RV Lifestyle RV Podcast

Don Vizkowski, a retired RV enthusiast, along with his wife Karen, shares their journey of transforming retirement into adventure on the open road. They discuss how RV life has enriched their post-retirement years, emphasizing the joy of making friends and memories along the way. Don recounts spontaneous road trips to quirky destinations and the importance of community at campgrounds. They chat about the flexibility RV travel offers and their dreams of exploring more of the U.S., highlighting the freedom that comes with embracing an empty nest.

This week on the RV Podcast: How RVers Handle Medicare and Insurance Issues on the road - with an expert AND RVer. There is a massive recall of the heavy-duty Ford trucks used by many RVers to haul their trailers and fifth wheels The fun story about some RVers who adopted a stray cat they found at a campground. Apparently, it happens all the time! All this plus the RV News of the Week and your questions coming up in Episode 566 of the RV Podcast

This week on the RV Podcast... Between the Truck and Trailer: Why RV Hitching Is so Dangerous. If you drink beer on your camping trip, you’re going to make the mosquitoes very happy. The great debate about light pollution and campers who light up their RVs like the Vegas Strip, All this plus the RV News of the Week and your questions coming up in Episode 565 of the RV Podcast

This week on the RV Podcast: General Motors has developed a system that monitors your driving abilities and reaction times, opening the door to when you stop driving because you may be too old. If you are camping in bear country this time of year, our conversation of the week is with an expert who reveals just what you should do when you encounter a bear. This is super important info you need to know. Thinking about a washer and dryer for your RV? We’ll tell you what to look for and what to watch out for. All this plus the RV News of the Week and your questions coming up in Episode 564 of the RV Podcast.

This week on the RV Podcast: What effect are tariffs having on the RV Industry? In our conversation of the week, we’ll hear straight talk from an industry straight-shooter about the massive RV tariff confusion With no warning, a Camping World outlet in Michigan has abruptly shut down, causing massive confusion to the blindsided employees and those whose RVs were awaiting service. When do you clean your RV? Before you leave the campground or after you arrive home? We’ll share some insight from 600 real RVers who answered the question on our social media platform. All this plus the RV News of the Week and your questions coming up in Episode 563 of the RV Podcast

This week on the RV Podcast: Confessions of a Camp Host: In our conversation of the week, you’ll hear all about the Good, the Bad, and the Wonderfully Weird Gas prices are sky high again, but they’re blaming it on a flood at a refinery and say prices should drop again soon. How not to get burned out from driving to your next camping spot All this plus the RV News of the Week and your questions coming up in Episode 562 of the RV Podcast

This week on the RV Podcast: You’ll meet a legendary retired TV anchorman - Mort Crim, now 90 years old, doing an epic RV journey and exploring campgrounds with his motor scooter. In our conversation of the week, he shares hard-earned wisdom about aging fearlessly and living life to the fullest. One of the nation’s biggest RV dealers just had an employee arrested for embezzling $2 million. What’s best? A pull behind trailer or a fifth wheel? Real RVers share their answers. All this plus the RV News of the Week and your questions coming up in Episode 561 of the RV Podcast

More Than Lyme Disease: The Hidden Tick Disease You’ve Never Heard Of Get ready for the Fall RV Show Season: What to expect and why the RV industry is starting to breathe a bit easier Why RV Tires Seem to Have More Blowouts than Cars All this plus Mike and Jen’s RV Storytime coming up in Episode 560 of the RV Podcast

This week on the RV Podcast: Pack Your Camper - The Night Sky is calling! There's an amazing meteor show going on up there this week that provides a great excuse to go camping. Budget cutbacks, staff shortages, and visitor pressure are all combining to seriously stress our National Parks this summer. Protests have started. Protecting your property from campground thefts. Real RVers share their solutions. In Mike and Jen’s Storytime… when your camping plans don’t go as expected, it’s time to pivot. All this plus the RV News of the Week and your questions coming up in Episode 559 of the RV Podcast

This week on the RV Podcast: The Last Trip: A Husband’s Powerful Message After THE Unexpected Loss of his wife during an RV Trip That Massive wildfire near the North Rim of the Grand Canyon is STILL uncontrolled and is now the single worst wildfire in the entire nation. RVers share the weirdest things they’ve seen in a campground - would you believe a pet kangaroo? All this plus the RV News of the Week, Mike & Jen’s Storytime, and your questions coming up in Episode #558 of the RV Podcast You can watch the video version from our RV Lifestyle YouTube Channel by clicking the player below. If you prefer an audio-only podcast, you can hear us through your favorite podcast app or listen now through the player below. RV LIFESTYLE NEWS OF THE WEEK ​Grand Canyon's Megafire Now Largest of 2025 & So Intense, It Creates Its Own Weather​ The fire still burning through the north rim of the Grand Canyon is now officially the largest wildfire of 2025, a megafire, so hot it is creating its own weather patterns. The fire, which has created "fire clouds," has torched more than 116,500 acres as of Sunday and is about 12 percent contained, according to InciWeb. The north rim is closed for the remainder of the 2025 season, and the fire is still out of control and growing in size. ​Distressed Camper Nope—Just a Lone Guy Belting Out Nickelback​ Rescue teams rushed to help what they thought was a camper in distress in British Columbia, but it turns out those screams were from a guy rocking out to Nickelback in the middle of the woods. The man was solo camping in the Boulderfields, singing his heart out, when two nearby hikers called 911 after hearing what they described as “repeated cries." Members of a Search and Rescue crew were practicing nearby, so they brought in the drone team and enlisted two Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers only to find the solo camper singing away, blissfully unaware. ​Birthday Camping Trip Ends in Deadly Explosion at Maine Campground​ Two friends celebrating a birthday by camping together at the Power Horn Family Camping Resort in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, were tragically killed after their camper exploded from a suspected propane leak. The women, ages 57 and 58, smelled a rotten, garlic-like odor in the camper so they opened the windows and lit a candle to mask the smell. But fire officials believe the bad odor was likely caused by a liquid propane leak which ignited when the candle was lit.  ​Father And Daughter Camping Trip Ends with Horrific Violent Attack and Father in Intensive Care​ A 58-year-old Georgia father remains in intensive care after suffering severe injuries during a brutal attack while camping with his 20-year-old daughter. The assault occurred at Low Gap Campground in northern Georgia. The dad was cut from the ear to the back of the neck with glass and suffered a severe brain bleed. Four strangers allegedly attacked him and his daughter from behind as they sat at their campsite. Three men and one woman were arrested and charged with aggravated assault and battery in what's an on-going police investigation. There’s no word yet on the motive, and police say more people may be arrested. ​Micro-Burst Winds Flip RVs with Families Inside During Texas Storm​ Texas and campgrounds have surely had their share of severe weather this summer. The latest was last Thursday when strong winds toppled many RVs at a Gunter, Texas, RV park during a severe thunderstorm. The storm produced "micro-bursts" of strong winds, and at least six RVs rolled over, some with their owners inside. There were some injuries, but no fatalities. ​Yellowstone Nightmare: 17-Year-Old Severely Burned by Geyser in Thermal Area​ A teenager visiting Yellowstone National Park with his family was seriously burned from a geyser when his foot broke through a thermal area about five miles from Old Faithful. The 17-year-old was hiking near the Lone Star Geyser when he broke through the fragile ground, severely burning his foot and ankle. Signs are posted throughout the park warning visitors to stay on the trails. In the past, some visitors have even died by stepping off the trail and suffering severe burns. ​Camping World Reports $2 Billion in Q2 Revenue, a 9.4% increase from last year​ The Big just keep getting Bigger. Camping World Holdings, Inc. reported $2 billion in revenue for its second quarter, a year-over-year increase of $169.4 million or 9.4%. RV Business reported the company set a new record for combined new and used RV sales. It did so while making structural changes to its fixed costs by doing things like reducing their headcount by more than 900 and consolidating 16 locations. There are 215 Camping World stores in operation, with the company continuing to build and buy more of them. RV CONVERSATION OF THE WEEK - The Last Trip On this episode, we meet Barry Sims—a fellow RVer whose story is both heartbreaking and deeply inspiring. After three months of anticipation, Barry and his wife, Mandy, finally took their four-year-old grandson on a much-anticipated camping trip to Sun Outdoors in Conway, South Carolina, over Memorial Day weekend. It was supposed to be a joyful getaway filled with sunshine, poolside fun, and precious time together. But what started as a beautiful family adventure took a tragic turn. That night, Barry's wife suffered a sudden, fatal heart attack—passing away just hours after a day spent doing exactly what she loved most: camping and doting on her grandson. Barry’s story is a powerful reminder of just how fragile life can be—and why it’s so important to make memories while you can. This conversation is a tribute to love, family, and the RV lifestyle that makes moments like these possible. I invite you to listen in as Barry shares his journey through grief, perspective, and the lasting message he's carrying forward. Please listen to the podcast above or watch the video for the whole story. SOCIAL MEDIA BUZZ - Wendy Bowyer Wendy Bowyer reports on the hot issues most talked about this past week on social media and our RV Lifestyle Community group. This week in our private  RVLifestyle Community the buzz has centered on some mini-meet ups we are planning around the country - one thing we do in our private online community is help organize ways for online friendships to become "real life" friendships and they are always so much fun! We have several mini-meetups happening in August. And in our RVLifestyle Facebook Group, the theme this week is things that made me smile! (And I hope they will make you smile, too!) The first was a post from Brian that included a picture of himself with his gorgeous hyacinth macaw, who had a beautiful, royal blue color and almost looked like she was leaning to him to smile for the camera. It was adorable! And Brian wrote: "I just love this bird! She is always up for anything, and she LOVES to go camping! She loves our dogs and enjoys spending time outside with them, saying "I love you!" over and over. When she goes along on our walks, she tends to draw a lot of attention, which she loves! Cookie wanted to say good morning!!" Many people, of course, jumped in to say good morning back to Cookie. And many others started sharing pictures of their birds that also go camping with them. It was interesting to learn that Cookie loved camping since day one, is pretty quiet (Unless she sees the color orange), and is a gentle giant. What a fun post! Another post to make you smile was from Jayson, and he asked: What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever seen at a campground? People have seen some crazy things! While there are ALL kinds of answers and here are a few of my favorites. Quinton wrote the weirdest thing was camping near RVers who brought their pet. He wrote: "Craziest thing ever seen. Talked to them just to make sure I wasn't dreaming. They were normal people that have chickens for pets on an RV trip." For Joy, she had a neighboring camper who had a pet goat that stayed inside except when they walked it on a leash along with their dogs. It had little foam bumpers on its horns. Unusual pets came up often in the comments of this post, with others seeing full-sized pet pigs, pet sheep, even a pet kangaroo - all RVing! Julie was one of a couple of people who saw Amish camping near them. She said: "That might not be weird to most, but it was sure intriguing as they stuck to everything by their ways … I live in an area that I’ve never been around Amish."  The campers looked a lot like covered wagons on wheels - so maybe they were Mennonite, but I agree it is not something you see every day.  Patrice once saw an Inflatable Swimming pool on a trailer. My favorite, Julie, who saw an RV with the whole set of Toy Story action figures zip-tied or glued to their RV, hanging off the bumper, climbing the ladder. She said it looked so real that her kids went crazy for it. How about you? What is the weirdest thing you have ever seen in a campground? Please leave it in the comments! You’ve Earned This Freedom. Now Make It Matter.The RV Lifestyle Community is the trusted place where RVers 50+ come to learn, connect, and explore life’s next chapter—together. Private & ad-free Special interest groups & national rallies Practical help + emotional support Life’s Best Chapter Starts Here. Join us now at https://community.rvlifestyle.com RV QUESTION OF THE WEEK QUESTION: "How can the black tank fill up so fast? We're only 2 people, we emptied before we got here last night, and now it says full. I have only used it 3 times." - Sandra ANSWER: This is probably the most common frustration experienced by almost all RVers and your black tank is probably not full — your tank sensors are just dirty or misreading. It happens to all RVs. RV black tank sensors are notoriously unreliable. Toilet paper, waste buildup,