This week on the RV Podcast:
- What’s best for the RVer? Starlink or Cellular?
- Mini Meetup Week starts this weekend for the RV Lifestyle Community, with in-person get-togethers held all across the country. Mike and Jen will hold one Friday night (Sept. 27, 2024)!
- What to do when your RV’s refrigerator stops cooling
- All this plus the RV News of the Week and your questions coming up in this episode of the RV Podcast
You can watch the video version from our RV Lifestyle YouTube Channel by clicking the player below.
If you prefer an audio-only podcast, you can hear us through your favorite podcast app or listen now through the player below. Click the CC logo on the right side of the player, and you can follow along in a word-for-word transcript of the podcast as it plays.
There's one more week to enter our latest giveaway. We'll have two winners for this one.
Win a Waggle!
First Prize: Waggle Pet Monitor PRO+, which keeps track of the temperature inside your rig and sends alerts via SMS, email, and in-app notifications when it exceeds your set threshold.
Second Prize: The RV Mini AI Cam lets you monitor your pet virtually with its 360-degree camera, two-way audio, and real-time motion tracking.
These are the best in safety for RVing pet owners. To enter, just go to https://rvlifestyle.com/sweepstakes
Enter using all the 14 different ways, and the lucky winner will be announced Sept. 29.
MeetUp Week for the RV Lifestyle Community!
All across the country, starting this weekend, it's Mini MeetUp Week for the RV Lifestyle Community – with in-person short social meetups being held in Michigan, Ohio, Texas, and Arizona at restaurants, wineries, local homes, and businesses. These mini-meetups will last for just a few hours and allow us all to connect with other RVers nearby.
You need to RSVP RIGHT AWAY so the hosts can plan for enough space. Jen and I start them off Friday evening at an awesome winery in Southwest Michigan and they go right through Oct. 2 across the country hosted by various community members.
To RSVP, you need to find the one you'll attend in the Events tab at https://community.rvlifestyle.com/events Just click on it and let the hosts know.
We hope to do this on a regular basis!
RV CONVERSATION OF THE WEEK – Starlink or Cellular?
We get more questions about the Internet than just about any other topic about the RV Lifestyle. And no wonder. It’s always changing.
Our guests in this week’s Conversation of the Week are the undisputed top experts on mobile Internet – Chris and Cherie of the Mobile Internet Resource Center.
We like to touch base with them at least twice a year to catch up on the every-changing Mobile Internet world. In this conversation, taken from a much longer live interview we did on the RV Lifestyle Community last week – we discuss what’s better these days – Starlink or Cellular.
We start this conversation by asking Chris & Cherie to outline the latest changes to Starlink…
The answer may surprise you! We talk about what works best, under what circumstances and how to get the best Internet connection for your specific needs. You need to catch the podcast for the details.
Better yet, listen to the full-length interview as it streamed in the RV Lifestyle Community by clicking https://community.rvlifestyle.com/posts/67458564
SOCIAL MEDIA BUZZ – Wendy Bowyer
Wendy Bowyer reports on the hot issues most talked about this past week on social media and our RV Lifestyle Community group.
In our RVLifestyle Community‘s General Discussion space, Patty recently asked: “Does anyone else struggle with the urge to go go go?” Patty was in Minnesota and had been on the road since July. She was getting ready to head back to Florida where they had a lot planned and would be stationary until the end of December. She wrote: “We haven’t gotten to Florida yet and I’m already itching to make plans for January. …. Is it just me or do others struggle with the need for adventure and not sit still for months?”
Boy could many people relate! And no, Patty, it sounds like it is not just you!
Teena said she is always looking for the next place to go. And Carol always has dreams of traveling more.
For some, like Scott, it is his wife who grounds him, Otherwise he is ready to go at a moment's notice.
Clearly judging by the comments, this adventure bug is real among many RVers!
Also in the Community's Boondocking Space, we asked, “How do you feel about the general safety of rustic, off-grid camping spaces?”
It was very interesting to hear so many people's thoughts and experiences.
Some said nowadays, with all that is happening in the world, they do not feel as safe. Said Vee: “I never worried about it much in the past but I feel slightly more like an easy target these days.”
But most people were like Art, who said he feels 100 percent safe. He suggested RVers be aware of your surroundings, and do simple safety steps like posting a “Beware of Dog” sign on the outside of your rig.
Patty was another member who believes it is safe. In fact she said she feels safer camping deep in the woods rather than near a city. Patty said you just have to be smart and always be aware of your surroundings. If your senses are heightened, find a new camp spot. Look for signs of encampments or trash in the area as that is a good indication of the type of usage and people you could encounter. Always have a plan.
Great advice!
Then over in our RVLifestyle Facebook Group, Wendy asked: How can I calm my anxiety before riding in our Class A?
Sounds like Wendy is riding in the passenger seat but is really struggling with anxiety every time they go somewhere. Nearly 700 people responded to this question and of course many said to have a drink or take some kind of drug, BUT there were some other great tips.
Karen was one of many who said Wendy needs to figure out first what is making her anxious. Is it her husband's driving? The size? The huge windshield? The motion? Identifying the cause of the anxiety will help to solve it.
Many suggested Wendy change her seat to a couch with a seatbelt so she is not looking out the window.
But by far, the most common suggestion was to occupy her mind. So listen to a book on audio, maybe watch a movie with a headset, play challenging games on the phone, knit, do word puzzles, cross stitch – anything to keep the mind distracted.
So many good suggestions here. I hope it helped.
RV QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK
QUESTION: I bought a 2011 Heartland Big Country fifth wheel to live in year-round outside Houston, TX. My birthdate makes me 81 but my mind says I’m in my 60s. I would not want to pull my rig even if I had a truck. I had a Toyota Dolphin and before that a pop up tent trailer. My husband graduated to heaven in 2022. So, I think traveling solo is not in the cards.
Question for the community. Got a notice to re-register my fifth wheel and have it inspected before. It would cost approx 200 to take for inspect another $200 to return and set up. Not even thinking about the take down and put back my “stuff”. What do we do when we live stationary? – Cynthia
ANSWER: I don't think you need to worry if you are stationary. I love the 81 but feel like in your 60's. Great attitude! I would, though, advise you to have your Big County inspected by a mobile RV tech to be sure everything is safe and functioning. That's a pretty old unit and, as with a house, it needs basic maintenance. Unlike a house, an RV is not as sturdy and thus, you want the peace of mind that someone has checked things over. Besides, I bet you have a list of things that need adjusting or repaired and the tech can handle that for you, too.
QUESTION: We travel with our two Golden Retrievers and are always looking for places that are dog welcoming. I recall some time ago hearing you say you had an app you used for Bo. Can you share that again, please? Mikela
ANSWER: Sure. We use GoPetFriendly, a pet-friendly travel planning platform. It has a free mobile app and web versions and allows you to find places that welcome you and your pet… whether they be restaurants, hotels, or places where you and your pet can do thighs together.
You can search by destination or get ideas for pet vacations, find dog parks, beaches where you can take your pet, and National Park info on where you can and can’t take your pet.
You can even plan road trips and routes and send in your reviews to help others who travel with their pets.
The website is free to join. Check it out at GoPetFriendly.com
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Discover the Ultimate RV Adventure with Our Yosemite National Park RV Lifestyle Guide
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