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Editorials & Opinion

Opinion: Just like campers, campgrounds are paying for fuel increases, too

Setting rates is going to be a tricky business for campground owners this summer. I was talking last week with a campground owner who said...

New RV industry ad campaign puts boomers on back burner

OPINION I’ve got some good news and some bad news for longtime baby boomer RVers. The good news is that the “seniors” age group likely...

RV boo-boos: GPS lies. RVer probably cries—while making difficult exit

If you’ve been RVing for long, you’ve probably found yourself and your rig in a tight spot. Sometimes it’s “our own darned fault,” but...

10-Year Rule is rare at most parks, but stay tuned

The “10-Year Rule” in the camping business is something that experienced RVers love to debate but likely have seldom, if ever, experienced in their...

RV boo-boos: Oops! Bad parking job: “How do I get out of this mess?”

Nanci D. bravely steps forward to share her experience. Here they were, brand-new Class A motorhome, pulling into the driveway. “It was a little...

RV boo-boos: And it says, “No RVs beyond this point” (Video)

There's always that road we want to travel. Sad to say, not all roads are suitable for RVs, as this unfortunate fifth-wheel pilot discovered....

I am so mad about this. What if this happened to you?

By J.R. Montigel Watch the video below. It might make your blood boil! It did mine! First, let me say something so you know where I'm...

RV boo-boos: Fifth wheel through the drive-through? (Video)

By Russ and Tiña De Maris To paraphrase an old mentor, "Some of the brightest people are RVers—but on the other hand...." Yes, sometimes you...

Surfing or searching – Where to find truth about RVing

There is so much questionable material floating around these days, how do you tell fact from fiction? My Pastor recently posed a question in a...

Why many more Americans will choose RVs as their homes

By Chuck Woodbury PUBLISHER I am starting to wonder if the next “big thing” for countless millions of Americans is to buy an RV to live in...

This spare trailer tire got ripped to shreds, but why?

Folks, we don't know the story about this spare trailer tire ripped to shreds, and neither does reader Dana Eulert, who sent this to...

Before driving RV, please engage brain

By Russ and Tiña De Maris Traveling by car to an appointment in the "big city" of Lake Havasu City, Arizona, we noticed with some...

RVs do not break down. RVs do not leak!

This originally appeared as the featured essay in the January 29, 2021 issue of the Saturday RV travel newsletter. We are reprinting it here...

As demand soars, Forest Service closes campgrounds

What is the U.S. Forest Service doing to meet the increasing demand for more camping opportunities? By Scott Linden Your tax dollars (not) at work? I...

RV includes built-in flame thrower

By Chuck Woodbury PUBLISHER I have been an RVer for nearly half a century. I have seen many things. I have never seen a recreational vehicle...

RV boo-boos: Got Sand?

By Russ and Tiña De Maris Not sure just how many toy haulers we've seen—must be hundreds. And so many of them in the Southern...

RV boo-boos: Listen to the directions!

By Russ and Tiña De Maris It takes a bit of intestinal fortitude—and humility—to own up to boo-boos. Witness the case of a “Rocky day...

RV boo-boos—Always good to use a spotter!

By Russ and Tiña De Maris How do you spell "entertainment" at the RV park? One sure-fire hit is to watch folks try to park...

RV boo-boos – “And the Greatest RV Mashup Award goes to … “

By Russ and Tiña De Maris OK. We're not sure if this mashup technically qualifies as an RV boo-boo. Much depends on your definition of...

RV boo-boos – No pickup to pull fifth wheel? No problem!

By Russ and Tiña De Maris Got an RV to pull but don't have the needed equipment? Improvise! This fellow evidently didn't have a pickup...

Marketing ploy draws eyes to RV’s bells and whistles, distracts from asking important questions

Just like most folks at the gigantic regional RV show, we had stars in our eyes. Those stars blocked our view, I guess. Or...

RV boo-boos – Really high-centered 5er

By Russ and Tiña De Maris Yep, it's that time of the year – the one where you wish you were a snowbird. We're not...

RV Review: A look at 2021’s best – and worst – RV features, Part 2

Once again it’s time to take a look at the RVs we all looked at this year and pick out the best and the...

RV Review: A look at 2021’s best – and worst – RV features, Part 1

Once again it’s time to take a look at the RVs we all looked at this year and pick out the best and the...

The inspiring “This Little Light” story by Paul Harvey – the rest of the story

This is a rerun of my "This Little Light" Road Signs column from 2020. While my RVelectricity™ column is normally about electrical issues, let's...

RVers: Who are we? How are we perceived? Good, bad, unfortunate?

By Scott Linden Hey, RVer – In some people’s eyes, you’re a bum, a trespasser, arsonist or worse. Stick with me a minute and I’ll...

What’s in store for RVers in 2022? We break down all the variables and decide what they mean

By Mike Gast I know we’ve just arrived in December 2021, but with the weirdness of the past 12 months, it’s not too early to...

The cowboy spirit lives on in RVers

By Andy Zipser For some inexplicable reason, I have for years retained an image of Kirk Douglas as a horse-riding cowboy with a pair of...

The top 5 regrets people had as they were dying. What can we learn from these?

As some of you may know, my father is dying. He is 98 and had been hoping to reach 99, even inviting the hospice...

Thanksgiving: What a season of gratitude and hope teaches us

During these trying times, I am reminded that this is the season of giving thanks. I will admit that in the past the meaning...

The truth about RVing: It’s NOT always rosy …

While I love our RVing life and being able to full-time and travel around this immense and amazingly beautiful country, there are times that...

RV parks and big money investors – Will RV parks become the new “trailer courts”?

By Andy Zipser A recent email blast from Frank Rolfe, who among other pursuits runs something called RV Park University, began as follows: “Earlier this...

Two outdoor industry associations. Which one (really) cares about the future?

What's in a name? There’s the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, for example, which says it works to “improve the experience and quality of life of...

Millions of acres of public lands could be used as campgrounds. The federal government won’t take the initiative, but you can

The pandemic year 2020 marked the beginning of the great upsurge in RV travel, and with it came the endemic of RV camp spot...

No: Your RV’s outdoor LEDs are not cool, and they’re affecting your quality of sleep!

We’ve all seen them – more and more RVs being manufactured are coming with ever-brighter exterior lights and, according to some studies, this is...

Is our RV lifestyle doomed? A meaningful look at the long road ahead and the obstacles to overcome along the way

As we prepare to relegate the tumultuous year 2021 to history, we confront a sobering question: Is our RV lifestyle doomed? Is it sustainable?...

Letter to editor: Thanks for helping us avoid a buying mistake

  Dear editor, My wife and I are longtime campers with tents, pop-ups, travel trailers, and now a small Class C as we enter retirement. About...

Are RVers responsible for poor quality RVs?

By Russ and Tiña De Maris Over the years we’ve heard from countless frustrated RVers. The story goes something like, “I bought a brand-new RV...

Why RV park owners don’t want every site occupied

By Andy Zipser Author, Renting Dirt Last week, I briefly outlined how soaring demand for RV campground sites is stressing out commercial campground operators, even as it...

Letters to the editor: Good journalism is geared to the readers, not influencers

Dear Editor,  Social learning theory proposes that most people become motivated to commit misdemeanors, maladaptive behaviors and/or crimes among those whom they associate. Many of...

Here’s another RV dealer perspective on the quality of new rigs

Our recent story on the quality issues associated with RV manufacturing continues to stir a lot of interest among the RV industry as well...

Dear RV parks: Do you purposely set me up for driving disasters?

Dear RV park owners, Why, why, why (!!) do you put things in campgrounds right where I’m trying to turn my RV that are completely...

A “Thank you” to Russ and Tiña De Maris and RVtravel.com

I was one of Russ De Maris’ anonymous sources in the whole DEF sensor debacle. Who knows – if you look over, I may...

A reader poll reflection: How have I treated life in 2021?

When I looked at the headline of last week's poll, “How well has life treated you so far in 2021?”, I looked back on...

Why go small? This time we’re looking at the case for owning a small RV

Recently, Mike Sherman, full-time RVer and Honorary Correspondent at RVtravel.com, made a very good case for the reasons to go big and have a...

The meaning of “Stay the course” – and why it’s so important in today’s world

Here we go again! COVID seems to be resurging. Again. Annual fall festivals are opting out for the second year in a row due...

Where were you on September 11, 2001?

By Chuck Woodbury PUBLISHER Most readers of RVtravel.com are old enough to remember the Twin Towers attack (and two other locations) on September 11, 2001. Like...

RVs are about to upend American life

By Chuck Woodbury PUBLISHER In 1790, only about one out of 20 Americans lived in urban areas. The ratio had dramatically changed to one out of four...

Good news! DEF head alternatives are coming

By Russ and Tiña De Maris RVers are in our headlines – getting the credit for some potential solutions to the DEF head problem. If...

Farewell to Charlie Watts: Cars, clothes, no driving

Some rock & roll stars collect women. Charlie Watts preferred one, Shirley Ann Shephard, his wife of 57 years. Instead, the deceased Rolling Stones...

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