Parking Your Motorhome Alone

When I start talking about how to park a coach in the Driver’s Confidence Course offered at Lazydays, one of the first things I say is, “Your partner should stand here.” Almost always I am asked “What if I’m alone; how do I park?”

More and more, people are attending the class alone. Some work in sales, some are widowed or disabled. Others are independent travelers. So, I have come up with a simple solution to park a coach without human assistance, under good conditions.

1. Start by watching chapter seven, “Backing into a Campsite,” on BetterRVing.com.
2. Buy three inexpensive Frisbees in the toy department at your local big box store.
3. Stand at the 8-foot mark on the side of your coach. Face forward and count how many steps it takes you to get from the 8-foot mark to where your hips are located if you are sitting in the coach. This will likely be four to seven steps. Remember this number for step 4 below.

1. Pull to position No. 1, as explained in chapter seven. Stop the coach so your hips are in the spot where you want to park the coach.
2. Now get out with your Frisbees and walk around the site, checking for any object you could back into. At the rear of the site where you want to stop the back of the coach, place Frisbee No. 1 on the ground. You now know that this is where you want to stop when you get to the back of the site.
3. Come up to where your spotter would stand, at the driver’s hip. Put your arms out as if you were sleepwalking, and place the Frisbee No. 2 between your feet. That is now your spotter.
4. Stand at Frisbee No. 2, face in the direction that the front of the coach is facing, and take the number of steps forward that you measured above. Lay the last Frisbee, No. 3, on the ground.
5. Get back in the coach, so your hip is at Frisbee No. 2. Pull the coach forward until your hip gets to Frisbee No. 3. Now the 8-foot mark is at Frisbee No. 2.
6. Lower your flat mirror to see the back corner of your coach. Turn your steering wheel all the way to the right and pull forward slowly until you cover up half of Frisbee No. 2 with the back of your coach.
7. Lower the mirror a little more to see the back tire and the back of your coach. Turn the steering wheel all the way left, come back slowly. You should see the back tire roll over Frisbee No. 2; keep going until the coach becomes parallel with the edge of the parking site.
8. Straighten the front tires and go straight back. Watch the rear monitor until you see the back of the coach get to Frisbee No. 1.

Congratulations! You have just parked your coach.

To sign up for the course visit: http://lazydays.com/explore-lazydays/education-training