Volume 2. Issue 37
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.
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This newsletter is sponsored by our friends at Wholesale Warranties.
Page Contents
Quote of the day
“‘After all,’ Anne had said to Marilla once, ‘I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string.’” —L.M. Montgomery
What I’ve learned about RVing in 5 short years
By Gail Marsh
I’m not a long-time RVer. In fact, my hubby and I have only been RVing for the past 5 years. In that time, we’ve learned a lot, but some things hold more importance than others. Here’s what I’ve learned about RVing, including full-time RVing, in those short five years:
Ask questions when you begin RVing
- Ask questions when you purchase your RV (either from an individual or a dealer). We’ve called our dealership numerous times. They’ve always been knowledgeable and patient. We also kept the phone number of the private owner who sold us our latest rig. He, too, has been extremely helpful!
- You can ask neighboring campers for advice. They’ll often guide you to products they’ve used and many times their hints can help you avoid costly mistakes.
- Ask camp hosts/owners your questions. They most likely know great local places to eat and out-of-the-way places to see in the area.
- Ask friends who go RVing for their tips and tricks. No one knows everything, but everyone knows something if they’re RVing. If the advice doesn’t sound quite right, you can check it out with your dealership, look online (check several sources), or refer to your owner’s manual.
- You might need to humble yourself to admit you need help. But you’ll save yourself from bigger embarrassment or potentially expensive repairs if you just go ahead and ask! You can even ask RVTravel! (Hint, hint.)
Did you miss last weekend’s RV Travel Newsletters?
If so, here is some of what you missed…
- Controversial 10-year-RV rule explained
- California’s new vehicle engine rules: What do they mean for RVers?
- This is what your RV says about you
- Which state has the worst drivers? 2021 report ranks them all
Features
Some of these articles are from past issues of RVtravel.com and have been updated for this newsletter.
A story of delicious unknowns – Don’t be afraid to try new things
By Nanci Dixon
We are currently landlocked at my sister’s house in Arizona helping to take care of my dad. I miss the adventure of travel, even just moving a few miles to a new campground. This staying still, without the motorhome or option to pick up and move, is disconcerting. The great outing has become going to the grocery store, which reminds me of the COVID lockdown days! While there, I saw this large, spiky, strange thing in the produce section while looking for something much more well-known and tamer, like watermelon. Continue reading.
Death Valley isn’t dead: The magic of the life inside our great national park
By Chris Epting
I think it’s time to rename Death Valley. Yes, I know the moniker has all that great foreboding mystique. Yes, the name itself is probably what draws many of the visitors in the first place. After all, when you tell people you’re going to “Death Valley” it’s a statement – a marker that says you’re interested in exploring the edge. Continue reading.
A guide to sex in an RV
By Tony Barthel
(Rated PG) More and more of us are spending more time in our RVs. As such we’re doing everything in our RVs from cooking to laundry to making magic of the night. You know, fooling around! But like so many other aspects of RV life, sex in an RV is something that might be approached differently. This is especially true if you have little ones who travel with you. What are the challenges of amorous activities in a mobile vacation machine? Well, there are many. Read more. Then add your own PG-rated tips if Tony has missed anything.
Reader poll
Quick tip
Dead decal removal
Tired of those worn-out RV sidewall decals crisping up at the edges and making your rig look old and tired? Here’s how one RVer was able to remove his: (1) Use a hair dryer (or heat gun used carefully – works much faster) to warm it up. (2) Slide a fingernail under an edge to begin the pull-off process. Peel carefully, reheating as needed. (3) Use “Goo Gone” to remove any remaining adhesive. (4) Immediately wash off the Goo Gone to protect the rig’s gel coat.
Rock strike! Who’s responsible for your broken windshield?
By Russ and Tiña De Maris
You’re happily motoring down the road in your RV. Ahead of you is a dump truck with a load of gravel. Suddenly, that awful thing happens! A chunk of gravel smacks your windshield, and a spidery pattern creeps across your view. Who’s responsible for that broken windshield? Find out here.
Is the Blackstone Griddle worth all the hype? Oh, yeah, it is!
By Nanci Dixon
We were on the lookout for a new grill as our decades-old one was rusting through and literally falling apart. We bought a smaller version of it and it worked well. However, as camp hosts, we have the opportunity to ask a lot of people what they like. As we do our rounds around dinner time, we get to see and smell them in action, too. The Blackstone Griddle name came up so often I wanted to know what all the love was about. You can find out here.
Dear RV parks: Do you purposely set me up for driving disasters?
By Tony Barthel
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 out of my line of sight? Is there some conspiracy between the RV parts suppliers, RV insurance companies, and the campgrounds? Every RVer here knows exactly what I’m going on about. Rocks. Stumps. Power pedestals. Water spigots. In so many RV campgrounds it seems there are things that are well below where I can see them that pose an imminent danger to either my RV or tow vehicle. Read more, then feel free to weigh in.
Your assignment
What advice would give an aspiring full-time RVer?
From the editors: We asked our readers this question. Here is one response:
“Know what you are getting into. Rent or borrow an RV and spend at least a month in it. Move it around so you understand setting up and tearing down. Get a feel for the real cost and what you can comfortably live in. It is life with its own stress factors. Blown-out tires, slides that won’t retract or that got blown away. All parks are different and unique.” —Phyllis Hudson
Featured recipe
BLT Bow-Tie Pasta Salad
by Mary Lee from N/W, IN
The ultimate pasta salad for BLT lovers. The delicate bow-tie pasta is the right pasta choice for this salad. The ranch dressing is super creamy and complements the rest of the flavors. Using bacon bits means no mess from making the bacon but you get the smoky bacon flavor. Cherry tomatoes add a pop of sweetness while fresh, crisp lettuce adds texture. There’s just a hint of red onion in every bite. A delicious pasta salad for summer BBQs everyone will enjoy.
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Contact information
Editor: Emily Woodbury
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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.
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My advice to people who want to become Full Timers, learn about RV’s first. Many new comers have no idea what you have to do to live much less use an RV. When you go to the dealers, they “walk” you through it. NO THEY DONT. Get on YouTube or places like this and research. Find out all you can on how one works, test drive, research the company and what the RV should contain. We took 5 years to find and research our first one. We are on our second RV and have been Full Timers going on 10 years. It will help you immensely. Good luck.
Thanks for the sensible advice, Brenda!
Regarding obstacles in campgrounds. Obstacles are never in the road or area where your RV will be parked. They will be in proximity or on the side of the road or the side of your site. Either way, if you hit something it means you have left the path of travel designed for you to safely use. Your fault.
Well put Clint a well founded logic.
We pulled into a park where we had reservations and went to our assigned site. We could not get into it as they never moved the picnic table out of the site and set it aside. When we called and asked if the reassigned us, they stated no and asked why. When we told them there was a picnic table in our site, apparently they forgot to move it. So I had to get out in the rain and move it out of the site so my husband could park the RV. There will be obstacles anywhere, just be aware it could happen. Tree branches or anything. Now a good running park should have the sites checked, but not all are good ones.
Every state park campground in Pa I go to I have to move the picnic table my self. Before backing in. Then I place it where I want. We can’t expect the park staff to move every picnic table in the campground. If you’re handicapped then I can see asking for help.
I travel solo, and no, I cannot move a heavy wood table by myself. I have literally seen them left in the center of the site where I would need to pull in; others inches from the main road, others listing on an angle in the woods, or completely missing, etc.
Yes, when I have prepaid $42 a night months in advance, I CAN expect the park staff to have the tables in a reasonable location when I get there. Somehow they can ask us to vacate at 11 or 12 a.m. and not check in til 3 or 4, yet no one has time or inclination to cruise the campground to clean garbage out of fire pits or see if tables have been moved to crazy locations during that 4 or 5 hours.
I could have written this same comment happened to us..including the rain! It can happen!
Amen, if you learn what your RV needs to turn you won’t have many problems. In the trucking industry they have decals that go on the mirrors that say; Get Out And Look GOAL these can be bought at most truck stops and should be applied to every RV of tow vehicle. It’s a simple reminder.