Home is where the heart is. As long as you are comfortable in your surroundings and you are with people whose company you enjoy, then you are home. You can be in the confines of your RV in a camping site and have a blast.

Why do people use an RV anyway? Here are some good reasons: camping trips, extended vacations, following your favorite band on the road – the list goes on and on. No wonder more and more families are trying the RV lifestyle

It’s all up to you. It’s a life on the road. If you want to try it, then read on. We’ll provide you with tips on how to make the RV lifestyle suitable to your liking.

1. Prepare

Gather information such as the parks where you can stay, as well as the camping sites that allow RVs. When you figure these out, you can map them on to your itinerary. Or if you are a spontaneous person and prefer to go wherever the RV wheels take you, you still need to ensure your finances are in order – especially for emergencies. You can never tell what might happen. For example, what happens if your RV breaks down on the road? Can you afford to fix it? It’s better to be safe than sorry.

2. Have a Goal

What do you want to accomplish with your RV? Do you want to be more in tune with nature? Is this a way for you and your family to bond? Do you want a break from the city? Your answers to these questions will help you come up with your list of things to do and see.

3. Details

Why are you going to RV? How often will you use it? If you’re going camping, will you stay in one place for a long time or do you expect to move a lot? Amount of use might determine whether you want a new or used RV. Some people, who know they are going to put a lot of miles on it, will opt for a used RV in order to both save money upfront and not worry about the loss of value due to constant use.

There are no right and wrong answers to these questions/decisions. As mentioned in the earlier paragraph, it’s all up to you. Whatever you do with your RV is completely at your discretion.

But if there is something that we should tell you it is this – getting to your destination is only half the fun!

 

Maeyahn writes for NDParks.com, the site that reviews camp grounds and all sorts of camping equipment, from camping cots to folding camping chairs. You can read her latest post on camping with kids.

We have written before about technology for RVer's in a post about Internet phone service.  Now comes another development in technology when you go RVing with a Trailer Life iPhone application.  The iPhone application comes loaded with information, including a complementary issue of the latest Trailer Life Magazine.  After the initial issue, the application allows you to read future issues on the application from wherever you may be on your RV vacation, search Trailer Life articles, review the latest RVs, review tow vehicles, research the best travel destinations, and keep up with the latest industry news.  Buy Trailer Life iPhone application for $1.99 from the iTunes app store.  So, now whether you enjoy traveling in a new or used RV, you can also enjoy all of the latest from Trailer Life magazine.  

Thousands of RV’s cross into Mexico each year and there are many RV owners that love to travel to Mexico for RV Vacations.  And why not?  With Mexico RV Vacation prices as much as 60% less than in the United States and the warm year round weather, a Mexican RV Vacation can be wonderful.  Not to mention that people are starting to receive cheap medical and dental care just across the border.

However, with all of the benefits of buying an RV and heading south of the border to Mexico, the question remains, is it safe?  There are many indications lately that RVing in Mexico isn’t as safe as it once was.  What originally got me thinking about this topic is an episode of 48 Hours Mystery that I saw a couple of months ago.  In this video, a family in their RV is within visual distance of their home in San Diego when they are pulled over by “police”, surrounded by a gang of people, put through a night of turmoil, robbed of their possessions, and almost assassinated:



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After seeing that, I wondered, “Is Mexico a safe place to go RVing?”  So, I researched the topic a little more thoroughly and found that the U.S. State Department issued a travel alert for Mexico.  Originally issued in 2009 and then updated in 2010, the U.S. Embassy travel alert encourages U.S. citizens to delay unnecessary travel to certain parts of Meixco and to advise U.S. citizens residing or traveling in those areas to exercise extreme caution.  Another report issued by the Consulate General of the United States issued a warning about gun battles and kidnappings in Reynosa, Mexico.  Lastly, I found another news story from just last week speaking of a Canadian couple that was attacked by apparent fake police while vacationing in Mexico.

With all of these reports and warnings out there, why are people still RVing in Mexico? Even with all of the warnings out last year, many college students still spent spring break in Mexico.  Even with all of the warnings, many United States citizens drive their motorhomes across the border every week to pursue medical care.  Even with all of the alerts, some family friends recently kept their scheduled RV Vacation to a Mexican resort. 

So, is the risk of RVing in Mexico overstated?  Some people seem to think so.  In this article, Dennis Jacobs says that Mexican travel can be as safe or as dangerous as you like.  Basically, he says that if you take the standard safety precautions for safe travel to pretty much any destination, you will more than likely be fine.  Jacobs suggests doing your research, practicing self-restraint while in Mexico, understanding laws & social norms, and staying in groups. 

Another proponent of Mexican travel from the Full Time RV Blog, says “In fact it is statistically much safer than the USA and actually even Canada. Right now the USA is on the list of some of the most dangerous countries in the world to travel in.”

What do you think?  Are you staying out of Mexico and RVing elsewhere?  Is Mexico just as dangerous as you make it?  Is the United States just as dangerous or more dangerous for RV Travelers?  Leave a comment and let us know what you think.

 

This week, 94 years of history were overturned when a law went into effect allowing guns in National Parks.  Advocates of the new law say that it is long overdue because guns have been allowed in often adjoining National Forest and other Federal lands for many years.  Those against the new law argue that guns don't belong in US National Parks because it still remains illegal to kill any animals and most rangers still do not carry weapons.  Guns, they argue, will just increase the chance of deadly accidents and intensify any confrontations between park visitors (or between park visitors and wildlife).  

So, what do you think?  Is your next RV Vacation camping packing list going to include bug spray, food, and your rifle?  Or, do you prefer that guns stay out of National Parks?

This year, 2010, the RV industry celebrartes 100 years.  As the RVIA pointed out in an article released to mark the RV industry centennial, the year 1910 marks the invention of the first motorized campers. It also points out that,  RV's were around even if ample gas stations, paved roads, and highways were not. 

A centennial celebration is quite an accomplishment, so we at RVingPlanet thought that it would be fun to look at what other organizations and businesses were also founded in 1910 and will celebrate right along with the RV industry:

Businesses
Westar Energy
Hallmark Cards
Morton Salt
Black & Decker 

Organizations and Industry
The Boy Scouts of America
Columbia Music and Entertainment

So, just think of it, we can now drive around in our RVs, listen to music while repairing the RV with our Black & Decker tools, and help our sons/grandsons on their Boy Scout badge.  In the meatime, we can remember our nieces birthday with a Hallmark card and she can read the card under a lamp powered by Westar Energy.  Lastly, we can sit down to a nice evening meal to celebrate another great RV vacation and salt our favorite foods, all because of the things that happened in the year 1910. 

Happy birthday to the RV Industry!  May there be many more RV sales and RV adventures to come.  

 

 

 

There is a new website now available that will show you if your vehicle is able to tow the RV that you are looking to purchase.  This tow rating guide is part of the website RV Buyers Guide. 

If you read the RV forums for very long, you will see that one of the most common questions that RV owners and those looking to buy a RV is, "will I be able to tow that?"  No matter if you are looking at a fifth wheel, travel trailer, toy hauler, or a camper..."can I tow that?" is a very valid and important question.  Trailer towing information is so important because it can be very dangerous and illegal if your tow vehicle is not big enough to pull the camper that you have.

With this towing capacity tool it will tell you if you are able to tow the camper, travel trailer, toy hauler, or fifth wheel of your choice.  Just choose your current vehicle, choose your vehicle criteria, and the tow ratings tool will show you all of the RVs that you will be able to tow.  It is that simple and it is just the tool that you are needing to decide if you can tow that RV that you have been drooling over.  So, go ahead, buy that used RV with confidence knowing that you will be able to tow it.

In this case, the economy being down means that this family picked up RVing as a solution.

With the economy like it was in 2008 and 2009, there are more and more people turning to living in a RV and taking to the road out of necessity, not just out of choice. In the below video originally profiled on the NBC Today Show, this family of five from Washington State decided to live full-time in their fifth wheel trailer after he lost his job as a Vice President of a software company. Falling into the category of non-retired full-time RVers, the family decided to cut their expenses by selling their house, teaching their kids from on-line schooling, and paring down their possessions.  Doing these things cut their monthly fixed housing expenses to about $300 a month, compared to $3,000 a month in their sticks-and-bricks home.  With the economy looking up, the Dad - Dave - now has a job that he can do from the road, but they still see the benefits of going RVing.  It just goes to show you that you don't have to be retired or rich to enjoy the RV lifestyle.  Get out there, buy a new or used RV, and enjoy all of the benefits that RVing has to offer.

At Christmas this year, I played "Dance, Dance, Revolution" with my 12-year-old and 8-year-old nieces. "Dance, Dance, Revolution" is a "game" where you try to mimic the dance moves on the screen and then you compete against the person next to you to see who can do the dance moves with the most accuracy.  It is a game, but it was also a pretty good workout.

I don't have any school-age children and it's been a long time since I have been a child, so hence, it has been a long time since I have played games. More and more, however, you don't have to be a kid to enjoy video games. Actually, the video game makers are starting to make video games for all ages and types of people.

When you are out RVing, you do have many opportunities to walk and hike on your RV vacation, but you also have a lot of opportunities to sit for long hours while driving, sit in front of the computer, and watch TV. Traditionally motorhomes and RV's do not lend themselves to exercise tapes and a lot of physical activity in the coach itself. This is where the Nintendo Wii comes in. Nintendo makes a game for the Wii, called Wii Fit.  There is a balance board that accompanies the game console and you stand on the balance board to complete the different Wii Fit activities.  Because you do the exercises on the balance board, it doesn't take up much room in your RV and you don't have to have a wide range of motion to complete the activities.  If you are really tall and have long limbs, you might have some difficulty, but I will venture to say that it is one of the few physical activities that you can do inside of your RV.  

So, especially if you are a fulltime RVer that wants to have some fun and some exercise inside of your RV, the Wii is something that you might want to check out.  See the video below of how one man used the Wii on his RV trip.  

It used to be that if you were on the road as a fulltime RVer or on an extended RV vacation, it was difficult to stay in touch with family and friends back home.  Then came the increased availability of cell phones, laptop computers, air cards, and Wifi in RV campgrounds.  With these inventions, things started to change and it was suddenly much easier to be connected to the world outside of your RV and RV park.

As you probably know, technology changes quickly and now there have been some exciting innovations in internet phone service as well.  Namely, there are some new key players in the RV phone service market.  Skype, Vonage, MagicJack, Comcast and Google Voice are all providers in this internet phone service industry.  Sure, your cell phone can be used nationwide and is a great option for phone service, but what if you are on a fixed budget and need a more affordable option?  Or maybe you are a snowbird or just use your RV for vacations and have been wondering about internet phone service for everyday use.  What do these phone service internet providers have to offer and how does it fit a possible frugal RV lifestyle?  Here is a brief overview of what each one offers:

Skype 

Skype permits you to make calls over the Internet and there is no cost to set up an account.  A Skype call to another Skype user is free and you can see that user through video if both of you have a web cam.   For a small fee, you can also use your Skype account to call someone's land-line or cell phone. With Skype, you talk through your computer. 

Price:  Free Sykpe to Skype.  No Monthly Fee.  Small Fee for calls to land-lines or cell phones.

Talk through:   Computer

Vonage

On Vonage, all you need is a touch-tone phone, a Vonage phone adapter, and a high-speed Internet connection.  You speak through the phone, not your computer, and can even keep your old phone number.  Basically, your phone uses your existing Internet connection instead of a separate phone jack.  Your phone and computer don't really need each other, except for to share your Internet hook-up. 

Price: $24.99 a month and up.

Talk through:  Phone 

MagicJack

MagicJack is a device that you plug into your USB port of your computer and then you plug your existing phone into the jack.  You can then make local and long distance calls just like you did with a regular phone connection.  

Price:  $40.00 initial and $20.00 PER YEAR there after

Talk through:  Phone 

Google Voice and Comcast are two other options.  Comcast has actually overtaken Vonage now in the number digital phone (Voice Over IP, VOIP) customers that they have.  Google Voice is currently available by invitation only, but will be something to look for as a possible RV phone option in the future. 

Looking for a reputable RV Dealer to buy your next RV from?  Check out RV dealers on RVingPlanet!

 

There are many RVer's who love to read, but a RV has very limited space and if you bring very many books with you, books start to take up a lot of area quickly.  The problem is especially compounded if you are a fultime RVer who doesn't have a permanent stationary residence.  When you carry all of your worldly possessions with you in the motorhome, space for books may be your last priority or that space can be very limited.

Well, you book-loving RV owners are in luck.  Recent technological advances, ebook readers, are suited perfectly for your book-to-space problems. There are actually quite a few Ebook readers currently out on the market.  Some of the more notable names include the Amazon Kindle, Sony Reader Digital Book, iPhone Ereader Application, Asus Ebook Reader, and Barnes & Noble Ebook Reader.

One of the most popular is the Amazon Kindle.  In October 2009, the Amazon Kindle announced an International launch and then in November 2009, Amazon proclaimed that sales of the Kindle have broken single-month sales records.  While I haven’t seen official statistics of who the buyers of the Kindle are, I think that it is fair to assume that many RVer’s are part of this customer base as well as other’s who like to read on the go.

These Ebook readers are often lighter than the typical paperback and with wireless technology built right into the device, books can be downloaded right to Ereader from anywhere.  Choose from thousands of titles of books available and store up to 1,500 books in the reader.  The Ebook reader reads like real paper and the screen does not glare even in bright sunlight.

So, if you are an RVer who loves to read or you are someone who needs a gift for a RVer, an Ebook Reader might just be the perfect fit for the RV lifestyle.

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