YOUR DESTINATION ‘WISH LIST’

By Barry Zander, Edited by Monique Zander, the Never-Bored RVers Where to your want to point your RV in 2012? __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ For many of us, the holidays are an excellent time to plan for the days ahead when the weather warms up.   Have you thought about where you want to go and how to get there? Envision Spring -- Travel Time Ahead Those of you who use your RV to hop between the homes of parents or to impose on your kids and grandkids in distant states, you have an obvious starting point on your planning. Over the years we have crossed paths with lots of people who travel with a checklist at their side – “We want to visit all state capitals … visit the highest peak in each state … go to a different music festival every weekend … etc.”  Snowbirds will be packing up in two to four months to head north, ready to resume their alter-personalities on solid ground.  The point is, you may soon be on the move, heading for destinations. Here’s our recommendation:  Don’t just look at Point A (where you are now) and Point B (what you want to get to). Think outside the box – or more appropriately off the ribbon of interstate that can get you to Point B the fastest.  We suggest that you route yourself through at least one state park or national park on your way to your ultimate destination. Monique and I are journey folks.  We set our sights on... Read more

What does it cost to become a fulltimer?

By Bob Difley Almost every new RVer or former weekender thinking about going fulltime asks the question “How much does it cost to live fulltime in an RV?” The answer is, pick any number and you will find someone who says that is what it costs. And they’re right–for them. However, that is probably not the best question to ask. Try rephrasing the question to “I will have a net income of (fill in the blank), will this be enough to cover the RV lifestyle that I define?” And that, of course, implies that you have to first define the RV lifestyle before you can cost it out. What does costing it out entail? This question is very individual, which only you–and your traveling companion or spouse, if any–can answer. So get out a piece of paper or open a  new document on your computer and answer these questions first: Is your RV paid for or will you have to factor payments into your budget? Is your RV old or new? An old RV will require more dollars budgeted for maintenance and repairs? Do you have a residence that will require maintenance or will provide additional income by renting? Are all your financial obligations paid off or will payments–other than monthly usage of credit cards–have to be factored in? Add in health insurance and prescription drug plan premiums, and average monthly co-pays. Add in cell phone costs, a gift budget, hobby costs, and anything else that will be recurring expenses. That was the easy part, numbers... Read more

Visit these high desert locations on you way to the desert this winter

By Bob Difley This is the time of year when RVers are either putting the rig in mothballs for the winter or thinking about heading south to their snowbird hangout. If you are in the latter group and usually plan to head south in one continuous flight, driving 300 or more miles every day until you get to your destination,  try a new plan this year. Many RVers tend to think of their RV year as consisting of two time periods, summer and winter, missing out on the two “shoulder” seasons between the two. These time periods can add another level of enjoyment to your RV calendar if you use them to visit and explore those places that are either too hot in the summer or too cold in the winter. And fortunately, many of these shoulder locations lie between your summer location and your winter haven so that can become part of your trip south–or north in the Spring, taking the stress of long days on the road. These locations are mostly in the high desert, at altitudes between 2,000 and 5,000 feet, and are missed as you rush past like a migrating goose. Here are some suggestions to explore on your journey south this winter. Red Rock Canyon State Park (photo)- In California’s Mojave Desert at 2,277 feet, this state park has spectacular white and red rock formations, trails to the top for great views of the surrounding desert, and a side trip to the Burro Schmidt tunnel, where Schmidt carved a tunnel with nothing but hand tools and his burro through a mountain to shorten... Read more

Exploring the Southwestern deserts on the cheap

By Bob Difley Thursday’s stock market rally–in fact the whole month of October–have been good for investors. However, for most of us buy-and-hold investors, we still have a long way to go to get even, let alone get ahead. Fortunately, as RVers–especially if you are a fulltimer or long-termer like a snowbird–there are ways we can keep expenses down while waiting for our portfolios to recover. Here are some ideas for keeping expenses in check heading into snowbird season: If you are heading soon for your winter snowbirding roost, take time to plan your trip so that you are able to spend your travel nights without paying for a campground. Get a list of Walmarts, Kmarts, and other stores that permit overnight stays, or plan to arrive every afternoon in public lands where you can camp free. You could save almost enough in campground fees to pay for your fuel. Once in the desert, plan to camp in central locations, like the hub of a wagon wheel, where you can leave your rig by day and explore out the spokes of the wheel with your tow or toad to save fuel. Buy a couple guide books so you don’t have waste time and gas. Mike and Terie Church’s Southwestern Deserts book is among the most informative. And buy a desert places-to-go-and-things-to-see, wildflowers and plants, and birds and wildlife handbooks as well. Unless you particularly like big cities, avoid them for camping destinations. Yes, they have lots of entertainment options, but so does... Read more

THE GOOD and not-so-good OF RVING PART 1

By Barry Zander, Edited by Monique Zander, the Never-Bored RVers RVing is Great! We all know that, but let’s face reality – there are plusses and minuses to it just like every other situation you encounter in life. Since I’m basically a positive kinda guy, I want to tell you what I think are the major good things about RVing.  In my next article, though, I’ll put on my black hat and give you a list of what I think are the biggest negatives to the RV life. Two ground rules, first.  No. 1 – These are the good things that we have enjoyed about the lifestyle over the past five years, so I encourage you to add your thoughts in the comments section below.  How else will those thinking about taking off in an RV know all the benefits? No. 2 – PLEASE do not write any negatives today.  Save that for the second part of this series, which will talk about the dark side of the RV life. RVing -- It's Definitely the Good Life! Now, in no particular order, here are what we consider to be the 11 Best Things about RVing: 1)    Freedom to roam.  You can set your sights on journeys or destinations and head off in that direction, or you can step on the accelerator with no direction and still get somewhere.  Go, stop, stay, go. You can roam to your heart’s content, with only the weather, budget and health concerns to factor into your travels.   Plus, grandparents can drop in on the kids for a while; then hit the road again when it’s time to go. 2)    The dogs in... Read more

If you liked the Ecco futuristic green RV, wait till you see the Donk dinghy

By Bob Difley If you liked the NAO Designed Ecco that I posted about a few days ago, a green out-there “RV” of sorts, then this is the dinghy for you, the Badonkadonk–designed by the same design firm. The same design firm, NAO, has also designed . Following is a shortened description from their website. “Feeling like your SUV blends into the crowd? In need of something to transport your groceries by day and serve as a mobile party or arsenal by night? Meet the Badonkadonk, a one-of-a-kind “armored land cruiser/recreational tank”. To look at it, one might think it to be a hovercraft, but in fact it runs on four off-road wheels, concealed by a unique industrial-strength rubberized flexible skirt that shields and protects the wheels to within an inch of the ground, while still allowing for enough flex to give clearance over bumpy and uneven terrain. The roof of the Donk features a guard rail and durable rubber matting, making it the ideal place to carry up to 3 friends or several hundred pounds of cargo. Slide open the roof hatch and you’ll find the interior fully carped and cozy, with accent lighting, glove box, controls and room to seat up to 4 people, or 2 comfortably. Donk Driving The Donk was designed to be as versatile as possible, and that includes the ability of the craft to be piloted from either a seated position within the armored shell, or from an exposed, standing position out the hatch, thanks to a pivoting control stick and... Read more

Go RVing: The key to helping Mother Earth and finding happiness

By Bob Difley “You really do have to wonder whether a few years from now we’ll look back at the first decade of the 21st century — when food prices spiked, energy prices soared, world population surged, tornados plowed through cities, floods and droughts set records, populations were displaced and governments were threatened by the confluence of it all,” writes Thomas Friedman, the New York Times columnist, “and ask ourselves: What were we thinking? How did we not panic when the evidence was so obvious that we’d crossed some growth/climate/natural resource/population redlines all at once?” Paul Gilding, an Australian environmentalist/entrepreneur, tries to answer that question in his book, “The Great Disruption: Why the Climate Crisis Will Bring On the End of Shopping and the Birth of a New World.” He points out this dilemma: “We’re currently caught in two loops: One is that more population growth and more global warming together are pushing up food prices; rising food prices cause political instability in the Middle East, which leads to higher oil prices, which leads to higher food prices, which leads to more instability. At the same time, improved productivity means fewer people are needed in every factory to produce more stuff. So if we want to have more jobs, we need more factories. More factories making more stuff make more global warming, and that is where the two loops meet.” But do not despair, for there is a solution, according... Read more

Looking for Work? Become a Woodall’s Rep Team

Woodall’s Campground Directory is seeking applications for couples who would like to work from their RV. As an independent contractor, you will be asked to sell advertising to RV parks and campgrounds as well as RV dealers and attractions in your preassigned territory. Although many territories work primarily in spring and summer months, some followup is required through the end of the year. In order to be eligible, you must travel in an RV, have sales experience, own a computer and be able to work full time during your peak selling period. Experience with the Internet and smart phones such as the iPhone, Android or Blackberry is a plus. Come join the fun Woodall’s team of evaluators and sales people, and help finance your RV travels! To find out more visit Become a Woodall’s Rep Team.  Read More →

The Zen of Boondocking Part IX – How to find boondocking campsites

By Bob Difley Just knowing that you can legally boondock almost anywhere on public lands, such as those managed by the forest service and BLM, as I wrote in last week’s post, does not tell you exactly how to find these dispersed campsites (meaning not within the confines of an organized campground). You won’t find any signs saying “Campsite Here” or numbered posts designating campsites.  No hosts in golf carts will lead you to an open site. No, you have to find them for yourself. Since finding dispersed campsites is more difficult than finding campgrounds, it is one of the features that makes boondocking attractive–there won’t be a lot of RVers competing for the same campsite. First, become alert so that you notice when you enter public lands. You will recognize national forests or national recreation areas by their familiar brown signs (photo below).  Seldom, however, will signs identify BLM lands. Much of the  land in the Southwest used by snowbirds in winter is BLM land. Maps are available from visitor centers in states that contain public lands and on the Public Lands website where shaded areas define lands managed by the BLM, Bureau of Reclamation, National and State Forest Services, Fish and Wildlife Service, Indian Reservations, etc.  However, the BLM and some other agencies do not necessarily post signs so you can determine when you enter and leave. Sometimes the only way you can recognize  when you are on public land is the... Read more

The Zen of Boondocking Part VIII – Boondocking on public lands

Bob Difley Now that we’ve solved the problems of dumping, water, and electricity and you’ve had a few nights of tether-less camping at non-hookup campgrounds or at a Walmart, let’s tackle the essence of the heart of boondocking–camping out in the boonies. So just where can you camp legally outside of designated campgrounds? That’s the good part. There are millions of acres of public lands which are open to all forms of recreation, including camping and boondocking. Wikipedia defines and identifies public lands as, “The majority of public lands in the United States are held in trust for the American people by the federal government and managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the United States National Park Service, Bureau of Reclamation, or the Fish and Wildlife Service under the Department of the Interior, or the United States Forest Service (FS) under the Department of Agriculture. Other federal agencies that manage public lands include the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the United States Department of Defense, which includes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.” Most of these public lands are open for recreational use, though the type depends on the managing agency. On Forest Service and BLM lands restrictions are minimal (BLM alone manages 253 million acres–one-eighth of the country’s landmass, but most of it is in the eleven western states), though more controlled in national and state parks... Read more

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