RV Podcast #288: The Adventurous Way of the RV Lifestyle

In this episode, we meet a young couple ( The Adventurous Way,) who left lucrative jobs in the tech industry to travel in an RV and visit all 400 plus U.S. National Parks and Monuments in their own…unique way. Our guests are Matt & Dianna of  The Adventurous Way, bloggers, and YouTubers who share their life on the road as they visit America’s most beautiful locations. Plus, we have your comments, questions, and a fascinating off the beaten path report. Show Notes for Episode #288  April 1, 2020, of The RV Podcast: WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK This week's podcast comes with our sincere hope that you are all healthy and hunkered down. It looks like we have another month or so in which we are urged to avoid unnecessary travel and practice social distancing. We've been doing a lot of live YouTube videos. Besides our regular Sunday night Ask Us Anything show at 7PM Eastern time, we've now added a Friday Night 7PM "Virtual Campfire" YouTube live stream in which we can connect, interact, answer questions and talk about the places we want to go once this crisis ends. You can find links to these live broadcasts on our RV Lifestyle YouTube Channel.  CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE. Then click the little bell icon to be notified when we have new broadcasts or are going on with an update. And don't forget to follow us n Instagram. We're sharing several times during the day on Instagram and can be followed at https://instagram.com/rvlifestylemike. RV LIFESTYLE NEWS OF THE WEEK More national parks close, as locals and park rangers urge visitors not to come amid Covid-19 Utah's Arches and Canyonlands national parks closed over the weekend because of COVID-19 (click here), and a push is on to close more of the national parks. Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Glacier, and the Great Smoky Mountains National Parks also closed last week, but others remain open. One ranger from Grand Canyon National Park - a park that is open - told a reporter that he had 600 close contacts with people on a single day. We expect the list of closed national parks to grow, and wouldn't be surprised to see them completely close nationally in the weeks ahead. More state parks, federal land, and private campgrounds close throughout the country Colorado was another state in the news last week after the U.S. Forest Service in Colorado along with Colorado Parks and Wildlife announced closures of campgrounds, trailheads, playgrounds, and bathrooms in an effort to keep people home. There are so many campground closures coming in daily, we again want to repeat our advice to stay at home. Think of it as not canceling your travel plans - rather think of it as postponing them. The folks at Campendium compile a list of what RV parks and services are open that provides a good overview. It is updated daily and you can access that list HERE. Some states that ban camping kept their state parks open for hikers- now thieves are stealing the toilet paper and hand sanitizer Meanwhile, several states, like Michigan, which canceled all camping but kept the state parks open for hikers and day users, are experiencing a new problem stolen toilet paper and hand sanitizer. Several parks in Michigan and elsewhere around the country report thieves taking the large rolls of toilet paper and draining all the hand sanitizer in park bathrooms - even those with only a vault toilet. Some RV rental companies now seeing business in helping government, essential services, vulnerable during COVID-19 Like much of the country, RV rental companies have seen their vacation rentals tank as Americans are hunkering down and staying home. But some RV rental companies say they are getting new business from government agencies, health services, and people trying to get loved ones home and need a safe way to do so. Because RVs have their own beds, bathrooms, and kitchens, some families are renting them to go pick up an elderly loved one instead of flying.