A RV, three furry babies, three girls, an adventure of 9,476 kilometers

Author of picture and text: I have a Li Duoduo

Self-driving RV trip with furry children

At the end of 2019, we set off from Beijing and started a one-day trip Monthly RV self-driving trip in Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan~

Many friends asked about the details of self-driving in an RV, precautions for self-driving with pets, and which scenic spots can bring pets...

I will tell you in detail the wonderful stories during the trip, the interesting and loving people I met, and how we three girls overcame many difficulties and left with a dog, a cat and a hedgehog 9476 kilometer!

Li Duoduo (a four-year-old, cute, white and fat 60-pound Samoyed)

Li Chaochao ( A bold and aloof ragdoll cat)

Lu Yiping (a cute African mini hedgehog)

Three people who love life, like to make modifications and travel by car Girl.

We looked around for a long time before setting off this time. Because of the large population (three people + three animals), long time, and lots of luggage, we have been looking for a suitable car. When we went to the RV base and saw its layout and functions, we were hooked!

Every time I saw an RV on the road, I couldn't help but wow.

This time, my RV dream came true. For me, it is a romantic home on wheels.

I usually like to stay at home, playing with cats and dogs, watering flowers, listening to music, cooking, and reading. If you go out for fun, you can go to the ends of the earth while still retaining the romance and convenience of home.

The space and functionality of the RV fully meet my needs:

It can sleep five people in four beds, six seats, a separate bathroom with shower, and a refrigerator , a small kitchen with a sink and induction cooker, an entertainment system for watching dramas, multiple storage spaces, and a viewing window that connects to the outside world.

By the way, let’s recall how we used to travel in SUVs

Before getting into RVs, there must be many friends like me who feel that the threshold for RVs is too high. I must announce it loudly to the world. , that’s because we are overthinking it!

1. The cost is not high: I used to think that we needed to save enough money to buy an RV, but now I know that the RV rental business can quickly help us realize our dreams! Moreover, RV rentals are not high. When there are events, you can get a big discount of half the price! It’s really cost-effective to share it equally among several people, and you also save on accommodation fees!

2. Can be driven with a C-book: Although the RV is very big, it only requires a C-book driver’s license, so as long as you can drive and have an ordinary driver’s license, you can drive a RV;

3. Girls can also drive: This time, three of us are girls and have driven more than 9,000 kilometers, and one of us is a novice driver, so we can all handle it. Just thinking about it makes me feel so cool! (Ignorant people are fearless. It was my first time to drive a 3.5-ton RV and I was still very nervous.)

I really regretted it as soon as I came into contact with the RV. I regretted not getting in touch with it earlier!

Taking three furry kids on a one-month RV road trip is a big undertaking! We made these preparations before departure~

The main destination this time is Yunnan. I have been there many times before and like the beautiful scenery there very much. I want to go there again in winter, firstly because it’s warmer, and secondly, it’s the first time I can take the little ones to experience the local scenery.

Depart from Beijing to Yunnan and then return to Beijing. Don’t look back. Check in advance which interesting places along the way you can bring pets. Guizhou is a specially planned stop. I have seen a documentary about dogs before, which introduced two small towns with special dog cultures.

So our approximate route is: Beijing - Pingyao Ancient City, Shanxi - Hukou Waterfall - Bell Tower in Xi'an, Shaanxi - Bipeng Valley in Sichuan - Dianchi Lake in Kunming, Yunnan - Tengchong Volcanic Geopark - Xishuangbanna Gaozhuang Xishuangjing - Xishuangbanna Wangtianshu in Xishuangbanna - Xiasi Dog Town in Guizhou - Gou Yao people in Guizhou - Zhangjiajie in Hunan - Return to Beijing

I have roughly planned how many kilometers to walk every day, but it is only a rough estimate. There are many uncertain factors in the itinerary, so you can plan ahead Allowing some buffer time, some places were changed and some attractions were discarded in the actual itinerary.

This is a huge workload, because girls themselves have a lot of things, and they also have a lot of things for their furry children. Plus, when traveling for a month, there are really too many things to bring. In order not to forget anything, I drew I made a mind map, prepared according to the categories of "food, clothing, housing and transportation" for people and furry children.

The baggage of the shit shoveler:

Dang dang, this trip will go through four seasons, so bring all the beautiful clothes you like!

The furry kid’s luggage:

It feels like Duoduo has more stuff than me

I also prepared some medical supplies and food.

In addition to daily eating, drinking, and eating, here are a few things that I think are the most important:

Highlights:

< p> ①Pet locator: When traveling for a long time, if there is an unexpected situation where the furry child runs away and disappears, the locator can locate the pet's location with one click, speeding up the search efficiency.

②Pet seat belts - the lifeline in the car

Prevent furry children from running around: RVs are very spacious, and furry children usually run wild inside. Be sure to use them safely when driving. Secure with a belt;

Prevent being thrown away while traveling: Everyday owners wear seat belts when driving and riding in cars, but most people do not have the awareness to fasten seat belts for their pets; prevent unexpected traffic accidents before they happen Protect furry children.

③Disinfection and deodorizing spray: Pets will smell to some extent, so in the small space of the RV, it must be cleaned and deodorized every day.

④Dog immunity-related documents, although prepared every time, do not seem to have been checked, but it is still a precautionary measure.

Some digital equipment:

Today I am going to the RV rental center to pick up the RV, and I am a little excited!

I almost got too excited and forgot to bring the necessary information for renting a car. The driver himself must have:

① Original driver’s license

Copy C is enough! Requires more than 3 years of driving experience

②Original ID card

Second-generation ID card or passport

③Credit card

The limit is greater than 10,000 yuan A credit card.

We took a taxi to the RV rental center in Fangshan. The classmate Xiaozhi who met us had a bright smile. The car rental procedure was very fast. It took less than five minutes. We handed in the information (ID card, driver's license) and filled out the form. Brush margin.

There are thousands of roads, and safety comes first. After choosing our RV, there was a half-hour RV safety training. Xiao Zhi immediately transformed into a rigorous teacher Zhi and led us Functions and usage of the RV for on-board training:

RV size:

Ours is a 2018-RV80C RV, with 6 seats and 5 bedrooms!

The car is about 3.2 meters high, 2.3 meters wide and 6 meters long, so it is really a big guy! Be sure to pay attention to the height limit! Limit high! Limit high! Be careful when crossing overpasses or height-limiting poles. In addition, you are not allowed to enter any underground garage! (It’s too difficult to be a car driver)

Cockpit:

The cockpit is almost the same as an ordinary car. There are automatic and manual transmissions, but there is no P gear and only N gear. When parking, the Pull the handbrake in the N position. When starting, follow the instructions taught by the teacher, put the N position - apply the brakes - ignition

Driving on the road:

Everyone needs to be in their seats when the RV is driving. Wear your seatbelts (including cats and dogs)!

Don’t think that because the RV has a large space, you can lie on the bed, cook, and walk around while driving. These can only be done when the car is parked.

In addition to the cockpit windows that can be opened during driving, other side windows, bathroom windows, and skylights need to be closed.

The car is relatively large and starts slowly. Leave enough space when turning to keep the distance between cars.

Awning:

The awning is the most anticipated design. You must go to the RV campground to have a hot pot meal under the awning! The operation method is waiting for you to explore by yourself!

Just find a picture and text printing company to produce it. The manuscript will be delivered on the same day and you can get it the next day! It's just a bit expensive because the size is too big. I spent a lot of effort bargaining with the boss on the price, but in the end it cost more than 800 yuan (heartbroken), but considering that the car sticker can stay with us for a month, I think We thought it was worth it to be envied by the envious looks on the road at any time (it’s really a vanity shovel shop)

We originally wanted to operate the car sticker ourselves, but when we actually stood in front of the RV and wanted to operate it, We were scared...because the car sticker was too big and the RV was too high, so we girls couldn't handle it at all.

I would like to solemnly and warmly praise Teacher Zhi of the RV Rental Center. He also shouted and asked a staff member to help us post it together.

The boys still have difficulty standing on the ladder, so we can only do some handicrafts and hand over materials.

ps: There is a kind of spray, spray it before applying it, and there will be no adhesive left when you remove it.

At this time, Li Duoduo , has been sitting in the warm cockpit supervising the work...

I didn’t expect them to be so professional and the workmanship was so good! Teacher Zhi laughed and said that he has been professionally applying film stickers for 30 years. I think I'm a little bit convinced...

Under the howling cold wind, I spent almost two hours fiddling with the car sticker.

I am really grateful to the support teacher at the RV rental center. We give it 100 stars out of five! If Teacher Zhi doesn’t have a girlfriend, we would like to introduce one to her.

It was a happy and informative day. After learning safety knowledge and getting car stickers, it was getting late and we drove home cautiously in our oversized RV!

The day after we mentioned the RV, we didn’t set off right away because loading the RV was really a huge project.

There was too much luggage, 5 large and small boxes in total, and scattered small things in the shopping cart. It took 7-8 carts to push it all.

It took nearly 4 hours to move the luggage and load the car. However, after loading, I felt refreshed and everything was neatly where it should be. The RV, which was originally full of things, had a new look. Got it!

We went to the Baipu Temple near Beijing. There is a famous "Car Temple" there. It is said that motorcycle riders, many friends who travel by car, will go to pay homage before setting off.

Baipu Temple is located in a village in the mountains of Mentougou, Beijing. It took nearly 2 hours of driving on the mountain road to get there.

We went around inside and it was so spectacular. No wonder it has become a new place for Beijing Internet celebrities to check in.

In the winter in Beijing, it gets dark very quickly. Before leaving, we left a photo of our RV in front of the Car God. Thank you to the God of Cars for blessing us with a safe journey.

On the first day of the journey, we set off at dawn!

Driving such a big car may feel uncomfortable at first, but you get used to it as you drive. The official recommendation is that the safe speed should be controlled within 100 kilometers per hour. After driving for 2 hours, we decided to take a break in the service area. When we were driving into the parking space in the service area, we heard a "clang" on the roof of the car and suddenly remembered Teacher Zhi's emphasis. "Pay attention to the height limit!", ah! He actually forgot and drove directly into the passenger car parking area according to his usual habit. As a result, he hit a 2.8-meter height limit pole. Fortunately, the height-limiting pole was movable, so the collision was not serious. After handling it, we set off again!

The three of us had lingering fears and a little self-blame. We felt that we had failed to get off to the right start. However, after thinking about it later, it was quite good. A small problem occurred on the first day, reminding us that we could not Take it lightly and you will pay more attention to safety later.

After driving nearly 600km, it gets dark early in winter. When we arrived at the ancient city of Pingyao, we stopped, feeling hungry and tired.

After checking the most popular restaurant in the ancient city, I asked over the phone that dogs are allowed, so I went straight to the restaurant. The restaurant is in the ancient city, and the car is parked in the parking lot of the visitor center. After getting off the bus, Duoduo takes the shuttle bus into the ancient city.

There are not many people in the ancient city. Passing by a "See You Again Pingyao" light show, the enthusiastic staff actually told us that we could go in and have a look. Because it was almost over, they didn't charge us for the tickets. It didn't end in about 10 minutes, which was quite shocking.

We went straight to the restaurant to eat. The restaurant has very local characteristics. The diners and waiters are very friendly and accommodating. They all greeted us with smiles when they saw us holding our dogs. Some waiters even came over to see Duoduo. Dinner was also very good. The price for a meal for 2-3 people was reasonable. We tried all the local specialties (check which ones they were). The boss also specially gave us a camellia soup. The only thing we were not used to was that they I drank vinegar as a drink, and at first I thought it tasted like apple cider vinegar, but after drinking it I realized it was really vinegar! ! ! The concentration is similar to that of vinegar used for cooking.

After dinner, I strolled back to the RV, passing by a few shops where dogs were allowed to enter. I have a particularly good impression here. It is an ancient city with history. I feel that everyone is carefully maintaining the culture here and is very friendly to tourists and pets. It brought a successful conclusion to our first day's trip.

Today is the first day to spend the night in the RV. Duoduo and Qianqian have been reluctant to sleep. They sat in the passenger seat together, leaning on each other and looking out the window. Haha, the little ones are also full of expectations and longing for this journey.

Set off at dawn! Although it is very sleepy, the earlier you set off, the more time you can spend at the attractions. Today’s destination is Hukou Waterfall. Hukou Waterfall is very interesting. One side of the Yellow River landscape is Shaanxi, and the other side is Shanxi.

Check in advance. You can only bring dogs if you enter the scenic spot entrance in Ji County, Linfen, Shanxi! If you take your dog to play, you must pay attention to the entrance.

After driving about 270 kilometers, we arrived near the scenic spot hungry. There are many farmhouse restaurants along the road near the scenic spot. We checked out one of the most popular restaurants, which is both delicious and cost-effective. The boss’s service is superb. This restaurant is highly recommended. We went there again in the evening and will introduce it to you in detail later.

After replenishing some energy for the furry kids, we set off to the scenic spot with Duoduo and Qianqian! The ticket to the scenic spot is 120 yuan per person (including the ferry bus). Dogs are allowed in the scenic spot, but large dogs in the shuttle cannot sit with their owners and can only be in the luggage compartment. I felt very distressed when I saw that Duoduo was crowded into the luggage compartment. After communicating with the staff to no avail, I almost gave up. But after traveling thousands of miles, I came here. I checked that the luggage compartment was very spacious and there was no luggage. It only took a few minutes. The journey is long, so I want to try it more. Li Duoduo is indeed a dog that has seen the world and is flexible and adaptable. He doesn't seem to care. He bumps up and down, reaches the destination in a few minutes, gets off the car again, and goes to find something fun.

When we got off the bus, we were still a little far away from the best viewing spot. Along the way, we met many old men wearing Shanxi’s characteristic costumes. Each of them led a donkey for tourists to take pictures. At this time, Li Duoduo couldn't hold it anymore. He had never seen donkeys before, so he kept barking at them, and even wanted to rush up to fight. The terrain beside the Yellow River was full of bumps, and it felt like he was about to fall apart while holding Duoduo.

Finally we arrived at the best viewing spot. I had only seen it on TV, but when I saw it in person I had to admire it. It was really shocking! Thinking of the "Yellow River Cantata", if the music played at this time, I think I would be moved and shocked to the point of crying.

We took Duoduo and Qianqian to stroll around the waterfall and take photos. Everyone looked at us curiously and friendly, and people who liked furry children would come over to pet them.

We are in Shanxi, and Shaanxi is on the other side of the river. It is really interesting to see tourists in the scenic spot opposite.

If the weather hadn’t been too cold, it would have been okay to just sit by the river and be idle all day. Li Duoduo would probably have been quarreling with the Yellow River gangsters all day. As the sun gradually set, we planned to go back.

We decided to stay nearby in the evening. After discussion, we parked the RV in front of the hotel at noon. The boss was really nice. Not only did he provide us with RV charging, We also specially found a spare room and turned on the heater and water heater so that we could wash up easily.

The dishes here also have local characteristics. They are all freshly caught ingredients from the Yellow River. The boss also gave away big apples and made fish head soup for free. If you go here in the future, I strongly recommend you to come to this place - Yangji Multigrain Fish House

After washing up, I returned to the RV and sorted out the day's materials. Meow kept messing around the computer at night. The dining table in the RV can not only be used as a desk, but can also be turned into a bed at night. Suddenly, you feel like you are at home.

# Bring Home, Set out for a Better Life#

Author of the picture and text: I have a Li Duoduo