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RT22: Celebrating the RV Lifestyle: I’m Free!

| Updated Feb 10, 2015

Whether you're a full-timer or a part-timer, the RV lifestyle is all about freedom: Freedom to explore, meet new people, enjoy God's creation, and find interesting places. In this episode, we talk about all of that as we meet and interview John and Kathy Huggins, of Livin' the RV Lifestyle fame.

John and Kathy have been living full-time in their RV since early 2005 and chronicle their adventures and their tips on the livingthervdream.com website and podcast.

In this conversation we learn:

  • How to cure “grandparent-itus”
  • The secret to getting RV repair when the big service shops are all booked up
  • Why buying used makes the most sense for many
  • What it's really like being a full-time RVer and why it's not for everyone
  • The best way to stay connected to the Internet while traveling
  • How to decide between a motorhome or a fifth wheel or travel trailer

Besides the interview with the Huggins, we answer listener questions about:

  • Gas prices – they're on the rise again but how high will they be during the travel season?
  • Finding campsites that are wheelchair accessible
  • How to learn to make better photographs (or any other skill) through online training that you can take anywhere

Plus we have tech tips, a bucket list destination of the week and a great off the beaten path yarn.

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First Things First: Snowbirds and Gas Prices

We kick off the show with an interesting call from a listener named Freddie who has some thoughts about snowbirds “taking advantage” of the beautiful south during this time of year. He also makes a prediction about a rise in gas prices and I bring you up to speed on what's happening with it today.

Question: Campsites for People with Disabilities?

Listeners Craig and Julie call in with a question about finding more campsites for people with disabilities, also known as adaptive campsites. I explain what these kind of sites encompass, what some of the laws are, and talk about a link to find adaptive sites, which you can find by clicking here.

Question: Where Can I Take Online Photography Classes?

A listener asks for information about how to find online courses for learning how to use photography software such as Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom CC, which are both on my recently updated list of tech gear. I talk about how I benefited from taking online courses as well as a special deal available only to Roadtreking listeners at roadtreking.com/lynda, where you can even try it free for 10 days and see if online learning works as well for you as it has for me. By the way, they have more than 3,300 courses to pick from – including more than 100,000 video tutorials – in subjects ranging from photography, video and audio to graphic design and web development.

RV News of the Week: Bigfoot at Yellowstone?

Has Sasquatch been spotted at Yellowstone? You gotta hear this one about what appears to be a family of Bigfoot-like creatures and/or/most likely hikers dressed in winter clothes. And I also talk about my experience covering an actual Bigfoot hunt in northern Michigan. (Read more)

Off the Beaten Path: Los Padres National Forest in California

Mark shares an unnerving story about a great boondocking spot that was ruined when some armed and inebriated hunters showed up.

RV Tech Tip of the Week: Staying on Track with New Year's Resolutions

It happens to the best of us: We set a New Year’s resolution and lose sight of it after the first month of the year. So what’s the trick to sticking to your New Year’s resolutions beyond the month of January? The answer may be in the technology you use.

Smart accessories, like the Garmin Vivofit fitness band (http://www.verizonwireless.com/accessories/garmin-vivofit-gray/), can provide you with the motivation you need to reach your goals. Not only does it track your sleep patterns, display steps taken and calculate calories burned in real time, it also comes with a sidekick—the Garmin Connect Mobile app.

Simply sync your device with the companion app to create a personal profile and record your fitness data. It’s like having a personal fitness coach in the palm of your hand!

For more ways tech tips check out https://rvlifestyle.com/vzw

Interview: John and Kathy Huggins, Living the RV Dream

Our conversation with John and Kathy Huggins, who are celebrating their 300th podcast of Living the RV Dream and took some time to talk with us about what it's been like to be full-timers for the last five years. Check out their website and podcast to see what they're up to! (Read more)

RV Bucket Destination List: Climbing Pike's Peak in an RV

Jennifer joins me to discuss the time we went mountain climbing in our Roadtrek – during a blizzard. For pictures and video of our drive to the top of Pikes Peak click on https://rvlifestyle.com/climbing-pikes-peak-rv

Free Audiobook

We have news on how you can get a FREE audiobook download and 30-day free trial at www.audibletrial.com/roadtreking. Audible offers over 150,000 titles to choose from for your iPhone, Android, Kindle or mp3 player. For listeners of the Roadtreking podcast, Audible is offering a free audiobook download with a free 30-day trial to give you the opportunity to check out their service. To download your free audiobook today, go to audibletrial.com/roadtreking.

Please Subscribe and Give Us a Rating and Review

And, of course, many listeners are asking how they can subscribe, review and rate the Roadtreking Podcast on iTunes. With a new podcast like this, those reviews and ratings are really important to be able to show well in the iTunes listings. So if you can, I’d sure appreciate it if you’d subscribe and leave me your review.

Here’s how:

How to subscribe, rate and review a podcast

First, open up the iTunes app on your computer or mobile device. Click on Podcasts up on the top
> From the iTunes Podcasts page, use the “Search Store” field up at the top right corner of the page. Type in Mike Wendland or Roadtreking RV Podcast.
> Click on the logo image of the Roadtreking RV Podcast on the search return page
> From there (see photo above), you can…

1) Subscribe

2) Choose and Click on a star (1-5) that reflects your rating. Five stars means you really like it, one star not so much.

3) Leave a written review.

Thanks to all for the kind reviews we’ve received so far. That got us noticed by Apple/iTunes as “New and Noteworthy.” I appreciate every review!

And remember, you can appear in future episodes. Ask a question or voice your comments about RV topics by clicking the Leave Voicemail tab on the right side of this page here at Roadtreking.com. You can then use the microphone on your computer to record your words.

Mike Wendland

Published on 2015-02-10

Mike Wendland is a multiple Emmy-award-winning Journalist, Podcaster, YouTuber, and Blogger, who has traveled with his wife, Jennifer, all over North America in an RV, sharing adventures and reviewing RV, Camping, Outdoor, Travel and Tech Gear for the past 12 years. They are leading industry experts in RV living and have written 18 travel books.

One Response to “RT22: Celebrating the RV Lifestyle: I’m Free!”

February 14, 2015at5:23 pm, Roger Bohnke said:

Another great podcast Mike and Jen. Love John and Kathy. What a joy they are. Just saw on his Facebook he’s requesting prayers for Kathy as she is in critical condition in the hospital!

Comments are closed.

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