RVT.com RV Trader Blog

Federal Rec Sites Free on Vets’ Day

Gas up the RV, load up the picnic basket, grab your fishing poles, bikes or hiking boots and head for your favorite recreation spot. To honor the brave men and women who serve or are veterans of our armed forces, federal recreation sites will be free for all on Veterans’ Day, November 11. The recreational fee waiver applies to all public recreational lands managed by the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Reclamation. That covers a lot of land and certainly a great place to RV near you.

While you’ll still have to pay for RV camping, concessions and a few other premier services like heritage expeditions, you’ll save on waived entrance fees, boat launch fees and other normal recreational expenses.

A number of state’s are following the fed’s lead and also waiving fees on Veterans’ Day. Florida State Parks will waive day-use entrance fees for all visitors. Check state park websites to see who is participating. Certain rec sites may be excluded from the offer.

If you want to get a quick overview of state parks near you or along your travel route, StateParks.com gathers them all onto one easy to navigate website. From the U.S. map on the homepage, you can quickly click from state to state to get a list of parks. Locations, directions, amenities and user reviews with links to individual park websites are provided for each park. A great RV resource.

You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby

Scarred with age, its coat of paint a distant memory, the 1929 Studebaker RV recently discovered in South Carolina is a real blast from the past. We discovered the story (make sure you check out the great pics) on the Hemmings Auto Blog posted to globalpost (click the link for story and photos).

Back in the early days of automotive history, Henry Ford, Harvey Firestone and Thomas Edison were camping buddies who, like President Theodore Roosevelt and other manly men of the day, often set out into the wilds to commune with nature. According to the post, Firestone is rumored to have built an RV on a 1929 Studebaker chassis and this ancient RV may have been one of a limited production.

Taking a look at the venerable hulk, it’s possible to see inklings of early RV models. The well-weathered Studebaker has the look of an army truck circa 1950 with a roomy cab and diamond grill-covered windows in the rectangular van-like cargo area. It’s safe to say that this early RV lacked the comfortable amenities of its modern incarnations.

Whatever the actual history of this supposed ancient motorhome,  the “Dulce Domum” painted on the vehicle’s side certainly expresses the sentiments of modern RV owners everywhere. It’s Latin for “Sweetly at Home.”

You won’t find used RVs as old at the 1929 Studebaker dinosaur found in South Carolina, but you will find plenty of comfortable, modern, new and pre-owned RVs in excellent condition for sale at great prices on RVT.com.

RV Shows Offer Chance to Compare Models

Ready to try out the relaxed, enjoyable RV lifestyle? Or perhaps you’ve been RVing for awhile and are considering upgrading to a newer or bigger RV? Maybe you just want to get a look at the hot new green RVs everyone is talking about? If you’re thinking about buying an RV, the place to go is an RV show. One of the nation’s biggest RV shows, the 57th Annual California RV Show, is coming up October 16-25 at the Fairplex in Pomona, CA. You can find other RV shows around the country on the RVT.com website.

At an RV show you can check out all the top RV manufacturers and their most popular models under one roof. It’s a great way to comparison shop. See what’s standard and what new features are being offered. Walk through a variety of models and get a true feeling for the space available and whether it’s a good fit for you and your family. Bring the kids. They’ll have as much fun at an RV show as you will.

At an RV show you’ll find plenty of folks to answer your questions and fill you in on the latest advances in RV technology. You’ll also pick up plenty of useful how to and been there done that tips from veteran RVers. Use the show to create a shopping list of must have features, then do your shopping online at RVT.com where you’ll find hundreds of new and used RVs at great prices.

New Products Take Chill Out of Fall RVing

If you enjoy fall RVing, we’ve found two products that can make those chilly fall days and nights more enjoyable.

There’s nothing like a roaring campfire on a cool fall evening. Sitting around the campfire swapping stories and watching the stars are among the joys of RV camping.  But starting a fire in the fall can be a challenge. When the weather’s cold and damp, so is the wood. Campfire in a Can is the solution. Campfire in a Can provides a toasty fire that is safe enough to burn on a wood deck or patio carpet. Natural looking logs and an adjustable flame create a cozy campfire experience. Compact and lightweight, the long propane hose stores conveniently inside the canister, making it easy to store in your RV.

It’s pleasant to sit outside your RV and take in the colorful landscape. Red and yellow leaves drift slowly in the breeze, squirrels scamper up and down trees, the air has a special tang and crispness — ah, autumn! Tempachair keeps fall chills at bay. A portable, heated director chair that uses radiant heat technology, Tempachair keeps your backside toasty while you sit outside your RV enjoying the sights and smells of autumn.

Find these and many more products and RV accessories on RVT.com. Just click on RV Accessories on our home page for a continually updated list of products geared to make your RV travel experience exceptional.

RV Is a Gift for the Whole Family

Halloween isn’t quite here but stores are already setting up Christmas displays. It’s a little early to get into the holiday spirit, but some gifts take more time and planning than others. This holiday why not give your family a gift that will bring you all closer together. Give your family an RV.

Doing things together as a family, psychologists now tell us, is the best way to keep kids engaged in healthy activities and out of trouble. Numerous studies have shown that when families eat dinner together, children do better at school academically, are better integrated socially and are better able to stand up to peer pressure. If you can get all that from sharing a burger and a little chitchat, think what the togetherness of an RV vacation could do for your children.

RV families not only eat together when they travel, they explore and learn together and have fun together. While RVing, children have an opportunity to help out and contribute to the family which builds self-esteem. Family activities and games give parents and children a chance to bond and talk. When parents spend time playing with their children, children are more apt to come to them in times of trouble. Started when children are young, RVing can form the cornerstone of a positive parent-child relationship that can carry you both through the turbulent teen years.

Who suspected something as enjoyable as RVing could have such deep psychological benefits? Just ask any RVing family; it does.

Get Best RV Deal with RVT Price Checker

The economy has turned everyone into a bargain hunter. Whether you’re making a big purchase or a small one, these days you want to know you’re getting the best deal possible. That’s especially true when you’re buying a new or used RV online. To make it easy to compare RV models and prices, RVT.com recently introduced a new RVT Price Checker feature to make sure you get the best possible deal when you buy a new or used RV online.

RVT Price Checker lets you find and compare the low, high and average asking prices for any RV make or model listed for sale on RVT.com. Click View a Demo to see how the feature works. Compare prices by RV make, model, type, new/used, private/dealer ad, year of manufacture, length, location state or distance from your home. With a click, you can even view the listings that match your search criteria.

The North American leader in online RV sales, RVT.com has 10 years of experience in online sales and has helped facilitate the sale and purchase of thousands of RVs over the Internet. RVT Price Checker is just the latest innovative feature we’ve created to make it even easier to sell or purchase an RV online. Visit our website at RVT.com and give it a try.

Homeschoolers Use RVs as Mobile Classrooms

Parents who homeschool their children are investing in RVs as mobile classrooms. Book learning has its place, these parents argue, but there’s nothing like actually being there to give a child a true appreciation for what he’s learning. It’s not a new idea.

Occasionally, you’ve probably read about a family who packed the kids into their RV to crisscross the country for a few months or a year. The advantage of seeing new sites and meeting new people is obvious. But for most families it was a unique and short-lived experiment. When the kids reached middle school or high school, it was back to the traditional classroom. Today, however, the proliferation of homeschooling has turned an occasional adventure into an educational choice for many RVing families.

History and geography lessons particularly lend themselves to onsite learning. An RV tour of Civil War battlefields allows kids to put themselves in the picture. Hike along the Appalachian Trail to experience the difficulties the pioneers faced when starting their trek west. Spend a day helping out on a farm to learn about how food gets to the table. Tour a factory to find out how things are made. Explore geology and paleontology while fossil hunting. When you have an RV classroom, the opportunities for learning are endless — and exciting.

Fall Means Family Fun for RVers

Fall is a great time for weekend RV trips with the family. Sunny days and cooler temperatures make perfect hiking weather. Even when the temperatures plummet into the 40s at night, you and yours will be toasty warm inside your RV.

Trips to apple orchards for a U-pick experience are fun for the whole family. Many orchards operate cider mills and it’s fun to watch the applies shoot off the conveyor into the grinder before being pressed. There’s nothing better than fresh apple cider — unless its fresh-baked apple donuts or apple pie offered at many apple farms.

One of our family’s favorite apple farms is Long’s Farm in Commerce Township, Michigan, northwest of Detroit. The kids run off some energy picking a couple of bushes of apples. We refuel with cider and apple-cinnamon donuts at the farm stand. Watching through the window as they press the cider and cut and fry the donuts is always a highlight. Recharged, we hit the corn maze. We’ve developed a “Marco”- “Polo” system for finding each other so we don’t lose anyone in the maze.

A stop to pet the farm goats and watch them romp around their 3-story jungle gym rounds out the day before we head for the campgrounds. The kids love roasting hot dogs on sticks over an open fire. But my favorite fall treat is baked apples (core and fill with butter, sugar and cinnamon) wrapped in foil and roasted in the coals for dessert. Yum!