From the editors of RVtravel.com, “The RVers’ Voice of Reason.”
Tuesday, August 27, 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, tips on our favorite RVing-related products and, of course, a good laugh. Thanks for joining us. We appreciate you.
Page Contents
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Today’s thought
“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.” ― Bernard M. Baruch
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Just Because Day.
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Tip of the Day
How to back up your rig the GOAL way
For many new RVers, the greatest challenge of the new lifestyle is that of backing up the rig. With the GOAL method, things can be easier.
So what’s your goal? To get the rig SAFELY backed into the campsite with as little fuss as possible. Yes, if you’re in a crowded campground we know there’ll be plenty of rubberneckers who will stare at you as you struggle to get into the site.
So what’s the GOAL method? It’s an acronym for Get Out And Look. There’s really no substitute for physically removing yourself from the behind the wheel and walking back and eyeballing your situation. Backup cameras are great, a spotting helper can do much, but just eyeing it with your own peepers will do more to help you get a feel for what you’re doing than any other method. One RVer put it well when he said he backs part-way into the site, hops out, eyeballs, then backs more, and repeats the process.
Don’t just look at what you might hit with your bumper, either. Look UP to identify low-hanging branches that might hit the roof or roof-mounted units. Ensure you have room to extend your slideouts, too.
And when using the GOAL system, keep the kids strapped in the tow unit, even if you have a spotter working with you. The spotter will be more concerned about keeping an eye on the youngsters, which will greatly increase the chances of hitting something.
Reader poll
Helpful resources
• NATIONAL TRAFFIC AND ROAD CLOSURE INFORMATION.
• ROAD AND TRAFFIC CONDITIONS ACROSS THE NATION.
• WEATHER ALERTS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.
• CURRENT WILDFIRE REPORT.
• LATEST RV RECALLS.
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Random RV Thought
How did we ever get along before GPS? For many of us, it’s hard to think of going back to those analog days. Yet, there is still something magical about unfolding a paper map, spreading it across a table, and plotting/dreaming of where we might head on an adventure.
Website of the day
Roadside America
One of the best things about RVing is visiting the wacky tourist attractions along our paths. From the world’s largest frying pan, to muffler men, to giant dinosaur statues, you can find entertainment aplenty along our highways and byways. The best source of anything and everything that’s offbeat is Roadside America. What fun!
Holy smokes! Look at that motorhome on fire! Click here.
And the Survey Says…
We’ve polled RVtravel.com readers more than 1,500 times in recent years. Here are a couple of things we’ve learned about them:
• Twenty-nine percent report they get water in their RV when they retract their slides.
• Seventy-seven percent use an EMS surge protector when hooking up to electricity.
We’ve done the reading for you. These are the best books about RVing. Click here.
Trivia
Oregon’s John Day Fossil Beds National Monument is one of the richest fossil sites in the world. You would need to travel to Pakistan to find a fossil bed that rivals this one.
Leave here with a laugh
A RVing couple was celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary. Arriving guests noticed the man crying. His wife did, too. “Why are you crying?” she asked. “Do you remember the night we were kissing on your parents’ front porch?” he asked. “Yes,” she replied. “I’ll never forget it. Dad saw us and ordered me to get inside immediately.”
“Well, after you left, he reminded me he was a judge and could kill me and get away with it. Or he could send me to jail for 30 years. He said my third choice was to marry you.”
“I see,” said his wife. “But why are you crying now?” The man began to sob, then, gaining his composure, he said, “I’d be getting out today.”
Today’s Daily Deals at Amazon.com
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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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I have the AllStays app on my iPad. It is a GPS PLUS you can plug in RV campgrounds, showing address (which you can look at on Google maps, website info, phone number and ratings on each campground. Clearance ratings (for our 14 ft Including the AC units), truck stops (we get the Good Sam discount at Flying J and Pilot stations. There’s a whole lot more! Have used it on several cross country adventures!
Now we are selling our home in CA and escaping n our 37 ft Seneca Super C!
I use RV Trip Wizzard and Google maps to plan our route. I print out the entire route, plus: closeups of any confusing intersections/interchanges, a closeup of the route into the campground, a map of the campground sites (if available), and a closeup of the route out of the campground. I print out a satellite view when something’s confusing.
I’ve used Google Street-View to look at the entrance and registration area of campgrounds and to fly down secondary roads for as much as hundred miles to see if the road is acceptable. I’ve found that the GPS and online maps often show county roads that don’t exist. There’s an example of that near my residence that was a logging road 40 years ago–appropriately named “Forgotten Way”. An orchard that we visit was in the right location for years on the GPS and online maps, then they showed it 30 miles away. It took two years for the online maps to be corrected after numerous reports of the error.
In addition, I carry the trucker’s atlas and two maps of each state we’ll be in–one a “Rand McNally Easy to Read” map which only shows major roads–my wife can check it while I’m driving. The other is the most detailed map that I can find–preferably a state transportation map from a Visitor Center. Looking at it requires a stop to spread it out.
Between all that and the GPS, we don’t have much trouble finding our way and can intelligenty respond to detours. My pet peeve is that it’s hard to get a GPS to use my carefully planned route. We often have to ignore the voice telling us to turn and turn around.
I call Baraboo, WI, my “home town” because that’s where I was born and occasionally lived, but we moved frequently. I am another one of those who went to a dozen or so schools from first grade to high school. I guess those of us who grew up moving a lot developed a travel bug that we never got rid of.
Google Earth is my friend. I use it to view the gas stations I pre-select for a trip (both overhead and street view), so i can see if there will be problems getting in or out . I also use it to check out the roads leading from the Interstate to a camp site.
It may take some of the adventure out of motorhoming, but I don’t need the drama of having to unhook my toad to back up or maneuver in tight places.
Amen to all you said George!
I agree with Monty…find route using Mapquest, check route on Google Earth, and print out the directions. Use GPS to augment.
That is the best way to do it!!!!
Paper. Nothing like breaking out the map and finding the way to places and discovering some side places to visit along the way.
Always paper maps. Google is just for entertainment. I’ve lost count of the times It’s insisted that I turn into a residential neighborhood or a nonexistent road.
Be very careful where your GPS might you. I can promise, even the Rand McNally’s RV unit will take you places or down roads you should not go down. I use 3 GPS units and they sometimes don’t agree. I now pull over and check why the don’t agree.
On a computer, I use Mapquest or Google Maps to get directions and print out directions and the map. In addition, I’ll use a GPS or Google Maps on my phone. Sometimes, the GPS or Google Maps on the phone gives me questionable directions, so I go to my printed directions.
I have a awful sense of direction, reading a map never helped. Then I discovered 2 things, 1 a compass in my rear view mirror & GPS. Its also fun using Google earth to actually see where you are going to be & it gives you the coordinates that you just plug the numbers into your RV GPS & off you go. Though sometimes the GPS likes to take a short cut that aint gonna happen.
Dave
I counted the times we had moved between 1st grade and 8th grade, it was 13 times, back then 1949-1957, my dad was moving from one job to the next if it paid a little more to support his family. We didn’t have a stable home atmosphere until he got a job at Fisher Body division of GM.
Yes, paper maps first along with the GPS running. The GPS can go bad, but the paper app are still there.
paper map study first. GPS is handy, but cannot find work-a-rounds or short cuts. Detours confuse it, and where did they move those roads?
Funny you say this… my 10 year old Invion GPS has buttons for “detour” (avoid a certain road for a distance), and can prioritize shortest time, shortest distance, prefer surface roads, avoid toll roads, scenic route and simplest route. If you dug deep into the menus, you could weight the “cost” of turning, so it wouldn’t do 30 little turns through town if going straight only added 100 feet (hello, Google?). I loved it so much that when the released a new model, I ordered it — and they had removed ALL those options in favor of a big “GO” button. I returned it and sent a letter to the company asking W-T-F?!?! They responded that customers were too easily confused to understand these options, so they simplified the interface. Hmmm….. In THEORY, a GPS should be much smarter and up to date than a paper map — in reality, the tech is hobbled by the PEBKAC effect (problem exists between keyboard and chair).
I call Redondo Beach, CA my hometown, only because we lived there the longest. My Dad was an aerospace electronics engineer. Layoffs kept us moving.
I grew up in Redondo too. I’m 71 now and have fond memories of Redondo as a kid. We would ride our bicycles down PCH and our parents were never concerned. Sadly it isn’t the same anymore. Now I’d be afraid to let a kid ride down the street I grew up on. Overcrowded and very angry people.
I never use a GPS—find them awkward. Give me a paper map, anytime! There is nothing like having that piece of paper in my hand…..!!!!
Agreed! I always plan and travel with paper maps. One of the best benefits of AAA membership, in my opinion. Just something about laying them out and seeing the big picture. They’ve never led me astray, unlike my GPS unit!!
I have always used paper maps and have had no problems. I still have some of my maps that I picked up way back in the late 60’s. Every once in awhile I pick up a couple of newer versions. The Rand McNally Road Atlas that is put out for truck drivers also gets me anywhere I want to go. I have a few friends who use the GPS units and I really think the only reason they do use the them is because they have never truly learned how to read a paper map and have no sense of direction anyway. Also most newer vehicles manufactured these days have an onboard compass in the dash and that’s also good because a lot of people wouldn’t know how to use a compass either. All the above just one persons opinion!!
I was an Air Force brat. Enough said.
Ditto, and my wife is a Navy brat. We learned the value of travel early in life. We have never lost the desire to enhance our lives meeting new people, places, food and adventures.
Same here Wayne. 13 schools by the time I graduated high school.