RV Traveler Email Newsletter #81

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Selecting An RV Home Base
Plan to RV full time? You need this.

RV Traveler #81
October 19, 2003

DON'T LET PHANTOM LOADS DRAIN YOUR BATTERY THIS HALLOWEEN
RV appliances, TV, clock LED lights & timers use power all the time,
on the road or in storage. Offset loss with 2 Shell/Siemens 65W
SOLAR PANELS + charge control + mounts @$539 to 10/22...
Reg $804. Call 800-222-0017 or click here.

This issue's email circulation: 57,000 plus

This newsletter brought to you by
Beginners Guide to RVing
Free Campgrounds of the West
Florida RVer
RV Bookstore
RV Links
RV Jokes

Sponsors
Camping World
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RV Trader. Buy or sell an RV
Workamper News

FROM CHUCK WOODBURY
editor, http://www.RVtraveler.com

How often do you use your RV? A couple of weeks a
year? A few months? Probably not surprising to you,
there are literally millions of RVers who live all the
time in their RVs, or at least most of the time. How many?
A few million, perhaps, but nobody really knows.

But what I do know is that a lot of people live and travel
full time in an RV and many others dream of the day when
they can, too. RVs are so comfortable now that it's easy
to live in one, enjoying nearly all the comforts of home.
And the freedom is incredible -- to go where you want,
when you want and bring along your easy chair, too. It's
a very good life for people who still yearn for adventure.

Last year, during a brief visit to Quartzsite, Ariz.,
I was invited into the fifth wheel winter home of a full-
timing couple from Wisconsin. They were holed up in the
wide-open desert with no hookups. As I approached the RV,
it seemed lonely out there. But as I got closer, I noticed
that the couple had manicured their little piece of desert
with a rock-lined front walkway and had placed a few potted
plants in the shade of their awning. And several lawn
chairs were atop a few square yards of artificial turf.

Inside, there was plenty of room for two people with all
the creature comforts — spacious kitchen, TV, computer,
big bedroom with bathroom — everything two people
would need to live with ease and comfort. Outside, a
solar system harnessed the energy of the sun to provide
ample electricity. Just as I entered the RV, the cell phone
rang: one of the couple's children was calling from the
Midwest. The cell phone did double duty as the link to
the Internet. "How different was this from a 'home' that
didn't move?" I thought.

NEW WEBSITE FOR FULL TIMERS
And so it is for this couple and the countless others like
them that I announce a new addition to our family of
websites and email newsletters, Full Time RVer. Under
the editorship of fulltimers Steven and Fran Crawford,
the site is building into what will become a premiere
resource for full timer RVers and others who aspire
to be. Even now, in its infancy, there is much to read,
and the free email newsletter brings fresh, relevant,
helpful information to its subscribers once a month. If
you are a fulltimer or want to be, please bookmark this
new website and visit often. And be sure to sign up for
the email newsletter. Click here to go to the website.

About the time this issue is zapped to you via cyberspace,
I will be soaring high over the West coast in an Alaska
Airlines jet returning from Los Angeles to Seattle after
attending the California RV Show in Pomona. I'll have a
report next week.

LAST WEEK'S SURVEY
We asked you if you drive with your RV's refrigerator
operating on propane. After more than 2,000 responses
here is the tally:
Yes, often — 68%
Yes, sometimes — 10%
Yes, but rarely — 4%
No, never — 18%

This week's survey:
HOW OFTEN DO YOU TRAVEL IN YOUR RV?
How much time do you spend each year in your RV? Are
you a casual camper who manages only a weekend here
and there? Or do you travel months on end or even
full time? Please take a moment to answer this week's
survey, or just read how other readers responded.

EDITOR'S FAVORITE PHOTOS
See a few of my favorite photos from my RV roadtrips.
This week's theme: "Hodgepodge."

SUBSCRIBE TO THESE RV MAGAZINES. Best prices:
Motorhome, Trailer Life, RV Journal, RV Companion, Gypsy Journal
and Pop Up Times: http://www.NewRVer.com/rvmags.html

AN INTRODUCTION TO LP GAS
Here, courtesy of Camping World, is a great guide to LP gas
and how to use it safely in RVs. If you are not familiar with
propane, this would be worth reading. Propane can be
dangerous stuff if abused, so take a minute and learn how
to treat it with respect.

POP THE CHAMPAGNE — GAS PRICES HEADING DOWN
Here's a reason to celebrate: Gasoline prices are on the way
down, about 13 cents a gallon on average as of last week.
Check the stats yourself.

SHOPPING FOR AN RV EXTENDED WARRANTY?
The Good Sam Club's Continued Service Plan covers your coach,
engine, appliances and accessories in your new or used
motorhome, trailer and even tow vehicle! Get an online quote.

PUBLIC LANDS INFORMATION
Here's where to head in Cyberspace to learn about the public
lands of the USA including those of the Forest Service and
Bureau of Land Management. This is a great resource for maps,
guides, passes, permits and other recreation information.

HEADED DOWN UNDER?
If so, here is a website with tons of information about the
RV parks of Australia. Many, many pics, too.

RV HOLDING TANK GAUGE NOT WORKING RIGHT?
Here's some advice about how to fit it.

RV PARKS WITH WI-FI INTERNET ACCESS
New parks added weekly
WINTER RV STORAGE CHECKLIST
Is your RV done for the season? Here's a checklist
of things to do to keep it in good shape until it's time
to head out again after the winter thaw.

FABULOUS SOURCE OF CALIFORNIA INFORMATION
This is a wonderful, comprehensive guide to recreation in
the Golden State. Wow! You will like this.

ESSENTIAL READING ABOUT RVing IN ALASKA AND CANADA
Alaska By RV, Western Canada By RV, Eastern Canada By RV:
http://www.RVbookstore.com/howens.html. And don't forget the
2003 ALASKA MILEPOST DIRECTORY. If you are headed to Alaska,
Yukon Territory, BC, Alberta or NW Territories, this 55th edition
guidebook is essential. Get info or order.

HOW STATE DRIVING LAWS MEASURE UP
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety spells out
what it thinks of the driving laws in every state. Some
states get straight A's. Other flunk. See how your
favorite state measures up.

OREGON TOWN IS VERY EXCITED ABOUT AIRSTREAM VISIT
Salem, Ore., is just too excited about the 2006 annual
gathering of the Wally Byam Caravan Club International, Inc.,
June 30 to July 4, 2006. The community sees big dollar signs.

WOMEN RVers: RVing isn't just for guys. Read more.

HOME VIDEOS HELP NEW RV OWNERS LEARN TO USE THEIR RIGS
RV Education 101 presents home videos on how to operate everything
on an RV. The VHS videos are very useful to anyone new to RVing.
Read more, view a Quicktime video clip, or order at:
Winterizing Your RV
Class A motorhome video
Class C motorhome video
Trailer/5th wheel video
Pop Up Trailer Video

A FLORIDA BEACH — SEE IT LIVE
See what goin' on at the beach in Daytona Beach.

. . . or if you are bored and really starved for entertainment
visit the GUINEA PIG CAM. See a cute little critter.

KOA CAMPGROUNDS ALONG ROUTE 66
Route 66 is still alive — most of the old highway is still an
easy drive even by RV. KOA has many campgrounds along
the route. Here's the scoop

RV FINANCING. GET A QUICK QUOTE
Financial Underwriters Network provides exceptional customer service
and exceptional interest rates. Get a quick online quote and caring service.

PLANK ROADS
In the early days of auto travel, motorists faced a huge
obstacle when traveling west from Yuma, Ariz., into
California: 40 miles of sand dunes. To make travel by
auto even possible, a narrow wooden plank road was built.
It did the job, but not very well. Read the editor's story
about this fascinating project.

FREE CAMPING IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
If you like to "boondock" in the deserts of Southern
California you will enjoy this site. Good stuff.

Best-selling books and videos about RVing

RV BUYERS SURVIVAL GUIDE (Also available as an instant ebook)
Buying an RV? You must read this first. Written by an ex-RV
sales manager who reveals all. Read this and save big money!

VIDEO: ROCKY MOUNTAINS BY RV
Visit Yellowstone, Tetons, Glacier and Rocky Mountain Nat. Parks

BUREAU OF RECLAMATION LAKES GUIDE
Learn what to see and do at 250 lakes in the West and Midwest.
Most of these areas have low-cost campgrounds. Only $7.95

ALL ABOUT CLASS A MOTORHOMES
Advice for Class A buyers about rig selection, getting a good deal, and
how to inspect a rig before taking delivery.

The RV Traveler newsletter contains links to sites on the Internet
that are owned and operated by third parties. It is not responsible
for the availability of, or the content located on or through any
such third-party site.

ABOUT THE EDITOR
Chuck Woodbury has been roaming America by RV off and on
for nearly two decades. During that time he published a
quirky travel newspaper about his adventures and was a
member of the stable of writers for the New York Times
Syndicate. Nowadays, he lives near Seattle where he drinks
coffee (required by law) and travels when he can in his
motorhome and sometimes by plane when vast expanses of
saltwater are involved.

PRIVACY STATEMENT:
We never sell or share any information about our readers or customers with any outside party.

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