Issue 1007 • November 26, 2018
This newsletter is brought to you Monday through Thursday by RVtravel.com and is funded primarily through voluntary subscription contributions from our readers. Thank you!
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NOTE FROM EDITOR
New website is up and running
Our new RVtravel.com website is now live. Yippee! Please click here to visit the home page. We believe you’ll find it’s a big improvement over the old site in both design and function. Our staff will spend much of this week clicking into every nook and cranny of the website looking for bugs. If you come across any weird stuff, please email Jessica Sarvis at Jessica(at)RVtravel.com.
Did you miss the last Saturday’s RV Travel Newsletter? If so, read it here.
QUICK TIPS
Google before you go
Do a Google map/satellite search of an RV park where you plan to spend a night. You will get a good idea of its terrain, surrounding lands, roads in the area, and if railroad tracks are close by (too often the case, which can mean noisy, sleepless nights). Here is an excellent video presentation of how to use Google Search to find prime Boondocking Spots.
Awning in the rain?
If you must roll up your awning when rain threatens (as opposed to putting a big slant on it to let the rain roll off), be sure to roll it out to dry as soon as possible. Rolled up awnings, when wet, are a great place to grow a crop of mold and mildew.
Traveling in Your RV this Holiday? You need to read this…
Don’t let a minor repair spoil your holiday travels. Road & Homeâ„¢’s full line of RV repair and replacement parts are available in the plumbing section of Lowe’s stores nationwide. Head to the nearest Lowe’s today, or shop online, and take care of fixes without slowing down.
MORE QUICK TIPS
Supplementary brakes
Every state has laws that require any towed vehicle and/or trailer exceeding a specified weight to have its own braking system. The brakes on your motorhome or tow vehicle were designed to stop it, not the additional weight you are towing behind it. Anything you are towing should have a supplementary brake system. Tip from Mark Polk, RV Education 101.
Don’t stuff that drain line too far!
Many RV parks require an air-tight seal around your sewer hose when connecting to the site’s sewer port. If not, don’t be tempted to shove your sewer hose as far down the hole as you can – it can impede the flow of sewage down the mainline. If you don’t have a hose that forms a seal with the sewer’s port, you should have a sewer donut along (no you don’t eat it!).
Do you have a tip? Send it to Russ (at) rvtravel.com
Camp free at farms and wineries
HURRY. JOIN NOW: A new annual membership is going up Jan. 1 from $49 to $79. As a Harvest Hosts member you can stay overnight free at more than 600 wineries, farms, breweries and other attractions! Beautiful locations. Learn more here.
WEBSITE OF THE DAY
Flio
We know you prefer your RV, but sometimes you just can’t avoid flying. Flio is the best airport app out there. Find information about airports, including the basics like departure times and gates, get restaurant recommendations and coupons (it’s worth it just for the coupons, honestly), find Wi-Fi information, lounge areas, and even remember where you parked your car. Visit website.
Check out the long list of great RVing-related websites from RVtravel.com.
Have you shopped at our new RVtravel store?Â
We’ve created a store for you with our favorite products. Shop for RV parts and accessories, gift ideas (we’ve got some good ones), unique kitchen gadgets, space-saving organizers and much more. Click here to shop (and bookmark!).
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Did you know?
Thanksgiving is the reason for TV dinners! In 1953, Swanson had so much extra turkey (260 tons) left over that a salesman told them they should package it onto aluminum trays with other sides like sweet potatoes — and bam! The first TV dinner was born.
Thanks to 1950sUnlimited for the photo!
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You asked for advice, we listened!
ATTENTION RV BUYERS:Â
Join our new Facebook group, RV Advice, where prospective RV buyers can ask veteran RVers what they think of an RV they’re considering buying. Click here.
RV Daily Tips Staff
Editor and Publisher: Chuck Woodbury. Managing editor: Diane McGovern. Staff writer: Emily Woodbury. Contributing writers: Russ De Maris, Bob Difley, Gary Bunzer, Roger Marble, Mike Sokol, Greg Illes, J.M. Montigel and Andrew Robinson. Advertising coordinator: Gail Meyring. Marketing director: Jessica Sarvis. IT wrangler: Kim Christiansen.
ADVERTISE on RVtravel.com and/or in this newsletter. Contact Gail Meyring at Gail(at)RVtravel.com .
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.
Mail us at 9792 Edmonds Way, #265, Edmonds, WA 98020.
This newsletter is copyright 2018 by RVtravel.com
I’m lovin’ the new website!
Great work.
Beautiful new website! Kudos!
No more daily jokes??
I miss the funny
Great Job on the upgrade, Chuck. You & your team ROCK!
Keep up the superb work. Your dedication and professionalism is always greatly appreciated.
Wow, wow and another wow. You have all done a magnificent job. To have only a small delay getting it up and running is incredible. There will be a few glitches as it is tested, as noted by some of the feedback, but this is a major upgrade and takes a bit of time to address all the bugs. Congrats and thank you everyone.
Congrats on the new website format Chuck! Your crew does a great job. Very clean look, good use of white space, and a user friendly layout!
In your article about supplementary brakes, I have to agree with you so I can disagree with you! You said “The brakes on your motorhome or tow vehicle were designed to stop it, not the additional weight you are towing behind it.” So that being said does that mean if my M/H has a GVWR of 28,000 lbs. & the GCWWR is 33,000lbs. So knowing that, it would seem it could handle the extra 5K lbs. for a toad in the braking. Yes I know most states require a supplementary braking system & I have one. I’ve never thought of that before about the actual GCVWR, but it does make sense that whatever the GCVWR is,, it would be designed to do the braking etc.! One other point, lets say you get into a wreck with you M/H & you are towing a toad behind . As the officer fills out his report he notices that you DONT have supplementary brakes on your toad, YOUR M/H insurance may be void!
Dave
The CGWR is what the engine can cope with, not what the brakes can handle.
John, i did misspell GCVWR. I looked it up & thats supposed to mean the engine & drivetrain & chassis can handle all that weight, that includes braking according to SAE J2807 specifications. It only makes sense that the GCVWR means just that.
Dave
No link to the video for RV parks.
It’s been added. We apologize for the oversight, Johnny. Thanks for letting us know. 😀 —Diane at RVtravel.com
missed the laugh at the end
Chuck – Can’t get the google search to work. I try clicking it and nothing.
-Steve
Sorry, Steve. It was overlooked, but has been added (if you’re referring to using Google search to find boondocking locations). Thanks for writing! 😀 —Diane at RVtravel.com
Hi Chuck.
I enjoyed the article “Why We Care”, issue # 873. It was good to finally hear a real story about long term travel and all that goes with it. We have a home base and travel from it, as well.
We have been to similar crappy places along our travels and it is really good to hear, from a site like RVTravel.com, that it is not all sunshine and roses as many RV blogs and sites would have you believe. Especially here in Canada. All the nice places require bookings months in advance and having a home base to plan these trips from works well and we are not left on the side of the road or having to stay in campsites from hell, trying to find other last minute places to stay.
We are recently retired and thought about becoming more full time with RV travel, but found it much more enjoyable to travel for as long as we wanted, rather than be on the road all the time. Having a home base to return to and recharge and reconnect works wonderfully for us. Every trip is a fresh adventure and when we get tired of that trip, we return home, rest, and plan for the next one. I am also a realist and believe that our travels will not be indefinite and we will need a place to go when travelling is done. With all the RV cheerleading sites and blogs out there, I can’t seem to find any with info on what these Millenials and other fulltimers plan to do when it comes to an end for them.
Thanks again to you and your staff. The new site looks good.
Under the poll of how’s your driving abilities, you could add a field of “Pretty good but as I get older I notice my driving is not what it was 50 years ago”
It was directed toward the copilot
Man do I have to hide this article from my wife/copilot !
Re today’s question: My copilot is my 80 lb. lab/shepherd mix. I’m sure she thinks I could use improvement based on her surprise when I brake too hard or don’t stop to meet other dogs walking by.