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Caravan Companies For first time Mexico RV'ers, a caravan can be an excellent way to cut your teeth. Even those who are experienced and want some extra security or companionship a caravan can be useful. There are several companies out there, some better than others. I only have ones listed that I believe to be reputable. Baja Amigos - I am personal friends with the operator of this one. Highly recommended. Caravane Mexique Aventure - New company out of Quebec. I met Andre, the owner, in 2011, I think this will be a good one. VR Camping - Québec Caravane de l'entreprise. Langue Française. Amigos Rodantes - Recommended. The owner, Pierre Blais, is the French admin of our Forum. English & French speaking caravans. This company below specializes in more extensive caravans into Central & South America. I do know them, and they are reliable. The following 2 caravans are operated by RV parks in Mexico. They offer good prices in exchange for staying in their RV park for a certain period. Celestino Caravans - Celestino Gaza about 70 km north of Mazatlan La Penita RV Park - About 60 km north of Puerto Vallarta.
RV Caravans-The Good, The Bad, The Ugly October 11th, 2011 by Dan & Lisa Goy of Baja Amigos Lisa and I have been camping forever, first as children with our parents, later as adults with our own children and now just ourselves. We have tented, owned a tent trailer, Class B and now we are on our 3rd travel trailer. My Mom and Dad were Truck Campers for 30 years. We operate and lead an RV Caravan Tours Service as WagonMasters on Baja, Mexico, however we have never actually participated as guests in such a Caravan. RV Caravan Tours are in operation around the world including several operators in North America. These include RV Caravan Tours to Alaska and Canadian Territories, East Coast Canada and US, Mainland Mexico, Baja Mexico and many more.
The Good The number one benefit of traveling in an RV Caravan is someone else does the planning! No fuss, no muss, you pay your money and your off! Guests have told us how much they enjoy not having to worry or stress about where they are going to stay, get fuel, shop for groceries etc. Folks really enjoy just following along, taking in the scenery without regard to a map or the GPS.
A well planned RV Caravan Tour operated by knowledgeable WagonMasters ensures you get the most out of your journey! You see and experience the best of what the region has to offer, which means no crappy RV parks, awful restaurants or rip-off tourist traps. RVers can spend hours researching reviews about different establishments and activities and still be disappointed. As they say, nothing can replace “boots on the ground” that have scouted out everything before hand and have personal and intimate knowledge of the turf, operators including where to go and not to go. Nothing stops any camper from loading up their GPS (or buying a good map), purchasing a good camping book and heading off on a journey. If you continue to return to an area year after year, you will have all of the above sorted out. This may have been a great approach when we were 30 with our lives in front of us, maybe not when we are 64 and perhaps should be a bit more efficient with our time as we are now closer to the end than the beginning!
Camaraderie is built in! A Caravan ensures a group experience which includes Happy Hours, Potlucks, Restaurant Outings, Group Activities and the journey itself. There is often a bond that forms on a road trip where many people let their guard down, pretences fade away and lifelong friendships are formed. Often they travel together on future road trips or make a point to see each other somewhere on another journey. We have 2 regular stops in the US now on our way to Baja with former caravan guests who have now become good friends and have visited each other long after the tour was over.
Another plus traveling in an RV Caravan is all the interesting people you get to know who can have some very diverse and unique personal and professional history’s that you would never experience seeing folks casually on a chance encounter at an RV Park or campground. What everyone has in common is RVing together for a month or more which often encourages folks to share their stories and different life experiences. It is truly incredible how much we have learned about the world, fascinating careers and different locations people have visited just sitting around a campfire or at happy hour.
A big benefit to an RV Caravan is the support you receive in the event you breakdown. Larger RV Caravans have Tail Gunners who will stay with you to get your situation sorted out. The WagonMasters and Tail Gunners are often very familiar with reputable local mechanical shops and towing services who can be summoned if required. It is very comforting indeed not to be stuck in the middle of nowhere when your RV breaks down. Most often if the issue is minor, like a flat tire, the whole caravan will simply wait and everyone will resume when the repair is made. Generally speaking, this is not the case if the breakdown is major because as they say “The Show Must Go On”. However this does not mean you are just cut loose and left on your own. Arrangements will be made for repair and accommodation; tour contact information and a schedule of potential rendezvous points will be provided; and the caravan leaders will be in regular contact to see how you are progressing and if other support is needed.
The Bad With RV Caravan Tours size really does matter. Depending on the size of the RV Caravan you may do a lot of waiting and sitting as everyone gets fuel, takes a body break, stops to buy groceries, lines up at a restaurant, sets up or departs from an RV park. The larger the group of people, the longer all of the above will take; this is bad if you are an impatient person by nature.
Some caravans are more flexible than others but generally speaking the WagonMasters set the pace and everyone follows. This could be too fast or too slow depending on your driving habits and a real potential source of frustration or stress. Your freedom to stop whenever and wherever you want is often non-existent, this can be problematic if your body break schedule is different than the WagonMasters and they are not flexible.
WagonMasters set the schedule and travel environment of the caravan. If they are experienced, confident, familiar with all aspects of the tour and locations, people friendly and possess good organizing and conflict resolution skills, all is good. Unfortunately this is not the reputation of most WagonMasters, particularly those that are in-charge of larger caravans that can be very challenging to keep organized and on schedule. We cannot imagine running a group of 40 people and 20 rigs, this would be very stressful for sure, no wonder many WagonMasters seem more like “Drill Sergeants” than tour guides as this would be like attempting to “Herd Cats” at times.
Departure times are usually inflexible, not good if you are a late sleeper or have a morning routine that takes some time before you are prepared to leave. We have seen larger caravans assembling before dawn prior to departure, often idling away for almost an hour.
Larger groups of people travelling together can often lead to the formation of “Clicks” which can be very annoying to others and frankly disrespectful to the entire caravan. Before you know it you have been transported to a small town where everyone knows everyone else’s business and gossip abounds.
The Ugly Again it is all about size. We have heard of an RV Caravan Tour in mainland Mexico a few years ago that was over 75 rigs, they wreaked havoc everywhere they went. This caravan plugged up 2 lane highways, brought towns to a complete standstill when driving through them, emptied PEMEX stations at every fuel stop and were more akin to a moving “Train Wreck” on the road than an RV Caravan.
WagonMasters can be brutal depending on personalities, skill sets and experience. Often RV Park owners want nothing to do with RV Caravans because of their negative experience with WagonMasters who have been overbearing, pushy and bullies acting like they own the park, barking out orders to everyone.
Driving on a 2 lane road with an RV Caravan can be very frustrating and sometimes dangerous for both those in the caravan and those attempting to get around it. Our general rule of thumb is to keep everyone at least 5 seconds apart and notify us when vehicles come up in the rear and want to pass and doing whatever we can to safely facilitate the pass. We have seen RV Caravans bunched together like racers in “Daytona 500”, this is both inconsiderate to other motorists and can cause accidents for everyone concerned.
An ugly reality can be that you have signed on to an RV Caravan Tour for a month and suddenly realize one of the RV'ers is last person you would ever choose to travel with. When you have come across this personality in the past on the road you have run for the exit. You know who we are talking about; they have a crisis every day, they monopolize the conversation at every opportunity, nothing is ever good enough and they always have a complaint about something. If they have a dog it gets even better! They piddle on your mat, are always out of control, never put on a leash and the owner never cleans up. To make matters worse the WagonMasters refuse to deal with this and the group is unable to vote them “Off the Island”.
Baja RV Caravan Tours An additional reason to take an RV Caravan Tour in Mexico is the language barrier and distinctly different culture then Canadians and Americans. There are several operators offering RV Caravan Tours on Baja California Mexico, some have years of experience others are engaged in their first season on Baja.
As with all RV Caravan Tours there is a wide diversity of prices, length of tour and features, as they say “There is something for everyone” on Baja. As you can imagine the most common question; “Is it safe?” Our standard response is simply “Yes!” We actually feel safer on Baja then in many places on the road in the US and certainly safer than some parts of Surrey and Vancouver. Our children, their partners and Lisa’s 81 year old Mom are all joining us on Baja for Christmas this season and we are really looking forward to this. It is safe to sign onto a Baja RV Caravan, it is safe to join a friend and come to Baja, it is also safe to simply buy a good camping book (Church’s), get a decent map (AAA), join a Baja Travel Club (Discover Baja) visit a helpful resource website (Baja Amigos) and go it alone.
At the end of the day there are many excellent reasons to take an RV Caravan Tour to any particular destination. What is important to you may or may not be important to another RVer. RV Caravan Tours in general, are available at a wide range of price points and include a real diversity of features and benefits. If your decision is to sign on, make sure you know what you’re signing onto! Ask yourself; do we have a really clear understanding of what the caravan service is offering to deliver. Review the testimonials and ask if you can speak to someone who has taken the tour. How extensive is the company website? Is it very generic or very detailed about each day’s activities? It is important to “Choose Wisely”.
Submitted by,
Dan & Lisa Goy Baja Amigos RV Caravan Tours 1-866-999-BAJA (2252)
Our Competitors On Baja
Adventure Caravans Ron & Juanita Kohn 1-800-872-7897 http://www.adventurecaravans.com
Adventure Treks David & Betty Baxley 1-866-699-5865 request@rvadventuretreks.com - http://www.rvadventuretreks.com
Baja Winters Travel Club John & Becky Smith 1-866-771-9064 info@bajawinters.com - http://www.bajawinters.com
*Casi Libre RV Baja Caravans Brian Ringham 1-604-721-9064 casilibre@hotmail.ca - http://www.rv-camping-baja-california.com
Fantasy RV Tours Nel Filliger 1-800-952-8496
Vagabundos Del Mar Travel Club Fred & Gloria Jones 1-800-474-2252 fredjones1@comcast.net - http://www.vagabundos.com
*Brian has experience as a WagonMaster in Mexico and has personal knowledge about Baja, however this is his first season offering RV Caravan Tours on Baja California, Mexico.
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