RV Daily Tips. Thursday, December 24, 2020

Issue 1500
Welcome to another edition of RV Travel’s Daily Tips newsletter. Here you’ll find helpful RV-related and 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. Please tell your friends about us.

No newsletter tomorrow! We are taking the holiday off. See you on Saturday! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to each and every one of you. Your readership is the best gift we could ask for! —Emily, Chuck, Diane and the rest of our incredible, hard-working staff!

And in the spirit of the day, a Christmas song for you that will warm your heart and probably bring back some fond memories.

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Today’s thought

“May you never be too grown up to search the skies on Christmas Eve.” —Unknown

Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is Christmas Eve, of course! But it’s also National Eggnog Day…

On this day in history: 1818 – The first performance of “Silent Night” takes place in the church of St. Nikolaus in Oberndorf, Austria.

Tip(s) of the Day

Caution: RV ladders and roofs are slippery when wet

Many RVs come with ladders to access the roof for maintenance, or for accessing a storage pod, etc. The ladder and roof surfaces can be very slippery when wet, especially during the winter when ice forms on horizontal surfaces. Anti-Slip grit tape can help. It’s available in various sizes, colors and forms (i.e., strips and rolls). It can be cut to size to apply to ladder rungs, and used on the aluminum roof of your coach (if roof is designed to hold a person, of course) as stepping spots to help you keep from slipping. Get it at most RV parts and accessories stores, and Amazon, of course.

Lube, Lube, Lube

When two objects rub while moving, it creates friction and wear. Your RV is full of these wear points. Keep them lubed and protected! What wear points, you ask? Well, let’s see… ALL the hinges, like entry door, compartment door, refrigerator, large cabinet doors, etc. RV steps are a big one, especially if you have an electric step. And don’t forget leveling jacks on any RV, pop-up camper lifting mechanisms, and slide out mechanisms including proper treatment of the slide seals. All the locks on the unit need lubrication.

Do you have a tip? Submit it here.

Today’s RV review…

In today’s column, industry insider Tony Barthel reviews Santa’s Sleigh. As he reports… You’ll have to read this wonderful review to find out what that means! Learn more.

Did you read Tony’s review yesterday of the 2021 Flagstaff E-Pro 20FBS Travel Trailer? If you missed it, you can read it here.

For previous RV reviews, click here.

Is this your RV?

If it’s yours and you can prove it to us (send a photo for comparison), tell us here by 9 p.m. Pacific Standard time today, December 24, 2020. If it’s yours you’ll win a $25 Amazon gift certificate.

If this isn’t your RV, send us a photo of your RV here (if you haven’t already) for a chance to win in future issues.

This past week two people claimed their $25 gift card: Richard G. of Ventura, CA, and Jane F. of Fort Meyers, FL.

We’ll have another photo in Saturday’s newsletter (sign up to receive an email alert so you don’t miss the issue or those that follow). Some of these photos are submitted by readers while others were taken by our editors and writers on their travels around the USA.

‘Tis the season … for mistletoe

A starling flew to a branch of an oak tree and began scraping the sticky fruits from its beak. Seeds within the small, whitish flesh were jammed into crevices in the rough bark and thus were planted. Upon germination, a small adhesive “foot” would anchor the seedling to its host. The life of a new mistletoe plant had begun.
Read the fascinating history of this holiday plant here.

Yesterday’s featured article: Video: Why loading a trailer improperly can lead to danger

You may have missed these recent popular stories…

• New RVs sitting in manufacturers’ fields. No parts to finish them!
• Three RV parks where you can fish without a state license
• RVing and autopsy tables
• What are the best cars to flat tow? We review some options

Reader poll

Out of these options, pick a Christmas dessert to eat

Now bring us some figgy pudding… Tell us here!

These RVs are merry AND bright! Check out our readers’ decorated RVs

Quick Tip

Wacky sewer hookup problem solution

At some campgrounds and RV parks the sewer connection may be on the wrong side of your RV, or is too far to reach from your campsite. If so, check to see if the campground has a dump station to use as you depart. That may be easier than trying to connect your sewer hose with the wacky setup. Another idea is to drive through any empty campsite when you leave, pausing long enough to dump your tanks in an accessible sewer disposal.

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This puzzle is hilarious! This will keep you busy into 2021…

Website of the day

Why do we have Christmas trees?
This article from National Geographic tells you “the surprising history behind this holiday tradition” – and it’s fascinating!

And the Survey Says…

We’ve polled RVtravel.com readers more than 1,500 times in recent years. Here are a few things we’ve learned about them:

• 15 percent say rye is their favorite type of bread
• 20 percent have toured at least one RV factory
• 21 percent pay more than $100 a month to store their RV when they’re not using it

Recent poll: How comfortable are you at the wheel driving of towing your RV?

Trivia

The cost of a haircut can vary dramatically wherever you are. The company Square reported that in 2018, an average women’s haircut was $29 in Wyoming. That would seem like a great bargain to women in Washington, D.C., where the average cut was $75.

*If Earth’s history were condensed into 24 hours, what time would humans appear? It’s a fascinating answer. Read it here.

Need a good book for the new year? “Travels with Charley”: A man and his dog set off in the 1960s in a home-built RV to see America. A John Steinbeck classic that every RVer will love! “One of my all-time favorite books,” says RVtravel.com editor Chuck Woodbury. Learn more or order.

Readers’ Pet of the Day

“This is Bernadette, who we call Bernie. She is a 5-year-old Golden Doodle who is a great traveler. Bernie is up for anything – hiking, riding in the motorhome, Jeeping, or just relaxing on ‘her’ couch!” —Christine Gray

Send us a photo of your pet with a short description. We publish one each weekday in RV Daily Tips and in our Saturday RV Travel newsletter.

Leave here with a laugh

We posted this video last year on Christmas Eve, too, but we can’t help but share it again – it is just too wonderful! Click to play. There’s no way you won’t smile!

Did you miss the latest RV Travel Newsletter? If so, read it here.
Oh, and if you missed the latest Sunday News for RVers, make sure to catch up here.

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RV Daily Tips Staff

Publisher: Chuck Woodbury. Editor: Emily Woodbury. Senior editor: Diane McGovern. Social media and special projects director: Jessica Sarvis. Financial affairs director: Gail Meyring. IT wrangler: Kim Christiansen.

This website utilizes some advertising services. 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.

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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