RV Podcast

We have a jam-packed show for you this week. First off, we’ll tackle the dirty little secret of the RV industry. Yes, they are indeed selling lots and lots of new RVs. Setting sales records seemingly every month. But what they don’t tell you is that you’re going to have a very difficult time finding a place to camp in that RV because we’re not building campgrounds fast enough to keep up with all those new RVers. We’ll tackle this issue in our question of the week segment coming up in a couple of minutes. Also… We RVers love our dogs. Many in fact, cite traveling with a dog as one of the chief reasons they even have an RV! But here’s the deal: Dogs are….well, dogs. Not people. And too many of us do a disservice to our pets by treating them as if they were human.  In this week’s podcast, we get some great advice from a professional dog trainer about traveling with our dogs and making the experience enjoyable for our pets as well as ourselves. Plus lots of audience comments, questions, tips and more all coming up in this episode of The RV Podcast. Click the player below to Listen Now or scroll down through the show note details. When you see a time code hyperlink, you can click it to jump directly to that segment of the podcast. [spp-player] Show Notes for Episode #166 Nov. 15, 2017 of Roadtreking - The RV Podcast: WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK [spp-timestamp time="2:15"] Bo is back – You can see the reunion at https://youtu.be/mCEuuy71E28  We share how his training went and what it’s like having a Smart Dog. We are at our sticks and bricks home in Michigan for the next couple weeks. We’ll spend Thanksgiving here and then hit the road again, traveling to Louisville for the annual Recreation Vehicle Industry Association annual Trade Show. Our 2018 Travel Schedule is slowly coming together. Many of or destinations will be anchored around one of the many Roadtreking gatherings we will be attending across the country. You can see a full list of those gatherings at https://roadtreking.com/2018-calendar/ This portion of the Podcast is brought to you by Campers Inn, the RVer’s trusted resource for over 50 years, the nation’s largest family-operated RV dealership with 19 locations and growing  JENNIFER'S TIP OF THE WEEK - Stopping those weird noises from your RV heater [spp-timestamp time="21:28"] There are a lot of moving parts in our RVs. And we’re not talking just about the engine We’re talking about the appliances and the RV accessories that we use on every trip…. Things like the heater. Sure, there’s usually a manual that comes with the gadget. But owner’s manuals don’t necessarily cover everything. We got a great tip this week from a listener named Bob whose,  Roadtrek CS Adventurous XL uses the Alde heating system. Bob’s heater made some weird noises and he shares with us how he fixed it in this week’s Tip of the Week. The video Bob saw that explained where to change the setting on his Alde heater was at https://youtu.be/f5btXOrw1p4 And be sure to send me your tips and suggestions for the RV lifestyle. You can use the “Leave Voicemail” link at Roadtreking.com. Just click it and then use the built-in microphone on your computer or mobile devise to record a message to me. You can do it over as many times as you want, until you are satisfied. And then you just click a button and it comes right to my email inbox. I love hearing from you! Jennifer's tip of the week is brought to you by RadPower Bikes ,

Episode #165: The Girl Camping Movement No, I’m not being politically incorrect. There really is a Girl Camping Movement and it is one of the fastest growing segments of the recreational vehicle movement.  Women old and young are following their dreams, buying an RV and traveling the highways and byways of North America. In this week’s episode, we talk to the leading ambassador foe the Girl Camping Movement, who has a lot to teach us all about the joys of traveling with an RV. Plus, we have RV news, Tips and travel ideas…all coming up in this episode of the RV Podcast. Click the player below to Listen Now or scroll down through the show note details. When you see a time code hyperlink, you can click it to jump directly to that segment of the podcast. [spp-player] Show Notes for Episode #165  Nov.8, 2017 of Roadtreking - The RV Podcast: WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK [spp-timestamp time="2:00"] We’re back home in Michigan after pretty much two months on the road. We’ll be here through Thanksgiving, then we head to Louisville for the annual trade show by the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association. We get to be reunited with our dog Bo tomorrow. Bo has been in special advance off-leash training while we’ve been traveling. We’ll shoot some video and show you how he’s done. Speaking of dogs, we had lots of reaction to last week’s topic in episode 164 about the scandal of fake service dogs. It’s become a national disgrace and we’re sorry to say, a lot of RVers are involved, registering their dogs as service animals when, in fact, they have had no real service dog training and the registration is just a sham so they can take their pets with them wherever they want. We had lots of calls, comments and emails about this but we want to play one of them that illustrates why these fake service dogs create so many issues. [spp-timestamp time="7:57"] We played a voice message from Kathy who owns a real therapy dog and is being penalized because there are so many fake service dogs out there. Therapy dogs provide a real service. They are registered and trained and visit hospitals, special needs centers, hospices schools, nursing homes, and other facilities. They are owned by caring volunteers who are willing to share their special canines to bring smiles and joy to people, young and old alike. This portion of the Podcast is brought to you by Campers Inn, the RVer’s trusted resource for over 50 years, the nation’s largest family-operated RV dealership with 16 locations and growing  JENNIFER'S TIP OF THE WEEK [spp-timestamp time="12:23"] OK…this week’s tip comes directly from Jennifer’s School of Hard Knocks. Yes, I learned this tip the hard way. And it happened this past week as we were packing for a long 1,000-mile trip from Florida to Michigan After we started loading up the RV last Friday, we went through our usual routine of bringing in all the clothing, the food items and the related things we needed for the trip home. When I went to the lower storage cabinet next to our refrigerator, I noticed a smell. Not a dirty smell… a clean one! A very clean one. You guessed it, my dish soap had spilled… all over the bottom of the cabinet. It was a mess. Dish soap t had even leaked out f the cabinet onto the floor of the RV. It took pretty much a whole roll of paper towels and 15 minutes on my hands and knees sopping up the mess. And then we had to wait another hour to resume packing for everything to completely dry. The lesson? Store your cleaning supplies in a container, were they can’t tip over. I should have known better. But now you do.

We have lots to talk about this week. We’re going to start off with a discussion about a very controversial topic: The proliferation of what is being called fake service dogs. It’s becoming a national scandal and I’m sorry to say, a lot of RVers are involved, registering their dogs as service animals when, in fact, they have had no real service dog training and the registration is just a sham so they can take their pets with them wherever they want. We’ll also talk about a big RV trend… renting out your RV. There are now dozens of companies that are serving those who want to rent an RV for a vacation – just like out rent a vacation home. And the fleet of rental RVs come from RV owners who want to make some cash for their RVs when it would otherwise be just sitting in storage or their driveway. Plus your questions, comments and RV news, tips and suggested trips….all coming up in this week’s episode. Click the player below to Listen Now or scroll down through the show note details. When you see a time code hyperlink, you can click it to jump directly to that segment of the podcast. [spp-player] Show Notes for Episode #164 November 1, 2017 of Roadtreking - The RV Podcast: WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK [spp-timestamp time="2:30"] It’s November. Snow is flying around the upper Midwest but we’re still in sunny and warm Florida. We'll start back to our home in Michigan, where we'll send the holidays, towards the weekend. This week, we want to talk about a growing national scandal involving service dogs. Today, any pet owner can go online and buy a vest for a dog to pass it off as a service animal to gain access to restaurants, hotels, parks, beaches and places of business. Across the country, at least 19 states are considering legislation that would crack down on pet owners who claim their animals are service animals. Still more states are considering implementing them, Most of the laws hit anyone misrepresenting their animal as a service animal with fines up to $500. There are an estimated 20,000 real, service dogs in the US; they are specifically trained to do tasks for a person with a disability and can help with disabilities ranging from vision impairments to seizures to autism and more. However, there are tens of thousands of other animals that have various pieces of service dog ID cards or vests that are available online by simply paying a fee. Just Google service dogs and you’ll see the ads. Passing off your dog as a service dog, when in fact it is not, is causing an uproar in the community for those who actually need one. An organization, Glad Wags Service Dogs, is making it known that "fake service" dogs are causing a huge problem, and it needs to stop, citing incidents in which non-service-animals have misbehaved in places they shouldn't have been allowed, casting real service animals in a bad light—or, in some cases, even injuring an actual service animal. Case in point: An incident in Sacramento just over a week ago, when a blind man’s working service dog was attacked by a pit bull whose owner falsely claimed the pet was a therapy dog. According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, it is illegal to ask about a person’s disability, require medical documentation, require special identification for a service animal or ask for the service animal to demonstrate the tasks it’s trained to do. And while the ADA was created to protect people with special needs from discrimination, sadly it does not thwart those who are able-bodied and seeking to take advantage of the service animal privilege. This portion of the Podcast is brought to you by Campers Inn,

 We’ve all heard of the horrible devastation still affecting Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria. Nearly a month after the storm, water and electricity are in scarce supply. Cellphone service ranges from spotty to nonexistent, landline telephones are out, banks and many businesses are shuttered, cars are damaged and roads blocked. For many, work and school still have not resumed and there’s been no outside communication with friends and family Helping out is he Erwin Hymer Group of North America and their special mobile research lab equipped with a Kymeta satellite antenna for the Internet, part of a humanitarian effort sponsored by Liberty Cablevision, the islands cable TV and broadband provider. We caught up with Joe Raetano, the director of advanced research and Development for the Hymer Group, who explains how valuable the Internet Satellite system on his Roadtrek advanced mobile Lab is in helping island residents reconnect. We interviewed Joe over a satellite phone connection made possible by that Kymeta antenna on his RV That’s coming up in the interview of the week segment in just a few minutes. But also in this episode, your questions and comments, RV tips and news and much more… but first, my lifelong traveling companion and my bride…Jennifer. Click the player below to Listen Now or scroll down through the show note details. When you see a time code hyperlink, you can click it to jump directly to that segment of the podcast. [spp-player] Show Notes for Episode #163 October 25, 2017 of Roadtreking - The RV Podcast: WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK [spp-timestamp time="3:16"] We had a great spontaneous meet-up this past weekend with many of our listeners along Florida’s Emerald Coast in Navarre Beach. We will try and do this sort of thing again as we visit other parts of the country. Here’s a call we got from Gary, who was among those who showed up. As we begin the last week of October, we're starting to see the first signs of the great snowbird migration as tens of thousands of folks from northern states are starting to make their way south for the winter. For those who stay put during the winter, it's time to winterize their RVs, cleaning it out and putting it in storage for the next several months. Jennifer and I are spending a few more days in Florida but we'll soon be heading north to Michigan. We, too, will have to winterize while we're up north, but we are among the growing number of RVers who camp all year round. We love winter camping in the snow but we also plan to head back to Florida shortly after the first of the year. If you ever wonder where we are, there's a live map on the lower right had column of our roadtreking.com blog that shows where we are. There's one big camping weekend left! Most campgrounds are sold out this coming weekend for Halloween, with costume contests, trick or treating and decorated RVs. In fact, the whole month is busy as RVers try to squeeze as many outings as possible before the cold weather arrives. But that cold weather is not to be ignored. Out west, they are starting to close roads in some of our national parks....because of snow! This portion of the Podcast is brought to you by Campers Inn, the RVer’s trusted resource for over 50 years, the nation’s largest family-operated RV dealership with 16 locations and growing  JENNIFER'S TIP OF THE WEEK [spp-timestamp time="10:29"] Here’s a tip on what to do with your RV AFTER you return from a trip, after you’ve emptied your clothes and other items and after you’ve emptied the refrigerator and are ready to leave it for a long p...

In this episode of the RV Podcast we’ll talk to an expert on how to fulltime RV on $1,500 a month, even less if you follow some of the tips you’ll hear on our interview of the week segment…coming up. Also in this episode, lots of practical, how-to RV tips and advice, your questions and our answers, RV news of the week and an off the beaten path report for your RV travels. Click the player below to Listen Now or scroll down through the show note details. When you see a time code hyperlink, you can click it to jump directly to that segment of the podcast. [spp-player] Show Notes for Episode #162 October 18.2017 of Roadtreking - The RV Podcast: WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK [spp-timestamp time="1:45"] We’re still down on the beautiful Emerald Coast of Florida’s panhandle and because we’ve heard from a number of you who would like to meet us, we’re going to try something – a meet and greet afternoon next Sunday, October 22. We’re going to meet on Navarre Beach, at the entrance of the Gulf Islands National Seashore. Now because of the recent Hurricane Nate, the national seashore drive is closed just west of Navarre Beach. But the meet spot we picked is just to the left, or east of the bridge leading from Highway 98 and the mainland to Navarre Beach. Jennifer and I will be there from 2PM on and whoever shows up, shows up. Bring some beach chairs and refreshments and we’ll hang out for the afternoon on one of the most beautiful beaches in the country. Just look for our 2017 Roadtrek CS Adventurous XL 4X4 and come by and say hello. If there are any updates it, we’ll post a notice on our Roadtreking Facebook Group and Our Roadtreking Facebook Page so check there for the latest. We’re excited to see fuel prices dropping once again…especially east of the Mississippi. A new survey from AAA says that the national gas price average has dropped two cents on the week to $2.47, states east of the Mississippi are paying as much as eight cents less at the start of this week. While gas prices are more expensive than a year ago, the past five weeks of sustained weekly declines indicate that demand may be leveling out alongside refineries and pipelines returning to pre-hurricane operations. In September, Hurricane Harvey drove gas prices to the highest price of the year – $2.67. That was a 32-cent increase inside of 12 days. Now nearly seven weeks post hurricane, gas prices have shown steady decline dropping a total of 20 cents since September 11, 2017 We’re really excited about the phenomenal growth of our YouTube RV Lifestyle Channel. We are now getting almost 1 million video views EACH month. We continue to put two videos up each week, as well as regular live reports, and we thank you for subscribing to the channel. This portion of the Podcast is brought to you by Campers Inn, the RVer’s trusted resource for over 50 years, the nation’s largest family-operated RV dealership with 16 locations and growing  JENNIFER'S TIP OF THE WEEK [spp-timestamp time="11:45"] One of the reasons we so enjoy doing meet and greets like the one we’re planning for Florida this week, or attending RV gatherings and rallies around the country is the opportunity it presents to pick up valuable suggestions and tips from other RVers. In North Carolina a couple of weeks ago, we met the Emby family, who shared with us how they pack and organize for RV trips using Ikea bags. Thanks Embry family! We will definitely pick up some of those Ikea bags.

There are RV Clubs and then there are the Escapees. Ever heard of them before? If you’re an active RVer, if you dream of working from the road, or retiring to an RVing life of adventure, or packing the most fun you can into your weekend camping tips, you need to know about the Escapees. This week, in our interview segment, you’ll meet the young couple who are leading the Escapees community and discover just why this club may be the perfect fit for you. Also this week, lots of listener questions and answers, plenty of tips, RV news and an off-the-beaten path report about two great Georgia state parks that Jennifer and I visited last week. Click the player below to Listen Now or scroll down through the show note details. When you see a time code hyperlink, you can click it to jump directly to that segment of the podcast. [spp-player] Show Notes for Episode #161 October 11, 2017 of Roadtreking - The RV Podcast: WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK[spp-timestamp time="3:10"] We’re coming to you from Florida’s beautiful Emerald Coast after a very eventful trip down here, in which we were brushed by Hurricane Nate. You can see a video on that adventure at https://youtu.be/TXsAG7_aOKk This portion of the Podcast is brought to you by Campers Inn, the RVer’s trusted resource for over 50 years, the nation’s largest family-operated RV dealership with 16 locations and growing  JENNIFER'S TIP OF THE WEEK [spp-timestamp time="12:48"] Two weeks ago back in Episode 159, Mike interviewed veteran automobile sales consultant Gary Tilkin, who shared his expertise about the RV buying experience. Gary gave a lot of very helpful tips and if you are shopping for an RV, I urge you to go back and listen to episode 159. But we just heard back from Gary, who wanted us to know that he has just signed the bottom line to buy a new motorcoach. And Gary put into personal practice many of the tips he offered here in the RV Podcast. Gary called in with a follow up tip on buying an RV from a dealer located far away. Thanks, Gary. We are delighted to hear back from you. Congratulations on that new motorhome. And Mike and I look forward to taking you up on that kind invitation for a visit while we are here on the Florida Emerald Coast. And for all of you listening this week, please be sure to send me your tips and suggestions for the RV lifestyle. You can use the “Leave Voicemail” link at Roadtreking.com. Just click it and then use the built-in microphone on your computer or mobile devise to record a message to me. You can do it over as many times as you want, until you are satisfied. And then you just click a button and it comes right to my email inbox. I love hearing from you! Jennifer's tip of the week is brought to you by RadPower Bikes ,an electric bike manufacturer offering direct to consumer pricing on powerful premium electric bikes. Now with free shipping LISTENER QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK [spp-timestamp time="18:00"] * Brian asks if 80 years old is too old for he and his wife to start a life of RVing in a small motorhome – the Roadtrek Agile SS. * Lisa asks Mike and Jennifer about the varying amounts of solar panels they have had in previous RVs they’ve owned. She wants to know the ideal setup. * A caller with an older RV is frustrated that when he puts in gas, the pump keeps shutting off, unless he holds the handle down a tiny bit so the gas going through the nozzle flows out very slow. * And a caller wants to know if she still needs to winterize the h...

Probably the top question motorhome owners are asked is “what do you get for mileage?” Although gas prices are dropping again, the big spike they had after the hurricanes this summer reminds all of us that one of the biggest expenses our RV lifestyle has to deal with is fuel prices. So, how can we lower those costs and get the best mileage possible? To help us with that our interview of the week features our friend Mark Polk of RVEducation101 who will share some very practical tips that are all but guaranteed to increase your mileage and save you money. Also this week, lots of your email questions, RV news, tips and an off the beaten path report. Click the player below to Listen Now or scroll down through the show note details. When you see a time code hyperlink, you can click it to jump directly to that segment of the podcast. [spp-player] Show Notes for Episode #160 Oct 3, 2017 of Roadtreking - The RV Podcast: WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK [spp-timestamp time="2:47"] This episode is recorded from our camping spot in the Blue Ridge Mountains, on the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains in North Carolina after a great four days attending the Overland East Expo held on the grounds of the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC. We shared what we learned there, explaining what overlanding is and how it relates to boondocking. We also share the results of our first real world test of the Kymeta satellite Internet system we are testing out. We also talked about our tours of the Biltmore Estate and the Vanderbilt house, including a rooftop tour to look at the gargoyles. And we talk about what a great month October is for RVers. This portion of the Podcast is brought to you by Campers Inn, the RVer’s trusted resource for over 50 years, the nation’s largest family-operated RV dealership with 16 locations and growing  JENNIFER'S TIP OF THE WEEK [spp-timestamp time="14:19"] One of the things many of us do when we’re stopped for the night is spin the front passenger’s seat around so that instead of facing forward, it faces the back part of the coach, making for a way to relax, to create a conversation area or to use the front table if we decide to set that up. But for some of us, the way that seat is angled makes sitting there a bit uncomfortable. At the Overland East gathering this past weekend, we met Pam Bowen. Pam knew we would be there was on the alert to share her tip about dealing with the seat. It is so simple. What Pam does is use a Yoga Block – one of those foam square shaped little blocks that you find yoga practitioners use – as a foot rest. Presto! Instant comfort. You can find the Yoga blocks everywhere. Pam got hers at Walmart. You can also find it in on the master list of products and handy services that we talk about on the podcast at roadtreking.com/gear Since we just added it, you’ll need to scroll down to the end of the list to find it. Meanwhile,  be sure to send me your tips and suggestions for the RV lifestyle. You can use the “Leave Voicemail” link at Roadtreking.com. Just click it and then use the built-in microphone on your computer or mobile devise to record a message to me. You can do it over as many times as you want, until you are satisfied. And then you just click a button and it comes right to my email inbox. I love hearing from you! Jennifer's tip of the week is brought to you by RadPower Bikes ,an electric bike manufacturer offering direct to consumer pricing on powerful premium electric bikes.

Don't buy an RV without listening to this episode and our interview of the week with renowned automotive expert Gary Tilkin,  a national sought after speaker, trainer, motivator and consultant for automobile dealerships and sales personel. When Gary started shopping to buy an RV and he and his wife, he was shocked to find an industry far removed from the consumer friendly auto dealerships he has worked with. In this interview, he reveals insider info from his years of experience in the automobile industry on how the consumer can insure they pick the right RV, the right dealership and get the right - or best - deal possible. Plus your RVquestions, Jennifer's tip of the week, RV news, a Traveling with Technology report, and an off the beaten path update from fire ravaged Waterton National Park in Alberta, Canada. Click the player below to Listen Now or scroll down through the show note details. When you see a time code hyperlink, you can click it to jump directly to that segment of the podcast. [spp-player] Show Notes for Episode #159 Sept. 27, 2017 of Roadtreking - The RV Podcast: WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK  [spp-timestamp time="3:16"] We’re hitting the road as soon as this podcast is recorded, heading first to Asheville, NC where we will be attending the Overland East Expo,  Sept. 29-October 1 on the grounds of the beautiful Biltmore Estate.  This is the premier overlanding event in the world—no other event offers the scope of classes taught by the world's leading experts, alongside a professional-level trade show that brings together in one place all the camping and vehicle equipment and services of interest to extreme RVers…overlanders, off the beaten path explorers who love rough terrain and rugged wilderness. We’ll have a Facebook Live report Saturday afternoon from the event. Bo is not going to be with us! He’s attending a six week off leash boarding school that will make him a very Smart Dog. We’ll be following his progress with photos posted on the training school’s Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/Smartdogllc/ This portion of the Podcast is brought to you by Campers Inn, the RVer’s trusted resource for over 50 years, the nation’s largest family-operated RV dealership with 16 locations and growing  JENNIFER'S TIP OF THE WEEK [spp-timestamp time="11:08"] In Montana this summer, we spent some delightful time with Marilyn Daniel, who showed us the best screens we have ever seen in an RV. Marilyn made them herself and they cover the driver and passenger windows of their Roadtrek Popular 210. Mike also shot a video of Marilyn’s do-it-yourself screens. See it at https://youtu.be/nNZZH1rSDQM And be sure to send me your tips and suggestions for the RV lifestyle. You can use the “Leave Voicemail” link at Roadtreking.com. Just click it and then use the built-in microphone on your computer or mobile devise to record a message to me. You can do it over as many times as you want, until you are satisfied. And then you just click a button and it comes right to my email inbox. I love hearing from you! Jennifer's tip of the week is brought to you by RadPower Bikes ,an electric bike manufacturer offering direct to consumer pricing on powerful premium electric bikes. Now with free shipping LISTENER QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK [spp-timestamp time="18:42"] Gerhard from Washington State called with information for the Florida caller least week who wanted to be able t...

Location Independence is a phrase you hear a lot about these days in the RV industry as more and more people take to a life on the road in their RV and do their work from anywhere, as long as they have a connection to the Internet. That connection is now a whole lot more reliable thanks to a company called Kymeta that has come up with a revolutionary satellite solution that provides broadband-speed Internet where it’s never been before. And this week in our interview section coming up, you’ll learn how this works and what it can mean to you. And I’m also excited to tell you that I am testing that solution right now in my RV. [spp-player] Show Notes for Episode #158 Sept. 20, 2017 of Roadtreking - The RV Podcast: WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK We’re back from Canada and the opening of the Erwin Hymer Group of North America’s brand new 250,000 square foot manufacturing facility – see https://youtu.be/CyLm5_3LrA8 We’re testing out that new Kymeta system we’ll be talking about in our interview section but we’ve also added the WiFi Ranger system to the RV, plus our Wilson WeBoost cell phone booster and a new VHF/UHF amateur radio transceiver that utilizes some cool new technology. We also have tested a new cargo box for the RV. We did a review on it and you can see why we won’t be recommending it for others by watching the video review we did. We’ll link to it in the shownotes for this episode at roadtreking,com/158 Our YouTube RV Lifestyle Channel is rockin and rollin! One of our videos, a tour of our 2017 Roadtrek CS Adventurous XL RV, just reached a very huge milestone! It has been watched over 1 million times! We love doing RV videos and have been putting out two and sometimes three a week. You can subscribe by going to rvlifestylechannel.com and clicking the little red subscribe button. There’s also an option to be notified of when new videos go online. After subscribing, just click that little bell icon you at the top right of the channel page. This portion of the Podcast is brought to you by Campers Inn, the RVer’s trusted resource for over 50 years, the nation’s largest family-operated RV dealership with 16 locations and growing  JENNIFER'S TIP OF THE WEEK With fall now upon us, the nights are getting colder and for those with forced air heaters, the air inside your RV can get mighty dry. We met fellow RVer Jan Mathews at a campground a while back and she had this suggestion for us. Get a small portable humidifier/moisturizer. Jan says these little humidifiers are available everywhere. We found them on Amazon. In fact, we found a whole page of them, some of them even offering aroma therapy as well. We even found one that works off the USB connectors in your RV. Here’s a link to the Amazon offerings - http://amzn.to/2w5jCHY And be sure to send me your tips and suggestions for the RV lifestyle. You can use the “Leave Voicemail” link at Roadtreking.com. Just click it and then use the built-in microphone on your computer or mobile devise to record a message to me. You can do it over as many times as you want, until you are satisfied. And then you just click a button and it comes right to my email inbox. I love hearing from you! Jennifer's tip of the week is brought to you by RadPower Bikes ,

Boondocking just may be the biggest trend affecting the RV Lifestyle these days. For one thing, with so many new RVers coming on the scene, it’s getting more difficult each day to find an open site at a campground. But for another, new technology like solar power, engine generators and lithium batteries are making it much easier to camp in the wilderness, with no hookups, off the grid. So how do you find that perfect boondocking spot? In our interview segment coming up, we’ll hear from an expert – Nina Fussing, a fulltime RVer and the author of the popular WheelingIT  RV blog.  Nina, with husband Paul accompanied by a small a menagerie of pets, are boondocking experts and this week, she’ll share how to find the perfect boondocking spot. Plus we’ll answer your questions, share a bunch of travel and technology tips and some great off the beaten path RV stops in the American heartland. [spp-player] Show Notes for Episode #157 Sept. 13, 2018 of Roadtreking - The RV Podcast: WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK  We’re in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada today, as this episode is being released, covering the Grand Opening of a new manufacturing facility for the Erwin Hymer Group of North America. It’s in the next town over from Kitchener, Ontario, where Hymer has its factory to manufacture Roadtrek motorhomes. This new building will be used to assemble Hymer’s new line of towable trailers. It will also have a couple of dedicated bays for warranty work for all their products. We’ll be doing a live video from the new factory and you’ll be able to see it on our You Tube RV Lifestyle Channel. We’ve heard from lots of friends from Florida who are in their RVs after evacuating their homes in the path or Hurricane Irma. With 5 million households out of power throughout the Sunshine State, having a self-contained RV has been a great convenience for so many. Hats off to the many state and local campgrounds in adjoining states that have welcomed the evacuees, many waiving their camping fees for the duration. We’re getting ready to head to northern Michigan over the next week or so to take advantage of the beautiful fall weather and the early color we’re seeing on the trees. It’s been spectacular so far this month, with lows in the 40’s for good sleeping at night and highs in the upper 60’s or low 70’s. This portion of the Podcast is brought to you by Campers Inn, the RVer’s trusted resource for over 50 years, the nation’s largest family-operated RV dealership with 16 locations and growing  JENNIFER'S TIP OF THE WEEK Last week, a listener named Bill shared how he uses cleaning vinegar mixed 50-50 with water in a spray bottle to wash the dishes in his RV, thus saving use of fresh water when out boondocking. Mike and I were a little skeptical about the idea and Len, or “Vinegar Len” as he now calls himself, sent us in this follow up Tip. He swears there’s no after taste and…best of all… he says the vinegar cleaner is a great way to clean your dishes on winter camping trips! Thanks, Bill! You won us over with your suggestion on how cleaning vinegar will help during winter campouts, especially the one we have coming up in January at Michigan’s Tahquamenon Falls in the Upper Peninsula. In winter camping, you don’t have running water. So we promise, we’ll try your idea and use cleaning vinegar – to clean the dishes we dirty duri...

In this week’s podcast we catch up with our friend Campskunk, who shipped his RV to Europe and has been touring as many different countries as possible. He tells us what RVing is like over there, the differences he’s encountering and the surprises – both good and bad. If you’ve ever thought about RVing in Europe, his is a must listen. Also, if you want to see a video version of the interview, we’ll post that on our YouTube RV Lifestyle Channel. Plus we have lots of listener questions to answer this week, RV news, RV tips and a great RV off the beaten path report… all coming up in Episode 156 of the RV Podcast [spp-player] Show Notes for Episode #156 Sept. 6, 2017 of Roadtreking - The RV Podcast: WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK First off, a new way to hear this podcast, especially for those of you who have the Amazon Echo or Alexa sysetm in your house. Besides, iTunes, the Google Play Store, Sticher and other streaming services, the RV Podcast is now available through Tune In, the service used by Amazon Echo and Alexa and a bunch of other devices. You can just tell your device to play the RV Podcast and it will start doing so with the most recent episode. Our direct link on Tune In is https://tunein.com/radio/The-RV-Podcast-p1026701/ Tune in also has an app you can download to your smartphone, like the Apple Podcast app, so you can listen anywhere. We’re back in Michigan for a few days. Keeping an anxious eye like many others on Hurricane Irma, which, as we speak, seems to be taking a direct bead on Florida sometime over the coming weekend. We just left the Emerald Isle area on the panhandle where we have a beachfront condo. So we’re a little apprehensive. To all of you in Florida and along the eastern seaboard, pay attention to the warnings. This is not a storm to take lightly. This portion of the Podcast is brought to you by Campers Inn, the RVer’s trusted resource for over 50 years, the nation’s largest family-operated RV dealership with 16 locations and growing  JENNIFER'S TIP OF THE WEEK One of the things RVers need to conserve is the water they use. About the only time you don’t have to be concerned about water usage is when hooked up to city water and sewer in a big campground. But when boondocking or traveling, especially in a Class B or C motorhome, you can only carry so much in your fresh water tanks. And those grey tanks are also limited in how much dish or shower water. So how do you conserve? There are lots of ideas. We’ve talked about many of them here in the podcast over the years. But this week, a listener named Bill called in with a way to really cut back on water usage when washing dishes. Bill’s suggestion is to use cleaning vinegar, put in a spray bottle, mixed 50-50 with water. They spray it on the dishes and use a paper towel. Bill gives the details in an audio report. Thanks, Bill. And be sure to send me your tips and suggestions for the RV lifestyle. You can use the “Leave Voicemail” link at Roadtreking.com. Just click it and then use the built-in microphone on your computer or mobile devise to record a message to me. You can do it over as many times as you want, until you are satisfied. And then you just click a button and it comes right to my email inbox. Jennifer's tip of the week is brought to you by RadPower Bikes ,an electric bike manufacturer offering direct to consumer pricing on powerful premium electric bikes. Now with free shipping LISTENER QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK

Have you ever dreamed about fulltiming in an RV? Quitting your job, moving from a sticks and bricks house to an RV, taking your family on the road and becoming location independent? It’s happening every day. In fact, our guest in the interview segment this week estimates that 200,000 families are doing that across the country right now. Is this for you? What about school and the kids? What about earning a living? Stay tuned because in this episode, Kimberly Travaglino, author of the book How to Hit the Road, Making Your Family's Full-time RV Dreams a Reality, joins us to talk about how breaking free and hitting the road. Also, listener questions and answers, lots of RV tips, traveling technology you need to know about and the RV News of the week. [spp-player] Show Notes for Episode #155 August 30, 2017 of Roadtreking - The RV Podcast: WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK The Labor Day weekend is almost here and this podcast comes to you from the heart of the Emerald Coast - Okaloosa Island, Florida where we’re catching some R&R time before jumping into a busy full travel schedule. Our 2017 Roadtrek CS Adventurous XL 4X4 is not with us on this trip as its being outfitted with some experimental communications gear that we’ll be talking about in a few weeks. We’re working on Facebook and YouTube Live videos. We’ve been doing two and three new videos a week. Best way to know about them is to subscribe to our RV Lifestyle Channel on YouTube at Over on our YouTube RV Lifestyle Channel, someone wrote a comment about not understanding why anyone would spend $100K for a "depreciating asset" like our Roadtrek. I wrote a reply there that I want to share here: "It’s much, much more than a "depreciating asset." In fact, it makes me APPRECIATE life more. It's a lifestyle. It's a freedom machine. It brings me joy every time I drive it, camp in it or look at it in the driveway. It reduces the stress in my life. It gives me wonderful vacations to look forward to and awesome memories to make me smile in remembrance of. It’s taken me to places and introduced me to people I would never had seen or met. It's enlarged my circle of friends, helped me learn history and geography, shown me the magnificence of nature up close and enriched my life, my marriage and my faith by giving me new perspectives and sensitivities. Add all that up and it's a terrific bargain in my book. :-) . " This portion of the Podcast is brought to you by Campers Inn, the RVer’s trusted resource for over 50 years, the nation’s largest family-operated RV dealership with 16 locations and growing  JENNIFER'S TIP OF THE WEEK   One of the realities of RV Travel is that things have to be put away and not left out. Otherwise, they’ll slide off counters and tables. RVers are not the only ones who experience such problems. So do boaters. And this week, I received a tip from a listener named Melissa who is both an RVer and a boater and she shares a terrific suggestion on how to keep things in place…in our RV or boat. The product Melissa suggests is called coaster tacky. You can find it at the dollar store as she suggests. And Amazon has lots of coasters treated with that tacky surface that will keep it – and the things you place on it – from sliding around.  I’ll put a link on the shownotes for this episode to an Amazon search page with several different types of coaster tacky you can look at. And be sure to send me your tips and suggestions for the RV lifestyle. You can use the “Leave Voicemail” link at Roadtreking.com. Just click it and then use the built-in microphone on your computer or mobile devise to record a messa...

Have you a story to tell, a book to write, a blog to do? This week, we are going to meet an on-the-road author, an RVer who likes to say she tells lies for a living. Writer Judy Howard will be our guest. Judy teaches creative writing to RVers at gatherings and rallies and workshops all across the country, at the same time writing her own novels while fulltiming on the road. You will enjoy our discussion. Plus we have lots of RV news this week, including a big political controversy involving Camping World that is resulting in calls for a boycott of the nation’s biggest RV retailer, tips on how to get more from your RV and next outing and a great off the beaten path report that belongs on your bucket list. [spp-player] Show Notes for Episode #154 Aug. 23, 2017 of Roadtreking - The RV Podcast: WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK We sure had a lot of fun with the Eclipse. Over on our RV Lifestyle Channel on YouTube you can see a one hour Live Video special we did on RV gatherings from across the country formed to witness the event. We had video check ins from 10 different RV gatherings from Oregon to the Carolinas. It was a ball and we believe the largest single RV Travel weekend in history. Labor Day Weekend is right around the corner. And finding a spot in a campground may be harder than ever. Advanced reservations for the Labor Day Weekend at more than 500 Kampgrounds of America locations in North America are running more than 10 percent higher than those for the same period last year. The Labor Day numbers look to continue a string of record results for holiday weekends at KOA this year. In fact, the world's largest system of family-friendly campgrounds is on track to set yet another annual record for camping in 2017. KOA has set a new record for camping each of the past five years. October is also an amazingly busy month because of fall color, cooler weather and Halloween celebrations that go on every weekend at hundreds of campgrounds across the country. We’re still in Georgia, to catch a couple of grandsons playing football this week. For the weekend, we’ll scoot down to the Emerald Coast on Florida’s panhandle, and then, for Labor Day, head on up to Michigan to catch up on some chores around the house before we set off on another very ambitious fall travel schedule that will have us in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Florida again and Mississippi. This portion of the Podcast is brought to you by Campers Inn, the RVer’s trusted resource for over 50 years, the nation’s largest family-operated RV dealership with 16 locations and growing  JENNIFER'S TIP OF THE WEEK Last minute reminder: The price of the America the Beautiful – The National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Senior Pass increased for the first time since 1994. On Aug.28 it will go from $10 to $80. Those with current passes are lifetime passes and will remain valid. US citizens or permanent residents 62 years or older are eligible for the Senior Pass. Annual and lifetime Senior Passes provide access to more than 2,000 recreation sites managed by six federal agencies: * National Park Service * US Fish & Wildlife Service * Bureau of Land Management * Bureau of Reclamation * US Forest Service * US Army Corps of Engineers The passes cover entrance and standard amenity (day-use) recreation fees and provide discounts on some expanded amenity recreation fees. Traveling companions can also enter for free. The Senior Passes admit pass owner/s and passengers in a noncommercial vehicle at per-vehicle fee areas, not to exceed four adults,

This week we are talking about THE outdoor and RV event of the year, and that is Monday’s total solar eclipse. We’ll tell you why this is so important, why it’s perfect for RVers, how to view it safely, how to find a place to watch it and why, even if you have to skip work or school, this is the one event of the year just made to be experienced by RV. Plus, your RV questions, RV news of the week, traveling tech tips and Jennifer will tell you how to once and for all solve the pesky problem of RV light pollution from those inside switches and LED lights. [spp-player] WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK…  We’re in Albany, GA…on the road, visiting our son, Scott, and his family for a couple of weeks, and catching our grandson’s Jacob and Matthew playing football. We also plan to watch the eclipse down here with them and then maybe head out for some exploring maybe down towards the Emerald Coast after Labor Day. In mid September, it’s our Blues and BBQ gathering in Tupelo MS and in late September, we’ll be heading to Ashevile NC to the Overland East Expo, a trade show for those go what’s called overlanding in extreme, off the grid, 4X4  adventure-type vehicles. We met an interesting RVer this week, a nurse named Tiffany. She’s a traveling nurse and apparently, part of a group of traveling medical professionals who journey around the country in an RV, taking on short and long term contract work. Tiffany, her husband and two young preschool children, are in a small RV at a RV park near here. We suspect this is more common that we realized. TIffany is on a 13 week contract with the hospital here in Albany. Last year, Mike met physician, a coronary surgeon, who did the same thing. He’s from Orlando and travels throughout Florida and the Gulf States as far as New Orleans in a big new Tiffin Class A motorhome. This portion of the Podcast is brought to you by Campers Inn, the RVer’s trusted resource for over 50 years, the nation’s largest family-operated RV dealership with 16 locations and growing  JENNIFER'S TIP OF THE WEEK It’s been an ongoing discussion here on the RV Podcast for the past several months about how to dim or block out all that bright LED light from the electronics and switches in our RVs so we’re able to sleep in the dark. Listen up… this tip from and RVer we met named Ken is probably that last idea you’ll need on How to finally solve the The Great LED Light issue. This IS the ultimate solution! Once again, the product Ken said is called LED Light Dims and we have built in direct links to them on our special site at kit-dot.com/rvlifestyle. There you will find a master list of every product we talk about on the podcast and the Light Dims are there. Amazon sells two types, one which dims the LED by about 50%, and another kind that dims by 100% - or completely blocking all light. They cost about $8 for a package that will let you cover up just about any offending light in your RV or your home. And be sure to send me your tips and suggestions for the RV lifestyle. You can use the “Leave Voicemail” link at Roadtreking.com. Just click it and then use the built-in microphone on your computer or mobile devise to record a message to me. You can do it over as many times as you want, until you are satisfied. And then you just click a button and it comes right to my email inbox. I love hearing from you! Jennifer's tip of the week is brought to you by RadPower Bikes ,

One activity every RVer loves to take part in is hiking. Whether it’s a long day trip, a short hour long loop or a half-day picnic hike, exploring the wilderness by foot is one of the joys of camping and our mobile lifestyle. But staying safe needs to be a top priority on any hike and in this week’s podcast, we’ll hear important advice from an expert hiker… coming up in our interview of the week. But we also have your questions, comments, RV News and lots of RV tips. Plus a great off the beaten path report. [spp-player] Show Notes for Episode #152 Aug.9 2017 of Roadtreking - The RV Podcast: WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO: * ­We discuss the latest long range weather forecast, which predicts unseasonably chilly August temperatures for the eastern two-thirds of the US with 60F lows lasting up to TWO WEEKS. Experts say a southward dip in the jet stream is causing the cooling effect. This pattern will continue into the second week of August with below-average temperatures affecting much of the East Coast, Midwest, and some of the South. The Weather Channel reported that Sunday morning saw record breaking lows in Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee and Indiana. * School has begun across many parts of the country this week… the south… also far west. That means less crowded campgrounds and an ease in congestion around national parks. * The August 21 total eclipse is coming fast. Listen to episode 132 of the podcast for detailed info. On August 21, 2017, millions of people across the United States will see nature's most wondrous spectacle — a total eclipse of the Sun. It is a scene of unimaginable beauty; the Moon completely blocks the Sun, daytime becomes a deep twilight, and the Sun’s corona shimmers in the darkened sky. You’ll be able to see stars! To learn where to see it best and how to safely view it, go to the Great American Eclipse website This portion of the Podcast is brought to you by Campers Inn, the RVer’s trusted resource for over 50 years, the nation’s largest family-operated RV dealership with 16 locations and growing  JENNIFER'S TIP OF THE WEEK Here’s a dilemma every RVer has… what to do with wet towels? One of the nice things about traveling and meeting so many of our listeners on the road is seeing how they solve such everyday problems. So it was with our friend Jeff Curry, who showed us his creative solution to the wet towel issue. Jeff took bungee cords, two S hooks and a piece of PVC pipe to make a portable towel rack. Be sure to send me your tips and suggestions for the RV lifestyle. You can use the “Leave Voicemail” link at Roadtreking.com. Just click it and then use the built-in microphone on your computer or mobile devise to record a message to me. You can do it over as many times as you want, until you are satisfied. And then you just click a button and it comes right to my email inbox. I love hearing from you! Jennifer's tip of the week is brought to you by RadPower Bikes ,an electric bike manufacturer offering direct to consumer pricing on powerful premium electric bikes. Now with free shipping LISTENER QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK * Josh is about to become a fulltime RVer and has a suggestion on Kayaks from a company called Oru Kayak https://www.orukayak.com/– foldable kayaks that are perfect for storing in a small RV * Chris talks about what to expect when traveling between Canada and the US in an RV * And a listener named Virgil sent us an emai...