July 17, 2019
Welcome to another edition of RV Travel’s Daily Tips newsletter. Here you’ll find helpful RV-related and small-space living tips from the pros, travel advice, a handy website of the day, our favorite RVing-related products and, of course, a good laugh. Thanks for joining us. We appreciate you.
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Today’s Thought
“Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better. What if they are a little coarse, and you may get your coat soiled or torn? What if you do fail, and get fairly rolled in the dirt once or twice? Up again, you shall never be so afraid to tumble.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
Tip of the day
Buying a used RV makes sense
For RVers on a budget, buying a used RV makes sense. Dollar for dollar the owners will get more RV for far less money. Instead of a brand-new 24-foot Class C, the same investment may buy a recent-model 30-foot Class A packed with extras. And if the used RV has been well cared for, it may look and drive virtually like new, and reward its new owner with years of service. The pace of a brand-new RV’s depreciation, fast in the first few years, will be far slower in the those that follow if it’s bought used. We’ve heard of RVers who bought a nice preowned RV one year and sold it a year later for the same price.
RV club of the day
Coachmen Owner’s Association
COA provides a broad breadth of value propositions for its owners including planned trips and tours, free trip routing, free campground directory, a mail forwarding service and a website with local and state club news and list of upcoming gatherings. A membership is free to Coachmen owners.
Reader poll
Free travel information
Virginia Travel Guide
The 2019 Virginia Travel Guide is a great place to begin your discovery, as each contributor was invited to share what they love most about Virginia. From renowned chefs to a National Geographic photographer to tour guides and history buffs, this guide is a curated collection of personal narratives, recommendations and memories from locals and visitors alike. Order a printed directory or download immediately.
Also, if you have a disability that makes travel a challenge, here’s a guide from Virginia that may be of help.
TRAFFIC AND ROAD CLOSURE INFORMATION.
ALSO: ROAD AND TRAFFIC CONDITIONS ACROSS THE NATION.
Get rid of your RV’s P-trap. Look here.
An honest RV dealer (and one of our sponsors). Click to learn more.
Quick tip
One of the most common RV repairs is to its steps. Be sure to keep yours lubricated to minimize trouble.
Website of the day
Camping in Australia. Does the idea of RVing in Australia appeal to you? If so, here’s a good rundown of what you can expect if you head there. You’ll learn that much of the lifestyle is what we are accustomed to in North America. But there are differences.
Avoid the crowds this summer
Looking to get away this summer, but not interested in the crowds that come with popular destinations? Donna Hull from My Itchy Travel Feet suggests choosing holiday spots at off-the-beaten-path destinations, state parks rather than national parks, or less popular places that are hidden gems. In her latest blog post for Cummins, Donna shares six uncrowded destinations in the American West.
CLUBS & USEFUL ORGANIZATIONS
PLEASE NOTE: We may receive an affiliate commission if you join any of these.
• Harvest Hosts: Stay free at farms, wineries and other scenic and peaceful locations for free. Save 15% on membership.
• Overnight RV parking. Directory of more than 14,000 locations where you can stay for free or nearly free with your RV. Modest membership fee.
• Boondockers Welcome. Stay at homes of RVers who welcome you in their driveways, yards, farmland or other space on their private property. Modest membership fee.
• No park Walmarts. Best directory of stores that do not allow overnight stays with RVs.
Popular articles you may have missed at RVtravel.com
• RV wipes out, totaled, only 20 minutes after couple buy it.
• Destination trailers getting popular with RVers.
• Living and dying at the Walmart parking lot.
#852
Looking for RV furniture? Look here.
An excellent tire pressure monitoring system. Click
Trivia
Before she became famous, Marilyn Monroe was the 1948 Artichoke Queen in Castroville, Calif., which is still dubbed the “Artichoke Center of the World.”
Leave here with a laugh
From a grandmother: “At the mall, my five-year-old granddaughter joined the other children in line waiting to sit on the Easter Bunny’s lap. When it was her turn, Emma didn’t move; she just stared. ‘Don’t you want to sit on the bunny’s lap?’ I asked. “No!” she shouted. “There’s a man in his mouth!”
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RV Daily Tips Staff
Editor and Publisher: Chuck Woodbury. Managing editor: Diane McGovern. Advertising director: Emily Woodbury. Marketing director: Jessica Sarvis. Financial affairs director: Gail Meyring. IT wrangler: Kim Christiansen.
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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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This newsletter is copyright 2019 by RVtravel.com
What I like the most with the ice cream is twist. If do not know what that is, that is when you twist the two flavors together on the cone.
Australia – Depending on how long one travels there it could be more economical to buy and sell a campervan. We spent 5 months there 2 years ago and did just that. There is a huge market in used campervans in OZ. Many Europeans and Orientals travel there that way. We bought and sold through an Ebay site called Gumtree. http://www.gumtree.com.au There are all ages and quality campervans on it. We bought and sold a 1985 Toyota poptop that had everything except an indoor pottie. We did lose $2000 AUD on the deal. $400/month is not bad when compared to renting one. We put 15,000 miles (24000 km) on in the 5 months and only covered the eastern half of OZ. Our story is at http://www.bobkatsjaunt.com/australia.html
I’m about to purchase a 2002 VW Vista Winnebago. Any advice?
Suzi, you might want to post the question on our Facebook group, RV Buying Advice. Here’s the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/rvbuyingadvice/ Good luck and wishing you many happy years of RVing! 😀 —Diane at RVtravel.com
Why all the old news? Every article I’ve read so far is from last year…
Can not eat any dairy products
If it is ice cream, may I have your portion then?? 🙂
Stay cool
???❤️❗️
My new most favorite ice cream flavor is Huckleberry!!!! That moves chocolate to second place!
I agree Huckleberry is the best,
Vanilla or chocolate? Nobody asked about your lactose intolerant or none at all. Just answer the question in front of you. SIMPLE.
You must have got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, IMO your comment was uncalled for. Anyone can post anything on here with no judgement.
Once, when driving our FANTASTIC 22′ Itasca Sunflyer northbound in the curb lane on the Golden Gate Bridge I heard a distinct but soft ‘grinding’ noise every few seconds. We pulled off at the viewpoint at the north end of the bridge and I discovered my step had either popped out (or I had left it out when leaving Santa Cruz) and had been just touching the curb as I drove across. No real damage done except carpet cover was almost completely worn through where it wraps around the outer edge of the step.
Maybe nothing to do with lube but also a good reminder to make sure we complete the pre-departure checklist. You know … roof vents closed, gas off, fridge door secured, dog in, step up, etc.
I bought a 24-year-old Class A at a great price and put as much as I paid for it back in, with solar, internet and every bell an whistle I wanted, now I have an older looking rv with every modern convenience of a new one and traveling alone I have never been bothered, no one messes with an old rv.
I had to put Neither on the survey as I have a dairy allergy.
It appears that, after the recent revamp of RVTRAVEL, I’m seeing more annoying ads. Banner at bottom that doesn’t go away. So many ads to wade through before you can even get to the important material. I understand sponsorship to help support RV’s program and awesome service to all its readers/members but, it seems like a heavy amount of ads. Could this be because I’m reading from my phone where everything is crammed into a small screen?
Excellent material you send out, though.
Thank you!
P.S., how long does it take Mr. Sokol to reply to emails? Still waiting.
I suppose he’s on email #2,347,887,23. I think I’m next 🙂
Robert, as you can imagine I’m getting hundreds (yes, literally hundreds) of emails and inquiries each week, so I can only answer the most universal ones in columns. That’s also why I added a second Just Ask Mike (JAM Session) each week. I’m looking for yours right now but I don’t see it. Please email it to mike@rvtravel.com and I’ll take a look at it today.
Everyone… Please remember that my RVelectricity gig (which includes RVelectricity articles, videos, seminars and blogs) is only a part-time job for me. If I could find a grant that would allow me to quit my main day job I would be more than willing to devote myself to RVelectricity full time. But I can’t get any traction with the RV industry, and I don’t want to beg for money from my readership. So you all have to be little patient if I don’t answer you right away. So many electrons, so little time.
Lactose intolerant.
It seems most articles about RV’s are about motor homes. How about feedback specifically for travel trailers? I don’t own a motor home, and probably won’t for my reasons. Items addressing the motor care and driving them are less relevant to me. Just a thought. I do enjoy the newsletter overall for sure. Thank you.
Chocolate or Vanilla, choose? Just choose! (Landmark)
Because of health reasons, we’ve stopped using dairy products.
Why does the Travel TIPS newsletter for today, have articles that are more than a Year Old?
ie. Travel Trailer destroyed 20 minutes after being purchased and Living and Dying in Walmart Parking lots.
Just curious!
I read the title as “Popular articles you may have missed at RVtravel.com”, nothing about it being the latest news….
I had never seen the article before and after reading the whole page, I did learn some things. I would think that is what the staff hope to accomplish, people learning from mistakes.
Stay cool
It would be interesting to see how today’s chocolate vs. vanilla quiz would work out if split between men and women.
That’s a good one, Jeanne! It would be interesting.
very good question . wife likes all chocolate , I prefer vanilla , but also acceptable if mixed with a little bit of chocolate .