Preparing for this trip is both daunting and exciting! There are so many elements to consider, plan, investigate and prepare. There are many things which need to be purchased as well as things to be fabricated and installed.
Below is a high level breakdown of how I view these tasks.
- Getting the Airstream (Annie Rose) ready for a long journey across many types of roads and climates
- Tires
- Brakes
- Suspension
- Preparing the trailer underbelly for unpaved, gravel and dirt roads
- Identifying and acquiring spare parts which potentially might be needed enroute
- Ensuring all trailer utilities are in excellent working condition
- Preparing the Truck (Big Blue) to transport us and our 8,400 lb home on an 11,000 mile trip.
- Tires
- Brakes
- Suspension
- Up to date on service interval
- hitch set-up
- Making sure we have the right clothing for at least 3 seasons (and, plenty of rain)
- Pulling together lots of documentation (passports, vehicle insurance, health insurance, roadside assistance, registrations, etc.)
- Planning our route to and from the caravan start and stop locations
- Developing a list of “must sees” so we can plan appropriately
Fortunately, we have our son and daughter-in-law living in our house while we are away, so we don’t have to worry about all the things needed to shut down our house for 5+ months.
Stay tuned for further posts where I tackle the above and share information that might be helpful for anyone planning a long adventure like this.