By Gail Marsh
Winter weather is winding down and spring has finally arrived. Are you planning to go RVing soon? Your smartphone camera can help so much! And not just for sending travel pictures to family and friends back home. Curious? Then, by all means, read on!
Note: Always use a secure phone storage app (like Keepsafe) when storing critical, confidential information in your smartphone.
Personal information
• Credit cards. Take a photo of the front and back sides of your credit cards and store them in a secure app on your phone. When buying things online, you can refer to the credit card photo without digging through your purse or wallet to find it.
• Credit cards (part 2). Open your wallet or credit card holder just enough to see the tops of your credit cards and take a picture. That way if your wallet is ever lost or stolen, you’ll know what cards to cancel.
• Medications. Take a photo of all your medications. Or make a list of them and take a picture of the list. Be sure to record dosages, prescribing doctors, and drugstores where you had the prescriptions filled. You can also take a picture of your health insurance card(s).
Make RV life easier
• Video. We’ve made videos of some RV procedures (e.g., emptying tanks, winterizing) with our smartphone cameras. The videos were a huge help when we first began to RV, and now we share the “how to” videos with newbie RVers.
• Vehicle plates. Keep a photo of your RV’s and vehicle’s license plates in your phone for quick reference. Also, take a picture of your VIN number(s) for future reference.
• RV parts. Your smartphone camera can help if you need assistance with your RV. For example, when we needed a new awning, we sent a photo of the awning manufacturer’s tag to our RV parts store. The photo helped them determine which awning to order for us.
Out and about
• Route. Take a screenshot of your travel route. That way, if you lose cell service you can still stay on the right roads.
• Parking. When visiting a new-to-you location, your camera can help you remember where you parked your car. This is especially useful in large, multilevel parking lots or expansive concert venues. Take a quick photo as you exit your car along with other visual cues, like parking level, section number, etc.
• Shopping. Take a photo of the mall’s map kiosk and you’ll quickly locate the store(s) you want to visit. When you see an item that you want to buy, snap a photo of it along with the cost. Use the photo to check other stores or online for a lower price.
• Claim check. A quick photo of your claim check can help you retrieve your coat or other belongings, if you misplace your claim check ticket.
• Accident record. If your RV is involved in an accident, use your smartphone camera to record damages to your vehicle as well as any other involved vehicles. Take a photo of everyone’s insurance cards and driver’s license.
• Hobbies. If you see a project you’d like to replicate, take a picture of it. Use it as a guide when designing and making it for yourself.
• Refrigerator. Take a photo of the inside of your RV fridge before you head to the grocery store. That way when you shop, you’ll know what items you have back in the RV and won’t double up on purchases.
• Menu. If you forget your reading glasses, take a photo of the menu. You can enlarge the picture to read it better—even without your glasses.
Do you use your smartphone camera in an unusual way? Tell us your ideas in the comments below.
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When looking for the source of a leak I can’t see, I’ll put my phone in video mode, shove it in the hole and slowly pan the camera, recording what it sees. Then I’ll review the footage, zooming as needed to see what the camera saw. Ditto for distant objects, the camera can double as low power binoculars.
On the tip for medical prescriptions: in Alberta, Canada, we now have a central clearinghouse with a web site and app (secure) that we can log into with this info, plus the results of all lab tests, medical procedures, etc. I imagine that many of the major health providers in the US will have something similar.
Make folders in your photos app and store these folders for easier finding…i.e. Medical, Truck/RV (photos of insurance card, registration, model # and names of appliances/equipment), Documents (license, passport…), Receipts (they fade over time), Favorites (that photo of you and your spouse, grandkids, pets, favorite place).
I take pictures of things like the model number and any stickers on our lawnmower’s, chainsaws and weed eater, etc. Then when I am at the store I know what parts like blades to buy.
Menu: You don’t have to take a photo of the menu. The camera can act as a magnifying glass. Point the camera at the menu and then use you fingers to enlarge the image. Just moving the camera over the menu will allow you to read everything.
GPS doesn’t rely on cell service but on availability of satellites. However if the phones battery dies or an electric gremlin occurs an old school paper map is good to have available.
I always have paper maps of the areas I’m going to be travelling in. I really like the cheap atlas you can buy at Walmart as it also lists the address of all Walmart locations.
Not all functions require a camera. I have a bubble level and a compass app. Trying to choose a site for sun (or lack of) direction, or prevailing winds? ‘Cartoon’ style park maps may not be very accurate. I can use the compass to check site orientation. Sure I have a whiskey stick, but my phone is often closer at hand when checking for level.
Phones can be hacked. My concern with taking pictures of credit cards and other info – if you lose your phone you have the additional problem of having to cancel all your credit cards, even if you still have your wallet.
The article above did point out “Note: Always use a secure phone storage app (like Keepsafe) when storing critical, confidential information in your smartphone.”
Most new smartphones have a “Secure Wallet” these days for this purpose.
I use Google Lens for plant, insect and bird identification. It is really easy to use. Just take a picture and hit Google Lens and it gives you options that the picture could be. I also have the Smart Tools app on my phone. I use the level on the app to make sure my camper is level. I just sit it on top of the kitchen counter and check to make sure it is level.
We take a picture of the campground map with the codes for the bathrooms/showers and the front gate. The photo comes in handy if you leave the map in the rig.
Think of the fun the owner will have canceling the credit cards and changing the bank accounts when his/her phone gets hacked.