RV Podcast - Stories From The Road

This episode of the RV Podcast has the latest RV News, RV Travel tips about moving around the country during the pandemic and shares a great off the beaten path spot in Montana. You can listen to the podcast in the player below or through your favorite Podcast app. Scroll down this page for shownotes and links and resources about all the things we talk about. WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK We talk about the two RV shows being held this week… The Florida RV Supershow in Tampa and the big Quartzsite RV Show in Arizona. We also explain why we decided not to attend this year We share our winter campout experience up at Tahquamenon Falls in the Michigan UP this past weekend where the temperature dropped to 10 degrees We talk about Bo falling into a foot and a half of muck along a lake during a hike and why it's important to keep your eye on your pets when they are off-leash This part of the RV Podcast is brought to you by Camping World – America’s #1 RV Dealer RV PODCAST INTERVIEW OF THE WEEK This week the podcast interview is… with us! We’re going to share an interview that was done with us by Camping World. It’s part of a mini-documentary they did on us that was shot at our campsite at the Holland Michigan State Park last fall. It aired nationwide last week on their Ultimate RV Show and we present it here for you on the podcast for those who missed it.   The interview of the week is brought to you by SunshinestateRVs.com, where every new  motorhome is delivered to the customer free, anywhere in the country OFF THE BEATEN PATH RV PODCAST REPORT FROM MONTANA    BY TOM & PATTI BURKETT Oh,” said the lady on the other side of the table, “I’m so glad you picked that one!  That cookie recipe won the blue ribbon at the State Fair eight years ago.”   It was late September, and the Rocky Mountain Front farmers market had pretty slim pickings—apples, Brussels sprouts, a bit of kale, and these jars of fine looking cookies.   Even though the season was clearly winding down, a dozen or more folks were gathered, chatting, around the coffee pot, whose long electric tail stretched to the municipal building across the lot. A lot of us like to spend some time every now and then in Glacier National Park.    If you’re entering the park from the east side, the quickest way us up Interstate 15 and then across US 2 to East Glacier or up to Saint Mary.   We’re a hundred percent in favor of spending as much time as possible in the park, but, as is often the case, taking a less hurried route to get there can pay off.   Unless we’re in a big hurry or the weather is bad, we avoid the four lanes, opting instead for the almost-always-present older blue highway that goes through the center of town instead of bypassing it. Such was the case as we made our way north toward Glacier along US 89, the original highway connecting Yellowstone to Glacier.   The Old Trail dino It’s a great road trip all on its own, starting in Flagstaff and winding north through a half dozen National Forests, past the Great Salt Lake, through the Teton Valley, and reposting the traveler at the edge of the Waterton International Peace Park on the US-Canadian border.   If you drive it right up here near Glacier, you’ll undoubtedly be stopped by the imposing brightly colored dinosaurs that greet visitors outside the Old Trail Museum in Choteau, Montana. Sadly, the museum had closed for the season by the time we wandered through, but the dinosaurs and the other exhibits outside made it worth a look anyway, and that’s how we came across the farmers market, in a parking lot around the side.   Up here, way north of the Teton Park, the Teton River is dry much of the year, and droughts are not uncommon.  Still, it’s a fertile and productive agricultural area that’s supported a strong community since its founding in the 1880s.   Among the things you’ll notice as you drive through are the school and county courthouse, both made of stone quarried from nearby Rattlesnake Butte.  I wouldn’t have wanted that job. As usual, we spent some time visiting with the folks gathered in the farm market lot and gleaned a few historical tidbits.   David Letterman owns a ranch a few miles out of town and was married at the attractive stone courthouse in 2009, but not before a local rancher had to pull their pickup truck out of the mud where he and his bride-to-be had gotten stuck on the way to the ceremony.   Outside of town, it’s possible to see traces of the old North Trail, which is the route of US 89.  The trail has been in use for more than ten thousand years and is likely the route used by the first humans to cross the Bering land bridge to North America as they moved south. Along the main street is a cluster of small houses, just alike, which the experienced eye will recognize as a 1930s area motor court.   Now the houses are individually owned, and some of them have been added to, but their origin is clear.   The next day we called the editor of the Choteau Acantha to inquire about them and was directed to nearby to the Skyline Retirement Lodge, where an old-timer was happy to tell us about the cabins built around a Texaco station and how he used to fill his bike tires there as a kid. Choteau has a city park, where ten bucks will get you a tree-shaded campsite with water and restrooms in the warmer seasons.   Not too far away are an abundance of natural areas—two bird sanctuaries, the Freezeout Lake Wildlife Management area, Bean Lake, all with places to spend the night.   Whether it’s a late movie at the still-operating Roxy theater or an early morning cookie at the farmers market, life is good, and interesting, here in the foothills of Montana’s Rocky Mountains, just off the beaten path.   Ready to Plan an RV Trip? Here's the tool we use: Planning an RV Trip has never been easier than with RV TripWizard. It is a comprehensive tool that Jennifer and I use whenever we are planning a trip. It works seamlessly with all our devices and gives us access to the info we need on where to stop, what camping is nearby and what we should do in an area. Best of all, you can try it for free to see how it will fit into your trip planning process.   Looking for Expert RV Trip ideas and RV Travel suggestions? We've written an entire library of RV Travel books that layout seven-day guided explorations of scenic areas of the US that we'’ve explored and think would make an excellent RV trip for you. In each location, we provide a suggested route and itinerary (7 stops in each guide, one for each day of a week trip!) as well as links to multiple campgrounds and boondocking spots, local tips, and interesting things to do at each location. You can hit everything in seven days, do a whirlwind weekend tour, or you can take your time and explore the area over a 2+ week period. Planning an RV trip can be very time-consuming so that’s why we’ve done the research for you! Just take our guides and use them, we’re sure you’ll have an RV trip for the ages! Instant download. CLICK HERE for information on our RV Travel Guides

In the wake of the Nashville RV bombing of Christmas Day, a jittery public has been reporting parked RVs spotted on city streets, sending police to check them out. We’ll talk about that and why now may not be a good time for RVers to leave their units unattended on city streets in this episode of the RV Podcast. Plus, we’ll hear from RVers on their RV Travel Bucket List plans for 2021, answer your RV Lifestyle Questions and check in with our friends Patti & Tom Burkett for another interesting Off the Beaten Path report. You can listen to the podcast in the player below. scroll down this page for shownotes, plus links and resources about all the things we talk about. Shownotes for Episode 326 of the RV Podcast WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK Happy New Year… this is our first Podcast of 2021. We share info on our whereabouts and planned travel schedule. We talked about the topics we will be covering in the podcast and current travel issues related to COVID. This part of the RV Podcast is brought to you by Camping World – America’s #1 RV Dealer The Ultimate RV Show will be featuring... US! With so many in-person RV shows canceled for the year, many people are wondering the best way to safely buy an RV during a pandemic… But don’t worry, we’ve got a solution for you! We’re excited to share that Camping World is bringing back their Ultimate RV Show, and this time, they’re going on a National Tour from coast to coast to bring you the BIGGEST VIRTUAL RV SHOW EVER, livestreamed straight from Camping World’s social channels.  From now through March 6, tune in each week for discounts on hundreds of RVs that are shoppable right from your couch, including one hand-selected by yours trul for our son, Jeff, and his growing family.. In addition to the deals, they’ll be offering RV walk-throughs, tons of retail product specials, and even an exclusive interview with me and Jennifer about our RV adventures at 9 PM Eastern Time this Friday, January 8! Head to UltimateRVShow.com to register for free and make sure you get reminders about our session this week—We’d hate for you to miss it! Plus, they gave us an exclusive discount code for fans of this podcast to get 10% off on CampingWorld.com this week in celebration of our Influencer Session! Use code LIFESTYLE at checkout for 10% off your online order, with no minimum. RV PODCAST NEWS OF THE WEEK A Parked RV like this on a city street could bring a Police Response because of a public still jittery over the Nashville Christmas Day bombing Parked RVs Bring Police Response Police clear downtown Lexington area after explosives-trained dog triggered by parked RV As Mike noted, that Christmas Day incident in which a bomb detonated in downtown Nashville is causing lots of jotters by the pub;ic when people see a parked RV. As an example, a several-block area in downtown Lexington, KY, was evacuated on New Year's Eve because of a concern that a Class C RV parked there may have contained explosives. It turned out, like several such incidents around the country, to have been a false alarm.  In this case, the RV was rented by a family spending the night in an area hotel. For some reason. a bomb-sniffing dog "alerted" police explosives were in the RV, triggering the police acted out of concern of a copycat incident. It was not clear what triggered the dog, since no explosives were inside.  But it caused quite a stir. Nearby restaurants, bars, hotels, and apartments were evacuated until the incident was settled. Louisville police bring out bomb squad after caller reports suspicious parked RV that turned out to be false alarm There have been lots of similar calls. A day after police cleared a section of Lexington, the same exact thing happened across the state in Louisville, KY. This time police were called after someone reported a suspicious RV parked downtown on New Year's Day. The bomb squad and K-9 units were called, traffic was stopped and a wide safety parameter around the RV was established but it, too, turned out to be a false alarm. The RV was rented by a vacationing Missouri family who said all they did was park to visit the Kentucky Science Center.  I wrote a blog post earlier this week about stealth camping and suggested that RVers may want to avoid leaving their RVs parked on the street in big city downtown areas for a few weeks until the Nashville incident fades a bit from the news. People are still pretty jittery and there’s no reason to give them any more reason to worry. America now has a 63rd national park In other RV Lifestyle news this week, America now has a new national park! Slipped inside the COVID-19 stimulus package was a provision to create the nation's 63rd national park. Called New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, the new national park and preserve sits on 70,000-plus acres in West Virginia and offers white water rafting, rock climbing, hiking, and other outdoor activities. New River Gorge, which previously was a national river, currently has no charge to enter and offers primitive camping on a first-come, first-serve basis. It is not clear as of this writing how entrance fees or camping would be impacted by this new designation, and, as always, if you decide to visit, be sure to check ahead as some things may be closed because of COVID-19 precautions. Gasoline prices highest they've been since the pandemic began Gasoline prices ended the year at the highest level they have been in nine months, according to AAA. The national average for a gallon of gasoline was $2.25, a price not seen since the pandemic began in March. Some forecasters are expecting the price to drop slightly again during the first quarter of 2021, but then rise as the year progresses. When the prices climb again we'd recommend getting an app to help you find the best fuel price when traveling. To see an article we wrote about the apps click here. RVers pack campground in Vancouver, one spot in Canada where winter doesn't mean snow Canadian RVers are packing the campgrounds in Vancouver, British Columbia, the only part of Canada that doesn't typically have snow. Snowbirds who typical camp in Arizona, New Mexico, even Florida, have worked their way to Vancouver where they are wintering since the border between the U.S. and Canada remains closed because of COVID-19. Some local campgrounds say it is the only bright spot in what has been a tough tourism year.   This part of the podcast is brought to you by RadPower Bikes, America's #1 e-bike brand, offering direct to consumer pricing on powerful premium electric bikes. Now with free shipping    RV PODCAST QUESTION OF THE WEEK From our RV Lifestyle Facebook Group: QUESTION: If you got $500 to upgrade your RV what would you buy? – Nick ANSWERS: Tom - Suspension. Shocks. Sumo springs. Starting with shocks. Maty Sue - A back up camera June-n An electric fireplace. Allen-  Fill my fridge with beer  Leslie - I would replace my screen on the sliding door and have $50 left. Heather - I’d put gas in the tank. Pamela - Better insulation around my one slim slide Harold - I would prepay a sitter to stay in my place with the 4 grandkids and my wife and I would head to the southwest. Michelle - Replace couch with 2 recliners Jackie- Solar or change some wasted space to extra storage. Scott - Tow bar. Billie – A new inverter Toim – Solar Panels Melissa – A Wireless booster Derek - Compost toilet. Ditch the black water tank Have your voice featured on the RV Podcast - Call Us! Do you have a question you’d like us to answer or a comment on the things we’re discussing? If so, we invite you to leave us that question or comment on the special voicemail number we have for the podcast – it’s 586-372-6990.  If you are driving and can’t write it down right now, just go to the RV Lifestyle travel blog at rvlifestyle.com and scroll down the page. You’ll see that number prominently posted on the blog. This part of the RV Podcast is brought to you by Battle Born Batteries, maker of quality, safe and reliable lithium batteries that can be installed in just about every RV. Get in touch with Battle Born to find out what lithium batteries and an upgraded energy management system can add to your RV Lifestyle. RV PODCAST INTERVIEW OF THE WEEK - 2021 RV BUCKET LIST It’s been a tradition on the RV Podcast that every year, we spend some time during our first podcast sharing what’s on everyone’s bucket list for the coming year. A year ago, at the start of 2020, there were a lot of folks who had a lot of great bucket list plans. No one a year ago saw COVID coming. But come it did and since march, most of those great bucket list plans were cancelled. People still RV’s… in fact RV camping boomed. But most of the long-term big trips went by the wayside. People tended to stay fairly close to home. So here we are in 2021. Vaccines against COVID have been developed and rapidly beoing made available and there is hope that 2021 will start to return to normal about the time summer and the camping season again arrives. So where do people want to go. We asked our audience to share their bucket list plans. Here’s a sampling: You can listen to the podcast in the player below. Move the player slider to about XXXX in to hear the bucketlist plans. The interview of the week is brought to you by SunshinestateRVs.com, where every new  motorhome is delivered to the customer free, anywhere in the country OFF THE BEATEN PATH REPORT    BY TOM & PATTI BURKETT A year ago, about this time, we were loading up the RV.               One of our daughters has a mid-January birthday, and we were going to celebrate with her at the start of a cold-weather trip to the south.   Little did we know that the timing meant we’d be among the few travelers to get in a substantial trip in 2020.  Over the past twelve moths we’ve reported on a number of the things we discovered, and there are a few more to come.   I like to name our trips,

Finding the best Internet for RV Nomads is a daunting task but we have advice for you from two experts who know more about this than anyone else you can find. With the help of Chris and Cherie of Technomadia, the RV Lifestyle’s top Internet experts, we’re going to tell you what companies and what plans are the best for today’s demanding RVer. They candidly warn us what companies to stay away from and what service providers are offering the best plans. Plus we learn why 5G may not be very handy for the RV community just yet and what – and when – that new Starlink Satellite constellation will be ready for RV Nomads. If you prefer, you can listen to the podcast in the player below. The interview is about 25:00 in. The Best Internet for RV Nomads Our guests o are Chris and Cherie of the website Technomadia, which chronicles all things technology-related to RVers, and the Mobile Internet Resource Center,  which is a member-supported site that is the most respected and reliable resource for the absolute latest information about Mobile Internet. Chris and Cherie are true Nomads themselves, traveling the country in a bus converted into an RV, a Class B van and a boat. They truly are the leading experts on anything related to RVing and the Internet. We interviewed them in a recent episode for our RV Podcast and tapped into their expertise to help our readers and listeners fund the best Internet for RV Nomads in 2021. Cherie and Chris of Technomadia and experts on finding on the best internet for RV Nomads Here's a full transcript of the interview on how to find the Best Internet for RV Nomads: Mike Wendland:           Joining us now are Chris and Cherie. You guys are on, let's see, you have a whole fleet of mobile, you're in a boat right now, right? Chris:                            Yes. We have a boat, a bus, and a van. So we kind of dive into many different ways of being a nomad. Mike Wendland:           That is awesome. That is awesome. Well, it's been a while since we've had you on. And so much has changed, particularly in the lockdown that we're all going through. So many people now working from home and now people saying, "Well, why should we work at home? Let's go work from the road."                                     So let's start off with a couple of questions about those who are out there on the road and need internet. What's the best advice for September of 2020 from the tech nomadic experts here that really know more about it than anybody else I know? Cherie:                         It's a tough challenge right now because the needs for a lot that are hitting the road right now, they're trying to work remotely. They may be doing a lot of video work, like what we're trying to do right here. They're schooling their kids on the road. And they want to be able to stream Netflix and YouTube. So they want all the high-bandwidth things. Chris:                            Just like they're at home. Cherie:                         Just like at home. But these are some of the most difficult things to do over mobile internet. And at the same time, there's a lot of us wanting to do it right now because, well, not just wanting to, we need to with the pandemic and work from home. So the carriers, especially the cellular carriers, are all having supply and demand issue. So they're having to- Chris:                            Their networks are overwhelmed. They're trying to price their plans and stuff. Their target market isn't people who live and work full time on the roads. They're trying to design their plans around people who are just, you know, need to be connected in between home and work or just when they're away from the house. Best Internet for RV Nomads Advice: Be Flexible, plans change                                     So we're kind of special. The whole mobile community is kind of special. You have to find the right combination of how to use the devices, what devices to use, and what plans to use that will assemble an arsenal that can actually meet our needs. Cherie:                         And that stuff changes all the time. Chris:                            And it changes all the time. Cherie:                         It's more like what's best at this hour. Bevcause as soon as we record this, yu can bet something has changed. Probably as we speak... Chris:                            Or tomorrow or something. Because, yeah, tthere's been several major plan changes recently. And we're always kind of that's what we do is we guide people. Like, this is the best bet today, come back tomorrow, it might be changing. Mike Wendland:           Well, it does change. And I've been a victim. That's probably a little too harsh of a word. But I've been a firsthand witness to some of those changes just in the last year or so with AT&T and Togo and with the program with Nomad, which suddenly upped their rates by $50 a month. Internet Resellers: What to know                                     One of the things I wanted to talk about is resellers.  There's so many places that RVers are seeing that are basically resellers. Explain what a reseller is and whether that is a reliable place where RVers should go looking for unlimited, unthrottled internet. Cherie:                         Right. That's obviously the appeal is those are about the only places you're going to find cellular data plans that are advertised as unlimited, unthrottled. And that's what we all want. That's not what the carriers want to provide. And what the resellers are is they tend to have access somehow to a data plan that they're able to make work as an unlimited hotspot device, to use on hotspot devices or routers. Best Internet for RV Nomads Advice: Be aware of how Resellers Work Chris:                            But a lot of times these resellers are basically the equivalent of flea market salespeople. They have stuff that sometimes literally fell off the back of a truck someplace. They're selling plans that were intended for this, and they're finding a way to use them for that. And when the carriers, they're like, "Well, no, you're using the plans wrong." They'll just cut all of those off. Cherie:                         Right. We've been tracking this industry for a very long time. We see it's almost every three months- Chris:                            Resellers come and go. Cherie:                         Every three months there's a new reseller that comes on the scene. They get a lot of publicity, a lot of people get them, get them in their setup, and then suddenly they go away. And the reason is, is because the plans behind the scenes were not intended for this sort of usage. And those plans become then visible to the carrier because they see a whole bunch of loads. So maybe these are corporate plans that were not meant to be sold. Maybe they were tablet plans that are being repurposed on hotspot devices. Chris:                            We've seen resellers in the past were secretly selling government plans or school plans and stuff that was intended for students. And they're like, "Oh yeah, they're students," but they're actually selling them out the backdoor for all sorts of things. Cherie:                         All sorts of things. There are also master agents in the background that do have access to legit wholesale plans. And they come and go all the time. But when they see a huge increase in demand and plans being out there and people start using terabytes of data, well, the carriers go, "Whoa, this is not what we intended." And they find ways to shut those plans down. And we've seen this cycle. I could almost time it. It's like, oh, Nomad internet. Okay. Yeah, I give that six weeks. We can almost time it. Chris:                            And then the next one comes along. And then there are the other things like the prepaid brands that are owned by the carriers that, they're not resellers. Like Cricket is owned by AT&T. They're not reselling AT&T plans. Cherie:                         Visible is owned by Verizon. So these are plans that have a little more chance of sticking around. Best Internet for RV Nomads Advice: Do Your Homework Chris:                            Yes. So you got to kind of do your homework. Mike Wendland:           And people will ask you this all the time, so they always say, "Well, what's the best plan for me?" And you mean as of now or in 10 minutes? But give us a couple of things that RVers who need reliable, fast, unthrottled internet, is there any such an animal that is affordable these days? Cherie:                         If you're willing to go with Sprint's network, which has traditionally been the worst network, and of course they're being taken over by T-Mobile and that process is ongoing, there are legit unlimited plans that you can get on Sprint's network. Either through the FMCA's rental plan or there's some nonprofit organizations that if you become a member of them, you have access to their unlimited plan. Chris:                            And these are really unlimited, go to town, use crazy amounts of data plans. Cherie:                         Yup. And those have been around for a very long time. We feel really good about recommending those if Sprint works for your travels. And we don't know what's going to happen to them in the future with T-Mobile taking over.                                     Cricket Wireless, which is AT&T's prepaid subsidiary, they currently have a mobile hotspot plan that you can put like on that Netgear Nighthawk, like what you had. And you can get 100 gigabytes of high-speed LTE data for $90 per month. That's a legit plan. Chris:                            And then there are some other plans like- Mike Wendland:           How much data do you get then for that end of the Cricket plan? Best Internet for RV Nomads Advice: How much use does 100 GB Provide? Cherie:                         That's 100 gigabytes.

The question of Mail Forwarding for RVers is one of the most common ones we get from people hoping to go full time or planning long RV trips away from their sticks and bricks home. We talked to Amber Hobert, the President of Dakota Post, one of the largest of the various mail forwarding companies that service RVers. We also talk about when it makes sense for RVers to declare residency in South Dakota and also registering their vehicle in South Dakota. It’s an interesting conversation,  What to do with mail is a question we are asked about a lot by RVers planning to go fulltime or to be on extended trips away from home. Others want to know about the tax benefits of registering their RV in South Dakota or even declaring South Dakota as their residency. Here's the full transcript of our interview with Amber Hobert. Mike Wendland:         Amber, thank you very much for making time out of your schedule to join us and talk about mail forwarding. How are you today? Amber Hobert:            I'm doing very well. How about yourself? Mail Forwarding Services for RVers Mike Wendland:         We're doing excellent. Let's talk a little bit about Dakota Post. I have used your service and there's a number of other ones out there, I know. This has become a very important concern for people as they embrace the full time RV lifestyle. Exactly how does it work and when should one consider signing up with a mail forwarder if you're a full time RVer? Amber Hobert:            Even if you're a snowbird, you can still sign up for service with us. We have short term and long term policies for both. A good portion of our customers though are full time in the RV traveling world and so as you can imagine, your mail doesn't stop coming to you just because you no longer have a home. We make sure that we can get the mail in here and then find you wherever you are to get your mail back out to you. Mike Wendland:         Now, how do you get that mail back out to somebody who is on the road? They may be in Montana this week, Idaho next week, down to Utah, and then Arizona. How does one get their mail that way? How do you get your mail when you are on the move all the time? Amber Hobert:            Yeah. We have a couple of different options. We have some of our customers that just do traditional mail. They put in a forward of their address to here, so we would receive their mail in and then they pick the option of how frequently they want to get their mail. Whether it's once a week, once a month, twice a month, and then at that time they know that their contract is for the 16th of the month. So they know 16th of the month, right before that they need to let us know where they're at. They can go onto the website, they can enter in their information, they can give us a call. And then that way we make sure that we're sending it out to the correct location because as you said, we have people who are traveling to a different state, different location all the time. Mike Wendland:         Now there are- Amber Hobert:            The other option- Mike Wendland:         Yeah, I was going to go to the other option. In fact, when we used the service, we were gone pretty much half the year and I really got hooked on being able to look at my mail online. Explain how that works. I can't do it justice cause you guys do it all the time, but I just thought it was magic. It was pretty cool. A Virtual Mailbox for your Forwarded Mail gives you access from the road Amber Hobert:            Yeah. That's the other option is to have a virtual mailbox. That is by and far one of our most popular plans. Essentially your mail comes in here, we go ahead, we scan it into a portal. You have an individual login that you go to our website, you put in your own credentials, and then you can see everything that's been scanned into your mailbox that day. From there, you can go ahead and tell us, "Don't do anything with it," which means we're going to put it in your box. "Shred it" if it's junk mail that you don't want. Or you can ask us to open it and scan the contents to you. Maybe it's your credit card bill and you want to see all your charges to make sure that you're paying the right amount and that everything looks okay, then we open up, we scan that to you, and then that information, we just have to back an envelope, put it back in your box. For the virtual mail customers, they let us know whenever they want their mail. A lot of customers that are virtual, they don't get their mail for over a year because they have everything that they need out of it, so they don't want the extra paper. In an RV, obviously your space is limited, so that's important too. Mike Wendland:         You say you look at a digital image of it and determine whether it's worth saving and whether it's not. I know at the time I used you guys, it was the first part of the year and of course I was getting all my tax forms coming in. I was working with my accountant back in one state and we were in many different states, but it was so nice to get those in, and then I could take a scan of it, and just forward those electronic files right on, and I didn't have to go visit them in person. Every now and then I'd have you deliver them and that wasn't too hard, I just would find a campground or where we were going to be and they would all show up. Now there are some types of mail though that are not forwarded and could you talk about those that RVers need to be aware of? I'm thinking of perhaps like checks sometimes that are not allowed to be forwarded. What do you do then? What about important financial papers and a mail forwarding service? Amber Hobert:            We still receive a lot of checks in here. It's not something we run into a lot where we have run into, and other people just running into difficulties with, sometimes with financial institutions. That do have a personal mailbox number, they perceive that to be a P.O. box. And then of course depending on the sensitivity, then they're a little bit cautious that I don't want this just going to a P.O. box. Usually that's something that we work through with the vendor and we don't have a lot of trouble with that type of thing anymore. Mike Wendland:         Now are these things then that the RVer would arrange to have set up before they sign up for the service or in the middle of the service? Is that a pretty easy thing to work around? Amber Hobert:            It's pretty easy to work around. Usually it's just a matter of education to that vendor to say, "Okay, this is essentially where their mail comes. This is their touch point." We have it before people sign up, during, people that have been with us for a long time and then decide that maybe to have a new vendor that we work through that with them. But typically we can find ways to just educate them more than anything. How should fulltime RVwers decide where to declare residency? Mike Wendland:         Now, mail forwarding, of course, is one of the more important things that those who are on the road a lot need to to deal with it, those snowbirds or full-timers. But another question that we get asked a lot, actually there's two of them that I'm going to run by, because I know you handle out of state residence, South Dakota residency, and vehicle registration. Declaring South Dakota for residency by RVers Let's start with residency. For a lot of our viewers who have sold their house, the full-timers who are going out on the road and maybe they're looking to be gone a year or two years, but they don't really have a sticks and bricks house. It makes sense, you got to have a residency somewhere. Tell us why South Dakota is so attractive to so many. Amber Hobert:            Well, a lot of it has to do with our tax base. South Dakota has no state income tax Here in South Dakota we don't have a state income tax, so essentially for people that means that your social security and then having a state tax come out of it, any kind of a pension isn't going to have additional state taxes coming out of it. And no personal property taxes here in South Dakota. So it's very fortuitous when it comes to that for people to sign up here as far as, obviously if you're living on a fixed income, every little bit of that counts. And then along with the fact that we have lower vehicle insurance rates, our excise tax on the purchase of vehicles or RVs is relatively low compared to the rest of the nation. So that's kind of what makes South Dakota kind of unique in that aspect. Fulltime RVers can register their RVs in South Dakota Mike Wendland:         You can register your vehicle, I think. What are the requirements of that? Do you need to be on the road, not in one location a certain length of time? What do you have to do to register a vehicle in South Dakota because boy, those license fees can be pretty expensive in many states. And of course, if you buy one, the sales taxes, as you mentioned earlier. What about registering a vehicle? When does that make sense? Amber Hobert:            You have to register your vehicle here, you just need to be a South Dakota resident. We help you get that set up and get plates. Then from there, we do have a couple ladies in house here that just work strictly with vehicle registration to make sure that you have all the documents that you need. And then they work directly with the County Treasurer's office in order to obtain those plates or tags for you depending on if you're licensing for a first time or if you're a renewal. So they work with that just to make sure, because every state is different, so it can be kind of a difficult if you're coming from a different state trying to figure out what to do here for the first time. Mail forwarding for RVers makes sense Mike Wendland:         So the the answer of staying connected with mail is not as difficult as many think when they start dreaming about hitting the road.

The RV Podcast's big new this week is the announced $300 million purchase of Tiffin Motorhomes by the giant Thor Industries, which already is the largest RV manufacturer in the world. The purchase absorbs one of the few remaining independent family-owned RV makers, run by the Tiffin family of Alabama whose luxury motorhomes are known for attention to detail and quality construction. Thor, which has aggressively been gobbling up numerous RV brands across the country as well as the Hymer RV company in Europe over the past few years, vows that other than accounting procedures, little will be changed as they take over Tiffin. You can listen to the complete episode of the RV Podcast in the player below. And scroll down this page for shownotes for links and resources about all the things we talk about. Regarding the Thor buys Tiffin story Here’s an excerpt released by both companies of an interview between Tiffin’s owner, Bob Tiffin, age 78, and Thor’s CEO Bon Martin discussing the acquisition and what it means. I’ve met and interviewed both Bob Tiffin and Bon Martin several times over the years I've been covering the RV Lifestyle. Bob Tiffin is a legend in the industry for his personal attention to his customers. At RV shows, he shakes every hand he can find as folks tour his luxurious coaches, even handing out his direct phone number to those who ask. Bon Martin is a well-respected industry veteran. I have always found him to be congenial and a straight shooter. Tiffin Management will stay the same under Thor Ownership Tiffin Motorhomes is known for its luxurious Class A motorhomes and, more recently, it's Class C Wayfarer And I take them both at their word that the acquisition will not change the quality or service Tiffin owners have come to expect. Bob Tiffin’s sons and even a grandson are very active in running various elements of the Tiffin company, which is one of the largest employers in the state of Alabama. Tiffin will continue to be headquartered in Red Bay, AL, where it has been since 1972. They also have some operations in neighboring Mississippi. “We needed a partner who we could trust would sustain all of those elements and help us grow the business in a manner that is consistent with how we’ve done business at Tiffin for nearly 50 years,” said Bob Tiffin. “The dealers and customers who love the Tiffin brand will continue to receive the high-quality products they have grown to expect. And I am not going anywhere as I will continue to operate the Tiffin companies as I have with no timeline for change. “My sons, Van and Tim, as well as my grandson, Leigh, will also continue to have major roles in the Tiffin business. Instead of feeling like I sold a business, I feel like we have aligned with a great company that will enable us to take Tiffin to a new level while maintaining the Tiffin culture and brand integrity that has set us apart from our competitors for years.” Thor expects Tiffin to add Class B vans and towables The top of the Line Tiffin Zephyr model sells for almost $700,000 Martin, of Thor, stresses that Tiffin will “operate as stand-alone operating company within the Thor family of companies.” But Martin sees Tiffin expanding into different RV markets besides its premier models on the Class A motorhome chassis, and more recently, it’s Wayfarer line of Class C coaches. Martin and Thor want to move into different segments. “Tiffin currently has no offerings in either the travel trailer or Class B segments,” he said. “Growing the great Tiffin brand name into these segments will be well-received by dealers and consumers alike.” Now that Thor Buys Tiffin, they become even harder to compete against These are just some of the RV brands Thor Industries owns So there you go. The bottom line is Thor promises to keep Tiffin pretty much the same, even expanding. And it will continue to be managed by the Tiffin family and existing senior management team. But make no mistake. This acquisition makes Thor Industries absolutely the most dominant force in the RV industry. Their sheer size makes them very difficult to compete against. Thor’s collective buying clout guarantees them priority access and pricing to RV chassis, parts and components needed in the manufacturing process. Among the most well-known brands Thor now owns are Airstream, Dutchmen, Entera, the Erwin Hymer Group, Heartland Recreational Vehicles, Highland Ridge RV, Jayco, Cruiser RV, Crossroads RVs, Keystone RV, Starcraft and Venture. Just two weeks ago, Thor’s ToGo subsidiary bought the RVillage social media RV app and website in hopes of furthering it’s goal to be the Facebook of the RV world. Which all goes to prove, the big just get bigger. We wish both companies great success. More RV Podcast News Here's some other RV News this last week of 2020: About 34 million fewer Americans to travel this holiday season says AAA This Friday is Christmas (can you believe it?) and AAA is predicting about 34 million fewer Americans traveling this holiday season because of - you guessed it - COVID-19. Many Americans typically travel Dec. 23 - Jan. 2 for a vacation, but this year AAA is predicting a 29 percent drop from last year. This predicted drop is coming as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urges Americans not to travel. Like at Thanksgiving, most who do decide to travel will do so by vehicle. AAA is urging all travelers to plan ahead and know the COVID restrictions on each stop on their route, as COVID-19 regulations vary significantly by state and community. New partnership developing affordable battery powered camping generators and electric RVs We saw an interesting story out of Ohio over the weekend about Camping World and Lordstown Motors teaming up to develop battery powered generators for camping trailers and fifth wheels. These new generators would provide quiet, emissions-free power, according to the story. And the partnership also will be working on an electric camping van. To see our list of the best camper vans - or Class B RVs - for 2021 click here.   Most states still offering first day hikes on New Year's Day Most state parks are continuing their first day hikes program New Year's Day, encouraging everyone to start the new year by getting outside and going on a hike. Last week we shared here how Pennsylvania canceled all organized hikes, but elsewhere around the country, it appears the popular hiking program is on, often with organized group walks and other accommodations. To see if a park new you is participating, check here.   Texas' Guadalupe Mountains National Park one of several areas under severe fire restrictions While fire risks may not be the first thought for campers this time of year, we saw more than one story last week about extreme fire risks affecting outdoor activities in various areas out west. Texas's Guadalupe Mountains National Park is under restrictions because of an extreme fire risk expected to stay in place until Jan. 4. As always when traveling, we recommend you monitor local emergency weather situations and more. To see our story on helpful apps for any situation - bad weather, finding medical advice and much more - click here   Campers and hikers caused unprecedented damage to Colorado's Ice Lakes area last summer The camping season of 2020 was one of unprecedented numbers, with many national parks and state parks setting records in the number of visitors, including campground use, reports of which we have faithfully shared here. But a story about damage to Colorado's Ice Lakes area of the San Juan Range near Silverton still shocked me. Apparently, so many people visited this delicate alpine tundra area last summer,  the damage will take decades to undo. Besides people walking and parking in areas not permitted - which causes damage - people defecated outside and just left it, set campfires in areas not permitted, and even burned historic mining structures, as evidence by the nails left in the burnt remains. To see the report click here. RV PODCAST INTERVIEW OF THE WEEK Members of our RV Lifestyle community called in their Christmas wishes. We found them very inspiring. To hear them, move the player head below to about 30:40 into the podcast   RV PODCAST QUESTION OF THE WEEK This week's question has to do with finding reasonably priced campgrounds for those living on Social Security You can listen to the complete episode of the RV Podcast in the player below. Move the player head about 24:38 in to hear the question of the week   Do you have a question you’d like us to answer or a comment on the things we’re discussing? If so, we invite you to leave us that question or comment on the special voicemail number we have for the podcast – it’s 586-372-6990.  If you are driving and can’t write it down right now, just go to the RV Lifestyle travel blog at rvlifestyle.com and scroll down the page. You’ll see that number prominently posted on the blog. OFF THE BEATEN PATH REPORT    You can listen to the complete episode of the RV Podcast in the player below. Move the player head about 42:00 in to hear Tom and Patti Burkett's off the beaten path report.     PROGRAMMING NOTE for the RV PODCAST We're taking the next week off. The next episode of the Podcast will be published Jan 6, 2021. Until then MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

After a year of RV show cancellations because of COVID, the RV Show season is set to roar back next month with the 2021 Florida RV Supershow in Tampa Jan. 13-17. Here's what to expect: Because the Florida RV Supershow is mostly outside, organizers say they are confident that social distancing, wearing masks inside the RV, limits of how many people can be in an RV at one time, along with frequent sanitization can make for a safe show. On the RV Podcast Interview f the week, we learn what to expect. Plus we have lots of RV News this week, your questions and feedback about the RV Lifestyle and a great off the beaten path report from the Burketts. All that is waiting for you in Episode 324 of the RV Podcast! You can listen to the podcast in the player below. And scroll down this page for shownotes and a transcript of the interview, plus links and resources about all the things we talk about. WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK We share our current RV Lifestyle activities, including: Getting ready for Christmas - Even in the year of COVID, there's no stopping Christmas! To see the video we did about decorating an RV for Christmas, CLICK HERE. Travel 2021 – Tampa RV Supershow - We'll be there! Schedule - We will have an RV Podcast on Dec 22, but take off the week between Christmas and New Year's This part of the RV Podcast is brought to you by Camping World – America’s #1 RV Dealer RV PODCAST INTERVIEW OF THE WEEK - The 2021 Florida RV Supershow The RV show season is about to begin again after a tumultuous 2020 that cancelled almost every show from February through this month. But in just a few weeks, the show season starts again with the 2021 Florida RV Supershow, to run January 13-17 at the Tampa Fairgrounds in Tampa, FL. Dave Kelly, of the 2021 Florida RV Supershow Our guest this week is Dave Kelly, the Executive Director of the Florida RV Trade Association, which puts on the annual show, always one of the largest, and as you;ll hear from Dave, probably the largest RV show in the nation. Here's a transcript of our interview about the 2021 Florida RV Supershow: Mike Wendland: Joining us right now to talk about the big show, I feel like Ed Sullivan, the Big Show, is Dave Kelly from the Tampa RV Super Show. How you doing, Dave? Dave Kelly: Thanks. Yeah, thanks for having me. Great. We're doing wonderful down here. Mike Wendland: Well, we are...it certainly has been a year. In fact, it was almost a year ago, that was really the last of the big shows and wow. What a show last year was. So I am delighted that you guys are on, and hopefully this sets the stage for us out of the funk that 2020 was. Tell us about the show, the dates, what people need to know in terms of being careful about social distance stuff, all that. What do we need to know about this year's, this 2021 big super show in Tampa again? Here's a video of what the 2020 Florida RV Supershow was like, just before COVOD forced the cancellations of the rest of the RV Show Season Dave Kelly: Well, we open on Wednesday the 13th of January, and we run through the 17th. $12 for adults. We've extended our senior days to Wednesday, Thursday and Friday this year. $2 off for seniors any of those days and kids under 16 free. So it's a great family way to spend the day with the family out at the show. We will be doing temperature checking and a mask by Hillsborough County ordinance would be required in the buildings and when you're inside the RV. We're going to try to make it as unobtrusive as possible for everyone to have a good time. As you know, the majority of the show is outdoors and from what we're reading, the outdoors is a fairly safe place to be. So, we're feeling uncomfortable we can provide a safe atmosphere for the show. Mike Wendland: Give us a sense of the size of this year's show. I know not all the folks that exhibited last year will be there this year, but it looks from what I could look in the early literature, it looks like you're going to have most of the major ones there. Why some RV Manufacturers won't be at the 2021 Florida RV Supershow Dave Kelly: Well, we're still, yeah. We had some manufacturers that were just having production issues and getting things like furniture and appliances and things like that for the coaches. So they felt like they couldn't do a good representative display of their products, but pretty much everything else, the major manufacturers are going to be on display. Everything from the smallest little teardrop trailers, all the way up to the two and a half million dollar... Something in your price range. Mike Wendland: Yeah. That has been the most successful video I've ever did. I did a tour of one of those two and a half million dollar ones, and it's been watched 3 million times, my video, but yeah, it would be nice to have that price [crosstalk 00:02:55]. Talk about the seminars, which is a big part, I think of the super show, the Super RV Show. I love all the seminars. Are they still going to be able to go off as scheduled this year? There will be seminar crowd limits at the 2021 Florida RV Supershow Dave Kelly: We are. It's going to be limited seating for this year. We're going to spread out the seating a little bit more and to have three different monitors so everyone can see all the information. But we're lucky to have the GeeksOnTour this year. They're going to do maps and apps that you need for traveling. We got a chassis seminar. We got seminars on traveling to Alaska, what to expect, how to plan, traveling in clubs. So there'll be a seminar just about for everybody, no matter what your RV experience is. Mike Wendland: There are a number of people who every year camp there and have a big rally. Is that still on? Do you still have people coming? Camping opportunities at the 2021 Florida RV Supershow Dave Kelly: We do. We actually, at this point have just about 800 rigs signed up for our rally and we're not going to be able to do the entertainment so then in the evening, but they will be able to get coffee and donuts in the morning and then they have unlimited access to the show so they can come and go and go and basically you walk back to their RV and have lunch and then come back in the afternoon. It's a nice setup for them that they don't have to be rushed through the show. They have plenty of time to see it. Mike Wendland: Now, is there room for more? Have you sold that out, the rally? Dave Kelly: Yeah, we do some drive-ups on that. Some people are a lot skeptical about just driving up without having a reserve spot, but we do still have some spots that if people want to contact us we could squeeze in a few more. Mike Wendland: Okay. Well, that's good. I'll put a link to all the information in the show notes for the podcast episode here. Walk us through a little bit about the mask in going into the RV. Sometimes those RVs can get pretty crowded. They do all the time with so many people. I would imagine that the manufacturers are going to have to somewhat limit how many people can be in an RV at a certain time? There will be limits about how many can be in an RV at the same time Dave Kelly: Yeah, well, we're lucky that we're almost a year into the virus and our dealers down here have never closed. So the dealers have been working as far as a safe way to show the coaches, one family at a time limiting the number of people. Even some of the manufacturers limiting the number of people in their displays so that it doesn't get overcrowded and social distancing. We're going to be making announcements and of course, signage for people to make sure they give each other plenty of room. And we're lucky that we are so far into it that people have come to know and coming to get used to the fact that when they're inside, they will have to have a mask and in the coaches of course. And there'll be regular cleanings and the dealers have always done that and have been doing it very, very carefully the last few months. So, showing the RV's and doing that is not anything that's just now starting. They've been doing this for awhile. Entertainment at the 2021 Florida RV Supershow Mike Wendland: Now you mentioned that with the rally that the normal nighttime entertainment that they got at the rally won't be happening. But what about the entertainment.  You  are also known for all this. It's a spontaneous entertainment that comes with your parades and all of the different entertainers that... will they still be throughout the show Dave Kelly: Yeah. We're lucky. A lot of the entertainers are very excited about coming back. Unfortunately for them they've gone a year now with a lot of the events that they normally work, being canceled. And so they're all very excited and very anxious to show everyone a good time at the Super Show. Again, everything from jugglers to stilt walkers to unicycle riders, dog shows. I mean, you name it. We have... the more unusual the entertainment, the better we like, and having it at the show. Mike Wendland: Now, for those who have never been to the show, it is an event in and of itself with all of that entertainment. But it is also a place where you can bring your dogs as long as you got them on a leash. Is that still a go? Pets are allowed (on a leash) at the 2021 Florida RV Supershow Dave Kelly: Yeah. A lot of people travel with their pets. And so we provide a pet-friendly atmosphere for the mild-tempered dogs and the ones that are on leash. Mike Wendland: All right. We might actually have our Bo with us this time. He's got more fans than we do, so. Dave Kelly: They do. The dogs get more attention than anything else at the show. Mike Wendland: I guess. Well, we're excited now that we have... we've made the decision that we're going to be there. And I think that it's a new year and if the industry ever needed an RV show, now's the time and the Super Show is the one to go to because we think it's great. Here's the last question I have for you,

Listing the most important RV features you're looking for is one of the best things any RVer can do when shopping for an RV. Here's the list of our "must-haves!" But understand, this list is ours. Meaning, the RV features you choose for your needs will be different than ours. The most important RV features you identify will depend on what kind of RV you get, how you like to camp, what you do when you are out there, and how you use your RVs. This article comes in response to a specific request from a listener to our RV Podcast and we answered it on Episode 323. Click the Player below to hear the caller's question and an audio recording of our response. It's about 19:25 in on the player. For details, photos, and videos of the features, keep scrolling down. Question: What are Mike and Jen's Most Important RV Features? Here's a transcript of the question, left on our RV Podcast Voicemail number of 586-372-6990: "Hi Mike and Jennifer: Thank you for the valuable information you provide to the RV Community. My husband (six foot two)and I are nearing retirement and planned to purchase our RV in the near future. We've narrowed the search to a 20 to 25ft class B or B+ RV, which we believe allows us to fit in  the most national park smaller camp sites do boondocking. I plan to continue to work part-time remotely. We purchased your RV buying secrets and it has been very informative and answered a lot of questions. TIP: CLICK HERE for more information on our RV Buying Secrets eBook. It will save you money! We are a bit overwhelmed with the features. We should be looking for in our RV. I would like to ask the experience two RV experts -  you and Jennfer - to select the top ten features you can't live without in your class B B+ RV, If you could, please focus on features that you must make in the initial purchase that can't be added later. For example, dedicated bed, ducted air conditioning, safety features on the coach like blind spot and lane-keeping assist, on-demand water heater, six-cubic-foot 3-way fridge freezer, convection oven, deep sink, counter space, tank sizes,  propane versus induction, diesel vs gas ,storage capacity. Thank you again for all that. You do to provide quality and educational content to the RV Community wage. I look forward to hearing the top ten features you guys can't live without. Thank you!" Answer: Some RV Features are Preferences rather than Essentials The caller asked about a lot of things that deal more with preferences rather than must-haves.  For example, she asked about: Gas vs Diesel - We are happy with both. Right now we have a gasoline-powered RV. Our previous RVs are diesel. We can and have been happy with both. Gasoline is a bit easier to find. And, right now, it's cheaper. CLICK HERE for an article we wrote on Gas vs Diesel Induction vs Gas cooktop - We've had and have been happy with both.  Countertop - Most countertops in Class Bs are about the same. The bigger the better, but counter space is not a deal-breaker for us. Sink faucet - A lot of RVs have very cheap plastic faucets. Stay away from them is you can. But, again, this is not a deal-breaker for us. We can easily replace and upgrade if we want. Ducted air conditioning - We had this on our last RV and it was awesome. Our current RV does not have it and we do miss it. This is important, almost a deal-breaker. But not quite. Lane-keeping assist - These come standard on all new coaches Blindspot detection - This is standard on Class B RVs but is not available as a factory option on B+ r Class C RVs So let us share our most important RV features list - and some accompanying photos and videos -  in the hopes that it will give you an idea of what kinds of things should be on your list. Our 10 Most Important RV Features List Dedicated beds – And always-made real bed. In our case. We like the twin beds on our Leisure Travel Vans Wonder RTB. They have a nightstand between them that can be converted into a foundation that will allow the mattresses to be fitted next to each other side by side in a near-Queen-sized bed. These are real beds, with mattresses, instead of sofa cushions that are found on many small RVs. The rear twin beds on our Wonder was at the top of our list of the most important RV features we can't live without 2) Separate living and sleeping areas – We have a sleeping area for the beds and a living area near the galley that doubles as a workspace/office. And the design of our current RV allows the door of the shower to be able to open across the hallway, physically dividing those two areas into separate rooms. The previous model we had, a Unity FX from LTV, has a front lounge and a rear lounge which also gave us two distinct areas to spread out in. 3) A Dry Shower – By this, we mean a standalone shower stall, Many of the smaller RVs we’ve previously owned have wet showers or showers that are part of the bathroom and toilet area. Even with a shower curtain, those areas get wet all over – that’s why they call them a wet shower. A dry shower area is a non-negotiable must-have for us. 4) Instant Hot Water – For us, that means the Truma Aqua Go water heater system. Turn it on and the water is instantly hot. For the shower, there’s no wasting water as you wait for it to get warm. For washing and rinsing dishes and washing your hands it’s a wonderful convenience, a luxury. The hot water is instant, constant and endless if you are hooked up to city water. When boondocking and using our fresh water tanks, it allows much more efficient showers, stretching your freshwater supply much longer than when we had to wait for the water to warm up. NOTE: Here is a Video Review of our Leisure Travel Vans Wonder RTB showing many of these most important RV features: 5) Heated, lithium batteries – Once you rely on lithium batteries for your RV, you will never go back to regular lead acid or AGM batteries. The more the better, especially if you like boondocking. On our current RV and our previous one, we had two 100 amp lithium batteries. Those have provided all the boondocking power we want. Our current Battleborn lithium batteries were installed at the factory with heaters, keeping them warm and operating very efficiently even in freezing weather, 6) Solar Panels – These work in conjunction with the lithium power system. Solar is often oversold by RV dealers but we feel it is a must-have. For us, 400 watts of solar do the job, effectively topping off our lithium batteries each day from whatever power we drained from them over the previous night. 7) A powerful inverter – We would prefer 3,000 watts but our current RV has a 2000 watt inverter and it powers everything in our RV except the air conditioner when camping off the grid. There’s an add-on gadget called the SoftStart that will allow the AC to work off the 2,000-watt inverter but that’s a separate topic. You do want a powerful inverter. So many RVs come with stingy 1,000 or 1,500-watt inverters. With the technology and power needs posed by boondocking – our preferred style of camping –, that’s just not enough. A 2KW inverter is an absolute minimum you should get. 9) A generator – We would not travel without a generator. Ours is a 2.5 KW Cummins generator that we had installed at the factory. It is wired into the RV’s power system and runs on LP and allows us to run the AC while boondocking for extended periods of time if needed. It will also charge the coach batteries if needed, giving us still another power source while we are off the grid. A generator s one of the most important RV features we wanted on our RV 9) Apple Car Play in the entertainment system – Because we have iPhones, we use Apple Car Play. But Android Auto offers the same capabilities for those who don’t use Apple systems. Our Wonder, on the Ford Transit cutaway chassis, has a great entertainment system that has Apple Car Play and Android Auto capabilities. We use it to run our favorites raveling apps right through the dashboard display and entertainment system. It plays our music, our favorite podcasts and we use Google Maps and the Waze real-time traffic app for our GPS navigation. This is also a must for us on any RV we will buy in the future. 10) Maximum Exterior Storage Space – The biggest problem with small RVs is finding room for taking along all the things you want to use in your RV adventures. Chairs, bikes, in our case lots of photos and video gear, maybe an inflatable kayak someday. The RV we have has a pass-through are in the rear that will hold two bikes and all the toys and gear we want to take with us. It’s so big we call it “the garage.” We see other small RV manufacturers making similar storage space in their designs. But for us, we’re spoiled now and that extra storage space is another must-have for whatever RV we next get. Jennifer getting something out of the "garage," pass-through storage area at the back of our RV I'm able to load two bicycles in the "garage" storage space That’s our list of the 10 most important RV features we used in selecting our RV Every RVer is different, of course.  What we think is important may not be to you. We all have different things that are must-haves to get the most out of the RV Lifestyle. We urge everyone to make a similar list when shopping for their next RV. It helps with your shopping and gives you a checklist and a guide to sorting through all the different RVs out there. Listen to all of this Episode #323 of RV Podcast for more The information above comes from Episode 323 of our RV Podcast, which also features RV News of the week, travel reports, and a schedule of upcoming RV Shows. You can listen to the podcast through the player below or by Subscribing to the RV Podcast on your favorite Podcast App. Curious about the gear, gadgets, accessories, and RV products Mike & Jennifer use and recommend? On this RV Lifestyle Travel blog, our RV Podcast and our RV Lifestyle YouTube Channel,

What a year 2020 has been. We can’t wait till 2021 begins. But that said, there are no guarantees on what RV Travel in 2021 will be like. It promises to still be challenging. Very challenging in certain places. In fact, as we review all the growing travel restrictions, lockdowns and restrictions as we experience what is described as the Third Wave of COVID, uncertain seems to be the one word that best describes what will most characterize RV travel in 2021. To listen to this episode of the RV Podcast, click the player below: Take RV Travel in Pennsylvania for example For now and in the indefinite future, its state parks are off-limits to out-of-staters, unless they meet some tough requirements. If you live in another state and visit a state park in Pennsylvania, you must show proof of a COVID-19 test, with negative results, that was taken within 72 hours of arriving in the commonwealth. If you can't prove you test negative,  you must quarantine 14 days on arrival in Pennsylvania. And camping in a state park or forest as part of the quarantine regimen is not allowed. Fines for violations can be as high as $300. Read more here from our friends at RVTravel. New Mexico has similar restrictions It is pretty much the same in New Mexico. No out of state residents can camp in any of the state parks until Dec. 31. Only people with a New Mexico driver’s license are allowed in the state’s parks According to the order, out of state visitors must do a two-week quarantine if they plan to travel within the state. Our immediate plans for RV Travel in early 2021 So, let me tell you what we are doing:  We're staying relatively close to home and not planning any long trips for most of December. What RV travel we will be doing for the next few weeks will be in the Great Lakes region, or, after Christmas,  down near our Florida condo, where we'll closely monitor local conditions and maintain social distancing. Yes, we are going camping… just not far from home for a few weeks. We'll be avoiding any gatherings or groups and stick pretty much to ourselves. Our Annual Winter Campout in January is on hold Every winter, we gather with about 50 other RVers for Winter Campout at Tahquamenon Falls State Park in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The dates for the 2021 gathering are January 8-12. But Michigan is a state with lots of COVID restrictions, including a liit of groups of over 10. Also, restaurants are closed. Usually, our group takes over local restaurants on Friday and Saturday nights. We haven't ruled it completely out but, unless things drastically change, it looks like this gathering may not be the smartest thing for 2021 The Florida RV Supershow is still on This is one of the biggest RV shows in the nation. We attend every year. As of now, it's still on, scheduled for Jan 13-17 at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa. But many manufacturers say they are skipping the show this year. Camping World is not going. Neither is Leisure Travel Vans. Frankly, we're not sure if we will go. While the show is mostly outdoors, traipsing in and out of small RVs all day long seems unduly risky. Yes, most will be wearing masks. But even if they regulate how many can go inside an RV at any given time, you will still be exposed to a lot of air in a confined space that was breathed out by a lot of people. We're holding the dates open. Maybe things will improve over the next two months. If so, we'll go. If not, we won't. Being flexible is the key in the midst of the uncertainty involving RV travel in 2021. Is the RV Industry "Essential?" One worry many in the RV industry have has to do with government shutdowns of RV dealerships and campgrounds deemed as nonessential businesses by government regulators. That’s what happened in the spring. With this latest surge, the industry is fighting hard to make sure that doesn’t happen again. The RV Industry Association (RVIA) is pulling out the stops in attempting to convince both federal and state governments their operations are “essential” business. The RVIA has sent letters to all 50 states’ governors and several federal agencies stating every sector of the RV industry, from manufacturing to dealerships, and service centers to RV parks and campgrounds should be allowed to stay open. The group makes its case that RVs are critical resources for medical uses, including rolling clinics and personnel sleeping quarters. Likewise, service centers will keep these necessary rigs working, as well as helping families who need their rigs running “as a reasonable and socially distant way to spend quality time.” This part of the RV Podcast is brought to you by Camping World – America’s #1 RV Dealer For a 10% discount on purchases over $99, use the discount code RVLIFESTYE10. RV PODCAST NEWS OF THE WEEK To listen to this episode of the RV Podcast, click the player below: Man trying to take a picture at Great Smoky Mountains National Park loses footing and falls to his death An Alabama man fell to his death at Chimney Tops Overlook at Great Smoky Mountains National Park last week while trying to take a picture. The man was with his family, and went off trail to try to take a better shot. While climbing down a steep dirt embankment he lost his footing and plummeted 50 feet below. He died from head trauma, officials said, and is the first person to die at this park while taking pictures. Ioway Tribal National Park to offer camping and will be the second national park on tribal land The Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska is creating the nation’s largest tribal national park on a forested bluff overlooking the Missouri River. The 444-acre park in Nebraska will have camping, hiking and presentations where the tribe tells the story of their people to visitors. Called the Loway Tribal National Park, the land will overlook a historic trading village and burial mounds. This national park will be the second national park on tribal land in the country. The Iowa Tribe once had about 12,000 acres on both sides of the Nebraska-Kansas border. The tribe lost most of this land in 1887. Pandemic blamed for more hiking injuries During the pandemic more and more people are venturing outdoors. We've seen an increase in RV sales, RV rentals, national park visitations, campground reservations and even trail use. The increase in hikers was the topic of a recent story we saw (click here) which highlighted how more people on the trails has resulted in more hiking injuries throughout the country. The story made me think of a podcast we did some time back with an expert hiker to discuss hiking safety. Whether you are a newbie or an experienced trail explorer, it is a good thing to review, so we have linked it here. Rhode Island campground transforms into a drive thru holiday light show A campground in Rhode Island is getting into the holiday cheer by hosting a drive thru light show. The Wawaloam Campground created a mile long light show synchronized to music that the public can drive through to spread the holiday cheer. The idea started a year ago, before COVID-19, but organizers said the event is perfect during a pandemic as visitors, who must purchase a ticket electronically to enter, stay in their car and drive through the woods for some holiday cheer. To see the light show click here. Colorado to receive new campground at Carter Lake Reservoir by spring 2022 Great Outdoors Colorado gave a county in Colorado $475,000 to create a campground at Carter Lake Reservoir in Loveland. Called the Sky View Campground, each site will have electric hookups, picnic tables, and fire rings. Sky View Campground will also have sites for people with limited mobility and have group camping options. The campground will open next year or in spring of 2022. Great Outdoors Colorado receives a portion of that state's lottery income to help preserve and enhance the state's parks. This part of the podcast is brought to you by RadPower Bikes, America's #1 e-bike brand, offering direct to consumer pricing on powerful premium electric bikes. Now with free shipping   RV PODCAST QUESTION OF THE WEEK To listen to this episode of the RV Podcast, click the player below: QUESTION: What are the three most important things or tips you would give us knowing we are picking up a new RV from near Phoenix, AZ in a few weeks and driving across the country to home??? -Laura and Steve, Columbus, Ohio ANSWER: Before we give you our three tips, let me first suggest you really plan your route. Weather can change on a time between Arizona and Ohio in the winter and If you have to change routes or find a place to stay because of weather, you want to know your options. To that end, I recommend you get the RV Trip Wizard app and membership. You can find it at rvlifestyle.com/rvtripwizard It is simply THE BEST tool there is for planning RV trips. Our top 3 tips for what to do when getting a new RV: Video the entire walkthrough that the dealer gives you when you take possession of the RV. One of you should video, the other should take notes. Don’t let the person giving you the walkthrough rush. Make sure you understand everything they show you. If it’s something mechanical…like putting out a slide, setting auto levelers, even simple thinks like turning the propane on or controlling the refrigerator, have them demonstrate and then both of you do it. Make sure you can reach the walkthrough person on the phone the next day. When you get to your first overnight stop, do as many things that you were shown in the walkthrough as you set up camp for the first time. Consult the notes and the video. As soon as possible, make checklists for setting up camp, turning on things, getting ready to leave camp. Make a page of questions and then call that walkthrough person the next day to go over them. We want to invite people to be a part of our RV Lifestyle Group on Facebook.Just go to https://rvlifestyle.com/facebook There are more than 45,

If you’re like most RVers, you take a lot of pictures. But what to do with them? In this week’s episode of the RV Podcast, we learn about using Google Photos and what it can do for you.  Our Interview of the Week guests are Chris and Jim Guld, known as the “Geeks on Tour” to thousands because of the seminars they do across the country at RV rallies and shows and their online instruction. Chris just released her updated “Learn Google Photos” book and joins us to talk about how to store, organize, edit and share all those photos you take on your RV adventures. Plus, we have the latest RV News of the Week for you, RV tips, and another great off-the-beaten-path report from the Burketts. WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK This week, we put up our Christmas Tree. It's a bit early, we know, but we all need some cheer. Besides, we've heard from lots of other RVers who have told us that they, too, were doing some early holiday decorating. Thus has been a challenging year, to be sure. But thinking about Christmas is a great way to shake off the negativity that seems to be hanging over the world in 2020. RV Podcast Programming Note: We're taking Thanksgiving week off the podcast. It's a busy time for everyone, us included, so we're off next Wednesday (Nov. 25). We'll be back the following week on Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020 This part of the RV Podcast is brought to you by Camping World – America’s #1 RV Dealer You can get 10% off all purchases over $99 with the discount code RVLIFESTYLE10. RV PODCAST NEWS OF THE WEEK AAA expects Thanksgiving travel to drop significantly this year AAA is projecting about 50 million Americans will travel this Thanksgiving, but the organization says this is the biggest drop in travel seen since the recession of 2008. The decline is blamed on rising COVID-19 cases and an increase in unemployment and financial strain. The majority of those who do travel - 95 percent - will do so in a vehicle. And AAA is urging all travelers to plan ahead, know the route, and be sure to know the COVID-19 rules for any stops. Five die, including 1-year-old baby and a teenager, after floodwaters ravage North Carolina campground Five people died, including a 1-year-old child and a teenager, after floodwaters rushed through the Hiddenite Family Campground about 50 miles north of Charlotte last week. The heavy rain and accompanying flooding were the result of tropical storm Eta moving through the country. About 7-10 inches of rain fell in the downpour. Emergency personnel were able to rescue more than 30 people at the campground. Python hunters break records in snake capture in the Florida Everglades Florida snake hunters have caught a record number of Burmese pythons this year in the Florida Everglades - great news for everyone who loves that part of the country. (See our recent story on Flamingo Campground in the Everglades National Park here.) Burmese pythons are an invasive species that pet owners illegally released in the Everglades years ago, and have now increased in numbers so rapidly, they are causing massive damage to this unique ecosystem of the Everglades. The Florida governor has challenged two state agencies to take out more of the snakes, and the result has been competition and an increased effort by various snake hunters. As of mid--October, about 4,000 pythons have been caught and removed this year - shattering previous records.  Louisiana state parks add safari-style glamping options to eight campgrounds Eight Louisiana state parks are offering camping experiences for those who don't own a camper or a tent. The state park created 60 "glamping" sites in its park system, each featuring safari-style tents on a raised floor with canvas sides. Each tent will have a bed, heating source, fire pit, chairs. The glampling sites are part of a state partnership with a company called Tentrr, with prices starting at $85 per night. Rocky Mountain National Park releases video so visitors can see damage caused by last month's massive wildfires Rocky Mountain National Park is continuing to open up more parts of the popular park closed after wildfires surged through the area last month, consuming hundreds of thousands of acres of forest, including about 30,000 acres - or 9 percent of the land inside the national park. Besides forests, the fires destroyed many historic structures. In fact, the fires are still burning, but because of snow and accompanying moisture, are not considered as much of a threat. The park put a video on its Facebook page so visitors could see for themselves what the fire did. It is a powerful video that we would urge anyone who cares about the park and is curious to know more to check out the video here. This part of the podcast is brought to you by RadPower Bikes, America's #1 e-bike brand, offering direct to consumer pricing on powerful premium electric bikes. Now with free shipping   RV PODCAST QUESTION OF THE WEEK We answer some questions from listeners and play some of their recorded messages. To hear this segment, use the player below and go about 13:27 in We also share this tip: I just found out something interesting after getting my RV serviced. I have a 2017 class c with only 5000 miles and was told that, much to my suprise, the tires are old. I know that you have a big following with new and veteran rv'ers, and after a lengthy conversation with a tire manufacturer, I found this to be true. There is a DOT stamp on the tire with the date the tire was made and if not paid attention to could lead to a blowout. Maybe you could pass this along in one of your tire safety segments. Thank You - Burt Roy Good advice. Stamped on the outer sidewall of each tire is its birth date in a straightforward week/year format. Scan the tire sidewall in a clockwise pattern and find the letters “DOT” (which signifies the tire’s compliance with U.S. Department of Transportation’s laws & regulations). Just to the right of “DOT” (going clockwise) are a series of letters and numbers, followed by an encircled group of four, tightly spaced numbers – these are the numbers you need. The first two numbers represent the week of manufacture, the last two numbers indicate the year. For example, on one tire, the date code is “2118.” Which indicates the tire was manufactured in the 21st week of the year. The number “18” represents the year 2018. A general rule of thumb is a tire has a maximum life of about ten years. Beginning at five years, tires should be annually inspected for condition and signs of age-related degradation. “If the tires haven't been replaced 10 years after their date of manufacture, as a precaution, Michelin recommends replacing them with new tires. Even if they appear to be in usable condition and have not worn down to the tread wear indicator. This applies to spare tires as well.” – MichelinMan.com Dry rotting and cracking are common with aged tires. As the tire materials degrade, they show the visual signs of breaking down. Here’s a helpful link on determining the age of your tire. Do you have a question you’d like us to answer or a comment on the things we’re discussing? If so, we invite you to leave us that question or comment on the special voicemail number we have for the podcast – it’s 586-372-6990.   This part of the RV Podcast is brought to you by Battle Born Batteries, maker of quality, safe and reliable- and NOW HEATED -  lithium batteries that can be installed in just about every RV. Get in touch with Battle Born to find out what lithium batteries and an upgraded energy management system can add to your RV Lifestyle. Check them out at https://rvlifestyle.com/lithium RV PODCAST INTERVIEW OF THE WEEK - Using Google Photos To hear this segment, use the player below and go about 22:32 in Our guests are Chris and Jim Guld, known as the “Geeks on Tour” to thousands because of the seminar they do across the country at RV rallies and shows and their online instruction. Chris just released her updated “Learn Google Photos” book and is here to talk about how to store, organize, edit and share all those photos you take on your RV adventures. You can get  more info about Chris’ book “Learn Google Photos” at Learn Google Photos Book Summary Here is a video version of our interview about Using Google Photos in which Chris shows some of the things she made with the app:   Here is a full transcript of the interview about Using Google Photos: Mike Wendland:           From the RV influential community out there, Jim and Chris Guld, you know them as the Geeks on Tour or Mr. and Mrs. Geek. Guys, it's great to see you. How are you? Jim Guld:                      Oh, great, man. How are you? Mike Wendland:           I'm great Chris Guld:                    We are doing exceptionally well for the times that we are in. Mike Wendland:           Yes, these are strange times. And one of the reasons I asked you on the show this week is to kind of help people take advantage of maybe a little extra time they have, because few people are traveling as much as they used to. And that has to do with the stuff that you, Chris just wrote about in your new book, Learn Google Photos. Hey, I got one, you got one. Now we got to get all of our audience to get one, and we'll work with links. We'll put links t in the description below so you can find this book. Jim Guld:                      Cool. Mike Wendland:           But Chris and Jim have been teaching, as I said in the intro, they've been teaching photos and tech stuff to the RV community for years, and this book is just a really handy resource for us as we look at photos. But right now, as we approach the holidays, as this episode is being aired, a lot of people are thinking about holiday gifts or they're going back and thinking about all those photos they've taken over the last several years. Chris,

There can be a lot of stress when you start to plan an RV trip. But I want to share a series of unique tools that greatly streamline your RV Trip Planning. Jennifer and I have been using a tool called RV Trip Wizard to help plot out our RV travel routes and stops for years now. But since the product has been bundled into a whole suite of other related resources, its value has greatly increased. The umbrella program that I’m talking about is RV Life Pro, a $49 a year subscription that contains a slew of tools. They give you a week's free trial to be sure you like it. That's the Interview of the Week topic in Episode 32o of the RV Podcast. Also this week in the Podcast, we answer RV questions, offer tips and trip suggestions and deliver the RV News of the week. You can listen to the entire podcast in the audio player below. RV Life Pro Tools to help you Plan an RV Trip The collection of RV tools built into the RV Life Pro platform consist of lots of different elements. Here are the ones Jennifer and I like and use the most when we sit down to plan an RV trip. RV Trip Wizard The RV Trip Wizard app helps plan an RV Trip with ease This is route planning software built specifically for RV travelers. It uses distance rings to show exactly where you’ll be at the end of your driving day to choose the ideal stop.  When you plan an RV trip with RV Trip Wizard, it sets distance rings showing you where you should stop. If you click on the icnns, they bring up campgrounds and other points of interest you want info about. On-screen, you actually see the Route you are taking, with campgrounds, G=gas Sstops, points of interest and more. The software is customized to your RVs height and weight. That means that the routes calculated for you avoid low clearances, steep grades, weight limits, and propane restrictions. See the Route you are taking, with Campgrounds, Gas Stops, points of interest and more. The RV Life GPS App When you plan an RV trip with RV trip Wizard, it can be loaded on the RV GPS app This turns your smartphone or tablet into a GPS.  It accesses the trips you planned with RV Trip Wizard and plots them out. It helps you find the perfect places to stop by searching through a database of more than 20,000 state and national campgrounds and private RV parks. You can filter by price, rating, amenities, affiliations (Good Sam, Passport America, KOA, FMCA, & more), kid friendly, pet friendly, or big rig accessible. The app offers tips and suggestions about what to do, where to eat, and places to visit near each campground. And if you have a question about a particular RV Park or campground, simply ask your question a get answers from other RVers who have camped there. The Maintain My RV App The RV Life Pro subscription also shows interesting things to see in the areas you will be visiting This is a cloud-based service that works on your tablet, computer, and smartphone.] It tracks upcoming maintenance dates and sends detailed reminder emails, showing what needs your attention, and also the last time you performed that task, its costs, and related documentation. It also turns data into reports that let you access documents and see key dates instantly. RV Communities Connections This is a link to more than 20 different RV communities, most of them built up around specific RV brands and models (like Forest River, Jayco, Thir, Keystone, etc.) What’s helpful about this is if you have an issue on the road or a question about your RV, you can quickly and easily connect with owners of similar models to get immediate advice. You can try out the RV Life Pro app for free. CLICK HERE to go to our affiliate link. In Episode 320 of our RV Podcast, I interviewed RV Life's Patrick Buchanan on how to use RV Life Pro to Plan an RV Trip. Here's a video version of the RV Podcast interview on How to Plan an RV Trip. Here's a transcript of the interview: Mike Wendland:           Well, joining us right now from RV life is Patrick Buchanan. And we're going to kind of walk through how easy it is now to plan an RV trip. I've done it before with paper maps and books, and it works. It's kind of fun. I still like to carry paper and all that stuff, but on the phone like this, this is the way. Patrick, you've put together quite a suite of RV planning information, and we'll put a link to that all in the show notes and in the description below. Patrick, talk a little bit about how technology has made it so easy to plan a trip and to get your navigation directions, and talk about RV Life Pro. Patrick Buchana...:        Well, thanks Mike. It's great to be here again, and I hope your audience enjoys this time. So, we really turned a major corner really last year and into this year when we were able to bring together the RV Trip Wizard, which is that a web-based trip planning tool, now we've had for a number of years, but we were able to marry that with our RV life GPS app. Whereas you used to, and still can of course, plan your trips in detail with the RV Trip Wizard, you now can navigate those trips that you've created right there on your phone with an RV safe GPS. Solving the frustrating problems with RV GPS systens                                     As companies like Rand McNally and Garmin have kind of gone their own ways and followed their own path so to speak, taking that trip, you spend all that time and Trip Wizard, creating that trip with all the nuances and the details and every facet that you want to have in there, exporting that to a GPS has been always an exciting challenge to say the least. Mike Wendland:           I don't know if I'd use the word exciting Patrick. Patrick Buchana...:        Well, I was trying to a friendly word. Mike Wendland:           I would have an ING at the end, but it would probably start with frustrating. Patrick Buchana...:        Yeah, very much so. It's gotten all but impossible now as some of those brands, and certainly it makes sense for them, to keep you in their ecosystem using their tools. And unfortunately, they're just not as good, and they're a little bit cumbersome and they're just not complete tools. They want you to essentially drink their Kool-Aid through the whole process, but really that pitcher is only about half full.                                     So, we were excited and we actually accelerated our team to pushing that RV life app out there soon. It's available now and it's included, so it's no longer a separate subscription to get the RV Trip Wizard and then get the RV life GPS app. On its own, it's got a lot of great features. It's a standalone GPS. You can find a campground, hit go, and hit the road. The beauty of it is being able to find the trip in the Trip Wizard that you planned. Everything's in the cloud now, so you'll pop up in your phone. You find that trip that you spent all that time planning and just hit go, and you navigate that trip right on the phone. So that one, two punch has been a game changer. The integration of different tools for planning an RV Trip Mike Wendland:           And there's some more, I'll come back to that. Let's kind of back up a little bit and first talk about the fact that this is all integrated now in an app. RV trip planner, RV Trip Wizard has been my go-to planning tool now for a couple of years. It's just really nice. I have a rule, Patrick, called the three 330 rule where I urge my folks and we follow it as best we can. Use Mike's 330 rule when you plan an RV trip! Don't travel any more than 330 miles. Stop by 3:30 in the afternoon, whichever comes first. Then you're not worn out. You can see the area.                                     And what I loved about RV Trip Wizard and still love about it is that I can set a circle of 350 on my route. And then right from that app, I can find places where I can camp along the way, and I've loved that. But now, instead of having to open up that app on a tablet while we drive, it's all on the smartphone. And I think the other thing that has made this really possible for you guys is the popularity of things like CarPlay or Android auto, which now integrate your mapping systems directly into your vehicle GPS. So we planted on RV Trip Wizard, give everybody a 15 second overview of what that does, besides being able to set a 330 mile radius. Patrick Buchana...:        Well, the radius is in fact the biggest feature and I actually use hours for mine. So I set mine for five hours and with stops, that's maybe a six hour day, but it accomplishes the same thing. The quick and dirty explanation of what Trip Wizard does, it shows you exactly where you're going to be at the end of your driving day. And it shows you those campgrounds that are in that area, so you can choose it and add it to your trip. Lather, rinse, repeat. You just do it every day. The tool helps you find campgrounds as you plan an RV Trip Mike Wendland:           But none of this would show you the campgrounds. You can then click on those campgrounds. And that's another part of this whole RV Life Pro app that you get, because you can now bring up data on those campgrounds, and you can then book your campground. But it's so nice to be able to click and see what those campgrounds are and not have to keep switching between devices and phones. Patrick Buchana...:        Well, it really is. There's really kind of two layers to that. That first click gives you a quick picture and a rating, three stars, four stars, five stars. And it sort of says, "Okay, do I want to investigate this one further?" And then I click more details and now I can look at reviews, and I can look at amenities, and I can look at a bunch more photos and things like that. And that helps me make that decision.                                     Once I finally, I decide, yep, that's where I'm going to stay, then I hit that add to trip button. Also in that data is that campgrounds website and phone number,