The Road Trip of a Lifetime Is Just a Series of Logistical Problems
"Let's just hit the road and see where we end up," is the romantic vision of RV life. The reality is a 35-foot rig that needs 50-amp service, a "Water Issue" at a campground in Utah, and a "Fuel Stop" where the diesel price is $1.00 higher than the station five miles back. Without a structured log, your memories of the "Purpose of Trip" get buried under the stress of navigating "Toll Roads" and finding a "Site #" that actually has working "WiFi".
This template turns your RV journey from a chaotic migration into a professional-grade travel journal.
Route Metrics: From Origin to Destination
The "Traveled From City" and "Traveled To City" fields, combined with "Mileage start" and "Mileage End", provide the hard data for every leg of the journey. The "Total Miles Trip" is a calculated field that reveals the true wear and tear on your vehicle. But the "Hours Trip" and "Departure Time" vs. "Time Arrived" are the fields that tell you about your pace.
Are you pushing twelve-hour days that leave you too exhausted to enjoy the "Park or Campground"? Or are you managing a steady six-hour rhythm that accounts for "In-Route Stops"? By logging the "Cell Phone Service enroute", you’re also building a connectivity map for future trips—knowing exactly where the dead zones are before you rely on your GPS for a critical turn.
The Campground CRM: Hookups and Issues
The "RV Park street address" and "RV Park phone #" fields are the CRM (Customer Relationship Management) of the road. But the technical fields—"Hookups", "Water Issues", and "Power Issues"—are what save you from repeating a bad experience.
If a specific "Site #" at a park in Arizona had a faulty 50-amp breaker that tripped every time you ran the AC, that data is now locked to the "Photo" of the park. Next year, when you’re booking the same route, you pull the record, see the "Power Issues" note, and request a different site. The "Campground fee per night" vs. "Type Rate -Daily/Weekly/Monthly" allows you to analyze your "Total Cost Campground" over a long season, showing you exactly how much your "Discount Card" actually saved you.
Fuel Logistics and the Reality of MPG
RVing is an exercise in fuel management. This template includes a triple-stop fuel log: "Fuel Stop #1" through "#3", each with "Gallons Fuel", "Price Fuel", and "Cost of Fuel". By logging the "Mileage at Fuel Stop", you can calculate your actual MPG (Miles Per Gallon) under load.
Is your rig burning more fuel on the mountain passes of Colorado? Does the "Total Daily Fuel+" spike when you’re fighting a headwind across the plains? This isn't just about the "Cost of Fuel"; it’s about understanding the mechanical performance of your vehicle. The "In-Route Stop Photos" and "Dining" notes add the flavor of the trip, but the "Mileage" and "Gallons" provide the skeletal truth of the journey. You’re not just taking a vacation; you’re operating a mobile home, and this log is your flight deck recorder.