RV Navigator

We headed south in July knowing that the temperatures would be on the rise as we hit Louisville, KY. This was the site of the largest RV show in the country this year so we felt compelled to see the show regardless of the summer heat. We did spend a couple of extra days on each end checking out Indiana State parks, but the main event was in Louisville, just across the Ohio River in Kentucky. Almost 2900 RVs parked in the lots of the Kentucky Expo Center made the place seemed jammed. Some paid extra for electric hookup, but this was very expensive due to the portable generators that were used to supply the power. We just fired up the genset and boondocked. It was Louisville's hottest days of the year, in the high 90s, so we had to use the generator all of the time we were in the motorhome including over night. Fortunately, the entire event was held under one air-conditioned roof within a couple of minutes walk of our parking spot. Seminars, vendors, dealers and RVs all housed inside for the show. This made the entire event pleasurable and kept us going for the 4 days. It featured 175 seminars, 300 vendors, and 42 dealers as well as evening entertainment. If you want to know what's going on in the world of RVing, come to "The Rally" some year. The next one will be held in Redmond, WA. Among the trends that we spotted were lots of green products, smaller motorized RVs, more talk of used RVs, and close to home destinations. We also found that the RV industry is on the rebound and coming back strong. We consider RVing to be a very economical means of travel and can be cost effective for both families and full-timers. All of this is fodder for our Rally round-up podcast. As always we appreciate your listening. Send comments, suggestions and ideas to [email protected].

RV manufactures generally do not build the entire RV because they buy the chassis with engine from chassis builder. Once the chassis leaves their factory, the RV manufacturer adds the body and interior. Responsibility for warranty and repair of the chassis and engine is Spartans (in our case). At a chassis rally we learned about how to maintain and use our motorhome under pinnings. Obviously it is important to keep all of these systems in good working order and maintained so that you will arrive at your destination. We had the 44 point check-up and most of the fluids and filters replaced. Many had not been touched since the vehicle was new so it was time. The Spartan factory has a complete repair facility near by the Rally headquarters. With over 50 coaches from many brands in attendance, we had lots of company and stories to hear. New in 2010 is the latest round of emission controls for diesel engines in the US. Cummins as well as many engine manufacturers has started using a DEF fluid sprayed into the exhust. This in addition to the earlier exhaust particulate filter add substantially to the cost of new diesel engines regardless of end use - RV, over the road, auto, or truck. This will make new diesel pushers, sprinters, and class C diesels much more expensive for the end user. This is a major focus of this episode, but we do have a review of news and interesting tidbits from the RVing world. We will be attending the "The Rally" on July 22,2010 so if plan to attend let us know. We always hope that you enjoy our musings about the state of RVing and our world. We appreciate your comments and suggestions by email ([email protected]).

After 4+ months of travel on the road, we headed back North to the Chicago area to visit our stick home. Having traveled about 7 months out of the last year, we wonder if having a home is really worth it. It is, however, nice to be "home" again. The Chicago summers are pleasant and the list of activities is extensive. So we'll be on the home front until mid-August when the wanderlust will catch up with us again. After detouring around Nashville and other flooded point of Tennessee, we made our way north in a leisurely fashion arriving early in May. Topic in this months podcast include an interview with friends who spend extended RVing time in Mexico. Mexico camping is of interest to many full timers and part timers alike so this topic is very relevant. They share first hand experience (having just returned from several months in Mexico) about the dos and don'ts of Mexico camping. Their experienced mirrored our experiences (more limited travel in Mexico) - once you get away from the boarder towns it is a rewarding experience and not that different than camping in the US. It does take some preparation and planning so give this interview a listen if Mexico is on your itinerary anytime soon. We discuss some unusual family issues with retiring parents and the always present list of tech topics that face every RVer. Join us for 45 minute tour of the RV landscape for the month of June. We always hope that you enjoy our musings about the state of RVing and our world. We appreciate your comments and suggestions by email ([email protected]).

We have been on the road most of the month, although for us that means staying for a week or so at a time in each campground. After the Texas coastal experience, we headed in land to check out the Texas Hill country near Austin. Spring in this area brings the Bluebonnets to life creating a blue tapestry on the side of the road. This is all courtsey of Lady Bird Johnson. She was a wild flower lover and had the seeds spread along the highways of the the area. The LBJ ranch is in the region so she spend alot of time in the area. It does give a splash of color to the landscape and give towns the excuse to have a festival. We attended the Burnet Bluebonnet festival and enjoyed its small town atmosphere. Even better for me was the discovery of real Texas BBQ for which this area is famous. It was a whole new experience in dining. From Texas we headed to rural Lousiana, 2 hours outside New Orlaens to sample the Cajun specialtiies. Once again we found much to love about the cuisine of the area, but not the hot sauces. Featured were crawfish in season. Tasty to say the least and a special treat for those brought up on beef and mash potatoes. We ended the month at the Biloxi Crawfish festival on the Mississippi coast. This mont was the month of the iPad introduction and I was at an Apple store on April 3rd to get mine. Check out our impression in the podcast. That is not the only technology improvement in our RVing life as we also purchased the SilverLeaf engine monitor system. They sell a small box which interfaces the computer to the diagnostic port found on most modern engines. Once connect all of the engines operating perameters can be displayed on the computer screen while the engine is operating. Our netbook has been pressed into service as the display for the SilverLeaf and it works well. We also talk about many other topics as we get off topic to discuss things not in notes. We always hope that you enjoy our musings about the state of RVing and our world. We appreciate your comments and suggestions both by email ([email protected]) and on our listener comment phone line, 815/230-0772. Also send us your rig photos for inclusion on the "rig photos" page. There are many new rigs represented so send yours in now.

I toyed with making some lame Aprils fools joke this month, but we did not want to mislead our listeners. We make enough honest mistakes so that intentional ones would not be appreciated. The RVIA reports that February RV shipments to dealers is up 95% over last year, so maybe we can be optimistic about RVing next year. Plus have lots more company in the campgrounds. Our travels have taken us to the Gulf beaches of Texas near Houston. As many of your will remember, just 18 months ago they were hit by a major storm, IKE. We found that the area has recovered remarkably well. Yes, there are signs of storm damage, but most tourist sites are fully operational and welcoming tourists. Aside from the Texas state wide spring break, we found most campgrounds and venues uncrowded. Although we did just see a TV report on South Padre (near our January headquarters in McAllen), which looked like a human zoo during spring break time. It is extended here due to its national popularity. We have been spending a week here, a few days there and generally moseying around the Houston area for most of the month. An interview with MCD products CEO, Dave, gave us a chance to introduce our new cockpit shades. We had a complete set installed at their factory in McKinney TX during the first week of March. Clean water is important to RVers. We are always on the lookout for useful products for clean water. Reverse osmosis is considered to be the best method of purifying water but it is hard to set up in an RV. Not only does it produce lots of waste water, but it needs its own faucet. We found and purchased an interesting product which offer a temporary reverse osmosis system when ever you have campsite water and sewer. Also this month, I polished the headlight lenses on the RV. After years of exposure to the elements, they had become dull. Using my trusty drill and a special kit, I gave them a polish - it was easy. We also talk about many other topics as we get off topic to discuss things not in notes. We always hope that you enjoy our musings about the state of RVing and our world. We appreciate your comments and suggestions both by email ([email protected]) and on our listener comment phone line, 815/230-0772. Also send us your rig photos for inclusion on the "rig photos" page. There are many new rigs represented so send yours in now.

Waiting, waiting, waiting in the RGV for the weather to finally warm enough to hit the road. We have many plans for travel in Texas, but this winter has been cold even here, so we are waiting until El NIno gets through with winter. Mid month we headed off to west Texas and Big Bend National Park. We wanted to give this area enough time - no rushing the itinerary so we scheduled 2 weeks for the NP and associated state parks. In retrospect, this was plenty of time for us. If you were a avid hiker, birder or similar sport enthusiast, then more time might be necessary. Our plans were two camping sites in the park and then on to the Davis mountains to the north. We managed to drive most of the improved roads and some 4 wheelin' roads as well as see all of the major sights in a week. The second week was spent a bit north visiting Marfa, Alpine, McDonald Observatory, and Fort Davis. Our overwhelming feeling was one of isolation and desolation of this area. Small towns (usually less than 1000 population) and scattered ranches make up most of this area. Whole counties with less than 5000 population are the norm in the west Texas region. For us urbanites, this feels like nowhere. Cell phones are useless, stores as we know them are hundreds of miles away, fuel and life's essentials are very expensive. Our satellite internet and TV kept us connected everywhere - no trees on this landscape, so we did feel connected. However, there was no local TV or even radio. We are now back in the Dallas area, restocked and replenished. This episode has many interesting topics - many that our listeners have brought up. We try to discuss some interesting articles that we have found in addition to interviewing one of our listeners in the Chicago area via Skype. We appreciate your comments and suggestions both by email ([email protected]) and on our listener comment phone line, 815/230-0772. Also send us your rig photos for inclusion on the "rig photos" page. There are many new rigs represented so send yours in now.

After arriving in South Texas in late December, we have spent a stationary month in the Rio Grande Valley. This month, we interviewed some long time fulltimers, attended the local RV show, & did some comparisons of the RGV & other warm weather spots.

Leaving home in the winter is always a challenge and this year was no exception. However, 4 days later in Texas, our windshield was loaded with warm weather bugs. This episode made on the last day of the decade, includes some old and some new topics.

Merry Christmas and Happy Thanksgiving from your RV Navigators. Oh, yes we are on the road again but not in the RV. After a cold couple of weeks in Northern Europe to begin the trip, we have made our way to Rome and points south as we head eventually for Ft Lauderdale and home in mid-December. We landed in Munich just after the last podcast to visit our friend Hartmut and his family. This was a return visit after many years away and a heart-felt reunion. Then via the very fast autobahn, we drove to Vienna (about 5 hrs) for a few day. Then on to Rome where we were to pick up the first leg of our cruise. Rome in November?? It's on the same latitude as Chicago. However the weather was very cooperative with temps in the mid 60s and sunny everyday. This weather has held for the entire month of November so we have been very pleased with our decision to travel at this time of year. This months podcast was made while on our cabin balcony during a sea day. It was an ideal day at sea, smooth seas and warm temps. We have lots of RVing new as this topic is never far from our minds. We actually found another RVing couple from AZ with which to share experiences. They had just downsized from a 38ft Class A to a new B+ motorhome. Would you make this switch? The saga of the new tires for the motorhome has finally ended with a new set of 6 MIchelins. How are the tires on your RV? How old are they? Ours only had 40,000 miles but needed to be replaced. Too much sun and time had caused deterioration Christmas is on our minds so we have some suggestions for RV oriented gifts. Can you add to our list? Send us an email for some belated suggestions. We have the usually funny RV segments as well as other RV industry news so give this episode a listen and then send us some feed back. We appreciate your comments and suggestions both by email ([email protected]) and on our listener comment phone line, 815/230-0772. Also send us your rig photos for inclusion on the "rig photos" page. There are many new rigs represented so send yours in now.

Despite the very cold and rainy October in the midwest, we did get away for a short weekend of RVing with some new friends who have just purchased a new 2009 motorhome. You'll hear about the purchase and their impressions in an interview we conducted while on the road in Indiana. I have had requests for the webpages that we used most often when RVing. I have created a new page on this website that will get you started with some of my favorite links. I am focused on quality rather than quantity, so this list is not comprehensive. However, I think you'll each of sites is best in class for their category. Have you "moded" your RV? We are always looking for step by step mods for customizing our motorhome, so we have revisited the RV Mods website for some ideas. We have also made some hardware updates this month with the purchase of a Kindle from Amizon. The co-pilot is tired of carrying arm loads of books to keep her busy during our travels, so she invested in a Kindle. This is version 2 so has several improvements over the original. This along with the iPhones will keep our lengthy travels more interesting. Speaking of the iPhone and satellites (yes, I was), the newest app for me is the satellite finder. This app super imposes satellite positions over a live picture of your campsite. Where to park to get connected will be much easier with this app for the iPhone. We alson take the RV Trivia Challenge -live - during the podcast. Ten easy questions about RVing for those who have been RVing for 30 years. Well, they turn out to be not so easy - we missed 3. How will you do? This episode is nearly an hour long - sorry but the interview and our usual comments just could not be editied further. You'll be glad to know that I did edit over 10 minutes out of the originals. Next months episode may be either early or late due to travel schedules. We are headed overseas where we cannot always depend on good connections for uploading our content. Rest assured we will make every effort to be timely with the next episode. We appreciate your comments and suggestions both by email ([email protected]) and on our listener comment phone line, 815/230-0772. Also send us your rig photos for inclusion on the "rig photos" page. There are many new rigs represented so send yours in now.

A few technical issues are still outstanding from our comments last month. iTunes downloading seems to be going smoothly since I updated some software. I explain how to actually download our podcast (for listening later) instead of listening live. We also will be posting our podcast on Podomatic.com as a back up to iTunes. We always like to travel in September. If you travel in this month, you know that the weather is usually good, crowds have eased, and the roads are open. We took the month to improve our golf skills at an Elder Hostel in Wisconsin and then see a bit of the midwest. Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois were on our itinerary which focused on the Mississippi River towns. We always bring our bikes so finding some nice riding trails was high on the agenda. Sparta, Wisconsin is the hub for several bike trails that were former RR beds. Winding through the picturesque countryside with rolling hills, green farms and few old tunnels makes these bike trails very appealing. Along with the biking we played more golf at some of the local municipal courses which at this time of year didn't require tee times. Barge transportation is a major means of getting bulk goods through the central part of the US. The COE has made "improvements" in the rivers to make barging a major activity. Locks, dams, levees, and dredging are all part of the plan to keep the rivers open to commercial traffic. It is interesting to see the infrastructure and manpower necessary to keep barge traffic running smoothly along the Mississippi and its tributaries. Of course they have built some nice public campgrounds along the way to make trips like ours scenic and thrifty. On RV tech front, we were forced to buy a new set of house batteries this month. Online research lead me buy the least expensive 6 volt golf cart batteries at Sams Club. At $72 each, this was still a big unexpected expense. It was necessitated by my lack of care for the old ones (3 years old) and was an expense that we should not have had to make at this time. How are your batteries? Do you have a 3 state charger? Do you watch the water level? Lots of other interesting tech topics are on our agenda - digital TV reception with the newly installed Wingman, changes in campground cable TV, RV uses for the iPhone beyond listening to our podcast, Garmin GPS updates and much more are topics of our banter. We share our websites of the month and a few humorous RV stories. We end with some article which give a hopeful picture to the economic prospects of the RV industry. We may have passed the low point and sales are looking up for some manufacturers. Join us on our adventure and thanks for listening. Our numbers are over 2000 downloads per month and growing rapidly. We appreciate your comments and suggestions both by email ([email protected]) and on our listener comment phone line, 815/230-0772.

Several readers have emailed with problems with downloading via iTunes. I have tried to fine a solution to the perplexing problem and I must apologize for the inconvenience for those who are experiencing download issues. The problem seems to be the connection from the RV Navigator website and the iTunes software on SOME computers. I really have no connection to iTunes other than the notification of new episodes when they are posted. This happens automatically via their servers talking to the RV Navigator website servers. Some how this process is breaking down with our listeners computers. I don't know how to fix the problem but I have stumbled on a workaround which seems to work for most listeners. If the latest episodes of the RV Navigator DO NOT appear in iTunes, quit iTunes. Open the RV Navigator website (http://rvnavigator.com) and then relaunch iTunes, refresh your podcast list and the new episode will appear and download. How about that - I don't know why, but it works. Listener Debbie poses a question for the group, "What are the top ten most favorite services/amenities/surprises you found at the RV parks in your travels?". We share some of ours - but what are yours? In our 6500 miles of travel this summer, we pickup a stone to the windshield leaving a small crack. How to get it fixed was our dilemma. Listen in for what turned out to be a great and inexpensive solution. On the tech side we share an easy way to improve HD reception and the RV Pillow. We have posted new photos in the listener rigs section of the website so send yours in and take a look at those of your fellow listeners. Ideas and suggestions are always appreciated via email or our listener comment line, 815/230-0772.

Ride em cowboy was our mantra this month as we made our way North to attend the Calgary Stampede. This is a traditional rodeo with major side shows to visitor entertained. We attended with the help of Fantasy RV tours who made all of the arrangements. They did a superior job of organizing our activities. Although you probably could have made all of the arrangements ourselves, we chose to participate in the Fantasy tour Rally. They provided good tickets of all of the major events and gave us advice on other interesting activities surrounding the Stampede. We did several bus tours to see the sights of Calgary and used the metro to visit the stampede itself. Camping, such as it was, was in the parking lot of a sport stadium. We were a bit skeptical at first, but this proved to be an ideal central location for our visit. A metro stop was within easy walking distance and they provided metro tickets in our Rally package. The parking lot had temporary water and electric for the RV and nice bath rooms for us. They even provided waste water pump-out mid Rally. Traveling the 1500 miles home was took us a full week as we meandered our way home. We made stops at Blue-Ox (free full hookup camping) and again at HWH (leveling jacks) for some repairs. We also had a chance to once again stay in a COE campground along the Mississippi. These campground are very nice with ample space for large rigs. Most of the developed sites have 50 amp, a cement pad and senior citizen rates of less than $10. We'll be back to visit the many water oriented COE campgrounds again. This episode also features our take on the new iPhone 3Gs. This device is turning into a full fledged computer with the many aps that are available. It does email, web browsing, GPS, compass, calendar, contacts, phone, out of the box. For just a few extra dollars you can add many other functions that are customized to your needs. I used the Auto info ap to keep track of fuel usage, repairs, oil changes and the like - for both vehicles. So it is one device that replaces several paper notebooks and other electronic devices. Sweet! We also purchased a Windows Netbook this month. This is a very small Windows portable computer. 10" screen, 3 pounds, 6 hr battery and full connectivity for internet use. Aong with the iPhones, we are expecting it to get a major workout on our next trip. There is industry news this month and it is not all bad. So take a listen to this months episode (42) and let us know what you think. Ideas and suggestions are always appreciated via email or our listener comment line, 815/230-0772.

After a long drive from our home in the burbs of Chicago, we spent a week in Flagstaff catching up with a town which hosted us for some university classes in 1978. That was the last time we were in this area, so we were anxious to retrace some of our earlier adventures. At that time we were in our green camper van (see our 35 years of camping) and did the national parks on the weekends during the summer session. With the arrival of our friend, Hartmut, from Munich on the last day of May, we headed to the Grand Canyon South Rim. The RV trailer park there is the perfect place to see this spectacular scenic attraction. From there we headed to west Grand Canyon, a fairly new scenic attraction featuring the Grand Canyon. A brief stop in Vegas added to our trip North as we headed to Zion and Bryce for a couple of days each. Hartmut found Bryce to be his favorite National Park, but he found them all to be unique. A long drive to Yellowstone and the Tetons ended our national park adventure. We dropped him off in Salt Lake, were we spent a week doing the sights in a city that we'd only passed through earlier. The end of the month brings us to Calgary for the Stamped which is held over the July 4th weekend. This episode features an interview and our usual collection of stories and adventure from the road. Send comments, suggestions and ideas to [email protected] or use the comment hot line 815/230-0772.

After only 6 weeks at home the travel bug hit us again so we cranked up the motorhome to head to Arizona and points North. That's the grand plan, but leaving on May 15th with those many days and miles of road between us and Arizona, left us rather road weary. Arriving in Flagstaff, AZ some 1500 miles from home, we took some time for sight seeing and relaxing in the Arizona sun. That just didn't work out as the weather was not even up to Illinois Memorial Day standards. We tried many free campgrounds on this trip west. This has become a standard operating procedure for us both as a money saving opportunity. We include a list of free camping resources. We do of course keep you up to day with the latest in the RVing world. I am always looking for the latest and greatest RVing toys and have some to share this month. Also covered in this episode is water purification and some questions about campground rules. Join us for 35 minutes of RVing banter. Send comments, suggestions and ideas to [email protected] or use the comment hot line 815/230-0772.

After several long flights, the RV Navigator arrived home from 83 days in New Zealand & Australia in early April. This month we are glad to share a new RV song and an interesting interview with another Australian RVing couple, Andrew and Catherine. This interview was conducted in our hotel room on one of the final days in Sydney. They we kind enough to drive several hours to spend some time with us. The efforts of our listeners to spend some time with us is truly gratifying and we appreciate the efforts. As usual we also have been doing some upgrades to our RVing experiences at home in preparation for our upcoming trip to some of our biggest national parks later in May. We upgraded our cell phone data service with a new data card, purchased new folding bikes, and bought new batteries for the motorhome. These and several other new topics are the focus of our discussion in this episode. So what about daisywheeling - our guests purchased their motorhome (a class C by US standards) because they did NOT want to do daisywheel camping. We on the other hand nearly always to daisywheel camping. Where do you stand? Take a listen for more details.

If you tried to download last months episode (March, 2009) and found 20 minutes of silence about a minute into the show, please download it again. This mistake was online for about 12 hrs. Sorry for the mistake, I have no explanation for this gap - but that's technology. As for this month, we have taken a different approach to seeing Australia. After 35 days in New Zealand driving on narrow roads on the wrong side of the road, we are letting some one else do the driving. We joined the Sun Princess in Sydney for a 28 day cruise around Australia. Looking at an Australia map and knowing the capabilities of our traveling in an RV, we decided that it would be impossible to really see Australia in a few weeks in an RV. A comparible 35 days spent RVing Australia would only get us to the East coast of this vast land. The cruise ship however seemed like a logical alternative. It visits the most important ports on the many coastal areas of Australia from Sydney around to Perth and Tasmania. Driving would have been taxing involving thousands of miles and many days of driving just to get to the major cities. So now that this trip is about done, we are happy with the experience and feel that we have truly tasted the best of Australia. Yes, we could spend much more time in many of the ports, but we now have a much better feel for the soul of the country and it people. The ships passengers were 80 percent Australian, so we were able to meet and talk with many "locals" for every corner of the country. This has been a real pleasure and learning experience. In this podcast we feature and interview with Al and Sue, loyal RV Navigator Podcast listeners from Australia. Listening to them will give all of our listeners a chance to hear about Aussie Caravanning first hand. We enjoy meeting listeners and are sure that you will enjoy this interview. Also, we have our usual features with news from the world of RVing back home, a bit of R'n'R (ranting and raving) by Ken, some new technology to keep you eye on and emails from listeners. Send comments, suggestions and ideas to [email protected] or use the comment hot line 815/230-0772.

Have you thought of an RV vacation in New Zealand? Hundreds of RVers are traveling to New Zealand to see the sights and enjoy the wilderness. We don't know how many are Americans, but there are "camper-vans" on every road at every major tourist attraction. Renting an RV is a very popular way to see the country, so we decided to give it a try. Over all our experiences were very positive. Although it may seem daunting to plan an itinerary for a trip in such a distant location, it really is as easy as traveling at home. The campgrounds (Holiday Parks) are good, the roads are well marked and easy to navigate and the attractions world class. Of course there are differences, but that the fun of travel outside the US. Yes, we were driving on the left, yes there are more roundabouts than anyone would believe, yes there are many one lane bridges, yes the mountain roads are narrow, but the experience makes learning these difference worthwhile. Your 4 (for this trip) RV Navigators have driven 3231 miles in their rental RVs to bring you real story. We could have done an RV Caravan where someone else does the planning, but we wanted a more customized and longer trip so we did it all ourselves. It was a smart decision and we had a great time. No tickets, accidents or mishaps marred our trip. Even the white knuckle driving was worth the scenic beauty that was at the end of the road. We chose January-February for the best weather and we were reward with some spectacular blue sky days. Although the weather is never perfect for long, on the days we needed clear skies the weather cooperated. The temperatures were mostly warm but we did need a heater on some nights even in the mid summer. The south island of New Zealand, has the mountains and water that combines to make for scenic beauty. The North island is more developed and has thermal features and beaches. Because it is in the North, it is warmer and more suited to beach vacations. Although we didn't do much swimming, the seascapes should put it on anyone must see list. This episode is rather long but we have lots to share and we hope that you'll want to travel to New Zealand after hearing it. It has been an experience getting this podcast ready for uploading, so we hope that you enjoy it. As always we appreciate your listening. Send comments, suggestions and ideas to [email protected].

This winter we decided to head really far south, crossing the equator, dateline, hemisheres abd multiple time zones, to find a real summer experience. We landed in Auckland NZ for a month of travel via rental RV. In our case we are renting a 21ft Jayco class C, with a left hand drive diesel and manual transmission. The biggest problem with this set up is that the copilot is always getting in on the drivers side. Artie our Garmin GPS has been updated with NZ maps so is doing his usual great job of getting us around in unfamiliar territory. He has not learn how to shout "STAY LEFT" but the co-pilot is handling this job with ease. Over all we have enjoyed some great natural sites and good roads as we travel around the country. More details next month- there are alot interesting RVing details that we'll share later. We thought that many of our listeners might be planning a trip overseas - now that the dollar has finally start to increase in value, travel is more affordable. Traveling outside the US has its quirks, so you need to know a few facts and tips before venturing abroad. We share our packing, money, jet-lag stratgies with out listeners. Internet abroad is getting better but we want you to be aware of some issues in the internet landscape with effect you both at home and abroad. We share an article from "Geeks on Tour" and give our perspective on this important topic. It has been an experience getting this podcast ready for uploading so we hope that you enjoy it. As always we appreciate your listening. Send comments, suggestions and ideas to [email protected] or use the comment hot line 815/230-0772.

The end of our 3 season of doing the podcast and it has been rewarding. We now have over 1600 downloads per month plus we hear from many listeners. It is time to say thanks for listening. Year end bring lots of interesting topics for this month episode. After unsuccessfully searching for RV themed carols for last months episode, listener Don from Texas suggested "Livin' in a Mobile Home" by "Riders in the Sky" as a theme song with no holiday significance. An a joy it was to listen too after spending quite alot of effort to obtain the out of print CD from 1990. Then it is on to Homer Simpson and his trails with buying the "Ultra Land Behemoth" ultimate motorhome, from Bob's RV. We spend some time talking about new products introduced at the national RV show in Louisville in early December. Besides the interesting new RV configuration including a slide within a slide, there was a fuel cell electric generator. These and many more topics are on our agenda for this podcast so give it a listen and keep in touch via the listener comment line, 815/230-0772.

A warm holiday greeting from your RV Navigators is the first order of business. We have heard from so many listeners about their RVing hopes and dreams this past year. It has been very rewarding for us. We are homebodies for the holidays. Since retiring we don't travel over the holidays, so we spend the time getting caught up on projects and seeing friends. Out of this busy schedule (oh, ya, very busy :-) we take time out to make the monthly podcast. Our thoughts are about the holidays, so we are doing our annual RVers gift guide in addition to a few other topics. How about a 32 foot diesel class A motor home that gets nearly 15 miles per gal? Damon has introduced the Avanti which is just that. We offer some great gift ideas - and we look to you for more. So send us your greatest hits for RVers list. One of our projects has been the creation of a photo book of our New England Fall Colors trip. There are many choices, but we have settled on Blurb as our printer. For a few dollars they will print a high quality photobook which has been custom designed by you. These can also be view on their website. Do a search on "Peeparazzi" on the Blurb.com website to see our work. With the cold weather taking hold, RVers are faced with keeping their RV warm and toasty. As we all know even the warm climes frequented by Snowbirds can still get cold. Should you use electric or propane heat? How to keep your expensive RV batteries in good share are both topics covered in this podcast. Time to be merry, our gift list includes some big, some small, some funny, and some serious gift suggestions. We even end with a Christmas carol, so take a listen to this months RV navigator and send us email or a comment on the listener comment line, 815/230-0772.

It has been quite a month on the road for us. With falling prices of diesel, we feel more like hitting the road and that is exactly what we did. We left you on the coast of Maine eating Lobster. We headed inland to take in the fall colors of New England. After a rainy and cold beginning, the weather turned perfect for leaf peeping and we got to working taking what turned out to be 24 gigs of digital photos. The crystal blue skys combined with the rich color of the foliage really made our photos pop. The website contains a link to some of the best examples. We also spent 5 days at a digital photo workshop sponsored by Elder Hostel. We took several field trips - some in the early morning - to get the perfect shots. On the RVing side, although gas prices are down, sales of RV are not up, Why? We have an explanation. We also stayed a a couple of interesting campgrounds which will be interest to many listeners. Our trip to Speedco for an oil change proved enlightening and we share some of our digital photo experiences. All in all a good month in the RV and we are anxious to share it with you.

This month has been full of great experiences from interviewing two of our listeners to eating many lobster dinners in the RV. A week on Cape Cod in the off season was a great way to introduce us to the best of New England via some great beaches, scenic campgrounds, bike paths, good eateries, and new friends. This is RVing at it best. Leaving was hard, but we headed up the Maine coast to see some of the picturesque fishing harbors for which this state is famous. Boothbay was one of the most interesting but we found many smaller towns full of fishing boats just waiting to be photographed. With the trees beginning to change, we headed off to NH and Lake George (NY). Unfortunately the weather has not held out so our enjoyment has been diminished as the rain falls. The POI (point of interest) file that I purchased for my GPS last month did not pan out. This file for a cost of $49, was supposed to give our GPS new power by installing a huge number of new searchable points of reference like campgrounds, state parks, and similar RV related destinations. The company could not deliver the product to me without a great deal of aggravation (who ever heard of a 24 hour download window that expired two hours after notification?) so I use an alternative source for this info, POI-factory. com. This website posts POI files (usable in most GPSs with a USB port or connection) created by fellow GPS users. These files are a free download and can be combined into a very useful set of additional POIs for your GPS. As an example, I downloaded Superwalmarts, Flying Js, State Parks, NH covered bridges and many others. Downloads are quick and transfer to the GPS is even faster. Once in the GPS, using the search function makes them accessible. We also tried casino camping this month. Free is always a nice way to camp as long as you are self contained. The casino camper website provides lots of info and useful tips and a database of casino that welcome RVers. Our casino camping proved to be not only economical but scenic to boot. We always wondered how it is to start off on an RV lifestyle without any experience. Our interview with listeners Geoff and Ellyn give us some insight into their decision to sell the house and belongings, buy an RV and head out on the road. I am sure that you'll be interested in their decision making process and can do spirit as they move into their RV. UPDATE: It looks like their house has sold so they plan to be full timers by October 1st. Great news and good luck. As full timers you'd probably don't have to winterize the RV, but the rest of us in colder climates have to shut down the RV during cold weather (at least for a few months). We share our winterizing procedures and techniques with you during this October episode. Last major topic this month is my purchase of a new hand held GPS. Geoff showed me a cool feature of his hand held GPS, its ability to create tracks. Tracks map your movements on a map for later download. Put the GPS in your pocket and it follows you on your sight seeing for the day. Not only didn't my old GPS not do tracks, but it needed a full view of the sky to read the satellites. My new Garmin Oregon 300 tracks us almost everywhere - even indoors. Amazing. Once you have the tracks, your digital photos can be tied to a specific location using the GPS info. Digital photos have a data record called metadata where all sorts of info about the photo is kept - and a blank space for GPS coordinates. Unfortunately, most cameras do not have a built in GPS so this data is missing - until now. Once the track is downloaded, it can be easily synced with your photos AND plotted on a Google map.

Labor day finds us in Boston, MA at a very nice campground. You'll remember that the weather in the Northeast was perfect this year and we made the most of it. We don't travel much on Labor day, but this year we wanted to be ready to see the fall colors a bit later in the month so we left a bit early. After a 1200 mile trip where we saw the price of diesel drop significantly (only about $4.10/gal), we'll be in this area for a couple of months. In the podcast we describe our 2 week trip to this area with a few nice stops in PA. Our listeners have contributed to the podcast with both audio comments and a nice description of a TV install. This is an update to my efforts at swapping out our TVs earlier this summer. Over all our transition to all digital tvs has been very successful. Nearly every location has several digital channels now (several months before the mandatory change over) that are easy to received and excellent quality. This even when the old signal is questionable. At one campground in PA, we were able to receive 2 old channels and 4 digital channels. Of course the digital channels had a great picture. Our monthly features include discussion of tire pressure monitor systems, solar panels, and new cabinets.

Once again we are podcasting from the home front but we have lots of good RV stuff to share. Really our listeners have been sharing with us this month by sending comments via email and voicemail. In these days of bad news in the RV industry, we try to take a lighter approach to our usual RV news with several rather funny stories form the world of RVing. We are about to finish the TV swap project started last month now that we finally have a solution to the last problem. Included is a great book review from listener Suzi and a an extended question about full-timing from listener Ellyn. This last voice mail gets us started on an extended answer that takes through the entire RVing lifestyle - at least the way we live it. We end up with our usual recommendation of great web sites - but with a twist. This month we recommend free cell phone services that will make the life of an RVer easier. As always we appreciate your comments and suggestions both via email and listener comment line. Send comments, suggestions and ideas to [email protected] or use the comment hot line 815/230-0772.

With lots of days of perfect weather, Chicago is a delight in the summer - this is our camping off season! The big city offers a plethora of interesting activities for all tastes - including the taste of Chicago food festival. We bike the lake front, go to the theater, golf and generally enjoy the summer ambiance surrounding the big city. Rving is never far from our minds as we planned to replace the factory installed TVs in the rig. This is a challenge because we didn't want just big holes where the old ones once sat. There had to be new LCD models that would fit into the hole without alot of specialized carpentry. After some planning and measuring we found models that would fit the holes but how would they be mounted? It actually turned out to be easier than we thought and only minimal cost beyond the cost of the TVs themselves. Based on our experience, most of our listeners should be able to make the transition. As always we talk about trends in the RVing world which is dominated by rising gas prices. It only cost us $250 to put in 52 gallons of diesel last week on our short trip to Elkhart, IN. Will be get used to spending 55 cents a mile? Ask us next year. This is the first anniversary of our purchase of the motorhome and we ask ourselves would we do it again? As always we appreciate your comments and suggestions both via email and listener comment line. Send comments, suggestions and ideas to [email protected] or use the comment hot line 815/230-0772.

We, like all RVers are faced, with dramatically rising costs for our favorite means of travel (not that other modes are not also facing increases). How will be cope? After discussing the latest RV trends many of which involve fuel saving technology, we give you our perspective on the high prices. For instance, soft demand for RVs many mean lower purchase prices which if leveraged can be put into fuel to power the new rig. A $10,000 savings on a new RV can buy alot of fuel. Beyond this type of "saving" strategy, are thee prices so shocking? We have seen the costs of RVing rise dramatically in the last 10 years, but until recently demand has been strong. We get used to the prices and adjust our travels and budget accordingly. It is really not the price of fuel that is the shock, it is how fast it is going up that kills demand. Along with this topic we address which states are kind to full timers, safety issues and much more. As always we appreciate your comments and suggestions both via email and listener comment line. Send comments, suggestions and ideas to [email protected] or use the comment hot line 815/230-0772.

It has always been one our dreams to sail the ocean blue on a small boat. The opportunity to act on this dream presented itself when we met a real sailor who was looking for a crew. This started our La Paz sailing adventure aboard the "Gato de Cortez" catamaran rented from "The Moorings" in La Paz Mexico. In late April we embarked on a 10 sail along the rugged coast line of the Baja. Ten days of complete wilderness on the water. Anchoring nightly in small protected coves, hiking the hill, walking the beaches where all part of the sailing experience. Although we never lost sight of land, the land was uninhabitable due to rough terrain and desert conditions. Thus there were no towns and only a few hearty fishermen scattered along the coast. Other than buying some fresh fish from them, we encountered no signs of human habitation during our sail. We share with our listeners how we provisioned and lived on the boat during the sail. Was it a hardship for your RV Navigator, who are so used to modern technology? Yes, but we did survive with many great stories. How is land RVing different from sea RVing? Put up your feet and listen to this unusual experience. You RV Navigators tell all and sare their hard earned insights. As always we appreciate your comments and suggestions both via email and listener comment line. Send comments, suggestions and ideas to [email protected] or use the comment hot line 815/230-0772.

Life after "The Rally" in Perry, GA. We basically headed for home and cold weather. Yes, the motorhome had to be winterized for the second time this season. Temps in Chicago are not reliably above freezing until mid-May. In the podcast, we share the latest news, rv web sites and our impressions of the Rally's display of rigs. I share some thoughts about the transition to digital TV as it relates to RVers and some WiFi hints to keep the signal coming. We use Wifi to distribute the satellite/cell internet connection to our 3 computers in the rig. Some things can upset the signal or shorten the range. Send comments, suggestions and ideas to [email protected] or use the comment hot line 815/230-0772.

Follow our adventures in the Peach state as we travel the roads of Georgia on our way to attending the national RV Rally in Perry, GA. This rally attended by thousands of RVers with their rigs showcases all of the latest RV technology and updates. With over 500 vendors and 30 informational sessions, we have lots to share in this episode. So much in fact that we cut the report in to two sections with the second to follow in April. The RV Navigator feedback line has been busy as we share two calls with our listeners as well as a first hand interview with with a listener and vendor at the show. Debbie owner and operator of TrueSoaps was kind enough to talk with us about the podcast and her products. There is too much to write in a short summary so please take a listen to this episode. We share our experiences with electrical problems, ULSD, camping in Canada, convection ovens, and much more. Send comments, suggestions and ideas to [email protected] or use the comment hot line 815/230-0772. We look forward to hearing from you.

Our goal for this winter's warm weather traveling was to circumnavigate Florida without a schedule. We started on the West coast near Tampa and spent the month traveling south to the Keys and then back North as we gradually head toward home. We had some surprises and many interesting experiences in this the Sunshine state. Join us for our reactions to the major camping centers of Florida both positive and negative. The trip South started at the nations largest RV dealer, Lazy Days RV near Tampa. Many of your have probably already visited this RV destination, but this was our first visit. We had heard of LD many times so we were glad to finally have a chance to actually visit in person. It is quite a place - worth a detour. The podcast agenda moves on to the latest in RV news (how about a 6 slide out RV?), gadgets that we purchased at the Tampa RV supershow and ends with our take on 21st Century RV parks. What do you expect from an RV park? Send comments, suggestions and ideas to [email protected] or use the comment hot line 815/230-0772.

After some delay in starting our trip South due to poor weather/road conditions, we got under way in -3 degree weather at home. Just a few days later we had made the journey south where the weather turned out to be very nice thus making the trip worth the effort. Our first stop was in Fort Desoto county park near St. Pete. A wonderful campground offering sites on the ocean and one of the great beaches of Florida. We headed off to Fort Wilderness at Disney World. Quite a different experience but quite nice also. As you would expect this campground is well organized with uniform sites and amenities. It has all of the services of a Disney property including site cleaning prior to guests arrival. After a few days in the park, we headed to the Tampa RV Super Show to see the latest in RVs and related stuff. In this episode we talk about the new RVs on display (1300 of em). In the next episode we'll talk about the new stuff. Send comments, suggestions and ideas to [email protected] or use the comment hot line 815/230-0772.

As we begin the new year our thoughts turn to hitting the RV road and how to handle the cold that we experience while RVing in the winter. We begin with some interesting news from the RV industry- trends and developments as well as some takes on new products. We also follow up on some comments about RVing in Europe with a very interesting RV blog. We move on to some ideas about winter RVing - we are not experts so we ask for your suggestions via our new listener comment line 815/230-0772. Thanks for making the RV Navigator podcast a success with over 11,500 downloads to date.

After spending a couple of months on the road -not RVing - we are once again at home planning our next RV trip. We'll be heading off to Florida for the winter season. Nothing stationary for us this years as we'll moving around the entire state following the weather. This episode finds us at home reflecting on our most recent trip and making some comparisons to camping in the US and the UK. With the Christmas season upon us, we also got to thinking about some appropriate gifts for the RVer in your family. We suggestions for all budgets from the $5 to the $500+. The show notes will have all of the links for the items mentioned. We are also starting a new feature that will bring you current news from the world of RVing. New products, floorplans, trends and anything else we find interesting. Be sure to send us your comments and show suggestions.

RVing is never very far from our thoughts and is one of favorite means of travel. In order to see much of the world however, we have to leave the RV. This month we are on a suitcase trip that will take us to Ireland. It might be possible to RV in Ireland, we are renting a car while doing the B&B stays for the nights. More on this later. This episode's first topic came via a listener who asked about sway bars for their TT. Although we've had some experience in this area, we did a bit of research and shared our ideas. The episodes ends with our take on digital photography - which camera for you and what specs are most important. This is a hot topic for all types of travelers including RVers.

We have been cruising since 1973 - almost as long as we have been RVing so we have had many exciting trips on various cruise ships over the years. When we thing of cruising is it in many ways like RVing. Compact living away from home. AHHH, but cruising has a major difference - 2600 passengers move from port to port with only one driver. We don't have to navigate, drive, cook, clean or worry about where to park. RVing is great but cruising puts it on steroids. We talk about the similarities and difference and add a few RV specific topics in the mix. How did you finance your last RV? Our recent purchase made us do the research to consider the pros and cons of each option. We candidly share our financing decisions with listeners and ask for feedback and comments.

We take the opportunity to wrap up a couple of issues from previous months and to share our experience with custom cabinetry for our rig. Wether it's a motorhome, 5th wheel, or TT , it probably is not exactly as you'd wanted from the factory. The Elkhart IN vicinity offers many opportunities for customizing your rig. We share our experiences and offer ideas. We are always anxious to hear from you about this topic, so share when you can.

Dog days of August but we are still at working customizing our motorhome. Lots has happened this past month, but we are focusing on our internet connection options this month. You can rely on campgrounds for internet connectivity or you can bring it with you. We have started a 2nd service via cell phone which offers several advantage over the long time satellite connection that we have used. Both deliver the internet over wifi but each has its pros and cons. Listen to our first hand experiences and decide for your self.

Several emails have prompted us to describe the process that we went though in making the switch between a 5th wheel trailer and a Diesel pusher motorhome. Our rational make sense to us but it may not be for everyone. Join in the discussion via email at [email protected]. The switch will be fodder for several more podcasts as customize this coach for our specific uses. This should provide listeners with many interesting ideas for their own rigs.

Join us as we go through the process of buying a new (to use) rig for future adventures. How to buy and sell on the web as well as our use of the web for other RV issues and questions.

Join us for a discussion of the pros and cons of membership campinng - is it for you? Topic two is an interview with two new owners of a Sportsmobile class B RV. Why did they choose this type of RV? Is Sportsmobile for you?

The RV caravan is a great way to get introduced to RVing in Mexico. Our experiences were very positive, but there are some special techniques that are required to camp in this interesting country. Over all they are not set up with full service campgrounds so how do you cope? Last month we discussed water issues and we expand on that with electricity this month. What are the concerns with electricity both at home and in another country.

The RV Navigators are on a 44 day caravan RV tour of Eastern Mexico including the Yucatan. The trip has many interesting aspects and challenges. One problem while in a developing country is clean water. Your Navigator spend some time explaining the ins and outs of finding and purifying water for their RV. The website has several handouts and links to relevant information.

Have you considered full time Rving - selling your house and your possessions in order to hit the road full time? Is this a dream or reality for those of any age? Today we interview a couple in their 40s who have done just that. How do they manage to survive both financially and emotionally while in their RV 365 days a year? Howard and Linda have set up a website that details their experiences and decision making processes as they have followed this path since 2005. This interview will give you a tantalizing glimpse into their exciting experiment and adventure. If you need more info, they provide a vast array of content regarding the RV lifestyle on their website, RV Dreams. They look forward to your visiting the website and hearing from you as you conte

The weather in southern Texas turned down right cold in January, 2007 so your hosts had to hunker down in their rig until the warm returned. The RV resort life style can be enjoyed in many parts of the country. Get your hosts impressions of several popular RV hotspots from across the US. They also talk about several breaking RV news stories and their trip to an RV Showcase in this episode

With Christmas 2006 fast approaching, the RV Navigators explore some gifts for the Technology oriented RVer in your family. The list is use during the entire years as it has many interesting suggestions, tips and hints.

With the official switch to digital TV scheduled for 2009, it is critical that RVers buy with the future in mind. What are the choices and how do they fit into the RV mobile lifestyle are the topics of discussion today.

This espisode takes you into the reality of mobile internet - how to connect, speeds, options while you’re on the road. While talking about connectivity, we explain the idea of having a travel blog.

Join us in the second of our reports on our RV Caravan adventure in South Africa. What are the campgrounds, roads and scenery experiences in this country so far away from home.

We have been on a 5 week adventure of RVing in South Africa. With the senic beauty and natural wild life to match any country in the world, this trip was an RVing highlight to date. We’ll be describing our adventure and sharing our experiences with you over the next few weeks as the Podcast continues. The first segment gives you some of our impressions as we start the driving adventure. Lots of changes from RVing in the US. Driving on the left, stick shift, change of seasons (fall not spring), and the sun crosses the northern sky. Lots of other interesting facts and opinions about this RV Caravan are shared in this episode.