Posted by Ashley Gannon on Apr 30, 2010
There have always been enterprising folks who have combined their love for RV travel with the need to make a few bucks. Called workampers, they cross the U.S. in their RVs, picking up seasonal jobs wherever wanderlust leads them. The workamping movement started with active seniors who would travel north to south with the seasons, working in the tourist centers and gift shops at national parks. These friendly folks formed their own RV communities and a movement was born.
With the struggling economy, more Americans have tuned into the practicality of being able to pick up and quickly move to wherever the jobs are. They’re trading in their homes for a more economical and very mobile life as full-time RVers. The trend has swelled the ranks of RV workampers. Workamper News, a website devoted to job and volunteer postings for mobile Americans, regularly receives 1 million visitors a month.
Job offerings for full-time RVers range from holiday help at UPS centers to summer lighthouse caretaking and everything in between. What jobs have in common is free RV camping for workers. The tourist industry in particular has invested in workampers. Many amusement parks and tourist attractions actively seek mature, reliable RV workers. Disney, for example, hosts a full-service RV park for RV workampers.
Check out this month’s RVT newsletter for more information on RV workamping.
Posted by Ashley Gannon on Apr 28, 2010
Singles, particularly single women in their retirement years, are swelling the ranks of the RV nation attracted by the inexpensive lifestyle and ability to travel affordably. Cozy Class B motorhomes which drive like a family van and compact RV travel trailers are particularly appealing to women RVers.
Solo travelers will find RV parks and resorts welcoming places to rest their wheels. As with any solo traveling, a few safety tips will ensure that you enjoy your RV travels and return home safely:
> Leave an itinerary with a trusted friend or family member back home and check in periodically by phone or email. Notify them of any changes to your schedule.
> Arrive at RV campgrounds during daylight hours and choose a site near other RVers. Families and senior couples generally make safe and helpful neighbors. If the campground feels unsafe, move on.
> Overnight in busy campgrounds or parking lots. Areas with high activity are safer for singles than remote areas.
> Be aware of your surroundings and the people in them. Don’t invite trouble by displaying expensive jewelry or high end electronics.
> Carry extra food, water, warm clothing and a first aid kit in case of a roadway emergency. If you’re traveling in remote areas, be prepared to wait a day or more for help.
> Always carry a cell phone and phone card. Some areas may not have cell service. You should always have a way to contact emergency services.
Posted by Ashley Gannon on Apr 26, 2010
Worker mobility is just one more fallout from the recession. Jobs that are being created aren’t located where unemployment is highest. Smart workers are solving the problem by giving up their mortgage-laden homes, purchasing a nicely priced used RV and becoming full-time RVers. Living in an RV is not only inexpensive, it gives workers the freedom to travel wherever the jobs are and allows them to easily move on whenever a better opportunity presents itself.
Now that the housing market is starting to show signs of recovery, trading a land-rooted home for full-time RV living is becoming an increasingly attractive proposition for a growing number of Americans. A wide variety of comfortable RV styles in sizes and price ranges to fit every budget can be found online on classified ad sites like RVT.com. Many full-timers enjoy the extra space and luxury features of all-in-one Class A motorhomes. Others prefer the practicality of travel trailer RVs that can be unhitched from the tow vehicle and parked while the tow vehicle, usually a heavy duty pickup truck, is used for local excursions at your destination. Full-time RVers who have simplified life to the comfortable basics find a converted van (Class B motorhome) or truck camper gives them everything they need in an easy-to-maneuver package.
Whatever RV style appeals to you, you’ll find excellent new and used RVs at prices you can afford on RVT.com.
Posted by Ashley Gannon on Apr 23, 2010
Memorial Day is still more than a month away and the warnings of high summer gas prices have already started. Pump prices could reach $4 to $5 a gallon! economists warn. Some are even predicting the return of the staycation. So what else is new? It seems that America goes through the same pump price scare at the beginning of every summer vacation season. As Memorial Day approaches, the warnings become increasingly dire.
Well, we’ve lived through $3 and $4 a gallon pump prices ($5 and more if you live on the West Coast), and it didn’t break us. If gas prices do go up, RVers are actually sitting pretty. RVing is the cheapest way to travel and vacation. In multiple comparisons, RV travel beats car/motel, fly/drive/motel and fly/cruise vacations every time. RVing allows you to control your costs. Airlines, car rental agencies and hotels have already started upping their rates and increasing add-on fees in preparation for summer vacation travel. Only RV vacations allow you to reign in the purse strings and still enjoy yourself.
When you travel by RV, you can cut gas costs by visiting nearby state parks. You can manage overnight fees by staying in inexpensive RV parks or state and national parks, any of which are far cheaper than a night in a hotel. RV travel allows you to save on your food budget by cooking your own meals. And you can make your own fun instead of paying for entertainment. No staycations when you RV!
Posted by Ashley Gannon on Apr 21, 2010
Orlando is singing her siren song, luring RV families young and old to come play and live the fantasy. If you have small fry, a trip to Disney World to rub shoulders with the big mouse and his furry friends is probably at the top of your list of RV vacation destinations. If your children are middle school age or older, you might take a pass on the tamer rides at Disney and head straight for Universal Orlando. Universal’s new Wizarding World of Harry Potter exhibit set to open in May is getting all the buzz and is expected to pack the park for months with wizard wanna-bes and their helplessly muggley parents.
Orlando and the entire central Florida region from Tampa/St. Pete, through Orlando and across to Cape Canaveral have become a beacon for family vacationers and RV travelers. The area is dotted with RV parks and RV resorts with all the amenities. Disney World even offers beautiful RV camping right on the grounds.
Traveling by RV is the perfect way to cruise Central Florida with your family. When you’re RV camping, you’re not tied to a single park. You can relax on Tampa’s beautiful Gulf Coast beaches and take in Busch Gardens’ wild animal park before heading to the frenetic interior parks. Finish your trip with a tour of Cape Canaveral and a relaxing day or two on the Atlantic Coast before heading your RV for home.
Posted by nancy@mccordweb.com on Apr 19, 2010
Recently, the National Wildlife Federation has recommended that families make the “2010 Be Out There Resolution”. The idea behind this is to motivate families to spend more time exploring the great outdoors around the United States. This benefits American families as well as tourism and national parks.
For families that want to enjoy nature without losing any of the comfort a home can provide, traveling and camping with an RV is the ultimate vacation!
Some of the benefits of vacationing in nature with your RV are as follows:
1. Families that spend time together hiking and camping in pristine nature, learn how to work as a team. Instead of everyone just making a microwave dinner and plopping down to watch TV or surf the net, outdoor activities encourage social interaction and teamwork. For example, parents can join their kids to gather firewood so they can roast some hotdogs and marshmallows together.
2. Spending time outdoors is healthy. Hiking, swimming, gathering wood and other activities are all great exercises. Add to that all the clean, fresh air found in these pristine natural areas, and we are talking about some real quality of life.
3. Teaching history and geography to your children is so much easier when traveling around the US, Canada and South America.
Clearly there are many benefits of enjoying the simple yet rich bounty that nature provides us. Even more obvious is that this pleasure is greater when shared with family from the comfort of your RV.
Start making your dream vacation a reality by finding out about buying or renting an RV today!
Posted by Ashley Gannon on Apr 16, 2010
RVT, the North American leader in online RV sales, has just made it even easier to sell your RV online. To sell your RV fast, just follow the red arrow on our homepage.
Under Get Started, you can click on Recently Sold to see the latest RVs sold on RVT.com. As you’ll see, it’s quite an extensive list. If you advertise your RV for sale on RVT.com, your RV could be joining that list soon! To list your RV for sale, click on the Post an Ad box and follow the five easy steps. At each step RVT offers advice and tips earned from more than a decade of experience in the online ad business. Your ad can be online where thousands of motivated RV buyers will see it the same day you enter your info.
Click on Selling Resources and RV sellers will find lots of helpful information that will help you make a smart deal with the buyer. Handy RV selling tips, the RVT Price Checker and useful information about escrow and fraud prevention are invaluable to RV sellers (and buyers). Use our unique Price Checker to see what the competition is asking and price your RV to sell! Make sure you click on the RVT Sells video which walks you through the entire RV sales process.
Posted by Ashley Gannon on Apr 14, 2010
Have you checked out the brand new look of RVT.com’s new and used RV classified listings? If you’re in the market to buy an RV, RVT.com has made it even easier to find the RV you’re looking for. From our homepage, click on RVs for Sale in our lefthand RVT Resources navigation bar. Large, full-color photos of each RV class make it easy for RV buyers to quickly identify the type of RV they’re looking for.
Click on the RV type you’re interested in to get helpful information about that particular RV class. RVT provides a comprehensive summary of the RV class including basic construction information, standard features and helpful notes about ease of driving, fuel economy and other items specific to the class. RVT also provides a full-sized photo of a representative RV with length and cost ranges.
Both RV sellers and RV buyers will like our new RV classified ad listings which allow buyers to quickly search by RV maker or location. If you are set on buying a certain RV model, our new listings tell you how many are for sale on RVT.com and allow you to quickly view all listings for that model with a quick click. If you want to purchase an RV offered for sale in a certain state, you can browse RV ad listings by state. Or click on View All Listings under the summary description to browse all RV ads in that class.
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