Every wonder how cool it would be like to spend a day at an RV dealer – the amazing stories and experiences that you would get from customers and staff alike?
Well, so did we! That's what Jennifer and I experienced after spending St. Patrick's Day at Leisure Time RV in Winter Garden, Fla. during our recent March trip south. The photo is some of the people who came from all over Florida to meet and greet us and tell us their stories.
See the photo of this stained glass window? That's what one of the Florida RVers had added to his motorhome.
And there were lots of stories.
You can hear the results of our visit during our main interview of the newest Roadtreking podcast during which we talk to customers who provide insight into WHY and WHERE they roll as well as Leisure Time staff on WHAT and HOW those same customers get – and stay – rolling. (You will never guess what the most frequently ordered part is for Roadtreks.)
The bottom line? It's an important part of the RV lifestyle that helps get you out to those exceptional destinations and meeting so many great RVers like you!
Also in this episode, we talk:
- RV Weights
- RV Tires
- Winnebago Recalls
- Walmart Shootouts
- Retired Hangouts
- Florida's Rookery Bay
All that and more on episode 28 of the Roadtreking podcast!
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Listener Question: Weighting Your RV
Listener Rob sent in a question about weighing an RV. I address why weight matters and how it can change depending on certain factors, such as what you pack and who travels with you.
The Family Motorcoach Association (FMCA) has a great guide (Read more) The guide elaborates on the following:
- Why to Weigh Before You Pay
- Why to Weigh by Wheel Position
- Why to Use a Certified Scale
- How to Determining the Wheel Loads
- The Importance of Tire Ratings
- What to Know About Towed Vehicle Weight
Listener Question: Tired Out
Listener Ken calls with a question about replacing tires. He's had his Roadtrek four years and wants to know where to start. I give him some suggestions. I like the Michelin LTXMS2.
Further, I share details from a post by Roadtreking Reporter Campskunk, specific to small motorhomes and Class B RV’s (Read More)
RV News of the Week: Winnebago Recall, Walmart Chaos, Where to Retire
Winnebago Recall – Winnebago Industries is recalling 519 model year 2015 Winnebago ERA, View, and Itasca Navion vehicles manufactured Sept. 11, 2014, to Feb. 27, 2015 and built on a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Chassis. The abutting wedge, a component attached to the door jam to make opening the door easier after a severe frontal impact, may have been installed incorrectly. A greater force may be necessary to open the doors, increasing the risk of injury.
Mercedes-Benz will notify owners, and their dealers will check the installation of the abutting wedge, correcting it as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin in March 2015. Owners may contact Mercedes-Benz Sprinter customer service at 1-877-762-8267. (Read the recall notice)
Walmart Lot Shootout – Eight officers and a Walmart employee were assaulted in a Cottonwood, Ariz. parking lot Saturday night in a fight that left one suspect dead, another wounded and seven in custody, officials said. The fight happened Saturday night, according to the Arizona Department of Public Safety.
When officers arrived, the suspects were in the parking lot and attacked officers, DPS said. One suspect was shot and killed during the fight, another was shot in the abdomen, and a total of seven others were taken into custody, DPS said. The suspects had been staying in a Suburban vehicle for at least four days in the parking lot, according to a man camping out in an RV in the parking lot. The man said he looked out of his RV's window after the brawl and shootout woke him up Saturday night. He heard screaming and saw people running around and firing guns. (Read More)
Best Place to Retire? – Florida and Hawaii may be dream retirement spots for some, but Wyoming is actually the best state for retirees, according to new research from Bankrate.com. The worst state for retirees is Arkansas. Bankrate ranked all 50 states according to several factors. They included local weather, cost of living, crime rate, health care quality, tax burden and senior well-being (a measurement from the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index that quantifies how satisfied residents 65 and older are with their surroundings). Each factor was weighted according to a national survey on what people value in retirement.
Wyoming came out on top for its low cost of living, low crime rate and low tax burden. Other states that round out the top 10 best states to retire are Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Virginia, Iowa, Montana, South Dakota, Arizona and Nebraska. (Read More)
Traveling App Guide: A Little (Or Lot) of Privacy, Please!
Make no mistake about it – knowing what you do on your smartphone or tablet is extremely valuable to a lot of different organizations – and I’m not talking hackers, either. I’m talking the likes of Facebook, Google, and many, many others. But with some special apps, you can have a fighting chance to keep your activity, YOUR activity.
Disconnect is so effective at blocking Google tracking it was briefly taken out of the Google Play store last year – is a great option for keeping private what you do online through your phone (Apple, Android). The free version blocks mobile malware and mobile trackers. A paid upgrade protects you from so-called malvertising, or malware distributed through ad networks.
One of the handiest tools for smartphones is called Ghostery. Get the app to see what companies are tracking you. Ghostery then gives you the power to block scripts, images, objects and framed documents from companies that you don’t trust. Free for Apple and Android.
Another option – this one for iPhone users only – is called Weblock. The app allows you to block mobile advertising – including those annoying video ads that sometimes automatically open. You can also block various types of content, use filters and create rules to blacklist/whitelist any URL, domain, IP or network. You can even synchronize configuration between your devices via iCloud. The app is $1.99. (Click here for more)
Traveling Tech Guide: Nexus 6
Have you heard the big news? The Nexus 6 is now available on Verizon, and there’s plenty to admire about this Google-inspired device.
Complete with Android Lollipop, the Nexus 6 is packed with many features that will take your mobile experience to new heights. Not only does it boast a beautifully designed 6-inch Quad HD display, it’s also easy to navigate and intuitive to use.
Combine that with an ultra-fast quad-core processor, dual front-facing speakers and a 13-megapixel camera and you have everything you need to take on the day right in your pocket. Even better – it comes with a Turbo Charger, which gives you up to six hours of battery life in just 15 minutes.
Visit your local Verizon retailer today to take the Nexus 6 for a test drive and learn how you can take advantage of Verizon’s MORE Everything plans.
For a limited time, individuals and families who switch to Verizon can get a $100 bill credit with each new Verizon Edge smartphone activation. Isn’t it time you joined the nation’s largest and most reliable 4G LTE network? Visit Roadtreking.com/vzw for stories about how technology can enhance and improve your life.
Off the Beaten Path: Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (Naples and Marco Island, Fla.)
Jennifer and I booked a stay at the Naples-Marco Island KOA, located just off Collier Boulevard at the northern end of the Ten Thousand Islands on the Gulf coast of Florida and the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve.
The reserve represents one of the few remaining undisturbed mangrove estuaries in North America. An amazing world exists within the 110,000 acres of nearly pristine mangrove forest, uplands and protected waters of Rookery Bay. A myriad of wildlife, including 150 species of birds and many threatened and endangered animals, thrive in the estuarine environment and surrounding upland hammocks and scrub found within its borders..
Indeed, the yellow shirt KOA guide who led us to our campsite told us wildlife was very abundant and to be sure to take everything in at night because bears frequently roam the campground and, a couple times a year, someone spots one of the black panthers that prowl the nearby Everglades. Oh yeah, there are also snakes, including – so a neighbor camper told me last night – a sighting last year of an 18-foot long Burmese Python, an invasive new species that now slither throughout the glades. Read our Roadtreking blog post about it here.
Giveaway: Free Audiobook from Audible.com
We also 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!
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:
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.
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