Issue 2527
Today’s thought
“Stay away from negative people. They have a problem for every solution.” —Albert Einstein
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Day of Giving. (How about taking some food over to your closest food bank today? Or donate online. Find the nearest Feeding America location to you.)
On this day in history: 1910 – Modern neon lighting is first demonstrated by Georges Claude at the Paris Motor Show.
Tip of the day
Top 10 benefits of RVing in winter
By Gail Marsh
Are you tired of the same old winter routine? Stuck indoors, battling the cold, and missing out on the beauty of the season? It might be time to consider a winter adventure in your RV. RVing in the winter can be an incredible experience filled with many benefits. From picturesque snowscapes to cozy campfires, there’s so much to love about braving the cold in an RV. Here are the top ten reasons why you should consider hitting the road during the winter months.
RV walk-through
Tour a rare vintage fiberglass U-Haul travel trailer
By Cheri Sicard
Unless you are a true RV nerd, you may not be aware that U-Haul ever made travel trailers, but for a while they did. These cute tiny fiberglass trailers are hard to come by these days, but Ashley Kooijman, aka The Tennessee Wanderer, is going to give us a tour of her 1985 U-Haul travel trailer. The tiny U-Haul CT-13 makes a cozy home on the road for Ashley, her dog, Charlee Rae, and cat, Rupert. Check out this piece of RVing history.
Ask Dave
Why does air conditioner “cycle” several times before staying on?
By Dave Solberg
Dear Dave,
I have a 2018 Keystone Cougar 25RES 5th wheel. I bought it used last year and I assume the air conditioners are original equipment. My question is: My living room A/C will sometimes come on and run for about 30 seconds then cut off for 5-10 seconds then start up again. It will do that several times before coming on and staying on. Is it about to crash, or is this normal for this model? —Derrell, 2018 Keystone Cougar 25RES, A/C Model # B59516.711JO-MX Read Dave’s answer.
Video of the day
Expert nomad lifestyle money tips
By Cheri Sicard
In this video, we join Bob Wells and Brian Gifford of Cheap RV Living (one of the winners of our 2024 RV video awards) as they discuss financial considerations for hitting the road and how to prioritize expenses when living a nomadic lifestyle. The video shares critical insights from their wealth of combined experience, emphasizing the importance of maintaining an emergency fund while striking a balance between comfort and freedom. Click here.
Featured article
Why won’t most RVers let a stranger use their RV bathroom?
By Nanci Dixon
RV Travel posted a poll asking RVers if they would let a stranger use their RV bathroom. 85% resoundingly said no or most likely not! Only 14% said most likely, and 1% said yes. Personally, I had a hard time responding to the poll. It was somewhat of a moral dilemma for me. Would I do what I think is right or what I want? Continue reading.
Reader poll
How often do you boondock more than a mile away from another RV or building?
Quick tip
Use a “drip loop” for cables going into your RV
Reader Bryan sent this in as a comment to a post: “If you run a cable (power, coax, ethernet, etc.) into an RV, make sure to do a ‘drip loop’ first. A drip loop is a part of the cable that is lower than the point it enters inside. This allows any water that is coming down the cable to drip off at the lower point. Without a drip loop, the water will just follow the cable into the inside of the camper. Drip loops are good for any cable or hose where you don’t want the water to follow a path somewhere it shouldn’t. Just remember that water does not go uphill.” —Thanks for the great drip tip, Bryan!
Website of the day
The 60 Most Scenic Drives in America
As you start to plan your 2025 travel, take a look at this list from Town&Country and see if you can squeeze in one (or more) of these incredibly beautiful drives!
?? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??
Sometimes we only share things that apply to certain people… but this?! EVERYONE will love this! Seriously. You’ll love it. And so will everyone else on your gift list. LOVE it, we tell you! Click here.
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:
• 63 percent carry a shovel with them on their RV travels.
• When eating out, most people choose to eat out for dinner (40 percent) followed by lunch (34 percent) and then breakfast (12 percent).
• 34 percent of voters do not wear any rings on their fingers.
Recent poll: RVers, tell us how you plan your RV trips
Trivia
French Poodles aren’t from France, they’re from Germany. In fact, the word “Poodle” comes from “Pudelhund,” the German word combining “to splash” and “dog”.
Readers’ pet of the day
“Boots (Lab mix) has traveled from the beginning. Rescued from the pound at 6 weeks, he went on his first trip the following weekend. I’m a traveling artist, so he has accompanied me on many weekend trips. He is the best companion and protector. No one gets into my camper if I’m not there, even friends and family. This is a comforting feeling since the loss of my husband. He occupies the back seat and occasionally will raise up to check on the situation. He is 14 years old and still a happy ‘pup’. The vet thinks he has a bit of Jack Russell in him. I would be lost without him, truly my best friend.” —Karen Pugh
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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Good dog! Have a cookie on me.
The Laugh of the day is hilarious! Who could understand this at 65mph?! I had a hard time just looking at it on my laptop!
That is exactly what I was going to say! Also, this could have easily been Houston.
Looked clear to me. They even organized it with all straight ahead on top. The left turns next. Finally, only the one road for the right turn.
It’s the New York, Jersey border; this is absolutely normal for there. I’ve lived this. Even more confounding is how many variations of Rt. 17 there are in that area; couldn’t come up with any new numbers? Lol.
It simply said to me: “WARNING! You are about to get lost on an Interstate Highway System that MIGHT take you somewhere.” AND, let your GPS figure this one out. lol
I suspect a few of the scenic routes would not be fun with an RV. For example, driving Tail of the Dragon would leave you with 50 angry sports car/motorcyclists behind you.
There is a 30 foot length limit on the Dragon. Plus there are quite a few turns that can not be navigated without crossing the double yellow line.
On a good day that #50 is more like 500 on a good day.
I have done it many times on my Goldwing. Very seldom see big rigs of any type.
It is a great tip. However I really have to scratch my head if there are many people who need this drip loop tip. And then as many have said, common-sense is the least common sense.
I hope you have many more years with your faithful companion Boots
Hooray for Boots!
“Stay away from negative people. They have a problem for every solution.” —Albert Einstein
Love it! It is so true…….
Tony’s recommended jump starter link goes to a 120 volt battery charger – not a jump starter.
Believe it or not I have seen road signs like that as well. Unless you are lost this can still be just as confusing.
Thank you, Emily and Diane! Great tip and thank you, Bryan! The laugh is pretty straight-forward; east or south go straight, north or west turn left. The two at the bottom are special cases and of no consequence unless it is the road you want. 😉 Happy new year and safe travels!