Printing and exporting your RV itinerary

Plenty of RVers still keep a paper copy of the trip in the cab, and for good reason: it works with no signal and no battery, and the co-pilot can read it without taking the phone off the mount. A few exports cover the rest.

1. Print the itinerary and the directions

Print the day-by-day plan with the stops, nights, and drive times, plus the turn-by-turn for each drive. Make sure the directions you print are the same RV-safe route you planned, not a car route from a different app. Note any low clearances, propane cautions, or steep grades on the page so they're in front of you.

2. Put the trip on a calendar

A calendar file (.ics) puts each stop on your calendar with dates and addresses. It's the easiest way to share the plan with family back home, or to see the trip next to everything else in your life. Most calendar apps import it in a click.

3. CSV for spreadsheets

A CSV of the stops is handy if you keep a trip log in a spreadsheet, want to sort campgrounds by cost, or share the plan with someone who doesn't use your app.

4. GPX for a Garmin or Rand McNally RV GPS

GPX is the common file format for routes and waypoints, and dedicated RV GPS units from Garmin and Rand McNally can import it, usually through the maker's desktop or phone app or by copying the file to the device. Check your unit's manual for the exact steps.

Most GPS units recalculate an imported route with their own maps. Set the unit's vehicle profile to your rig before you import, and compare the result against your plan before the trip, not at the first turn.

5. Keep one source of truth

Exports are snapshots. If you change the plan, re-export, or use a live link that updates on its own, so the paper in the cab and the calendar at home match the trip you're actually driving.

What RV Compass exports

From the planner's Export menu, these are free:

• Printable itinerary and map, with the day-by-day plan.
• RV-safe turn-by-turn directions, the same route you planned, with propane cautions and on-route hazards listed as still on the route.
• CSV of the stops, including Arrived and Visited columns once you've driven the trip.
• Calendar file (.ics) for any calendar app.

With Pro:

• GPX export of the planned route for Garmin and Rand McNally units, and a GPX of the routes you actually drove (one track per drive) if you record them.
• A live calendar link you can subscribe to, so your family's calendar updates when the trip changes. You can reset or turn off the link at any time.

Exports work from the trip map on the phone too. See how to plan an RV trip for the rest of the process.