Rv Navigator

This winter we decided to head really far south, crossing the equator, dateline, hemisheres abd multiple time zones, to find a real summer experience. We landed in Auckland NZ for a month of travel via rental RV. In our case we are renting a 21ft Jayco class C, with a left hand drive diesel and manual transmission. The biggest problem with this set up is that the copilot is always getting in on the drivers side. Artie our Garmin GPS has been updated with NZ maps so is doing his usual great job of getting us around in unfamiliar territory. He has not learn how to shout "STAY LEFT" but the co-pilot is handling this job with ease. Over all we have enjoyed some great natural sites and good roads as we travel around the country. More details next month- there are alot interesting RVing details that we'll share later. We thought that many of our listeners might be planning a trip overseas - now that the dollar has finally start to increase in value, travel is more affordable. Traveling outside the US has it

The end of our 3 season of doing the podcast and it has been rewarding. We now have over 1600 downloads per month plus we hear from many listeners. It is time to say thanks for listening. Year end bring lots of interesting topics for this month episode. After unsuccessfully searching for RV themed carols for last months episode, listener Don from Texas suggested "Livin' in a Mobile Home" by "Riders in the Sky" as a theme song with no holiday significance. An a joy it was to listen too after spending quite alot of effort to obtain the out of print CD from 1990. Then it is on to Homer Simpson and his trails with buying the "Ultra Land Behemoth" ultimate motorhome, from Bob's RV. We spend some time talking about new products introduced at the national RV show in Louisville in early December. Besides the interesting new RV configuration including a slide within a slide, there was a fuel cell electric generator. These and many more topics are on our agenda for this podcast so give it a listen and keep in t

A warm holiday greeting from your RV Navigators is the first order of business. We have heard from so many listeners about their RVing hopes and dreams this past year. It has been very rewarding for us. We are homebodies for the holidays. Since retiring we don't travel over the holidays, so we spend the time getting caught up on projects and seeing friends. Out of this busy schedule (oh, ya, very busy :-) we take time out to make the monthly podcast. Our thoughts are about the holidays, so we are doing our annual RVers gift guide in addition to a few other topics. How about a 32 foot diesel class A motor home that gets nearly 15 miles per gal? Damon has introduced the Avanti which is just that. We offer some great gift ideas - and we look to you for more. So send us your greatest hits for RVers list. One of our projects has been the creation of a photo book of our New England Fall Colors trip. There are many choices, but we have settled on Blurb as our printer. For a few dollars they will print a

It has been quite a month on the road for us. With falling prices of diesel, we feel more like hitting the road and that is exactly what we did. We left you on the coast of Maine eating Lobster. We headed inland to take in the fall colors of New England. After a rainy and cold beginning, the weather turned perfect for leaf peeping and we got to working taking what turned out to be 24 gigs of digital photos. The crystal blue skys combined with the rich color of the foliage really made our photos pop. The website contains a link to some of the best examples. We also spent 5 days at a digital photo workshop sponsored by Elder Hostel. We took several field trips - some in the early morning - to get the perfect shots. On the RVing side, although gas prices are down, sales of RV are not up, Why? We have an explanation. We also stayed a a couple of interesting campgrounds which will be interest to many listeners. Our trip to Speedco for an oil change proved enlightening and we share some of our digital ph

This month has been full of great experiences from interviewing two of our listeners to eating many lobster dinners in the RV. A week on Cape Cod in the off season was a great way to introduce us to the best of New England via some great beaches, scenic campgrounds, bike paths, good eateries, and new friends. This is RVing at it best. Leaving was hard, but we headed up the Maine coast to see some of the picturesque fishing harbors for which this state is famous. Boothbay was one of the most interesting but we found many smaller towns full of fishing boats just waiting to be photographed. With the trees beginning to change, we headed off to NH and Lake George (NY). Unfortunately the weather has not held out so our enjoyment has been diminished as the rain falls. The POI (point of interest) file that I purchased for my GPS last month did not pan out. This file for a cost of $49, was supposed to give our GPS new power by installing a huge number of new searchable points of reference like campgrounds, state

Labor day finds us in Boston, MA at a very nice campground. You'll remember that the weather in the Northeast was perfect this year and we made the most of it. We don't travel much on Labor day, but this year we wanted to be ready to see the fall colors a bit later in the month so we left a bit early. After a 1200 mile trip where we saw the price of diesel drop significantly (only about $4.10/gal), we'll be in this area for a couple of months. In the podcast we describe our 2 week trip to this area with a few nice stops in PA. Our listeners have contributed to the podcast with both audio comments and a nice description of a TV install. This is an update to my efforts at swapping out our TVs earlier this summer. Over all our transition to all digital tvs has been very successful. Nearly every location has several digital channels now (several months before the mandatory change over) that are easy to received and excellent quality. This even when the old signal is questionable. At one campground in PA

Once again we are podcasting from the home front but we have lots of good RV stuff to share. Really our listeners have been sharing with us this month by sending comments via email and voicemail. In these days of bad news in the RV industry, we try to take a lighter approach to our usual RV news with several rather funny stories form the world of RVing. We are about to finish the TV swap project started last month now that we finally have a solution to the last problem. Included is a great book review from listener Suzi and a an extended question about full-timing from listener Ellyn. This last voice mail gets us started on an extended answer that takes through the entire RVing lifestyle - at least the way we live it. We end up with our usual recommendation of great web sites - but with a twist. This month we recommend free cell phone services that will make the life of an RVer easier. As always we appreciate your comments and suggestions both via email and listener comment line. Send comments, suggestions

With lots of days of perfect weather, Chicago is a delight in the summer - this is our camping off season! The big city offers a plethora of interesting activities for all tastes - including the taste of Chicago food festival. We bike the lake front, go to the theater, golf and generally enjoy the summer ambiance surrounding the big city. Rving is never far from our minds as we planned to replace the factory installed TVs in the rig. This is a challenge because we didn't want just big holes where the old ones once sat. There had to be new LCD models that would fit into the hole without alot of specialized carpentry. After some planning and measuring we found models that would fit the holes but how would they be mounted? It actually turned out to be easier than we thought and only minimal cost beyond the cost of the TVs themselves. Based on our experience, most of our listeners should be able to make the transition. As always we talk about trends in the RVing world which is dominated by rising gas price

We, like all RVers are faced, with dramatically rising costs for our favorite means of travel (not that other modes are not also facing increases). How will be cope? After discussing the latest RV trends many of which involve fuel saving technology, we give you our perspective on the high prices. For instance, soft demand for RVs many mean lower purchase prices which if leveraged can be put into fuel to power the new rig. A $10,000 savings on a new RV can buy alot of fuel. Beyond this type of "saving" strategy, are thee prices so shocking? We have seen the costs of RVing rise dramatically in the last 10 years, but until recently demand has been strong. We get used to the prices and adjust our travels and budget accordingly. It is really not the price of fuel that is the shock, it is how fast it is going up that kills demand. Along with this topic we address which states are kind to full timers, safety issues and much more. As always we appreciate your comments and suggestions both via email and list

It has always been one our dreams to sail the ocean blue on a small boat. The opportunity to act on this dream presented itself when we met a real sailor who was looking for a crew. This started our La Paz sailing adventure aboard the "Gato de Cortez" catamaran rented from "The Moorings" in La Paz Mexico. In late April we embarked on a 10 sail along the rugged coast line of the Baja. Ten days of complete wilderness on the water. Anchoring nightly in small protected coves, hiking the hill, walking the beaches where all part of the sailing experience. Although we never lost sight of land, the land was uninhabitable due to rough terrain and desert conditions. Thus there were no towns and only a few hearty fishermen scattered along the coast. Other than buying some fresh fish from them, we encountered no signs of human habitation during our sail. We share with our listeners how we provisioned and lived on the boat during the sail. Was it a hardship for your RV Navigator, who are so used to modern tech

Life after "The Rally" in Perry, GA. We basically headed for home and cold weather. Yes, the motorhome had to be winterized for the second time this season. Temps in Chicago are not reliably above freezing until mid-May. In the podcast, we share the latest news, rv web sites and our impressions of the Rally's display of rigs. I share some thoughts about the transition to digital TV as it relates to RVers and some WiFi hints to keep the signal coming. We use Wifi to distribute the satellite/cell internet connection to our 3 computers in the rig. Some things can upset the signal or shorten the range. Send comments, suggestions and ideas to navigator@rvnavigator.com or use the comment hot line 815/230-0772.

Follow our adventures in the Peach state as we travel the roads of Georgia on our way to attending the national RV Rally in Perry, GA. This rally attended by thousands of RVers with their rigs showcases all of the latest RV technology and updates. With over 500 vendors and 30 informational sessions, we have lots to share in this episode. So much in fact that we cut the report in to two sections with the second to follow in April. The RV Navigator feedback line has been busy as we share two calls with our listeners as well as a first hand interview with with a listener and vendor at the show. Debbie owner and operator of TrueSoaps was kind enough to talk with us about the podcast and her products. There is too much to write in a short summary so please take a listen to this episode. We share our experiences with electrical problems, ULSD, camping in Canada, convection ovens, and much more. Send comments, suggestions and ideas to navigator@rvnavigator.com or use the comment hot line 815/230-0772. We lo

Our goal for this winter's warm weather traveling was to circumnavigate Florida without a schedule. We started on the West coast near Tampa and spent the month traveling south to the Keys and then back North as we gradually head toward home. We had some surprises and many interesting experiences in this the Sunshine state. Join us for our reactions to the major camping centers of Florida both positive and negative. The trip South started at the nations largest RV dealer, Lazy Days RV near Tampa. Many of your have probably already visited this RV destination, but this was our first visit. We had heard of LD many times so we were glad to finally have a chance to actually visit in person. It is quite a place - worth a detour. The podcast agenda moves on to the latest in RV news (how about a 6 slide out RV?), gadgets that we purchased at the Tampa RV supershow and ends with our take on 21st Century RV parks. What do you expect from an RV park? Send comments, suggestions and ideas to navigator@rvnavigator

After some delay in starting our trip South due to poor weather/road conditions, we got under way in -3 degree weather at home. Just a few days later we had made the journey south where the weather turned out to be very nice thus making the trip worth the effort. Our first stop was in Fort Desoto county park near St. Pete. A wonderful campground offering sites on the ocean and one of the great beaches of Florida. We headed off to Fort Wilderness at Disney World. Quite a different experience but quite nice also. As you would expect this campground is well organized with uniform sites and amenities. It has all of the services of a Disney property including site cleaning prior to guests arrival. After a few days in the park, we headed to the Tampa RV Super Show to see the latest in RVs and related stuff. In this episode we talk about the new RVs on display (1300 of em). In the next episode we'll talk about the new stuff. Send comments, suggestions and ideas to navigator@rvnavigator.com or use the comme

As we begin the new year our thoughts turn to hitting the RV road and how to handle the cold that we experience while RVing in the winter. We begin with some interesting news from the RV industry- trends and developments as well as some takes on new products. We also follow up on some comments about RVing in Europe with a very interesting RV blog. We move on to some ideas about winter RVing - we are not experts so we ask for your suggestions via our new listener comment line 815/230-0772. Thanks for making the RV Navigator podcast a success with over 11,500 downloads to date.

After spending a couple of months on the road -not RVing - we are once again at home planning our next RV trip. We'll be heading off to Florida for the winter season. Nothing stationary for us this years as we'll moving around the entire state following the weather. This episode finds us at home reflecting on our most recent trip and making some comparisons to camping in the US and the UK. With the Christmas season upon us, we also got to thinking about some appropriate gifts for the RVer in your family. We suggestions for all budgets from the $5 to the $500+. The show notes will have all of the links for the items mentioned. We are also starting a new feature that will bring you current news from the world of RVing. New products, floorplans, trends and anything else we find interesting. Be sure to send us your comments and show suggestions.

RVing is never very far from our thoughts and is one of favorite means of travel. In order to see much of the world however, we have to leave the RV. This month we are on a suitcase trip that will take us to Ireland. It might be possible to RV in Ireland, we are renting a car while doing the B&B stays for the nights. More on this later. This episode's first topic came via a listener who asked about sway bars for their TT. Although we've had some experience in this area, we did a bit of research and shared our ideas. The episodes ends with our take on digital photography - which camera for you and what specs are most important. This is a hot topic for all types of travelers including RVers.

We have been cruising since 1973 - almost as long as we have been RVing so we have had many exciting trips on various cruise ships over the years. When we thing of cruising is it in many ways like RVing. Compact living away from home. AHHH, but cruising has a major difference - 2600 passengers move from port to port with only one driver. We don't have to navigate, drive, cook, clean or worry about where to park. RVing is great but cruising puts it on steroids. We talk about the similarities and difference and add a few RV specific topics in the mix. How did you finance your last RV? Our recent purchase made us do the research to consider the pros and cons of each option. We candidly share our financing decisions with listeners and ask for feedback and comments.

We take the opportunity to wrap up a couple of issues from previous months and to share our experience with custom cabinetry for our rig. Wether it's a motorhome, 5th wheel, or TT , it probably is not exactly as you'd wanted from the factory. The Elkhart IN vicinity offers many opportunities for customizing your rig. We share our experiences and offer ideas. We are always anxious to hear from you about this topic, so share when you can.

Dog days of August but we are still at working customizing our motorhome. Lots has happened this past month, but we are focusing on our internet connection options this month. You can rely on campgrounds for internet connectivity or you can bring it with you. We have started a 2nd service via cell phone which offers several advantage over the long time satellite connection that we have used. Both deliver the internet over wifi but each has its pros and cons. Listen to our first hand experiences and decide for your self.