Issue 2304
Welcome to RV Travel’s Daily Tips Newsletter, where you’ll find helpful RV-related tips from the pros, travel advice, RV videos, product reviews and more. Please tell your friends about us.
Today’s thought
“Maybe some people are just meant to be in the same story.” ―
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Florida Day!
On this day in history: 1915 – Alexander Graham Bell inaugurates U.S. transcontinental telephone service, speaking from New York to Thomas Watson in San Francisco.
Tip of the Day
Tips and tricks for using binder clips while RVing
Sure, we use them to keep stacks of paper together, but why limit these ingenious, little devices? Here are some tips and tricks for using binder clips while RVing.
A little history of binder clips
The inventor of the binder clip was Louis E. Baltzley. Louis came up with his unique clip in hopes of helping his father—a prolific inventor and writer. It was 1910, and binding together multiple pieces of paper was done by hand. First, holes were punched along one side of the sheaf of papers. Then, the holes were used to sew and bind the papers together. Not only was this method time-consuming, but it was impractical. If an additional page needed to be added to the pile of paper, or an existing page repositioned, the entire bundle had to be disassembled and then sewn back together.
Ask Dave
RV’s furnace sail switch was replaced. Now the furnace feels hot. Will it catch on fire?
Dear Dave,
My sail switch recently went out and I had to have a repair tech come fix it. My furnace is located under my jackknife sofa in the front room area and it is a real pain. I had to remove the seat part before the tech got there to save me money. I got woke up 2 nights ago with a noise like the fan motor was hitting something, so today I decided to take the seat back out and try to find it. … All said and done, I put everything back. However, my dilemma is that when I turned the furnace on before covering it back up with the box, I noticed that the furnace was hot to touch. Now I’m worried it could catch fire. Are they supposed to be hot to the touch? —Shirley
Read the rest of the question and Dave’s answer
Prevent costly mistakes with these RVminders
Check out these RVminders and easily prevent costly mistakes! These bands wrap around your steering wheel and remind you to check things before you drive away. Never leave the steps or ladder down again. Antenna or satellite down? Slide locks in place? Doors, vents and windows closed? Compartment locks locked? Hookups disconnected? These are so easy to use they should be in every RV! Check ’em out.
RV Tours
Tour the 2024 Forest River Cardinal 23RK 5th wheel
By Cheri Sicard
In the video below we join Hunter aka The RV Hunter for a tour of the 2024 Forest River Cardinal 23RK, a unique fifth wheel with a rear kitchen and dining area layout.
I will say this video’s value lies in getting to see the 5th wheel. I suggest taking the host’s dubious observations with a big grain of salt. This starts at the beginning of the video when he claims this is a “small, compact, lightweight” 5th wheel.
Are there bigger 5th wheels on the market? Sure. But this is still a substantially large RV.
Video of the day
RV recipe hacks: Best ever EASY cinnamon rolls. YUM!!!
By Cheri Sicard
If you want to serve your group a special treat on your next camping trip, check out this trick for making easy cinnamon rolls that are as good as the kind you get from the bakery. This video from Kristin’s Friends Cooking garnered over 3.6 million views in just 7 months, so they must be on to something!
50 days of traveling like the ‘old days’: No reservations, no itinerary
By Nanci Dixon
My husband and I just spent 50 days traveling like in the good old days: no reservations, no itinerary. Freedom! Many of you know that I write our weekly column “Campground Crowding” and hear many peoples’ frustrations with crowded campgrounds and their difficulty making reservations at their favorite parks. I also read a lot of comments from those that have no issues. Is there really crowding? Read about Nanci’s experience here.
Reader poll
Did you ever have a teacher who significantly changed your life?
Quick Tip
Save power while reading at night
Inveterate bookworm but looking to conserve power? A “Kindle” or other e-reader device with backlight doesn’t need much ambient light to read at night. During the day, plug it in and recharge it while driving.
NEED SOMETHING FOR YOUR RV? IT MIGHT BE ON SALE!
Here’s every RV item that’s currently on sale at Amazon. Save big!
On this day last year…
- Tip: Navigating diverging diamond interchanges in your RV
- Ask Dave: Wire from converter to batteries—How long can it be?
- Video: How to use a compass
- Featured article: Five important things to ask before you buy your next RV
Website of the day
The 10 Best Websites to Play Free Jigsaw Puzzles Online
As RVers, we don’t have a lot of free space to do large puzzles. That’s where online puzzles come in handy! This list shows you the best websites to do free puzzles online.
?? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??
Ever done something that you probably shouldn’t have done? Well, that’s probably everyone reading this right now… But maybe you won’t get in trouble if you have this.
And the Survey Says…
We’ve polled RVtravel.com readers more than 2,500 times in recent years. Here are a few things we’ve learned about them:
• Within the last six months, 63 percent of voters have participated in a Zoom video meeting.
• 61 percent believe they look younger than their actual age.
• 56 percent no longer have a landline telephone.
Recent poll: The RV laundry conundrum: Do you/would you remove unattended clothes from the washer/dryer?
Moderators Wanted
If any of our RVtravel.com Facebook groups (one or more) is of special interest to you, please consider becoming a volunteer moderator. Contact editor@rvtravel.com for more information. In some cases, this could lead to a paid position.
Recipe of the Day
Super Bowl Taco Showdown
by Pat Thompson from Memphis, TN
Truth be told, we could sit down in front of the big game and make quite a dent in this delicious taco salad all by ourselves! It’s easy to make and very filling. Adding Italian dressing makes this different than other taco salad recipes. It’s surprisingly delicious and brings a hint of tangy flavor.
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Trivia
The term “loophole” used to refer to what? Castle architecture. Loopholes, also called arrow slits, were narrow windows carved out of castle walls that allowed defenders to shoot attackers.
Readers’ Pet of the Day
“Dixie (mixed breed) appeared a few years ago as a pup. Now Dixie is a mature dog that acts like a pup. She is a wonderful travel companion.” —John Rowin
Send us a photo of your pet with a short description. We publish one each weekday in RV Daily Tips and in our Sunday RV Travel newsletter. No blurry photos, please! Please do not submit your photo more than once. Thanks!
RV Maintenance Log Book keeps track of everything for you!
This RV maintenance log book allows you to document and track all repairs and work done on your RV. If you bought your RV used, wouldn’t this have been nice to have with the sale?! Keep track of everything in your RV – all the work done on it (and where and when), specific part models, your favorite black tank cleaner, the lightbulb bases you use, paints and fabrics, and much more. This will be a lifesaver down the road. Learn more or order.
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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Reverse the first vs. last day of camping for us. We feel like zombies escaping the rat race when we arrive and transform into living humans by the time we leave. If you turn into a zombie then camping’s not for you. Find a condo somewhere or cruise ship and join the rest of the rat race. Please leave the campgrounds to the rest of us rejuvenated humans.
We need more articles with horror stories about the miseries of RVing. That will free up more decent spots for the rest of us. Heheh
The under 30 crowd is all ready finding that RVing can be work and that’s not acceptable to people who grew up not having to take the garbage out or mow the lawn when they were teens.
Emphasis on rat race.
First and last day camping. Should be a stress picture of arriving home from work and leaving for long earned camping and the picture of the first day as the last. After years of camping even hunting we never looked worn, dirty or disheveled.
Dixie is a beauty! She found her forever home.
I loved the article on 50 days of RVing. I could so relate. Nancy your ways of expressing things are hilarious
Thank you, Emily and Diane! 🙂
We made a set of RV reminders using clothespins and a lanyard. Each pin has a task written on it. The lanyard and pins hang above the steering wheel. When we complete a task we move the pin to the bottom of the lanyard. When I can remove the lanyard from the cabinet knob all tasks have been completed!
I just wanted to let you know that while I thoroughly enjoyed being part of many RV Travel Facebook groups, I could no longer put up with the tactics and actions of Facebook itself. After making my final post explaining my decision, I deleted my profile. I love what you do at RV Travel, and appreciate your dedication to providing a well-rounded and objective view, plus allowing others to express their opinions in a respectful manner. If there are other platforms that would allow for similar groups to be established, I’d be very interested in exploring those options. In the meantime, I’ll look forward to my daily input from you in my email box.
Charlie, I understand your concerns about Facebook. We may do some sort of forum on our own one day, but we’ve tried three times and it has not worked out. As much as Facebook annoys me at times, it has been the only forum that we have been able to deal with that provides benefits for us, primarily in attracting new subscribers. We will continue to put most of our efforts and energy into our website RVtravel.com.
I agree that Facebook is an abomination! If it were only legal Mark Suckburger should be drawn and Quartered and his ill gotten gains be donated to the DAV.
We have a list we use for thing to check before leaving home & another for when we leave camp. My husband keeps the master on his computer & before leaving home prints a few. We just check thing off so we know we haven’t forgotten anything, steps up, vents closed, widows closed doors latched etc. I don’t know how anyone remembers everything without something similar. I also have a food list, fridge-freezer-pantry.
I had a teacher who did influence me and after my family moved away and I graduated from high school I knew her birthday and one day drove to her classroom with a happy birthday cookie. She passed away about 30 years ago and well miss her. As for being a FB moderator? I am interested in moderating if interested. I am on first thing in the morning unless something gets in the way and then late evening. if not its all good.
What has happened to RVtravel.com I haven’t got one since last Thursday?
Hi, Curt. I just checked the records and here’s what it shows on January 26 at about 7:12 p.m. Pacific: “Clicked on the unsubscribe link in your email”. But it shows you resubscribed this morning (which I was going to do if it still showed you as unsubscribed). So, you’re back in the Active column.👍 Have a great day. 😀 -Diane at RVtravel.com