Mbps). I have noticed the connection may not be restored until the wee hours. Then suddenly the Mbps return. I suspect the campground used it entire daily allotment of bits.

This doesn't happen everywhere. Some larger "resorts" have more sophisticated technology. This is affordable when there are hundreds (or a thousand) RVers who will share the technology cost. In such situations there is a dedicated login and password for each user. Of course, there is usually a seperate fee for this service. Some campgrounds or resorts offer a two-tiered service. Everyone connects via a single login and shares that data pipeline. However, there will also be a "wifi" room with special connection privileges for as many people as can fit at three or four tables. When within the room the speed is much faster, even if outside the room the wifi internet is creeping. And finally, some resorts offer a computer service area with volunteers and fast wifi within that room. One can even use the resort computers for about $1 an hour or so and there may be printers available and so on. Color and B&W.

Free WiFi
Many campgrounds offer free wifi. That can be confusing because they  don't promise unlimited internet connectivity. If you go to a campground in which everyone shares one login, then you and your neighbors also share bandwidth. In other words, that "free" wifi internet pipeline has only so much capacity. Get a bunch of streamers on it and it will choke as the pipeline fills with Netflix watchers, gamers and so on.

If you want dedicated internet access there are several ways to get it.

1. Go to campgrounds which offer specific bandwidth to all users, or those who are willing to pay for it. You will find that you get your own login name and password. We pay about $30 a month for this at certain campgrounds with a 4 Mbps download speed or higher.
2. Carry a Verizon jetpack with a 20+ GB monthly plan, or via the service provider of your choice. Then you can have your own internet connection. 
3. Go to a nearby coffee shop and log in from their "free wifi." 
4. Some campgrounds have the camp wide system but also have have a dedicated Wifi room, which offers higher speeds and dedicated login limited to about 8 users in that room. 

BTW, I dropped AT&T last year because their cellular system did exactly what some complain about; I could connect but the download speed was near 0 MBPS in some locations. "The internet is not free."