Issue 1919
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
“We can know only that we know nothing. And that is the highest degree of human wisdom.” ―
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day! (Check out the Trivia below.)
On this day in history: One of the most well-known figures of the 20th century and a victim of the Holocaust, 14-year-old Anne Frank and her family were captured and arrested by the Germans from their hiding place in Amsterdam.
Tip of the Day
12 simple ways you can make fellow campers happy
By Gail Marsh
We all want to be happy campers, right? Well, here are ten tips to make sure your fellow campers are happy to be camping near you. A little consideration and simple campground manners will make everyone happier.
- If you notice that your RV neighbors are hosting an outdoor picnic and games, please wait to dump your tanks until the festivities end.
- Take your cell phone off speaker when outside your RV, unless you want everyone in the campground to know about your dad’s bowel issues. …
Today’s RV review…
XBUS Camper is a small, quirky electric vehicle
Tony writes, “Honestly, I don’t know how many serious campers this will attract, even in Germany where their standards of what constitutes a camper are different than ours. But it is cool to see this thing. The idea of a modular vehicle that you can use in your business is going to be a hit, in my opinion.
“I like seeing companies do things that aren’t typical or the same ol’, same ol’, as you all know.”
For previous RV reviews, click here.
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.”
Is there anything I can do to improve gas mileage?
Dear Dave,
Is there anything I can do to improve my gas mileage? —Randy, 2009 Winnie Outlook
Video of the day
RV towing tips: What does the tow haul button do?
By Cheri Sicard
Does your truck or tow vehicle have a tow or haul button? What does that button do? Do you need to always use the button when towing a travel trailer or fifth wheel?
I didn’t know any of these things when I first discovered the tow haul button on my new (to me) 2500 Dodge Ram. The owner’s manual was not a whole lot of help either.
Having a tow vehicle with the option of a tow haul button was something new to me. Likewise, I was happy to find the short informative video below from the National RV Training Academy that explains all.
Don’t forget to vote in yesterday’s photo contest. The voting deadline is midnight tonight! Click here.
Moving from a “house RV” to an “apartment RV.” How do we downsize?
By Nanci Dixon
After a popular trend to “Go Big,” more and more RVers are deciding to ditch the big rig and downsize to a smaller RV. Class B van-style RVs and smaller Class C’s are definitely more nimble to drive and park, not to mention the ease of backing into tight spots and stopping for groceries and dining out. Campground crowding is making it harder to find big rig campsites, plus a smaller RV opens up far more opportunities to camp in national and state parks. Readers Suzanne and Danny R. asked how is an RVer supposed go about the Herculean task of downsizing? Get a gazillion great tips here.
Reader poll
How often do you cook over a campfire?
If you enjoy this newsletter, please help us spread the word! Learn more here. It’s fun!
Quick Tip
Overzealous LP detector?
Sometimes RVers complain that their LP detectors alarm for no obvious reason. While these electronic sniffers are designed to alert when they sense LP gas, there are other things that can cause them to launch into that ear-irritating behavior. Hair spray, cooking odors, even dog farts can create “false alarms.” Try opening a window when you blast the hair spray, and be sure to run the range fan when cooking. As to Bowser? We’ll leave that one to our readers to make a suggestion.
On this day last year…
- Tip: Be weight- and space-efficient in your RV kitchen
- RV review: 2022 Alliance Avenue 32RLS Fifth Wheel
- Ask Dave: If my slide outs are motor-driven, which part should I lube?
- Featured article: The truth about Butt Wipes and RV holding tanks
- Recipe: Homemade Chicken Hot Pockets
?????? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??????
Now don’t take offense, but we need to tell you something… you suck. You really do. But this will help!
Website of the day
How to Maintain & Extinguish Your Campfire
This helpful and well-designed page on smokeybear.com is a great resource. Now more than ever it’s important to know how to maintain a proper campfire, and once you’re done for the evening, know how to put it out.
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:
• 43 percent do not consider themselves to be artistic (“not one bit!” they answered).
• 8 percent have between 10-20 keys on their key ring.
• 36 percent pay to store their RV somewhere.
Recent poll: Is your life boring, stimulating, or somewhere in between?
Recipe of the Day
Sour Cream Halibut
by Gina Schmitz from Juneau, AK
An easy and delicious way to bake halibut. The halibut is tender and moist. The sauce is rich with a creamy, tangy flavor. Serve this easy-to-make recipe for dinner and everyone will be asking for seconds. It’s simple for a weeknight meal but fancy enough when hosting company.
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Trivia
Since it’s National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day… The first Chocolate Chip Cookie was actually made by accident in Whitman, Massachusetts, in an inn called the Toll House. In 1938, Ruth Graves Wakefield one day planned on making regular chocolate cookies but got the great idea of throwing in chunks of a chocolate bar into it. Much to her surprise, the chocolate did not mix well with the cookie and instead, it filled up with tasty chunks of chocolate. This fortunate turn of events led to the emergence of the Chocolate Chip Cookie and the birth of the Toll House company.
*In 2019, what percentage of wildfires were started by humans? Take a guess then find the number in yesterday’s trivia.
Readers’ Pet of the Day
“Luke, our Cocker Spaniel, is 11 years old and loves to go on treks in his Tiffin Phaeton 40IH. His favorite campground is the Spearfish City Campground in South Dakota, and he likes attending ‘The Festival in the Park’!” —Randall Anderson
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!
Leave here with a laugh
Do you remember that song, Ode to Billie Joe, by Bobbie Gentry? Thanks to Tom Hart for sending this to us!
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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Contact information
Editor: Emily Woodbury
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Anyone who has a Betty Crocker cookbook from the 1950s would also know the story of the toll house cookie. But I add one better. Dark chocolate chips…..O my.
I think Luke might just be one spoiled boy! That’s ok though our girl Minnie is super spoiled!
How many others have experienced neighbors not realizing that their exterior speakers were on when they were inside enjoying a loud movie? Or, how many dog owners ask around to see if their pets behave when they’re out, or do they howl all day long?
Luke is adorable. Almost could pass for one of those stuffed toys, except for the big smile.
Thank you for these newsletters. They are a great source of information and entertainment; thank you!
Thank you for your kind words, Neal. We appreciate them, and YOU – for being a longtime reader and frequent commenter. Take care. 😀 –Diane
Diane, thank you for always being there when a member needed help or just to complain! You are the best!
Snoopy
Awww. Thanks, Snoopy! That made me smile/blush. Yep, I’m here 28/7/365 (well, sometimes it feels like it anyway) – just in case one of our wonderful readers needs something. Always glad to help! Take care. 😀 –Diane
I wonder what the context of Tolstoy’s remark was? If we know nothing, we can’t even “know” we know that, not even “cogito ergo sum”! As for me, I know that Proverbs 1:7 and 3:5-7 is the basis of all wisdom upon which real knowledge is founded. In passing, Bobbie Gentry’s life has been sad, like her song.
Luke, the Spearfish City C. G. is one of our favorites too.
Tow Button. the video shown was not much good as far as I am concerned, all they did is chat and didn’t provide any useful information.
AMEN!! John
agree…..
Waste of time, said nothing.
Actually, there are several Tallahatchie bridges. I have driven across many of them while criss crossing the state.
When she was a young teenager, my wife and her younger sister almost drove their mom crazy by singing that song repeatedly in the back seat of their Ford Galaxie while driving from Memphis Tennessee to Long Island NY to stay with their older sister for the summer. Their mom drove unusually fast that year.