RV Podcast - Stories From The Road

Is your RV overweight? Are you overweight? - In this week’s podcast we talk to our friends James and Stef from The Fit RV about the importance of weighing your RV to make sure it is not overweight, and thus unsafe for the road.

The RV Lifestyle means different things to different people. This week, we’ll hear from a collection of RVers we just met at the ongoing California RV Show about the many different ways they use and enjoy their RVs and what part of the lifestyle they enjoy the most. Plus lots of RV News, RV Tips and a great off the beaten path report. Show Notes for Episode #213 Oct. 19, 2018 of Roadtreking - The RV Podcast WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK MIKE We've been on the west coast the past few days meeting folks and hanging out at the huge California RV Show in Pomona. It’s our first time attending this annual fall show, which in every way rivals the September RV Show in Hershey and the January Tampa, Florida RV Supershow in size and vendors. It’s hard to say which is the biggest but lets just say you can walk a lot of miles at Pomona and still not see everything! JENNIFER. This is the third RV show we’ve attended in as many weeks. First was Hershey, then the RV Open House in Elkhart and now the California Show. If we had to take our impressions on all three of these shows and identify the one or two big trends we saw, we’d have to say all the industry momentum seems to be focused these days on boondocking and smaller RVs like teardrops and Class B campervans.  The industry’s clear emphasis is on drawing younger people into the RV Lifestyle and they are trying to do that with smaller more efficient units that are able to do off grid and sometimes off road camping. MIKE I agree with that assessment. I think the question we were asked more than any other one over the weekend had to do with boondocking. And not necessarily by young people. Campers of all sorts, especially babyboomers expressed frustration over trying to book space in commercial campgrounds and state parks. So many RVs have been sold in recent years and there are so many new RVers out there that tit is getting harder and harder to book a spot at a commercial or state park type campground without making reservations long in advance. So RVers are increasingly looking towards boondocking. Which is just why we wrote our new book,  the Beginner's Guide to Boondocking .  Sales have been amazing, and we so appreciate the kind words we heard from many at the show who have already read it. But in three days of doing meet and greets out there, we heard so many people talk about wanting to give boondocking a try. We were also asked a lot where Bo was and we explained that we left him back home because we had to fly out to California because there just was not enough time for us to drive in our RV between all the shows we had to attend and our next event, which gets underway tomorrow. That event is another one of our Roadtreking gatherings, the eighth of the year. It’s on the prairie in the Flinthills region of Kansas on the Flying W Ranch. The Flying W is a working cattle ranch and we will be camped there in our RVs and participating in all sorts of things, including a longhorn cattle drive, a photography tour and something I am really looking forward to, a night star gazing party with an astronomer. It should be an awesome time. JENNIFER As this podcast is being released the Panhandle region of Florida is being affected by Hurricane Michael. Our thoughts and prayers are with those in the affected areas. This looks like a major storm and it hits home for us…literally. As many of you know we have a condo on Okaloosa Island near Destin which is right in the thick of it all. We have been relying on friends, including  Roadtrekers Les and Kathy Shanteau, who we want to give a big shout out to. They live in the area and have helped us move a car that we keep down there to higher ground. Other friends have moved our patio furniture indoors, too. But hurricanes are scary things and we’re hoping and praying this one is not as bad as they say. MIKE Along those lines I have received a news release from the Florida Campground Association.

The RV Lifestyle means different things to different people. This week, we’ll hear from a collection of RVers we just met at the ongoing California RV Show about the many different ways they use and enjoy their RVs and what part of the lifestyle they e...

One of the things we RVers invariably ask ourselves at some point is, "How long will I be able to keep on doing this?" Well this week, in our interview of the week, we're going to hear from an RVer who says, "As long as you're moving, you're never too old." Plus, a report on 5G, the blazingly fast new mobile Internet network launching this week and what it means to RVers. Plus lots of your questions, RV News and tips and another wonderful off the beaten path report from the Burketts. Show Notes for Episode #Oct. 3, 2018 The RV Podcast: WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK MIKE Can you believe it’s October already! JENNIFER One of my favorite times of the year for the RV Lifestyle. I love fall camping! MIKE We’re headed to California this week and the 66th annual California RV Show at the LA Fairplex in Pomona. Although Hershey calls it’s September show the World’s Largest RV Show and Tampa’s RV Supershow in Florida every January says it is bigger yet, there are many who think the California show is really the biggest. Big it is, too. The show covers over one million square feet of displays and includes a large exhibitor tent featuring countless accessories and aftermarket products to personalize RVs, plus 40 informative seminars on a variety of RV-related subjects. JENNIFER There’s lots of convenient parking and easy access to the show is assured with three entrance gates. There will also be three food courts for hungry show goers, and entertainment for everyone from free Ferris wheel rides, meet and greet celebrities, music and an amazing archer. The show runs from Oct. 5 through 14, 2018 at the Fairplex in Pomona, Gate 9. Show hours are 10AM until 6PM daily. There are supposed to be 1,300 new 2019 models on display and a bunch more 2018s and earlier, so just in terms of space and the sheer number of RVs on site, this show promises to be every bit as big as Hershey, if not more. MIKE We will be doing meet and greets both Saturday and Sunday this coming weekend, October 6th and 7th. You can find us at the Roadtrek Display and the Mike Thomson dealership space there. For those of you in different parts of the country, we will be doing our regular Sunday night Ask Us Anything YouTube live broadcast from the California RV Show at 4PM Pacific, 7PM Eastern this Sunday night. JENNIFER We are really looking forward to attending this show and meeting folks. Adult admission to the show is $15; kids 17 and under are free. There’s lots of RV Parking available. You can save $2 by purchasing tickets online at californiarvshow.org This promises to be a lot of fun, we’ve wanted to get out to California for this show for years. MIKE Something else we are really excited about is the publication of our book, “A Beginner’s Guide to Boondocking.”  We thank you for all those early buyers who have been sending us such kind reviews but it really was a labor of love. We’re asked all the time how do I start out boondocking so we sat down and did a guide, covering everything on managing power use while camping off the grid, to meal prep, handling water needs while boondocking and much more. JENNIFER I think what people will like the most is our suggestions on how to find the perfect boondocking spot, whether just as an overnight stop, or a place to really get away from it all deep in the woods for a few days.  We also address the safety issue and candidly talk about what it’s like to be off the grid, both the challenges and the benefits. MIKE We have special introductory pricing on it that will expire in a couple days, but if you want to learn more about it, go to https://rvlifestyle.com/boondocking JENNIFER We should also give our weekly update on Mike’s Healthy Eating plan. If you heard Episode 208, you’ll remember Mike sharing how all that traveling and eating on the road has caused him to gain much more weight than he wanted. He resolved then to go on a healthy lifestyle plan,

One of the things we RVers invariably ask ourselves at some point is, "How long will I be able to keep on doing this?" Well this week, in our interview of the week, we're going to hear from an RVer who says, "As long as you're moving,

This episode comes to you from Elkhart, Indiana, the RV Capital of the world. We talk about what we’re seeing here this week at RV Open House, recorded on location at the RV Hall of Fame in Elkhart and featuring a comnveration with Darryl Searer,

This episode comes to you from Elkhart, Indiana, the RV Capital of the world. We talk about what we’re seeing here this week at RV Open House, recorded on location at the RV Hall of Fame in Elkhart and featuring a comnveration with Darryl Searer,

The Big Story this week, and we mean BIG, is the purchase of the Erwin Hymer Group of Europe and North America by Thor Industries, which already is the biggest RV company in North America. By making this purchase,

The Big Story this week, and we mean BIG, is the purchase of the Erwin Hymer Group of Europe and North America by Thor Industries, which already is the biggest RV company in North America. By making this purchase, which also includes the sale of Roadtrek Motorhomes, Thor will become the biggest RV company in the world, with more than 24 separate RV brands. In this week’s News of the Week segment, I’ll talk about this massive $2.45 billion deal and explain what this means to the RV community as a whole and especially those who own Roadtrek or Hymer of North America models. Also this week… we have lots more news, your questions, lots of apps to suggest that will help with your road trips and a great off the beaten path report. Show Notes for Episode #210 Sept. 18, 2018 of Roadtreking - The RV Podcast: WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK MIKE Before we get going let me offer this programming note. The “You are Never Too Old” segment about RVing that I had promised in our newsletter and Sunday night in our Ask Us Anything RV Lifestyle broadcast on YouTube won’t be airing this week. The magnitude of the Thor plan to purchase Roadtrek’s parent company is breaking news that we need to devote an extended period of time discussion. But never fear, that segment and interview with an 87 year old RVer will be coming in just a couple of weeks. We’ll get to the Thor/Hymer deal in our News of the Week segment in a few minutes, so stick around for that. Meanwhile, we’re just back from the Hershey RV Show, known as America’s Largest. We’ll have a full video on it Thursday. JENNIFER It was so great to meet so many of our fans and followers. We felt like celebrities there! Everywhere we went people were recognizing us and sharing their love of the RV Lifestyle. We were overwhelmed with the kid words and encouragement and had a ball meeting so many people. I had Mike video many of them so they can share their excitement about this lifestyle and inspire our entire audience. But it was a great show. They had just under 60,000 in attendance that week and we walked miles looking at new RVs. The show occupied more than three football fields and had over 1,400 new RVs of every shape, size and form on display. MIKE Next, we head to Elkhart, Indiana, the RV Capital of America. In fact, next week’s podcast will come from there. We will be attending RV Dealer Open House. It’s not open to the public but to RV dealers and sales people. All the major RV manufacturers have displays there and many use the Elkhart event to introduce new products and innovations.  Thus, it’s become a major event for the industry, so we need to be there, too, and will be reporting it for you. JENNIFER A couple of Episodes back, Episode 208, we talked about how the RV Lifestyle can NOT be healthy for us because we often sit too much and eat too much. Mike interviewed a weight loss expert and decided then and there to go on a healthy eating program. He’s sharing his progress at 7PM every Sunday night on our Ask Us Anything live broadcast on YouTube. But since that healthy eating program started on this podcast, I think Mike should give a short progress report right now. MIKE Well, it’s been very good. I am down 11 pounds from what I was when we recorded that segment two weeks ago. This a very easy program, consisting of lean, organic program and limiting sugars and carbs. We were a little worried how it would be sticking to it on the road and since I started, we did our Roadtreking gathering at Algonquin Provincial Park up in Canada and the Hershey RV show in Pennsylvania last week. And because we had our own kitchen with us at both events, it was easy to do our own meal prep and then be sure I was eating properly.

America’s National Parks are in crisis. A growing near $12 billion backlog of desperately needed repairs and maintenance is seriously affecting America's National Parks. Inadequate federal campgrounds and deteriorating or closed roads, bridges and facilities negatively impact visitor experiences and RVers in particular. In our interview of the week, we talk to Chris Bornemann, Senior Manager of Government Affairs for the RV Industry Association, who will tell us what we can do to help persuade Congress to restore our parks. Plus, your questions, comments, lots of RV news and Tips and a great off-the-beaten-path report from the Burketts. [spp-player] Show Notes for Episode #209 Sept. 12.2018 of Roadtreking - The RV Podcast: WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK [spp-timestamp time="2:14"] JENNIFER As this episode comes your way, we’re way up north at Algonquin Provincial Park in Canada, attending one of our Roadtreking boondocking gatherings with a couple dozen fellow RVers. We’re enjoying the beauty of the Canadian wilderness, hiking, taking a lot of pictures and enjoying some early fall weather. Though it’s supposed to warm up later in the week up here, the nighttime temperatures have been in the mid 40’s. MIKE And Bo, our Norwegian Elkhound, loves it. He’s grown weary of the heat and humidity of the past few months as we’ve traveled through the southern US and the Gulf Coast. This Ontario weather is much more to his liking. JENNIFER This is a very busy week for us. We have to leave here and on Thursday start traveling to Hershey, PA and America’s Largest RV show there. We always have a ball at this show. More than 45 RV manufacturers will be displaying over 1,300 RVs here and there are over 100 other companies that make RV accessories and provide RV related services. We will be shooting videos and we have two live broadcasts we plan to do on our Facebook Roadtreking Page. MIKE We will be doing two Facebook Live broadcasts from the Hershey show next weekend. The frst will be on Friday at 3:30 PM from the Rad Power Bikes display.  The second will be Saturday at 3 PM from the Roadtrek. Hymer display.  Both will be on our Roadtreking Facebook Page  Also, we’ll be doing meet at greet appearances at the Roadtrek and Hymer display Saturday and Sunday from 11 am to 1 PM. We love meeting you and invite you to come by if you are attending the show. If not, then tune in to our Live reports on the Facebook Page for a look at what we’re discovering. Again, that first live report is Saturday at 3 PM. The second will be on Sunday at 3PM, when we’ll go live from the show from the Rad Power Bikes display. JENNIFER This has also been an exciting week for us as Mike is now well underway on his new healthy living program. If you heard Episode 208 last week, you learned why the RV Lifestyle and all the sitting while driving and eating at those great RV gathering pot lucks can really put on the pounds. Anyway, Mike entered the program that is run by the weight loss expert he interviewed last week and we’ve been following it faithfully. So far so good, right? MIKE Oh yeah… very right. We update my progress on this plan every Sunday night on our YouTube Live broadcast on our RV Lifestyle Channel there. So if you want the details, make sure you tune in Sunday night. But so far, in the first week, I’ve lost several pounds and because this is a simple plan that basically cuts out sugars and starches – carbohydrates – we’re eating healthy, organic, whole foods as much as possible, something we can easily prepare on the road.  Anyway, go to our YouTube Channel at RVLifestyleChannel.com and you can see the most recent update. But I can report there’s definitely less of me this week than there was last week! JENNIFER So, that’s what we’ve been up to. We’re having a ball meeting others, traveling in our RV and seeing North America. This part of the program is brought to you Overnight RV Parking,