Issue 1913
Welcome to RV Travel’s Daily Tips Newsletter, where you’ll find helpful RV-related tips from the pros, travel advice, product reviews and more. Thanks for joining us. Please tell your friends about us.
Page Contents
Today’s thought
“What’s the good of living if you don’t try a few things?” ―
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National New Jersey Day!
On this day in history: 1866 – The first permanent transatlantic telegraph cable is successfully completed, stretching from Valentia Island, Ireland, to Heart’s Content, Newfoundland.
Tip of the Day
Keep those prescription costs down
By Russ and Tiña De Maris
Spend any amount of time on the road with your RV, you quickly learn the ropes of how to keep up with the mundane: Getting your mail when away from “home” and paying the bills. Add, getting those prescription drugs. That can be a bit dicey, particularly if you don’t have drug coverage in your health plan.
Perhaps availability is the biggest issue. If you’re moving around a lot, there’s no way you’re going to have the regular corner pharmacy available. While the mom-and-pop pharmacy may no longer work for you, that doesn’t mean getting your prescriptions refilled will become a huge issue. Happily, with the advent of networked computer systems, there are plenty of pharmacy chains that, once your prescription is “in the system,” will follow you wherever you go.
Today’s RV review…
East To West Ahara 365RL fifth wheel—standing out
Tony writes, “It’s a crowded market out there and, to make something that stands out, it’s going to take some work. I will say of all the fifth wheel brands out there, Grand Design has probably done the best with their brand managements and customer relations. Like with Airstreams, campers who have a Grand Design, say they have a Grand Design and want to tell you how much they like it. That’s an enviable place to be.
“Frankly, I would rather have one of these over the comparable Grand Design product just because I like the feature set and build methodology of this brand.”
For previous RV reviews, click here.
Photo Contest
The eighth edition of our photo contest is here. Click to see if your photo made the cut, then vote in our poll for your favorite photo. Remember, the winner wins a $50 Amazon gift card! Read the contest rules and/or submit your photo here.
Click here to vote for your favorite
CONTEST! Is this your RV?
Win a $25 Amazon gift certificate if today’s RV photo shows your rig
Every day we post a photo of an RV either submitted by its owner or by our editors as they move about the country.
Click here to see if your RV made it into today’s issue.
Ask Dave
Dave Solberg is a leading expert in the RV industry and author of the “RV Handbook.”
Black tank smells but not until a few days after dumping. Why so late?
Dear Dave,
We have been full-time in this rig for five years now and lately are having a lot of issues with black tank smells. Since we live in SW FL, the heat requires frequent dumping. In cooler months we can easily go four weeks without issues. We dump and thoroughly clean once a week and have been using Camco TST Max treatment in-between. We dump, attach the water hose and let that fill up, and empty it twice. Another thought was that maybe we weren’t using enough water to flush after use, so we increased that. Also, we checked the vents, which appear to be fine.
Read the rest of the question and Dave’s reply.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR TOMORROW AT 7 P.M. EASTERN (4 P.M. PACIFIC). Our tech expert Dave Solberg will hold a live one-hour Zoom meeting with other experts to discuss some of the most asked questions from our readers. We’ll have more info in tomorrow’s newsletter about how to join the online audience.
Video of the day
Cool it! The best practices when using a generator for RV air conditioners
By Cheri Sicard
Are you planning on using a generator for RV air conditioners? Wait! Don’t just plug it in and turn it on! Check out this informative video for best practices when using a generator for RV air conditioners first. Doing so will help ensure your RV air conditioner works properly, without compromising your generator or your other appliances.
We got into an accident. Here’s what we learned that may help you
By Gail Marsh
Two days. Just two days until we’d be heading back north after several months in sunny, warm Florida. Two days. I was already packing up some things that we’d take out of our fifth wheel when we got home. My husband was making a final run: diesel fuel for the truck and travel snacks for me. Then it happened. Hubby hit a parking lot post. Hard. … And just like that, our two days turned into potentially two weeks or more. Read more for tips in case this ever happens to you (hopefully not!).
Reader poll
Do you sometimes stay in a hotel/motel on a long RV trip?
?????? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??????
We bet nobody has ever told you to smoosh your cat before! Well, do it! Smoosh the cat!
Helpful resources
• CURRENT WILDFIRE REPORT
• CURRENT SMOKE AND FIRE REPORT
• NATIONAL TRAFFIC AND ROAD CLOSURE INFORMATION
• ROAD AND TRAFFIC CONDITIONS ACROSS THE NATION
• WEATHER ALERTS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
• LATEST RV RECALLS
• DIRECTORY OF RV PARKS WITH STORM SHELTERS
• THE BEST RV TRIP PLANNER APPS AND TOOLS
Did you buy a lemon RV? Here’s more about RV lemons and lawyers who will represent you if you need help.
If you enjoy this newsletter, please help us spread the word! Learn more here. It’s fun!
Quick Tip
Overheated wheel hubs
If you plan to use an infrared thermometer—or just hand touch a wheel hub—don’t do that after using the brakes, as the brake shoes will heat up the drum and give you a false reading. Somewhere where you have lots of room, like a highway pull-off or rest area, pull in slowly after downshifting and pretty much let the RV come to a stop without much of a brake application. Then you will get a more accurate reading.” Thanks to George B.
On this day last year…
- Tip: Mini stick-on button lamps are perfect for RV’s dark spaces
- RV Review: 2022 Jayco Jay Flight SLX 7 195RB Travel Trailer
- Featured article: Readers’ favorite RV parks and campgrounds. Stayed at any of these?
- Recipe: Grilled Steak and Veggie Tacos
Website of the day
Everfest
For those of you who enjoy going to festivals (music, food, cultural, historical, seasonal, film, etc.), this website is for you. Everfest lists every upcoming festival around the country—search by festival or category. If the dates aren’t listed, copy the festival to Google and you’ll see the dates there.
Popular articles you may have missed at RVtravel.com
• Danger! Check your RV’s mattress for fiberglass! Yes, really!
• 5 mistaken assumptions the new full-time RVer makes
• Work camping: Why now is the time to try it
Recipe of the Day
Honey Barbecue Chicken Sandwiches
by Heather Trice from Indianapolis, IN
This super-easy shredded chicken recipe is great! What I love is the addition of Italian dressing. It gives a little tang to the BBQ sauce. This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled for a crowd. Great for a tailgate, cookout or an easy weeknight meal.
Trivia
The highest-grossing entertainment event in history was not a Super Bowl, not a concert, not a movie… but a play! Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1986 hit, The Phantom of the Opera, has brought in 5.6 billion (BILLION!) dollars since it opened in London’s West End. It opened on New York’s Broadway a couple of years later and has been there ever since. It’s estimated that more than 130 million people have seen the play in 145 cities across 27 countries. Wow!
*What was one of the “cool” trends back in the 1930s? Hint: It’s something you’d NEVER (we mean never!) do today. Click here to read yesterday’s trivia to find out.
Readers’ Pets of the Day
“Gypsy, a Maine Coon, and Remy, a rescue, are the best travelers! They love lounging and watching all the birds from the windows! They have been going on our trips for almost two years and adapted very well from the start! They do fuss a little in the first hour on the road, but settle down and are quiet until we reach our destination! It is great to have them with us wherever we go!” —Karen Bates
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. No blurry photos, please! Please do not submit your photo more than once. Thanks!
Pet owners: Here are a few excellent resources to find a veterinarian while on the road. Keep this handy!
Leave here with a laugh
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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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I thot my Psychic powers had kicked in and that I had read Wednesday’s newsletter a day in advance. Then I thot, Oh, I must not have gone to bed yet. Then I saw the correction. NUTS! I was having fun in the Twilight Zone there for a couple of minutes. This newsletter is always informative AND FUN. Now I realize that 28/7 Diane Robot was involved.
😆 Yep. Johnny is my brother. (He works lots faster than I do, however, so he doesn’t have to work 28/7.) Have a great day, Kelly! 😀 –Diane
Wasn’t it Alfred E. Neuman / Newman? that said “Who, me make a mistake?” 🙂
Hi, Lil John. That’s close. I think my middle name is “Alfred.” 😯 When I proofed the email alert yesterday, I thought today was Tuesday, so it looked perfectly fine to me! I had a very harrowing Monday so I think my brain just deleted it and decided yesterday was really Monday so I could get a fresh start on the week! Sheesh! Have a great day. 😀 –Diane
Love the cats! I’ve had a lot of cats but the Maine Coons, Rocky, Jake, and Luna, were the best!
Thanks for the list of Emergency Vets. It reminded me to get Vet info for our September trip. I even found a Doggie Daycare!
In the trivia, it’s a little silly to compare an ongoing play over decades of time in many locations to any other single event.
Since it mentions the Super Bowl, it is estimated that 208 million people WW viewed just the last one. So think what that viewing total is over time! In addition, just the 2021 Super Bowl generated $485M in ad revenue for the NFL, and that doesn’t include ticket sales, etc. The 2022 Bowl is estimated to have generated $14.6 Billion of economic activity in the US alone.
Hey…I don’t even watch the bowl…just quickly looked up a few readily available internet factiods! Take the Superbowl’s numbers over the same time period as the Phantom play and it’s clearly no comparison!
My wife says I have a button in my butt, every time I set down I fall asleep! LOL
Seriously though I do fall asleep very fast, she’s timed me and at times its less than 30 seconds. All I know is when I snore and it wakes me, it irritates me cause I’ve been woken up!!!!! ☺
All I have to do is lay my head back or down and I can go right to sleep. Do it every night when the wife calls her mother. (LOL)
Email link sent me to yesterday’s newsletter. Had to go through the main website to find today’s.
Sorry, Dave. Our error. The correct link has been added to the newsletter that was sent. Our apologies. Have a great day. –Diane
Not sure it’s just me but my emailed newsletter linked to Tuesday’s edition
Ya, it’s like Deja Vu all over again. 😂
Hi, Tony. Your comment is Deja Vu all over again (again) for me, too, since I just used that term in a phone conversation last night. 😆 Take care. 😀 –Diane
The link in today’s email is incorrect.
I changed rvdt1912 to rvdt1913 to get the correct page.
Thanks