More Interesting RV Poll Results

Several months ago I put an article together showing the results of our weekly e-newsletter RV polls. I find it interesting to review these poll results occasionally, and think many other RVers find the poll results of a targeted RV audience interesting too. Of course the outcome of any poll depends on several factors like what type of poll it is, how the questions are presented, who is asking the questions and of course who does and does not participate in the poll.  Our weekly RV poll is not a scientific poll, a political poll or a marketing poll. It is basically used to give me some idea of what our newsletter readers are interested in, how they use their RVs and just for the fun of it. So, here is a look back at some past polls and how the participants responded.  30% of the participants have experienced problems with rodent control in their RV’s and 70% have not. 48% have spent a night in a Wal-Mart parking lot and 52% have not. Of those, 58% asked permission to stay in the Wal-Mart parking lot and 42% did not. 68% connect to the internet every day when traveling by RV and 32% do not. 82% experience trouble getting an internet connection on the road and 16% do not. 58% of the respondents depend on free Wi-Fi to connect, 27% used a wireless card to connect and 15% relied on other methods like paid Wi-Fi, cell phones and satellite service. When asked who drove the most 92% responded male, 5% female, 1% female traveling alone and 2% male traveling alone. 74% said their... Read more

Trip Planning with Streets and Trips

by Chris Guld, www.GeeksonTour.com del.icio.us Tags: Microsoft Streets and Trips,trip planning,gas cost calculator In today’s GPS-connected world, travelers have many choices for navigation devices.  Garmin, Tom-Tom, Magellan, and Copilot are just a few of the brand names for the dashboard devices that will guide you down the road.  Even our cell phone (Droid) has wonderful GPS navigation capabilities today.  But, for planning those trips, nothing beats a computer with mapping software like Microsoft Streets and Trips. Time and Money Calculator Streets and Trips, running on our laptop computer, has been our guide for all 7 years of our RV travels.  We’re currently on version 2010.  Below is a beginning level video to give you an idea of how easy it is to plan a trip and have the software tell you where to go, how long it will take, and how much you’ll spend in gas.  Traveling in an RV is a completely different story when it comes to time and money, than traveling in a car.  If you know where to change the settings, the software will take this into account.  Read More →

Using your RV to survive in an earthquake or other natural disaster

By Bob Difley The sudden shaking of my office, pens and paperclips skittering across the desk, and the rental motorhomes outside on the RV  lot dancing like it was a Saturday night beach party. As any Californian instantly comprehends–another earthquake! Even after the worst of  Hurricane Katrina had passed over, when the levees broke, every New Orleans resident knew–we’re still in for a BIG problem. Mid-western tornadoes ravish the land, stacking what were once homes into piles of kindling. But those who stared in disbelief at the devastation knew of the extreme difficulties that still lay ahead. In each of these circumstances, thousands of people are left without a roof over their heads. In the earthquake my sister-in-law’s house was knocked completely off it’s foundation, red-tagged. The earthquake only took a minute to render five people–including two young children and a grandmother–homeless. For the next four days, their only option was to sleep in their cars. No bathroom, no shower, no cooking facilities. Have you ever stopped to think how a natural disaster of similar proportions would affect your life? Read more  Read More →

Gr8LakesCamper: Camping at Cedar Point

Since Cedar Point opens for the season on Saturday, May 15, now is as good of a time as any to tell you my thoughts on camping at one of the most popular amusement parks on the planet. But first, I’m going to pass along some information from Cedar Point – which is located in Sandusky, Ohio, about halfway between Toledo and Cleveland on a small peninsula jutting out into Lake Erie – about what’s new at the reigning “Best Amusement Park in the World.” Giant coasters, live shows and special activities will highlight Opening Weekend at Cedar Point when the Sandusky, Ohio, amusement park/resort opens for its 141st season on Saturday, May 15. Cedar Point’s rides and roller coasters will be complemented by special live music throughout the weekend, an opportunity to win a John Deere lawn mower and an all-you-can-eat meal and ticket combo on Sunday afternoon. With 74 rides, including 17 roller coasters, no one has more rides and more coasters than Cedar Point. Its Big Three coasters include the relentless Maverick, the 120-mph Top Thrill Dragster and the 310-foot-tall Millennium Force, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary this summer. There are also plenty of other guest favorites including the Cedar Point & Lake Erie Railroad, the Giant Wheel Ferris wheel, three traditional carousels and four kids’ areas including Camp Snoopy and Planet Snoopy. The park’s newest addition, the Shoot the Rapids water ride, is expected to be in operation for the Memorial... Read more

2007 Keystone Outback

2007 Keystone Outback Previously $19,900 – Now $17,495 31 ft. family-friendly travel trailer has 4 bunks and sleeps 8! Features hide-a-bed, cd player, ducted A/C, oven, microwave, outside cook station, 3-burner stove, enclosed corner shower, and more! Offered from Quality RV – Missouri in Linn Creek, MO. Email seller for details on this 2007 Keystone Outback! Find more great RVs on  Read More →

RV volunteers – feeding at the public trough?

The headline reads, “Campground Hosts: Volunteers spend summers on government’s dime” at the Camp Verde Bugle. Citing a long-time volunteer in the Prescott National Forest, the article implies that Dave Underwood is getting a smoking deal for free! The article says, “For volunteering to keep an eye on things and make sure everyone is comfortable, Underwood is provided an RV spot, complete with running water, electricity, propane and sewage disposal — all free — from the first of May to the end of October.” What the article doesn’t say is the value the government gets in exchange for their site. Not only that, not all sites have such amenities. Many lack electricity and propane is often not included either. If the government had to pay an employee to do the same tasks, it would far exceed the value of the site. At even $10 an hour for 40 hours (and many hosts are effectively on call 24/7), they would pay $400/week or $1730/month plus ante up extra for benefits. Is that site worth $1730 a month? Hardly. You could live in a resort with a pool, hot tub and bocce ball for less than that. (See”What is a campsite worth?” to see how value can be figured.) Read more  Read More →

We’re happy to meet you!

Ever been in a dollar store where you quickly realized how they can charge so much less for name-brand products than other retailers?  After your first look, you probably prided yourself on being so clever as to figure out their gimmick. That, at least, was our experience, when it dawned on us – “smaller packages at smaller prices.”  If you haven’t shopped in chain stores like Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, 99-cents Only Stores or Dollar General lately, you probably don’t realize that many of them have large food sections filled with packages that look the same as in groceries with labels by companies you trust, but the packages are slightly smaller.  “That actually fits our full-timing RV lifestyle better in many ways, given our choice of rig, the campgrounds we visit, and the routes we travel.” About four and a half years ago, Monique and I didn’t know anything about RVing; after all, we were tent campers, contemptuous of those monsters sharing our campgrounds.  Then, one day I returned home from work to be greeted by, “Whatdaya think about selling the house and traveling fulltime?”  Having just fought Southern California traffic for two hours to get home, I asked, “Can we afford to do that?”  She said yes, and I said yes, and thus it began … that quickly! We took eight months to turn our lives around, from enjoying a comfortable suburban home to that scary moment when I pulled away from our house on our “shake-down cruise” to a state park seven... Read more

A Well Kept Secret. The Best RV Shows in The Country

A Lug_Nut tip.   RV shows throughout the country each year create excitement and attract tens of thousands of eager enthusiasts.  For the price of the admission you can view all the latest products from million dollar rigs to the latest five dollar camping gadget.  This is the one stop spot where you can view all, or certainly most, of the RV manufacturer’s offerings.  It is a place that makes comparing different rigs far easier.       If, however, you are really interested in buying a particular unit, be it a motorized or towed vehicle, better get there early, and if possible not on a weekend.  Viewing and getting the sales people’s full attention can be very challenging when they are besieged by the crowds.  New designs and high end units are normally flooded with people, many of whom have no intention of buying, let alone even affording, such a rig.  But, for the admission they paid, they feel entitled to view all. There are, however, other RV shows that go on throughout the country that you may not know about.  These shows, many of which deal with the higher end products, are more personal and are aimed at the RV buyer that may be looking at moving up.  In general they attract only hundreds, not tens of thousands.  There is no admission charge to go to one of these events and personal attention from any or all of the vendors is assured. These unique shows can be found at select RV resorts across the country.  Resorts such as RiverBend Motor Coach Resort,... Read more

You Want Me To Go Where? Camping With Teens

This article is courtesy Woodall’s Family Camping, RV Destination and Campground Blog, by Jeanine Kennedy. We have been blessed with four beautiful children – a teenager, two preteens and a toddler.  And while they all have their moments at times, I have to admit, camping with older kids is by far the most challenging. As a whole, they’re a pretty tough bunch to please.  Friends, sports and trips to the mall are all hard to compete with.  And all those hormones can make for some serious attitude problems. But have no fear.  It is possible to go on a family camping trip with your teenager — without making everyone involved miserable in the process.  It’s all a matter of striking the right balance between your child’s new-found desires and those of the rest of the family. At least at this point, we’ve made it very clear to our kids that we are a camping family — plain and simple.  They will come with us and we will spend time together.  Staying home alone is not an option.  That said, we’ve been around the block a few times and understand fully that if our teen isn’t happy, then nobody’s happy. So we find the best approach is one of compromise.  For example, my husband and I love to get away from it all.  We’d be happy to fill our days with hiking, biking and enjoying the wilderness. Our kids also enjoyed this when they were younger, spending hours upon hours playing in the dirt, searching for bugs or climbing the nearest tree. ... Read more

Find Success as an AGS Rep Team

Ann Emerson, Vice President of AGS, recently sent us this exciting opportunity for RVers. If you are looking for a way to earn money while on the road this may just be the adventure for you! AGS, an Affinity company, is looking for highly motivated full-time RVing couples who want to earn an income while traveling in their RV. AGS has been the leader in the Guest Services Guide (site map) industry for almost 25 years, offering quality service and products to the RV Park and Campground industry – and we are growing! As a result, we have a number of customers waiting to work with a professional sales team from our company so we are looking for Independent Contractors to sell local print and internet advertising to this established customer base. As an AGS Rep Team, you will earn commission while enjoying complimentary camping throughout the country while working. In addition, you will have the full support of our professional Home Office team members, ensuring your success. If you love variety, have sales and computer skills and are looking for a new “career” while full-timing, we’d love to hear from you. Learn more about being an AGS Rep Team by visiting http://www.agsinternet.com/join.html where you can fill out an application. What are you waiting for? Find success as an AGS Rep Team today! Ann Emerson Vice President, AGS  Read More →

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