Posted by Ashley Gannon on Mar 17, 2010
With so many different RV types and models to choose from, how do you choose the perfect RV for you and your family? Here are some basic questions to get you started:
1. How will you be using your RV? Do you plan to live in your RV full-time, take the family on a summer-long cross-country trip, use it only for weekend travel or occasional fishing trips? If you plan to spend a lot of time in your RV, you might want a model that offers greater space and more amenities. If you’re just planning weekend camping or fishing trips, a folding camping trailer may fit your needs.
2. Do you want an all-in-one motorhome or a towable RV? Towables allow you to park and use the tow vehicle to get around when you reach your destination. Motorhomes, particularly bus-sized Class A models, require more maneuvering and parking space but give you more living area. And you can always tow a get-around car behind your RV.
3. How many people will usually be traveling with you? If you have a large family or plan to do most of your RV traveling with friends, you’ll want to choose an RV with enough sleeping berths to accommodate the whole crowd comfortably. Consider buying an RV with one or more slide outs to give you extra interior space.
Learn more about buying an RV online and about the different types of RV available on RVT.com.
Posted by Ashley Gannon on Mar 15, 2010
Unplugging your kids — and yourselves — from the electronic devices that command so much of their — and your — attention to spend the occasional weekend focusing on each other is a great way to build family togetherness. It’s that chance to build and strengthen family ties that leads many families to purchase their first RV. And it’s the fun families have together while traveling in their RV that makes them die-hard members of the RV Nation.
Spicing up your family RV weekends with a few special treats and activities will build memories and create fun family traditions that you and your kids will look forward to every time you head out in your RV. Try these ideas adapted from FamilyFun magazine.
- Prop Charades. Use objects found in your RV — a paper towel tube, pillow, cereal box, fork, etc. — as props for family charades. Players must use the prop to act out their clue while others guess. A paper towel tube might be a pirate’s spyglass or Statue of Liberty torch.
- Tiny Treasure Hunt. To make hiking more fun, give each person a small bag to fill with things they find along the way. Create a list of things to hunt for or go freestyle and compare treasures when you get back to your RV. Ideas: acorn top, funny shaped stick, colored leaf, interesting stone, etc. You can also take a big bag and pick up litter during your hike to protect the outdoors.
More ideas next time.
Posted by Ashley Gannon on Mar 12, 2010
Get ready. The Rally is headed for the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville July 22-25. One of the RV Nation’s biggest gatherings, The Rally draws more than 10,000 RV enthusiasts for a long weekend of RV exhibits, commercial product booths, educational seminars, contests, fun and first class nightly entertainment. This year’s big acts include legendary comedian Bob Newhart on July 22 and country-music singer Tanya Tucker on July 23.
This year’s Rally will celebrate the centennial anniversary of RVing in America with an Oldest RV at the Rally contest, the winner to receive 100 gallons of fuel. A unique display of vintage RVs will allow visitors to experience the many changes in RV life over the decades. New this year, Trailer Life publisher Bob Livingston and his wife will lead an RV caravan on a special Centennial Caraventure from Elkhart, Indiana to the Rally.
The Rally is a wonderful opportunity to scope out the latest RV models and features and products, get advice form RV experts and rub shoulders with fellow travelers in the RV nation. It’s a great experience for RV newcomers, veteran RVers and folks who are contemplating joining the RV nation but haven’t taken the plunge.
With more than 4,500 RVs descending on Louisville, it’s a good idea to make your Rally reservations early. You can find complete Rally information, including campground locations, on TheRally.com.
Posted by Ashley Gannon on Mar 10, 2010
The first promise of spring’s arrival comes with the blooming of wildflowers. In Texas the annual late March blooming of the state’s famous bluebonnets draws RVers from across the country. After the dry heat of summer, the rains of winter turn the dusty soil into a sea of blue as far as the eye can see. Like the migration of the monarchs or the swallows returning to Capistrano, the blooming of the Texas state flower is one of nature’s most pleasurable wonders.
RVers get a front row seat when rare spring wildflowers start to bloom. A stop at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at the University of Texas in Austin will show you which wildflowers to look for and where to get the best views. Brenham, Washington and DeWitt counties also offer wildflower viewing maps and information. Wildflower blooming is expected to peak in mid-April this year.
The bluebonnet isn’t the only wildflower blooming in Texas. Bright red poppies, feathery Indian paintbrush and lovely Drummond phlox wash the state with color. Thank the Texas Department of Transportation for the abundance of wildflowers in the Lone Star state. Its aggressive wildflower planting program along highways and roadsides has been adopted by the state’s citizens who plant wildflowers in their yards and pastures. At peak wildflower season, you can RV from one end of Texas to the other with a constant view of wildflowers dancing in the wind.
Wildflower lovers may also want to stop in Death Valley where rare desert wildflowers have just started to bloom.
Posted by Ashley Gannon on Mar 08, 2010
“We’re memory makers.” That’s how Robert J. Olson, head of Winnebago Industries, defined recreational vehicles in an interview on U.S. News & World Report/Money online. Olson was trying to explain why RVing has endured even during our country’s lean times.
RVing is the quintessential family activity — mom, dad and the kids piled into a small space, working together to survive in the wild, bonding, depending on themselves and each other. It doesn’t matter that the modern “wilderness” includes electric and sanitary hookups, a pool, Wi-Fi, a playground, mini golf, a small grocery and a host of other not so primitive amenities. And it doesn’t matter that the RV in which your family is “roughing it” is equipped with all the comforts of home — a fully-stocked kitchen, spacious living room slideout with plasma TV and surround sound, its own bathroom with shower, comfortable sleeping berths for everyone and plenty of storage to hold all the kids’ toys. What matters is that RVing brings families together.
RVing takes you away from all the distractions of normal everyday living and helps you focus on what’s truly important in life — your family. RVing offers opportunities for parents to teach and children to learn and in the process build self-confidence. RVing offers opportunities for families to play together and parents and children to bond. Parents who have found memories of RV camping trips with their families want to share that experience with their own children. Buying an RV is a wonderful way to build family memories.
Posted by Ashley Gannon on Mar 05, 2010
One of the joys of RV life is the ability to get away from it all. RVing can be an opportunity to unplug for the hectic demands of everyday life and relax. But RVers are practical folks. If there’s a smarter, faster way to way to go from over-programmed to laid-back, you can count on RVers to have found it. Instead of being hounded by technology, RVers are harnessing it to make travel easier, safer and more interesting.
When they want a peaceful weekend, RVers may switch the ring tone on their smartphone to mute, but they’re definitely taking their phones along. The myriad new RV-oriented apps available for smartphones have turned smartphones into very handy portable travel aids.
If you haven’t cruised the app store lately, you’ll find a wealth of great new apps tailored to travelers in general and RVers specifically. Trailer Life magazine is the latest of several RV publications available as an iPhone app. Check out the latest RV news, destination reviews and camping products while you’re on the road. Need a place to hook up for the night? Use an app to find an RV campground.
Many states have apps with info about places to go and things to see. There are apps that provide info about the historical markers you pass as you’re driving down the highway. You can even use your smartphone to connect to the Internet and check out the latest results of your RV ad search on RVT.com. Now that’s a smart phone!
Posted by RV Pro on Mar 03, 2010
With thousands of RVs crowding online listings, finding a specific make, model or year can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. Of course, lots of listings means RV buyers have plenty of great choices when they shop for their RV online; but shifting through all those online RV ads takes time. RVT Advanced Search lets you streamline your online RV shopping experience.
Once you’ve narrowed your choice and decided on the perfect RV for your lifestyle, family size and travel plans, you really don’t want to keep looking at every RV that comes on the market. RVT Advanced Search lets you narrow your search in multiple categories, allowing you to focus on the RV ads that meet your criteria.
RVT.com makes finding the RV of your dreams even easier. Sign up for auto notify and you’ll receive an email alert whenever an RV meeting your search criteria is posted. Just join My RVT (it’s absolutely free!) and you can save your search results, save RV ads you’re interested in and, of course, take advantage of RVT.com’s helpful auto notify feature.
If you’ve got your heart set on a certain RV and don’t want to wait another minute for someone to sell theirs, you can use RV Finder to see if the RV of your dreams is available from a dealer. When you use RV Finder, RVT.com uses its extensive dealer network to help you connect with RV dealers who have the RV you want.
Posted by RV Pro on Mar 01, 2010
Ready to join the RV Nation? You’ll find plenty of helpful information about buying an RV on RVT.com, as well as time-saving search tools and an unbeatable selection of new and used RVs for sale. Buying an RV online is as easy as 1-2-3 when you shop on RVT.com.
1. Start your search by learning about the RV family of vehicles in RVT’s helpful RV Buying Guide. RVs come in two types: towable RVs and motorized RVs. Towables do not require permanent onsite hook-up and can be left at the site while you use your vehicle to take in nearby sites. However, they do require a tow vehicle capable of handling the weight. Fortunately, RVT.com also offers RV tow vehicles for sale.
Motorized RVs are self-contained vehicles that combine transportation with living quarters. They allow you to use your RVs features while on the move. Your family has full use of the kitchen, living and sleeping areas while you’re on the road, giving everyone plenty of room to spread out and relax.
2. Refine your online RV search by checking out the thousands of new and used RV Classified Listings on RVT.com. Organized by model type, RV listings make it easy to shop new or pre-owned and gas or diesel to quickly narrow your online RV search.
3. When you start to hone in on the RV you want, use RVT Advanced Search to specify make, model, year, fuel type, special features you’re looking for and more.
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