Security Tips for RV Buyers and Sellers

As North America’s leading online RV sales site, RVT.com employs the latest in fraud prevention systems to protect our sellers and buyers. Our security system is constantly upgraded to ensure our users maximum protection. However, computer scammers are a crafty lot. You’ve probably read newspaper accounts or seen internet warnings about people duped into revealing their personal information by fraudulent bank or credit card websites. Law enforcement officers say these fraudulent websites can look like the real thing, down to the company logos and legitimate appearing URLs (internet addresses).

Whenever you’re buying or selling on the internet, it pays to be cautious. Follow these security tips to protect yourself and your personal information:

• If the deal seems too good to be true, it usually is.
• Refuse deals where the buyer, acting on behalf of a “client,” asks you to send any amount of money greater than the selling price.
• Use caution with buyers or sellers claiming to be from overseas.
• Avoid sellers who post a bogus phone number and won’t provide a working number or who try to do business exclusively by email.
• Refuse deals where the buyer asks you to pay for an RV inspection.
• Beware of anyone requesting personal or financial information.
• Don’t ever send a deposit or payment by wire or money transfer; use an escrow service. Be wary of cashier’s check payments; talk to your bank first.
• When using escrow services, use trusted providers like Escrow.com. Never use links sent via email which can lead to fraudulent sites. Always type the company’s URL directly into your web browser.

For more fraud prevention tips, visit RVT.com. If you’re ever concerned about security or want to report a suspicious ad, contact our staff at tradersupport@rvt.com or 1-800-677-4484.

RVs Provide Ultimate Telecommute

Tired of staring at the same four dull office walls day after day? Take your job mobile; move your office into an RV. In a trend that gives new meaning to the term “telecommute,” people who work from home or have mobile jobs are opting to combine work with the comfortably relaxed RV lifestyle.

Celebrities, touring athletes and everyday folks whose jobs require them to spend most of the year on the road — salesmen, utility linemen, seasonal workers, construction crews — embraced RV living long ago, finding it more comfortable and less expensive to take their homes with them than live out of motel rooms. Today, the ranks of these nomadic workers are being joined by the growing number of people who conduct business almost exclusively online and over the phone.

It doesn’t take much to outfit an RV to serve as both home and mobile office. You don’t have to buy a new luxury RV; with a few improvements, an affordable used RV will get the job done. Experienced mobile workers say you need three things to stay connected to customers when working from your RV: power, connectivity and reliable cell phone service.

• Install a solar panel on the roof of your RV to provide plenty of power to run laptops, printers, external hard drives, routers, etc.
• Cell phone service can be spotty on the road. To make sure your customers can reach you, sign up for an internet phone service like RingCentral that forwards calls to a mobile or Skype account.
• Go wireless to stay connected to the internet. Get a WAN card or mobile router and sign up with a wireless broadband provider like Verizon’s EV-DO network. Take advantage of  RV campgrounds that offer free Wi-Fi.

Towable RVs That Won’t Bust Your Budget

Looking for an RV that won’t bust your budget? Want to try out the RV lifestyle but not ready to make a full-scale investment? Economically-priced pop-up trailers and truck campers are just the ticket. These low-weight towable RVs generally weigh in at less than half a ton, light enough to be pulled by a pickup or family sedan. A fraction of the cost of buying a large, luxury motorhome, prices for truck campers and pop-up trailers range from about $15,000 to $30,000, much less when you shop online for used RVs on RVT.com.

• A truck camper is a removable camper body that clamps onto a standard pickup truck bed. They typically sleep 2 to 6 and include compact cooking facilities, refrigerator, sink, self-contained toilet, heating/cooling capabilities, water tank, LP gas and separate electric.
• Pop-up trailers, also called tent trailers, are folding tents built into a trailer body that collapse flat for towing. The least expensive type of RV, pop-ups are light weight enough to be towed by standard mid-size cars, sometimes even compacts. They typically sleep up to 6 on convertible beds and include basic compact cooking facilities, small fridge, sink, heater, water tank, LP gas and separate electric. Toilets are not usually included. Newer models may feature rigid roofs and lift-assist setup.

Many RVers appreciate the convenience of light-weight towable RVs. They’re small enough to store in the garage or behind your home so there are no storage fees involved. They’re convenient. During the travel season, you can leave them loaded with essentials so you’re ready to clamp on or hitch up and go whenever the spirit moves you. If you’re looking for a low-cost way to enjoy the RV lifestyle, check out the huge selection of RVs on RVT.com.

NBC Debuts RV Reality Show Tomorrow

RVers get the reality show treatment when NBC debuts The Great American Road Trip at 8 p.m. Eastern tomorrow night, Tuesday, June 7. The new reality series produced by BBC Worldwide will follow seven families of four from a variety of backgrounds as they trek cross-country on the ultimate RV road trip. Traveling in Class A motorhomes, the families will follow legendary Route 66 across the U.S., stopping to take in the sights along the way.

Over the show’s 8-week run, viewers will be able to follow along as the families visit some of America’s great natural wonders like the Grand Canyon and Mississippi River; but they’ll also get to sample some of the nation’s quirkier landmarks like the World’s Largest Rocking Chair, the Muffler Men and Cadillac Ranch. Along the way families will compete in a series of humorous games, and an “end of the road” elimination game will send one family packing at the end of each episode. The final family will win the grand prize.

Focusing on family fun in the outdoors, The Great American Road Trip will showcase the delights and, this being reality TV, some of the challenges of RV travel and camping. BBC producers sought assistance from the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) in finding the RV families and motorhomes featured on the show. RVIA vice president Gary LaBella said, “The Great American Road Trip will showcase the fun of family RVing to a broad network audience. And as millions of American families look for affordable travel options this summer, we expect that NBC’s new reality show will guide many of these families to discover RVing.”

For information about RVing and to check out the largest online selection of new and used RVs, visit RVT.com.

RVing Is Better Way to Enjoy Camping

Though tent campers may lift up their noses and sneer that RVing isn’t really camping, they’re just jealous. Just ask anyone who has ever tried both, and they universally agree that RVing is a better way to enjoy camping.

When the rains come, RVers don’t have to worry about leaky tents and soaked sleeping bags. RVers aren’t struggling to light fires with rain-soaked wood the next morning. They’re happily noshing on scrambled eggs and fresh coffee from their fully-stocked kitchens. When you RV, there’s no waiting in line to shower in mildewed shower stalls. And those midnight slogs to the bathroom are banished when you RV. RVs give you plenty of head room for moving around. No crawling on your knees or contorting yourself into a pretzel inside a low-ceilinged tent while you’re trying to change clothes or put the kids to bed. 

Just watching tent campers unpack, set up, tear down and repack is exhausting. You wonder how they manage to enjoy traveling crammed into a car with all that gear. RVs offer plenty of cargo room and storage space so you can travel in comfort and still carry everything you need. Best of all, you can pack your RV at the beginning of the camping season with all the basics and take off on the spur of the moment, no arduous packing and unpacking required.

RVing allows you to enjoy all the delights of camping — hiking, living in the midst of nature, cooking s’mores over a campfire — but when the clouds of mosquitoes descend after supper, RVers can escape into their comfortable homes away from home and relax in comfort. If you’re tired of tenting and ready to put the fun back into camping, you’ll find plenty of economically-priced RVs for sale online at RVT.com.

Tips for Green RVing

Life amidst nature is one of the joys of RV living. The view outside your window is always spectacular; nature’s bounty, just outside your door. Perhaps because RVers live in the midst of nature they are more attuned to the need to protect our natural resources. Most RVers practice environmental conservation and recycling and are always looking for new ways to preserve the natural world that provides them so much pleasure. Of course, RVers are as economy-conscious as they are environmentally friendly. They know that going green saves green — in their wallet!

Here are some great ”go green” tips from fellow RVers that will help you reduce your carbon footprint, preserve resources and save a little cash in the bargain:

> If you’re embarking on a long RV trip, turn off utilities at home and unplug electronics and appliances before you leave to eliminate energy use while you’re gone.

> Consider adding solar panels to your RV’s roof to provide power while you’re on the road.

> Turn the water off when brushing your teeth, washing your hair or showering. Lather up, turn off the water, scrub, then turn the water on to rinse off.

> Replace light bulbs with energy-efficient CFL or LED bulbs.

> Don’t let the water run while washing dishes. Fill the sink to wash; refill with clear water to dip-rinse dishes.

> Turn off the A/C and enjoy nature’s breezes.

> Patronize RV campgrounds that offer recycling or drop your recycling off at a local collection center.

> When you reach your destination, unhitch your vehicle to save gas while taking local jaunts. If you have a motorhome, consider towing a small, low-mileage car for local travel at your destination. If you’re traveling to a bike-friendly location, ditch the car and take your bikes.