How the RoadAbode Crew learned to RV - Part Two

If you want to start at the beginning, of how we investigated and learned about the RVing Lifestyle, start at Part One first. We'll wait.....

OK, now that you know the ways we use to figure out and learn how to RV, lets continue with our current methods to understand and keep up with the latest happenings in RVing lifestyle and culture.

Blogs & Websites to read

From researching how to maintain RoadAbode to what destinations to put on our itinerary, there is not better source than surfing the web. The amount of information on various subjects, and niches is astounding. As we use to regularly read about George and Tioga, and occasionally checked in on Louise and Sean of the bus Odyssey (They now live on a boat)  over the last several years there are plenty of groups to learn from. Want to learn about converting a bus? Cold weather camping? Work camping? Boondocking off the grid? Living in an RV alone, as a couple or a whole family coming along? There are websites and blogs that cover each of those specific ways of life. What you read will depend on your specific likes and dislikes, and also the writer's individual styles that you enjoy. Below we share some favorite RV enthusiasts that write. They either write well, or are great resources of information. And sometimes - they are both!

Gone with the Wynns
Right now Jason and Nikki Wynn are the stars of the "Fulltime RVing Life Style" genre. They offer great information, with slick presentation and a fun, easygoing style that seems to come naturally. They offer concise and helpful travel tips through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube- but it it is all aggregated to their website. Their flair and style for telling a story while seemingly having fun doing so is really ahead of the curve.

The Snowmads

The Snowmads
The Snowmads are a young couple currently travelling in a Trek Class A motorhome. When we first started reading their blog, they were travelling in an Airstream trailer. They were not the typical Airstream aficionados where every other sentence dealt with why "Airstreams are better" Rather, they write about the journeys and adventures, the people and places - while they happen to live in an RV. Now that they are in a new motorhome, they are hinting at an Alaskan trip soon.
I'm looking forward to reading  the adventures, and even the challenges that the'll share. They are very approachable and responsive to questions and chats on the various social networks they are part of, so send them an encouraging note or if you have a question about fulltiming, as long as they are connected somehow, they'll probably answer back.

Roadtirement
We've recently started reading about this couple's travels. A different style and perspective than the "young'uns" above, and we like it. It reminds us of the style of travel we would enjoy when we decide to go full-time or perhaps snow-bird.While the younger full-timers seem to have had just a little too much caffeine some days,  Maj and Sher are taking it easy, enjoying the moment, and sharing those times on their blog.

Technomadia
We enjoy reading how Cherie & Chris, two veteran full-time RV enthusiasts work and play while on the road. They really give in-depth information on how they connect to work remotely while boondocking or even driving down the highway. Their knowledge comes from real life use of equipment over time. Another area of expertise is off-grid power. The "Technomads" are definitely a good resource to keep on hand if you are thinking of doing yourself. Chris seems to write more of the technical side, while Cherie writes about the RV Lifestyle. They do cross over into one another's realms on occasion.

Honorable Mentions
Below are RVers just getting on the blogging scene, or we only only occasionally read.
Drive Dive Devour - a new-er blog well written with a unique perspective and shows promise. We were introduced to these travellers through posts by the Wynns.
RV Family Travel Atlas - Or RVFTA for short - cover information from the viewpoint of "weekend warriors" with little kids in tow. They aggregate most information onto their website, but the real gems seem to be in their podcast. I'm more of a reader than a listener, so I may not get as much from this young family as I should. They must be doing something right, because they are already on the RV show seminar circuit! They also announced their first RV Rally. The RoadAbode Crew may need to check that out!
Travels with Andy is great to read, lots of tips for living in a class C motorhome, but is not regularly updated. Andy Baird is semi-retired and living in his second Lazy Daze Class C. Read why we thing they are one of the best built RVs out there.

RVPark Reviews
This website has been refreshed recently with a new interface. As the name says, this website is great for checking out and reading RVers experiences with campgrounds and resorts. If a campground has overwhelming  good reports, or has a glaringly bad report, we try to read other reports by the same author, to make sure the "ballot box" is not being stuffed for a campground, or as a vendetta against one. Some complaints are downright ridiculous to read "The floor of the camper got wet because it rained all weekend" is not a campground's fault! Sign up and help your fellow RVers with truthful, concise reports on the campgrounds and resorts you've stayed.

Google Maps
The RoadAbode Crew uses Google Maps regularly. Whether just researching an area, or getting the lay of the land, Google Maps can let us know various routes, distances, and even what restaurants or attractions are close by. If you haven't used Google Maps in a while, give it a try again. Since I have my Google account synced with my phone, searches I have done on my laptop will show as places to check out on my Android Smartphone. You can save personal maps and send to others to let them know your itinerary, or to suggest attractions to visit. When visiting an area we are unfamiliar with, we can check where potential campsites are located in relation to possible itineraries.

YouTube Resources to watch

Now that we use a Chromcast on our television at home, it's easier than ever to watch YouTube Videos and learn about RVing. As we mentioned before, Jason and Nikki Wynn have a great YouTube Channel. Very professional, and as lots of information on various aspects of RV living. They also "video blog" extensively on sights and eateries of the places they visit.
RV veteran Mark Polk with his RVing Education 101 series has been dispensing RV maintenance and upgrade information for longer than I've been RVing. Mark's how to videos are easy to follow. On his website you can also purchase DVDs that detail more handy ways to take care of your RV.
 RVGeeks also have a great perspective for tips and tricks to help maintain your RV. Fulltimers for over a decade, their videos are helpful in general care of RVs, and the special care of Diesel motorhomes. A great plus is the narration is quite professional and to the point.
For all the latest travel tech, and how to utilize, click over to the Geeks on Tour. Chris and Jim teach technical seminars to Southern Snowbirds and RVers at campgrounds and RV shows.They instruct on how to use laptops, tablets, smartphones and the applications to use with them. They record live sessions on their YouTube Channel, and demonstrate how to use various programs. Sometimes you can learn by what does not work for them too!
A recent YouTubing fulltime RVer is Nomadic Fanatic. A more "low budget" take on RVing, Eric is a recent graduate of film school, currently traveling with his cat Jax. Eric's videos showcase some of his day to day activities, travel stops and occasionally his upgrade ideas and repairs. Though I don't agree with all of his LifeStyle suggestions, I have to respect him for living the way he wants, out traveling and enjoying the RVing life.

Forums to join

Though we still utilize and post on RV.net forums, as stated in part one of "How we learned" - the RVnet forum interface is lacking and has become clunky over the years. Readers cannot "favorite" or "upvote" those authors that post good information. Since the interface doe not thread sub-discussions in a topic, in long or popular topics it can be difficult to understand which statement a poster is responding to. Lastly, the interface does not format well on a smartphone screen. The pluses of this forum include how it is subdivided into sub-forums, the dedicated moderators that keep things on track in each sub-forum, and the vast archive of  information available. iRV2 forum has a similar thread system, but seems to have less posts.

A Forum for RVers, by RVers

We've recently started reading two other websites with RVing based forums. They look promising.

RVillage.com  Is a social network specifically for RVers. The interface to comment has a Facebook feel, with the ability to like and reply to information others have posted. The forums, which are called Groups, of the "RVillagers" are quite diverse, and we are not yet sure whether this is good or bad. I'm still mostly in "lurking mode" on this website, meaning I'm checking things out, getting a feel for the quality of information, but not posting very much yet. Right now we find the assortment of Groups available overwhelming, and I'm trying to go through them to see which our particular RVLife fit into. RVillage does format nicely on a smartphone, and I'm hoping the information and posts will grow and be a cool resource and great way to connect with other RVers.

 GoRving Sub Category Reddit

Reddit GoRving is a sub grouping of the much larger reddit.com community. The site as a whole is a collection of entries submitted by its registered users, essentially a bulletin board system. The name "Reddit" is a play-on-words with the phrase "read it". Where RVillage has the feel of a growing, helpful community, Reddit GoRVing is a gun slingin' old wild west town. Inhabited by mostly younger millennials they come here looking for information from one another and encouragement on RVing. Most are looking to live and travel as cheaply as possible.  There are also seem to be more "trolls" on the Reddit GoRving forum. These are people taking the conversations off topic, or purposely trying to get someone flustered about a post. It's helpful that you can "upvote" or "downvote" content as being useful, but sometimes the trolls take advantage of the system. Moderators help, but it still feels like the wild west some days.

Talk to other RVers

Whether at RV Shows, online, at a rally or around a campfire, hearing other's experiences, tips and tricks can help you have more fun in your RV. Just knowing that another "regular" guy or gal has or is working through the same issue as yourself can be a confidence booster. As you become more experienced, it's always a great feeling to be able to "pay it forward". We've helped others with anything from a roll of paper towels, to spare sewer parts. As a whole, the RV community is a pretty friendly and helpful bunch. Plus, most times you are catching each other at a really good time - out enjoying some R&R with family and friends.

By Doing

This is probably the big one. The scary one for some people. You just have to do it. Connect that hose, test that battery, check those tires. We have learned to replaced a step, installed an inverter and a new entertainment system. Replaced vent covers and troubleshot power to our refrigerator (Was a GFI in the bathroom). I've almost flooded RoadAbode's basement because I forgot to replace my winterizing plug. I've lost a few of Molly's tie ups because I left them and forgot to do a sweep of our campsite. Good or bad, I own and learn from my decisions.
Like anything else in life, you can read, watch and talk about something all you want, but until you experience it you will really never know how to do. The words "experience" and "expert" derive from the same root for a reason! Get out there, make good choices, own a few mistakes - and you'l find it's a life worth learning about. Enjoy!

So how have you learned about RVing? Can you recomend or use any important resources we've left out? A favorite YouTube Channel or Website? We'd love to learn more! Please comment and share below.

How the RoadAbode Crew learned to RV ~ Part One

We've been RVing as a family for over a decade now. Our girls have grown up looking forward and helping to plan our family RVing trips. In conversation, friends have asked "Why RVing, what made you start?" None of our close family  RVs. We didn't grow up RVing or have friends that RV. We did enjoy tent camping, but what started us on our journey to the RVing Lifestyle? Where did we learn how to do this "stuff" that you only do with RVs? And most importantly, where and how do we learn now? 

As said before, we've been RVing over ten years, but the journey to where we are now started a few years before then.  We were volunteers with our church's youth group and took them to a long weekend music festival in the mountains of Central Pennsylvania. Think "Christian Woodstock" and you have a pretty good idea. We had a great time the first two days - but then hard rain storms came - and didn't stop. No matter what we did - we were pretty cramped and moist in our tents. After our damp camping experience, we still tent camped together as a family, but I started yearning for a more enjoyable experience for our young girls. Part of that led me to researching RV trailers on line. Below are the top resources I used in the early 2000s - some which we still use today.

How we learned back then

• Before even owning RoadAbode, one blogger that really got me personally interested in the RVing Lifestyle was George and Tioga. I think George's story is an inspiring one, full of triumph and struggle.George was a cancer survivor, and promised himself that if he beat his cancer, he would travel by RV. Thus began the Adventures of George and Ms. Tioga, his 29 foot Class C motorhome. George had a quirky third person way of writing sometimes, but he wrote every day. The good choices, and the bad. Joys and heartache. George chronicled the daily ins and outs of his nomadic life through the Western United States, and later almost exclusively in Mexico. George is now stationary in Mexico, and no longer lives in Ms. Tioga.
  George still occasionally writes. Read his blog (especially the years of archives) to discover the hows and whys of his past RVing lifestyle, and transition to living in Mexico. 
• Another resource on the internet was RV.net forums. A forum is a place to ask questions, offer opinions or give assistance to others. I waited for almost a year before posting, just weekly reading the RVnet forums and soaking in the common issues that happen to RVers. The information was great for a total novice like myself. I had no family or friends to ask about how to do things, so the forum let me see some issues I possibly would be running into, what to watch out for when buying an RV and the ways to care and maintain an RV. The site is broken up into "sub-forums" for certain areas of interest. Class A, Class C, 5th Wheel, Trailers, RVing Lifestyle, Workcamping, Attractions Campgrounds and many more areas of interest are covered.
  I still read and answer questions on the RVnet forum, but feel there are problems with the site. The style has not updated with the times. It looks basically the same as over ten years ago. Sometimes, it is offline for "maintenance." The site is clunky on mobile devices. And some members seem not to get the idea that this forum is a place to gather and share information, for both novices and those that have experience. Recently I asked for information for things to do, and recommendations of places to eat in Delaware near the Rehoboth Beach  area. I posted in the correct sub-forum and tried to be as clear about what I was looking for. The first responder told me to "Google it!" This is not what the forum is for,.After, there were lots of people with helpful suggestions, but if I was a "newbie" this could be quite off putting. This is a place to offer assistance. I was looking for the opinions of those like myself, that were of an "RVing Lifesyle" mindset. This is the exchange. This is not a one-time thing, it happens frequently.
  Another bit of information about RVnet - if you see forums online from Trailer-life, Woodalls, Good Sam or Motorhome magazine, they are all front-end portals to the same database of information. RV.net seems to be the one that updates first and then pushes the information and syncs with the others.
• Throughout our camping experience after the music festival, I would talk to Amy and our girls of the possibilities of having an RV. Whether a small trailer or motorhome to call our own. I was not sure, but I tried to instill in them that our camping trips could be fun and more comfortable. The first time I saw them realizing how an RV could make camping a different experience, and really excited was our first RV shoow. Back in the early 2000s the RV Show closest to us was based in the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg PA. We planned a road trip weekend and stayed at budget hotel outside town.

  

  What we thought we wanted back then - Trail Manor Foldable

  When we entered the RV Show we were overwhelmed by the variety and amount of RVs available. We were really interested in seeing a Trail Manor trailer. Our then current van could tow it (barely) and I liked the idea of a folding, hard-sided home on wheels. We were able to try the process of folding one out. I tried to think how would it be folding out in rain. I didn't like the idea as much as I did "on paper." Going to the RV Show helped to see lots of styles and quality of RVs uin one place.
  We looked at everything, from small trailers, pop-ups, and then Class C and A motorhomes. It was looking and sitting in motorhomes that excited us all the most. The girls imagined how they would sleep in the bunks, while Amy and I dreamed of the adventures we could do as a family. Being "self contained" really seemed to suit our desires. We just had to figure out how to afford one!
• I started to research online RV dealers. Back then there were fewer choices in our area to check out on the internet as there are now. Between the pricing information at the RV Show we had attended, and the online RV dealers we started to get a sense of pricing. I also researched on Ebay, but only looked at closed or completed sales. This gave us more of an indicator what was a good value in the used market. It was one of those online dealers that we found about used rental motorhomes. It's how we found RoadAbode.
• For campgrounds, besides looking at recommendations on RVnet, we also  found RV Park Reviews. A simple website, it's a good starting point to find some other RVers likes and dislikes about a park. Just like other review sites, there are some people that only post poor reviews, or seem to have a personal problem with a park. Some people seem extremely nit-picky. We try to read other reviews the person has written. Do they seem to have a vindictive way about them, or are other reviews of the same camp resort on par with their feelings? The way we research and ask questions, in the time we've been RVing, we've only had a few experiences where we felt a campground could have done better. And anyway, a bad day of camping still beats a good day at work!
• We love to read in our family, and researching by books was still the way I gathered information. I still read books, but now they are electronically on my handheld device, rather than ink and paper. In our early years, I read not just RV Repair & Maintenance of the plumbing and electrical systems of an Recreational Vehicle, but also books about RV travel, like Steinbeck's "Travels with Charley" and Least-Heat Moon's "Blue Highways."  These are still favorite books today.
• After purchasing RoadAbode, I subscribed to Motorhome Magazine. I was always excited to read the latest articles, or check out new features. Since we also have Good Sam Road Service we would get the Good Sam quarterly magazine as part of the service..They were fun magazines to read, but most information is available on line now.
• We've only purchased one DVD to learn how to do things for our RV. That was on how to setup our Towbar to tow our Honda behind RoadAbode. Mark Polk of RV Education 101 has some great DVDs, and does plenty of how-to videos for RV companies and manufacturers. I now enjoy watching his YouTube Channel, and hopefully will be following his video tips on coating RoadAbode's roof in late spring.

Once we had RoadAbode

We purchased RoadAbode in November 2004, at the end of camping season. Once we had her in storage, we could do reading and really explore how we were going to use her. That's when I started this blog - here's the first post! Our first real camping trip was to Spring Gulch in Lancaster PA April of 2005. It was now time to start learning by doing!
Learning by doing will be a process for any RVer. No matter how much you have read, or people explain how things work, you will find certain ways you will tweak procedures to fit your own style of RVing. For us, figuring out the right order of setup, who gets what job when first pulling into a campsite is part of the fun.

That's how we learned early on to start RVing. But plenty has changed. Coming in Part Two, we'll explain how the RoadAbode Crew is still learning to RV, and how our perspective of the RV LifeStyle is changing over the years, and what we are looking to in the future.
So how did you learn to RV? Did you have a mentor? What got you into RVing, and what keeps you in the RVing Life? We'd love to hear about, and learn from your experiences! Please comment below!