Volume 2. Issue 22
Welcome to the Full-Time RVer Newsletter, published every other Wednesday by RVtravel.com. Here you’ll find helpful RV-related and full-time RV living tips from the pros, travel advice, and anything else of interest to full-timers or those who aspire to be. Thanks for joining us. We appreciate you. Please tell your friends about us.
Please consider signing up for other newsletters from RVtravel.com. Easy unsubscribe if you don’t like what you see (but there’s no way that will happen!).
Page Contents
Quote of the day
“Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise.” —Victor Hugo
Full-timer bored out of gourd – “RV normal or RV nuts?”
Dear RV Shrink,
I can’t believe I am saying this, but I’m bored out of my gourd. I have been looking forward to traveling full-time in our RV for a dozen years. Now that I have retired, my wife and I have been on the road for just less than a year and I am a bit disillusioned. We both have many interests, love to travel, get along fine in a confined space, enjoy life and the many friendly people we meet. So, what’s wrong with me? Why do I feel I’m missing something? I’m always thinking I should be doing more. If you could get my head screwed on straight I would be forever grateful. —Lost in Paradise, MI
Read the RV Shrink’s response.
Did you miss last weekend’s RV Travel Newsletters?
If so, here is some of what you missed…
• Overheard comments by salespeople and consumers at the Florida RV SuperShow
• New pickup truck prices skyrocket, except for 10 “cheap” options
• The Quartzsite Report: Beware the Quartzsite coyote!
• Buying or selling a used RV? Here’s the latest on prices
Features
Some of these articles are from past issues of RVtravel.com and have been updated for this newsletter.
The Wild Side: Getting closer to critters is easy for RV travelers
By Scott Linden
Relaxing at the edge of a sparkling trout stream, I caught movement on the far bank. The undulating form quickly became an otter, in search of a meal, adventure, fun? How simple it was to sense its fleeting presence – gone in an instant – reminded me that often all you need to do to savor our wild world is to hold still. … America’s favorite outdoor activity is wildlife watching, and RVers are ideally equipped to get up close to bees and bunnies, frogs and other fauna. Continue reading.
A comprehensive new National Park Service App
Did you know there are woolly mammoths in Waco, TX? I just discovered that by exploring the new National Park Service app. It’s a free app you can install on iOS or Android. You’ve always been able to explore park information on the NPS website, but now we have detailed information on each park right on our phones. You can even choose to download a park’s information to your device, so it stays available when you are out of cell service – a situation that happens frequently in National Parks! Continue reading.
All the RV lingo you need to, and should, know
By Gail Marsh
RVers have a unique language. Have you ever wondered why? Me too! Maybe RVers have discovered this wonderful way of seeing the world and want to keep it somewhat “mysterious” to others. Or maybe RVers use their unique lingo to demonstrate their level of experience to “newbies.” It might be that the RV jargon is quicker to say, making it faster for the RVer to stop talking and get to fishing, golfing, sightseeing, relaxing, or whatever the reason they RV. The RV jargon is interesting, for sure! Here are a few examples.
Reader poll
Test the RV park water before you drink it!
How pure is the water at the RV park you just entered? Is it pure enough to drink or full of contaminants? This TDS meter provides an inexpensive and convenient way to instantly check your overall water quality. Don’t risk drinking bad water! Use this hand-held device to check the condition of your water filter, too. Every RVer should have one of these! Learn more or order.
Quick tip
An easy way to avoid flooded RVs
Jett S., a longtime full-timer: “We never leave our campground without turning the water off at the spigot. We make no exceptions and we’re consistent—if we’re away from the RV, the water is turned off. We’ve seen RVs with water pouring out of them and no occupant to be found. We don’t ever want to have that experience! Also, when we get someplace where we plan to stay for a while, we fill our fresh water tank and use that first. If the pump runs when we’re not running water, we know something has loosened during travel and it’s time to inspect our water lines.” Thanks, Jett!
Portable washing machine saves weight for RV. YUP.
By Tony Barthel
This is going to sound strange, but I bought a washing machine to save weight on our long journey to the middle of this country. It sounds nonsensical, but I think my math works out. Continue reading to see how it saves weight, and how well it works.
Work camping: Why now is the time to try it
By Julie Chickery
Work camping is a great way to earn an income and reduce your expenses as a full-time RV traveler. … [T]he world of work camping is vast and there are many opportunities to earn a full-time income as you travel the country. Continue reading.
Beware the “death wobble.” It could happen to your truck
By Gail Marsh
The first time it happened we felt sure we were going to die. No kidding! Our Ford F-250 dually truck was humming down the road when, without warning, the front end began shaking. The front tires felt like they were jumping! The violent shaking of the front end matched the crazy, uncontrollable movement of the steering wheel. It jumped from right to left and back and forth so fast that I don’t know how my husband held on! Continue reading about this not-uncommon experience.
Your assignment
What advice would give an aspiring full-time RVer?
From the editors: We asked our readers this question. Here is one response:
“If you are looking at a motorhome, be very careful comparing the storage areas of them compared to the standard fifth wheels. We have had no experience with bumper pulls so unable to compare. Our personal experience leads us to the following: fifth wheels have much more storage inside the unit and much smaller storage in the basements (the units we have owned and studied). In contrast, the motorhome units have much more basement storage and far less inside the unit. Use this as a general guide and not a rule. Surely opposites are out there so shop smart.” —Jack Averyt
Featured recipe
Homemade Chicken Pot Pie
by Virginia (Ginger) Dean from Toomsboro, GA
This homemade chicken pot pie is an old-timey recipe that’s comfort food at its finest. We like that it doesn’t have a bottom crust. So many times, chicken pot pies end up with a soggy bottom. Inside the filling is super creamy with pops of sweetness from the peas and carrots. It’s filled with juicy pieces of chicken. It makes two pies, so plenty to feed a large family. Just like grandma used to make.
We want this and we want it now! Get the recipe.
[do_widget id=custom_html-21]
Contact information
Editor: Emily Woodbury.
CONTACT US
Editorial (all but news): editor@rvtravel.com
Editorial (news): mikegast@rvtravel.com
Advertising: Advertising@rvtravel.com
Help desk: Contact us.
Everything in this newsletter is true to the best of our knowledge. But we occasionally get something wrong. We’re just human! So don’t go spending $10,000 on something we said was good simply because we said so, or fixing something according to what we suggested (check with your own technician first). Maybe we made a mistake. Tips and/or comments in this newsletter are those of the authors and may not reflect the views of RVtravel.com or this newsletter.
RVtravel.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Regardless of this potential revenue, unless stated otherwise, we only recommend products or services we believe provide value to our readers.
Mail us at 9792 Edmonds Way, #265, Edmonds, WA 98020.
This newsletter is copyright 2022 by RV Travel LLC.
21 foot bunk model a little small for more then 4 people but great if it is just you and the husband. Going full time this summer to Maine for 3 months then on to Walt Disney World for a week then into our new home in NC. Going to be a busy year. The new home in NC is just a stopping point for exploring the east coast now that the west has been fully explored.
Always while working for years I dreamed of Full -Timing in a RV but at the end I realized that wasn’t for me. I like/need to “Tinker” on things and sitting in Campgrounds doing nothing wasn’t going to work out. Instead we kept our Class A to “ Camp” in and bought a Class B to travel & sightsee in and that has been the best thing since sliced bread for us. We take 2-4 month trips seeing and doing everything everywhere then head for the barn. We stay home for a month or so then back out on the road again. We have been to all 49 states & Canada and have put 116,000 miles on RV since 2012. We enjoy every mile & every minute!👍
Love the newsletter(s). But why are some “breaking” stories really old ones? In particular, the use of “new” and “now” in the titles isn’t really correct, given that the stories are 10 and 9 months old, respectively:
A comprehensive new National Park Service App: April 23, 2021
Work camping: Why now is the time to try it: May 7, 2021
And in the Bored article, Elaine said “.. this time of year is great for blueberry picking.” The “this time of year” really caught my eye as there must have been a big weather change in Michigan (as that was posted 4 years ago) as today’s high forecast is for 19 degrees F. Frozen berries anyone?
What else can you do in that kind of weather? Lol
I noticed the same thing after I commented on the National Park Service App.
If you have been an RV Travel reader for sometime… the Full time Newsletter is a lot of old stories from the past. I just skim thru to see if I have missed something.