Issue 2352
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
“Instructions for living a life:
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.” ―
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day!
On this day in history: 1902 – “Electric Theatre”, the first full-time movie theater in the United States, opens in Los Angeles.
Tip of the Day
The ultimate list of RV hacks, tips and tricks
By Gail Marsh
No matter if you’re a long-time pro at RVing or just starting out, the following RV hacks, tips and tricks are sure to make your RV trips easier, more comfortable, and hopefully more enjoyable. The following ideas may need to be implemented by purchasing an item or two from your local store. In many cases, however, you probably have the needed items in your home already.
Curious? Then read on to discover some very useful RV tricks and tips!
Ask Dave
Black tank still smells after trying EVERYTHING. Why?
Dear Dave,
I’m not sure of the year of my RV. There are very strong odors after flushing and I have cleaned the black tank with EVERYTHING. I have had it flushed and all seems well, but in a day or two it is back to being foul. I’m thinking it is the filter or siphon but I do not know where to locate these and pinpoint which it is. Why does my black tank always smell? —Heather, Wilderness Advantage Extreme Edition
RV Tours
DIY camper van kits—Build it yourself and SAVE!
By Cheri Sicard
In this video, Kristin Hanes from The Wayward Home talks about an exciting trend in RVs, DIY camper van kits.
With the astronomical price of Class B camper vans, it’s not surprising that companies building DIY camper van kits are becoming more popular, as campers can save BIG BUCKS without the hassle and expense of needing to do EVERYTHING themselves. To say nothing of the knowledge, skills, tools, and workshop a from-scratch camper van build would take.
Click here to read more and take a tour
Video of the day
Best places for free camping in California
By Cheri Sicard
[This video], produced by my personal RVing app Campendium, shows some of the multitude of camping in California options available to RVers. In fact, our host says that California is arguably the best state for RVers based on its geographic diversity and the sheer volume of free camping opportunities.
Campendium compiles user reviews of campgrounds and campsites. For the video, they compiled the best 5-star reviewed California campgrounds that also just happen to be free!
Take an RV break and stay at the historic Red Bay Hotel in Red Bay, Alabama
By Nanci Dixon
When our motorhome was in the shop in Red Bay, Alabama, getting repaired from a disastrous mistake, we could have stayed with it in the shop, but the paint and fiberglass dust was too much for my husband. Red Bay, Alabama, is a small town and home of Tiffin motorhomes. There is one hotel, two small grocery stores, one McDonald’s, a Jack’s, a Subway and a dollar store. Oh, and a dog food plant. … Read about the historic, and very clean, Red Bay Hotel here.
Reader poll
In general, do you feel safer staying in an RV park or boondocking without other RVs close by?
Quick Tip
Avoid bird droppings on your RV roof ladder, etc.
If birds are perching on your RV roof ladder and ruining your parade (or spare tire, bumper, chairs, etc.) discourage the little feathered poopers. Clamp a flag pole to the ladder rack and raise your banner. The flapping ensign will send them elsewhere.
Website of the day
The Best Mountain Towns to Visit in America
It’s hard to say there’s anything better than a gorgeous mountain town, especially on a beautiful spring or summer day. See how many of these you’ve been to, and plan a trip to the ones you’ve never visited.
?? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??
Gents, put this on and we guarantee everyone at the RV park will notice you. And we mean EVERYONE! Heck, even the local squirrels will notice you! No way you wouldn’t turn every head in town.
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:
• 46 percent have shopped at Walmart many times within the last month.
• 73 percent bring a portable propane grill on their RV trips. Only 9 percent carry a portable charcoal grill with them.
• 11 percent say their RV has an outdoor kitchen, but only 7 percent of those say they actually use theirs.
Recipe of the Day
Tater Tot Casserole
by Phyllis Gesch from Round Rock, TX
Want a quick and easy weeknight meal? Try this Tater Tot casserole recipe. It’s filled with Tater Tots, ground hamburger meat, and cheese (how can that be bad?!). Once baked, it kind of tastes like a cheeseburger without the bun. Made with only five ingredients, this is a great dinner option when you don’t know what to make and don’t feel like running to the grocery store.
Trivia
Speaking of Tater Tots… Tater Tots were created in 1953 by Ore-Ida founders who repurposed leftover potato slivers by mixing them with flour and seasoning. The product was first sold in 1956 and quickly gained popularity. The name “Tater Tot” was trademarked by Ore-Ida and has since become a common term for the dish. Americans now consume approximately 70 million pounds of Tater Tots per year.
Readers’ Pet of the Day
“Although we are from PA, Tessie (Labrador Retriever/American Pit Bull mix) is a rescue from TN (many thanks to OPH – Operation Paws for Homes). She loves to travel and camp. We call her our copilot as she has her resting spot on a pad on the center armrest between us when we are on the road. And, yes, she has a harness and seat belt. We are hoping for many more adventures.” —Lyn & Bob Whitenight
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!
• RVing with Dogs group on Facebook. You’ll love it.
Leave here with a laugh
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Contact information
Editor: Emily Woodbury
CONTACT US
Editorial (all but news): editor@rvtravel.com
Editorial (news): chuck@rvtravel.com
Help desk: Contact us
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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This newsletter is copyright 2024 by RV Travel LLC.
Wish you would quit lying to your readers about subscribing and getting ad free weekends. I did and yes the newsletter is ad free UNTIL you click a link to read an article… Then Wham Bam ads up the wazoo
Seann, I have commented about this for years without any change in their process. I know they need ads to survive but when they advertise “if you donate you will get an ad free version” that is what should happen. Reading this newsletter has become more frustrating in the last few months.
Sounds like the links you are talking about are to to other websites, not actually part of RV Travel.
PS: check the address line in your browser after clicking the link. Articles generated by RV Travel will show RV travel in that line.
The admins have no control as to what other sites attach.
Sorry, Seann, and others. As I’ve explained before, the two weekend newsletters themselves are ad-free. However, we do not have the time or the staff to produce ad-free versions of all posts linked in the two newsletters. Maybe, as many others have suggested, you could switch to DuckDuckGo for your server, or download ad blockers, which should help with anything you’re looking at. Thank you for your contribution, and we apologize that you misunderstood what was provided for it. Have a good day. 🙂 –Diane at RVtravel.com
I guess I am weird as I have no issue with the ads or the current amount. You have a business that needs capital, so it’s subscription, free with adds or a hybrid. No matter what you’re the boss.
Thanks, Doc. Well, actually I just work here.😉 The “powers that be” are still working to improve the new ad format, so hopefully things will settle down soon and some readers won’t continue to have issues just trying to read the newsletters and articles. Have a good rest-of-the-day. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
Get off your phone/tablet and use a browser with an ad blocker on your laptop/desktop.
Tessie- you look like a capable Co-Pilot! Keep em on the right road and inline…don
The forced video ads are just too much.
It has become so frustrating to read the newsletter on my iPhone with all the pop up ads and videos that I don’t even try anymore. It’s reached the point that if I am not at my laptop I don’t bother to read the newsletters anymore and just delete them. An ad or two is one thing, but the constant bombardment is quite another. And I am a long time reader and donate twice a year usually.
Just use the reader option in the web address bar
Thank you, Emily and Diane! 🙂 Thank you, too, for including partial results from previous polls. The bit about propane and charcoal grills may have given me the solution to a problem. Our little Weber propane grill struggles to cook anything in cold (~ 45° F and colder) weather. I’ll try charcoal. Failing that, then I’ll try replacing the burner tube of our grill. Thank you for the hint! 🙂 Have a wonderful day and safe travels! 🙂
Neal, I’ve been using my mini weber charcoal grill for almost 30 years and have always had great results no matter where we’ve been camped, no matter the weather.
Thank you, Bill! 🙂 Good to know, thanks! 🙂
I use Duck Duck Go as my default browser and I get no pop ups.
Since moving from a truck slide-in camper to Class-C in 2008 I do not remember ever having problems with Black tank smells. I do add chemicals occasionally but I think the best thing I did was to get a vent cap that siphons air out of the tank even when standing still like the Tongass rotating vent from Amazon. I can see the cap rotating with the normal breeze so I know it is working.
In Mary Oliver’s Today’s Thought, “Instructions for living a life”; she omitted the most important one.
Study the owner’s manual.
Laugh of the day reminds me of a time when I woke up from a nap and was wondering why I had to be somewhere by 4 when I had nothing written down. I figured I would get a call if I did miss something. Yeah I love my naps.