Issue 2019
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.
Today’s thought
“There are three stages of man: he believes in Santa Claus; he does not believe in Santa Claus; he is Santa Claus.” —Bob Phillips
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Re-Gifting Day!
On this day in history: 1937 – The Lincoln Tunnel opens to traffic in New York City.
Tip of the Day
9 ways to use pencils (no writing involved)
By Gail Marsh
You probably have at least two or three pencils in your RV at any given time. You may use them to jot a note or add an item to your grocery list. But did you know that the lowly pencil can do so much more than that? It’s true! Here are some unusual and useful ways to use them at home and in your RV (no writing involved).
Needle keeper
When we travel, I take along a very small sewing repair kit. If I need to replace a button or make another fabric fix, I use a pencil eraser for my pin cushion. It works like a charm!
Toothpaste roller
Use a pencil to get the very last bit of toothpaste from the tube. Place the pencil perpendicular to the end of the tube. Press the pencil as you roll it toward the top of the tube and voila!
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 and writers 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.”
RV manufacturer said installing Wi-Fi booster would void warranty. What?!
Dear Dave,
I contacted Heartland about adding a Wi-Fi booster antenna to my RV and they said it would void my warranty. I would appreciate any installation suggestions. Thanks. —Bob, ’22 Heartland TR 251 BH
Video of the day
Camping and ticks: What RVers need to know
By Cheri Sicard
Slim Potatohead, one of my favorite outdoors vloggers, returns with an important video that all campers and RVers should definitely watch. It concerns camping and ticks. For such a small creature, ticks can inspire a whole of anxiety!
Camping is a “piece of cake” and you’ll “sleep like a log” when you’re not “roughing it”
By Gail Marsh
So many idioms, so little time! Did you know that the English language has more than 25,000 idioms? That’s right, 25,000! … It stands to reason that camping has contributed to the great number of idioms in today’s language. Let’s take a look at just a few.
Collapsible salad spinner is perfect for RV kitchen
Salad spinners tend to take up a lot of precious, limited RV kitchen space. This Prepworks spinner folds down almost flat, so you can keep it nice and organized. It’s got an easy-to-use crank handle, which quickly dries lettuce or other veggies. You can use the nicely designed outer bowl as a serving dish, so you’ve got two in one, and it’s dishwasher safe for easy cleanup! Learn more or order.
Reader poll
What beverage do you drink the most amount of each day?
Quick Tip
Insurance awareness for motorhomers with toads
If you have a motorhome and are towing a car (toad), you must have a policy that covers both car and motorhome. If you are in an accident, most likely both will be damaged. If you have policies with two insurance companies, you are looking at two deductibles and two claims. You are also liable if your car breaks loose from the motorhome and goes off on its own. Claims will be filed by drivers of other vehicles yours has hit, as well as property owners that have sustained damage caused by your errant car. These claims will most likely be against the liability portion of your RV insurance. Your motorhome insurance does not automatically extend to the car you are towing. This is why you should carry liability coverage on both your motorhome and towed vehicle. From “So, You Want To Be an RVer? And Enjoy the RV Lifestyle? [Revised].” Available on Amazon.
On this day last year…
- RV Review: 2022 Wildcat 260RD fifth wheel
- Ask Dave: Furnace Issues: I’ve replaced the sail switch but now it runs intermittently—Why?
- Featured article: “I smell mold in my RV. What should I do?”
- Recipe: Asian Chicken Salad Sandwich
?? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??
We actually said “OMG!” out loud when we saw these. How funny! We bet you know someone who would get a kick out of these…
Website of the day
25 Best Places to Go for New Year’s Eve
2023 is just around the corner—Do you have plans to ring in the New Year? If you’re in or near any of these cities, perhaps a celebration is in order!
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:
• 8 percent have been reading the RVtravel.com newsletter(s) since we began back in 2001. Additionally, 23 percent have been reading for 10 years or longer. Thank you!
• 77 percent say they wish Facebook would go away and never come back!
• 57 percent of men say they never wear cologne or aftershave.
Recipe of the Day
Baked Ham With Honey Apricot Glaze
by Kathy Murray from San Antonio, TX
Your holiday meal will be a little sweeter with this baked ham. The orange and apricot glaze is fantastic! Sweet citrus flavor shines bright. It’s the perfect complement to the savory ham. We suggest doubling the glaze to have enough to pour over each slice when plated.
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Trivia
The world’s tallest cut Christmas tree was 221 feet tall and was displayed just north of downtown Seattle at the then-brand-new Northgate Shopping Center in 1950. That’s one tall tree!
*What does the French word “Cahute” mean and what does it have to do with us? Find out in yesterday’s trivia.
Readers’ Pet of the Day
Wrong holiday but it’s too cute not to share!
“Odie our Pom was a good sport with costumes, so Halloween was his time to shine.” —John McGrew
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!
If you want to have a wonderful day, send $10, $50 or $100 to a local food bank. We have just heard on the news that donations to Food Lifeline (a member of Feeding America) are down 75% this year. Millions of our fellow citizens, including little kids, are going hungry. If you have ever considered donating, now is the time. If you contribute regularly, thank you! You will feel so good if you contribute — helping people less fortunate than you go to bed without the pain of an empty stomach. Find a local food bank here.
Leave here with a laugh
A couple were Christmas shopping. The shopping center was packed and as the wife walked through one of the malls she was surprised when she looked around to find that her husband was nowhere to be seen. She was quite upset because they had a lot to do. She became so worried that she called him on her cell phone to ask him where he was. In a quiet voice he said, “Do you remember the jewelers we went into about five years ago where you fell in love with that diamond necklace that we couldn’t afford, and I told you that I would get it for you one day?” The wife choked up and started to cry and said, “Yes, I do remember that shop.” He replied, “Well, I’m in the bar next door.”
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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 read here that Maine is the worse for tics. My vet had a flier out for something new and wish it was done years ago. Simpatico I think is how it is spelled. But it is for fleas tics and heartworm included. But yes tics are not fun when you find it on you. I try to stay away from the woods after walking thru one and what a joyful surprise we found afterwards. Needless to say dogs were not happy with us either.
Since we haven’t frozen yet(?) here in the Coastal Bend of Texas – I’ll say Merry Christmas and Happy & Prosperous New Year to ALL RVTravel.com staff and its readers/commenters! Hope all stay safe and warm this holiday season!
This is just in case we have no power on Christmas or New Year’s Day!
Thanks so much, Lindalee. And we at RVtravel.com wish you and yours (plus all of our other wonderful readers, of course) a warm and wonderful Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy 2023. It’s snowing here, on top of the snow from the last few days, and 22 degrees at the moment. Supposed to get a rare ice storm tonight with expected power outages, so I’ve been cooking/baking like crazy today “just in case” (in between moderating comments and working on tomorrow’s and Saturday’s newsletters, of course 😉 ). Have a good night. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
Same here from Woodsboro Texas!
Collapsible salad spinner
We’ve had ours for approximately 5 yrs now, I believe. This exact one. We purchased at the Quartzsite RV Show.
We are extremely pleased for what this does and it does it GREAT!
Except we have a Very Difficult time COLLAPSING it. So much we went back to the RV Show a year later to no avail of getting it to collapse. Therefore we have it fully extended and happy it still works other than being compact as advertised.
Only two things holding me back from buying you (Diane) a diamond for Christmas. My pocketbook and MY Dianne! Keep up the good work Diane and have a very fun and special holiday.
😆 Thanks, Lil John! Yep, ya gotta watch out for us Dianes, no matter how it’s spelled. I hope you and your Dianne have a Very Merry Christmas and an excellent New Year. 😀 –This Diane (at RVtravel.com)
I sure miss Tony’s daily RV review column. Any chance of bringing the column, if not Tony himself, back to the newsletter?
Thanks, Russ. We’re working on it. Stay tuned. In the meantime, wishing you and yours a Very Merry Christmas and a healthy and terrific 2023. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
Maybe they could link to Josh the RV nerd
You all make my day – every day (and I am in the north!). I wish the entire staff of Rv Travel and all the commenters who make my day, a very Merry Christmas or Seasons Greetings as you prefer. Thanks for being there every day! I appreciate all of you. (\Northern style!)
Thanks, D and J! And thank you for all of your helpful and always publishable (i.e., not needing to be bleeped) comments over the years! Much appreciated! Merry Christmas to you and yours, from snowy and 17 degree Seattle! 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
***** (Not posted, per Randy, but left in so I could reply to his comment.) 🙂 –Diane at RVtravel.com
Got your message and passed it along (without publishing, as requested). Thanks, Randy. Have a great day and a Merry Christmas. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
I am one of the people that has been reading RVTravel for many years and I don’t remember answering any of “ And The Survey Says “ questions. So I’m just wondering where the responses come from?
Hi, Gary. The answers literally, and only, come from our previous surveys. But thanks for asking, in case other folks are wondering. Have a great day and a very Merry Christmas. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
I had the same question .. Answered below by Diane … Count my wife and I in the 77% against Fbook.
LHWAL- it’s an oldie, but a goodie.
Once on a 2 mom and 3 kids, ages 3 to 10, tent camping trip…my 3 year old picked up a tick. Even though I knew various ways to remove the tick…I couldn’t bring myself to do it. A quick trip to the lodge and ranger office provided assistance. The rangers method? A cotton ball doused with rubbing alcohol applied to the tick. Little guy backed right out….no trauma! Always carry foil pack alcohol wipes just in case.
That husband should show better judgement in dealing with his wife. Probably spent the next month “paying” for it.
Jesse, lighten up, it was joke!
Snoopy
Hi, Snoopy. I think Jesse was being facetious. (Or maybe he was speaking from experience? 😆 ) Take care, and have a wonderful Christmas. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com