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Editorials & Opinion

A funny, amazing story that scared the pants off me

By Chuck Woodbury Continued from the RVtravel.com newsletter of Sept. 17, 2023. Read that first before reading this. As I said in my essay, here is...

Word-diarrhea is epidemic, and I question why I even write anymore

By Chuck Woodbury PUBLISHER W hy do I write? Why have I spent the better part of 50 years putting my words on paper and now on...

Camping World and Eddie Bauer join forces. Two peas in a pod?

In a seeming larger-than-life promotion, Camping World and Eddie Bauer – well, largely Camping World – tout a new collaboration. You might wonder what...

My desperate battle with ‘Below the Belt’ Journalism

By Chuck Woodbury FOUNDER AND PUBLISHER In men’s professional boxing the competitors must play by the rules. Perhaps the most consequential is “do not hit below...

On RV quality, our readers say, “Older is better”

We polled RVtravel.com readers: “How would you describe the quality of workmanship on your RV?” After hearing countless complaints about the kinds of issues...

Lessons learned from deadly I-81 RV crash

On August 9, at 9:00 p.m., a Class A RV traveling southbound on I-81 in Franklin County, PA, blew a left front tire, crossed...

New Winegard app promises big features, but customer service ‘Know Nothings’ don’t know a thing about it

We’d originally planned to write about a new gewgaw “app” from Winegard called the “RV Halo.” Most of us have a Winegard antenna up...

FMCA president candidate Curtis Coleman explains plans if elected

Curtis Coleman, the founder of social media platform RVillage, which he sold last year, is running for National President of FMCA, the Family Motor...

Resistance grows against the Bureau of Land Management’s conservation-centric public land rule

EDITORIAL Opposition is escalating to the Bureau of Land Management’s plan to impose a sweeping new public lands management rule that undermines long-established law. The proposed...

How absentee RVers are limiting access to dispersed campsites

NEWS & OPINION A recent post on one of the Facebook pages dedicated to dispersed camping described seeing unoccupied RVs parked for extended periods of...

Cyanide bombs should be banned from use on public lands

EDITORIAL Conservation groups and federal lawmakers are taking action to outlaw the utilization of "cyanide bombs" on public lands. The conflict highlights ethical and safety...

Quartzsite heat. Aren’t you glad you’re somewhere else?

Quartzsite clings tenaciously to its claim of being the "Snowbird Capital of the West." With the Big Tent RV Show, hundreds of miles of...

Does anyone believe RVers living on the “streets” are going away?

By Chuck Woodbury Does anyone who studies the RV lifestyle believe that the legions of America’s poor and disadvantaged who live in dilapidated RVs on...

A ‘common law’ of outdoor recreation?

As outdoor recreation activities on public lands surge, government agencies and courts have embarked upon an expansive form of rulemaking that can be characterized...

RV park industry comes up short in disaster planning

Just ahead of hurricane season, which officially kicked off June 1, the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds held a webinar/campfire session for...

Will the Camping World acquisition spree spell an end to local RV shows?

Camping World continues to acquire more and more RV dealers on its “march on to world dominance.” Just a few of the RV dealers...

RV industry again falsely claims RVing is cheapest way to travel

By Chuck Woodbury T he RV Industry Association (RVIA) issued its annual press release recently that claims, again, that yet another study confirms traveling by RV...

The RV industry scrambles for survival: Are camping’s glory days over?

Heading into the Memorial Day weekend, camping and RV industry cheerleaders were cranking out comparisons and forecasts to support their contention that the industry’s...

Is Massachusetts ripping off out-of-state visitors?

By Chuck Woodbury I just returned from three weeks on the East Coast, most of the time in Massachusetts. Gail and I left our motorhome...

I have become too comfortable in my sticks-and-bricks home

I am afraid that I have become too comfortable in my new house without wheels. As some of you may remember, my husband and...

How observing pavement helped create a retailing empire

I doubt you have heard of Leon Levine. You might have if you were an executive in the retail industry. At age 22, back...

Is KOA abandoning RVers in favor of glampers?

By Chuck Woodbury What's good for business is not necessarily good for consumers. Or RVers. For example, selling a ton of hamburgers is good for McDonald's,...

Letter to the editor: Nothing to love about staying at Love’s

Reader Matt D. sent us this message this week in response to our recent story about Love's travel stops. By the end of this...

Are campgrounds and subdivisions becoming one and the same?

OPINION I t’s gotten to the point where the notion of a “campground” is becoming indistinguishable from that of a subdivision. True, the housing units at...

Two new Winnebagos, both identical, but with different names. Huh?

What’s wrong with this scene? A couple in the market for a motorhome visits an RV dealer and finds one model that is...

Letter to the editor: RVers take, take, take—and contribute little!

We received this letter in our inbox from reader Karen M. Please read it through and then leave your thoughts in the comment section...

Did you know? Travel trailers under 33 feet do not exist

By Chuck Woodbury PUBLISHER I wish RVtravel.com had a million subscribers. Then we could better battle all the misinformation out there created by artificial intelligence robots...

Why I write for RVtravel.com

Recently, at one of our RVtravel.com staff and writers' meetings (yes, we are real RV people, not artificial intelligence "androids"!), someone asked why...

Glamping vs. camping: RVs not in the picture

By Chuck Woodbury From those knowledgeable about glamping, here is the ultimate insult to you and me, we who travel with RVs. It seems we...

Just thinking: “Does this pricey RV seem ‘cold’ to you?”

This is the new $159,000 Heritage Edition trailer from the folks at Bowlus. It looks a lot like the Airstreams of yesteryear. This is...

Great job numbers, but not for RVers

The jobs numbers out on Friday resulted in great giddiness in some quarters and foreboding in others. Giddiness because January’s 3.4% unemployment rate is...

The reason boondocking is discouraged on our public lands

News and Commentary Dispersed camping ("boondocking") refers to camping outside designated campgrounds. It is a preferred camping mode for many RVers who prefer to avoid...

Life expectancy calculator gives me sobering number: 16.9 years left to live. What to do with that precious time?

Back in 2021, I wrote an article about using a tape measure as a metaphor for measuring my life. It examines how much time...

Hilarious RVing photos created by Artificial Intelligence. OMG! Get ready to laugh!

With the sudden surge of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the news, it got us to wondering. What does AI know about RVing? It's been...

KOA amps up the camping con game

OPINION It’s mid-winter in New York, but the temperature was unseasonably hot when the Saugerties town planning board held a public hearing recently on a...

RV boo-boos: Backing up in the dark without a spotter

Reader Dennis G. got an emergency call-out. His aging mother had a medical emergency, and his Class A was the ideal choice for getting...

All-electric RVs: Boon or bane for boondockers?

We have all seen the headlines for all-electric RVs: "Explosive growth in everything electric," "All-electric Lightship RV coming this spring," "All-electric RVs are here,"...

Video: Why you should not tailgate. Oh, dear!

Have you noticed that a lot of drivers tailgate the vehicle ahead of them these days? You might wonder how they can be even...

A robot offers advice to RVers

By Chuck Woodbury The article directly below was created in about 20 seconds using Artificial Intelligence (AI). I have not changed a word or even...

Yellowstone elk gets revenge on clueless, ego-impaired tourist

By Chuck Woodbury Don't you sometimes wish when you observe a tourist doing something really stupid or offensive that you could somehow, magically, wish him...

RV boo-boos – Fifth-wheel turned into pretzel

There’s little we can say about this series of pictures, other than to just emit a sigh. Apparently the fiver driver was making a...

Is fishing allowed in Death Valley National Park?

Yes, fishing is allowed in Death Valley National Park but it is important to be aware of the park's specific regulations and to follow them....

Why are some RVers so controversial? And exactly who are they?

Opinion — By Randall Brink Throughout 2022, RVtravel.com has published news and opinion about the growing sociological-political issue of homeless persons residing in RVs in...

RV boo-boos – Do you carry a ladder INSIDE your RV?

Do you carry a ladder INSIDE your RV? Lots of us have one, either tucked away in basement storage, or sometimes tied to the...

Electric vehicle growth has RV industry befuddled!

A pair of webinars this past week, one hosted by the RV Industry Association (RVIA) and one by the National Association of RV Parks...

Opinion: Living in your RV on private property is not the government’s business

Full disclosure—I come from a pretty government-wary household, so my opinion here may be a little bit biased. I grew up on 36 secluded...

RV boo-boos – Low bridges and tall 5th wheels don’t mix

How tall is your RV? It's a question we should be asking ourselves, and know the answer to. We have a small tag, about...

RV boo-boos – Propane goes boom!

A little propane leak is nothing to "sniff at." If you smell propane in your rig, GET OUT, shut off the tank or cylinder...

New campers not very interested in “camping”

  "The new campers are 'looking for hotel-type amenities' " By Andy Zipser If there’s one trend that has many veteran campground and RV park owners shaking...

RV boo-boos – Class C, based on VW bus!

From the land that provides us with the amusement of kangaroos, wombats, and koalas, where else could you find a Class C motorhome built...

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