The best way to avoid cabin fever? Avoid the cabin altogether. So grab the keys to one of our favorite campervans and hit the road to warmer climates. Here are a few of our favorite warm-winter destinations:
In this episode, Sam interviews Kory and Denise from the Youtube Channel Does Size Matter. Korey and Denise are RV Sometimers traveling all over North America, finding adventures and beautiful views. Along the way, they share with others how the RV Sometimer Lifestyle works for them and might for you. As well, they also share all of their research and reviews on the many different RV choices out there to help you make up your own RV Sometimer Lifestyle Recipe.
In this interview, Korey and Denise share what it means to be an RV Sometimer and how to get started!
10:00 – Switching from a travel trailer to a motorhome
18:00 – Starting a YouTube channel
21:00 – Working with Boondocker’s Welcome (As hosts and guests!)
26:00 – Tips for Sometiming
Kory and Denise’s tips for RVing and becoming an RV Sometimer
You don’t have to always drive the RV back to your home base. You can store it somewhere and fly back and forth. Whatever works for you!
Being an RV Sometimer can keep things interesting. You don’t always do the same thing. You can go out on the road when you want to and then come home when you want to settle down in your local community.
Find a way to make your income source flexible, so you can pick whatever kind of schedule that you want.
You don’t have to have a tight schedule and rush back and forth between home and travel. Find the balance that works for you.
Keep these questions in mind:
How long do you want to be gone?
What’s your budget?
What’s your travel style? (This might change over time!)
Join Boondocker’s Welcome to save money on camping and meet new people! Korey and Denise use it as guests and also as hosts when they are at home.
It can be a bit intimidating to make friends at a campground when you don’t know anyone, but there are some things in life that are often more fun with other people, camping included. You already have things in common—an interest in RVing and travel, for instance.
Where else can you discuss the best way to cook over the fire and commiserate about black tank woes in the same conversation?
Campers are a pretty friendly group of people to begin with, and it’s usually worth the effort to make friends with the other people around you. Here are a few of our tips for making friends at the campground.
Be Outside
Photo by Phil Coffman on Unsplash
It may seem obvious, but you won’t make any friends sitting inside your RV! If you want to meet new people, you have to put yourself where they are—usually enjoying the outdoors.
So open those chairs by the campfire, grab a beverage of your choice, smile as people walk by, and invite them to join you for a cup of coffee around the fire in the morning or for a beer for happy hour in the evening. Having some extra s’more ingredients never hurts to attract people either.
If the campground has a pool or activities center, head over there to meet up with others. Hosted activities are a great way to make friends, and people tend to be more willing to chat when everyone is congregated around a pool or hot tub. It’s a great place for hearing or telling those crazy camping stories!
Ask Your Neighbors About Their Rigs, Tools, or Gear
RVers love talking about their rigs! We’ve had some great conversations with people about their RVs, and several have turned into long term friendships.
Do you have the same make or model as the person parked next to you? Talk about what you love about it or the little things that drive you crazy.
If you see someone who has the type of rig you want or have been thinking about, ask them how they like it. Do they have any favorite aspects about it? Would they recommend it?
The same goes for camping and RV gear. Maybe the family next to you has an interesting grill set up, or the guy across the way has camp chairs that look next level comfortable. Ask them about it! We’ve gotten some great recommendations on gear by asking people at campgrounds, and it usually ends up in a fun conversation with nice people.
Ask Where People Have Been
Photo by Jorge Flores on Unsplash
Aside from some great ideas for places to go, you may pick up some good tips on must-hit towns or activities, and any roads to avoid with your RV.
You’ll very likely hear some fun stories as well. Again, we RVers love to tell people where we’ve been, so if you find someone who’s been to a place you’re planning on visiting, pick their brains and listen to any tales they have.
They may save you from driving down that road with the low overpass, and you might make a new friend in the process.
Children and Pets are Great Ways to Meet People
Kids have a fantastic ability to talk to pretty much anyone, be it other kids or adults.
If you have children and they’ve found some friends their age at the campground, it’s a perfect opportunity to meet their parents and bond over the good time your kids are all having.
Any organized kids activities at the campground are another great place to meet other parents.
If your kids are more of the four-legged, furry kind as opposed to human, it’s very easy to strike up a conversation with other pet parents. If the campground has a dog park or run, ask another camper if they want to join you in taking your dogs to stretch their legs.
Even just walking your pet around the campground for exercise or a potty break is a great way to meet fellow campers and pet lovers.
5. Use social media to find other campers and RVers
This happens before you even get to the campground, but many times online friendships can lead to real life meetups. Join groups like Escapees, RVillage, or Facebook groups for RVers.
Follow other RVers on Instagram. Go to meetups. Join RV social memberships sites and you’ll know if other people will be in the area you’re planning on visiting. Then by the time you get there you’ll have a built-in community.
Overall, just be friendly! Campers are fun people, and you already have a few similar interests. Be open, friendly, and interested in other people, and you’ll be making friends at the campground wherever you are.
Do you have any tips you think would work well for campers? Leave a comment below.
Taking care of your motorhome starts with the chassis and engine. Without the proper maintenance of the basics of the rig, you aren’t going anywhere even if the rest of the RV is in immaculate condition.
Your motorhome’s fuel filter might seem like a small part of the overall unit, but the fuel filter plays a very important role in keeping your RV on the road and running well. Let’s take a look at the fuel filter and some things you should know about it.
What Purpose Does the Fuel Filter Serve?
Image from Camping World
On the most basic level, the fuel filter keeps the dirt or debris that can make its way into the fuel system from damaging the engine. The filter is designed to catch this debris and dirt.
Your engine’s injectors are built to very tiny tolerances. This means even the littlest bit of dirt or grime can plug those up. The fuel filter keeps those injectors clean, allowing them to do their job and keep your engine running strong.
As you can imagine, fuel filters don’t last forever. A plugged up fuel filter isn’t going to work as well as a new one. That’s why it’s important to change your fuel filter from time to time.
How Often Should You Change the Fuel Filter?
Image from Camping World
The simple answer here is that you should change it as your owner’s manual says you should. You can change it more often if you want, but don’t change it less often. If you do, you’re asking for an issue with your motorhome’s engine.
Every RV is going to be a little different, and every manufacturer will have slightly different advice on changing your fuel filter. However, somewhere between 20,000 and 40,000 miles is probably smart.
It’s also important to note that if your RV sits a lot, you might want to change the fuel filter, too. The fuel filter is full of fuel most of the time. If the vehicle sits for a long time, the fuel in that filter can age poorly and cause issues. If your motorhome sits for many months or even a year, then you should probably think about changing the fuel filter.
If you don’t use your motorhome too much so you hardly ever come close to the mileage noted above but it doesn’t sit for months on end, then consider changing the fuel filter at least every two years. Doing it biannually even if you don’t use the RV much will help keep the engine running as smoothly as possible.
Fuel Additives Can Help
I’ve heard some people scoff at fuel additives, and I will say that they’re not all treated equally. However, putting in a fuel stabilizer in your fuel is important.
If your RV sits at all for more than two weeks at a time, you need to add some kind of fuel stabilizer to your RV. Make sure it’s a fuel stabilizer that’s designed to work with your engine. Most fuel stabilizers, like this one from STA-BIL, are designed to work well in just about any engine, but you still need to do your due diligence to make sure you’re putting the right kind of fuel additive in your tank.
Fuel additives are designed to keep gas fresh and can help to keep the inside of your engine clean. Most will protect for up to 24 months, so as long as your RV doesn’t sit longer than that, you should be good.
Don’t Forget Your Motorhome’s Generator
Image from Camping World
Don’t forget, there’s a fuel filter on almost all types of engines. Some are more robust than others. Your RV’s generator, or a portable generator you use while camping in your RV, probably has one on it. When you go to change the fuel filter on your motorhome, think about changing the one on your generator, too.
The same goes for fuel additives and stabilizers. Your generator will benefit from having a stabilizer added to it any time it goes more than two weeks without being used.
In this episode, Sam chats with Hannah (aka the.curly.nomad on Instagram!). After leaving her position as a VP at a marketing agency in LA to start her own business, Hannah realized that she could run her business from anywhere. She bought an RV and hit the road as a solo traveler!
In this interview, Hannah shares what it’s really like living on the road, the good and the bad. She also shares her favorite destinations, experiences as a female solo traveler, advice for dating on the road, and how to travel if you don’t like to drive your RV.
What we talk about in this episode:
0:30 – Current travels and Xscapers Convergences
3:00 – From marketing VP to digital nomad
10:00 – Experiences as a solo female traveler
14:00 – Advice for solo female travelers + dating on the road
20:00 – Boondocking tips and favorite travel destinations
26:00 – RVing tips for people who don’t like driving their RV
Hannah’s tips on RVing
Once you find your community on the road, you never have to be lonely. Go to Xscapers Convergences and other meetups!
It’s easy to put business on the back burner when you’re traveling. All you want to do is explore! You want to go play, but you have to find that balance. You need to be a responsible adult and get work done to be able to afford the travel lifestyle.
People in the community (and in the world in general) can be very willing to help you, especially as a solo traveler.
You create such deep friendships while traveling. You automatically have some values in common with other full-time travelers.
Plan for breakdowns with your RV. They will happen! There are logistics problems right and left. You need to problem solve on the road and set aside money for repairs and gas.
Buying a Class A Motorhome is the right move for many people, but there are a lot of variables that come into play when thinking about buying the right RV. One of those variables is the size.
Class A motorhomes vary in size. Size is defined as height, width, and length. These are all metrics that you need to think about when buying a Class A RV.
Height of Class A Motorhomes
Image from Getty
Class A motorhomes vary little in height, running from about 11 feet to 13 feet. This keeps them manageable while driving and parking while still giving you plenty of height in the interior of the unit so you don’t feel too cramped.
Width of Class A Motorhomes
As far as width, when closed they are all around eight to eight and a half feet in width.
When open, larger ones with opposing living area slides can take up as much as an additional six to eight feet more on each side.
The width will only affect you when you’re selecting a campground spot as that will be the primary place you’ll open your slide-outs.
Length of Class A Motorhomes
When it comes to what size aspect affects you more, it’s length. The pat answer to length is simple – they run from around 25 feet in length all the way up to nearly 45 feet.
The simple numbers behind the length, however, are not going to truly help you in your overall decision when buying a new or used Class A motorhome.
Length has many factors behind it. So how do you know what length to get? Let’s take a look at some questions for you to consider.
Questions to Ask Yourself When Considering Size
Don’t just go with your first gut instinct on size. Really think about it! Here are some things you need to consider.
Where are You Planning on Going?
If your planned adventures are to take your Class A into national parks and camp, national parks do have size restrictions either park-wide or from campground-to-campground within a particular park.
As an example, America’s oldest national park, Yellowstone, does have a wide variety of campgrounds but does not have a lot of space for Class A motorhomes. They have limited space for those who reach a maximum of 40 feet in overall length, meaning if you have a toad, count that in as part of the length.
If you are already over 40 feet just with your motorhome, plan on parking your RV outside of Yellowstone – as well as pretty much every national park – and enjoying the park via your toad.
Are you planning on taking on the Rockies? Do you need a diesel pusher to get you over Colorado’s Rabbit Ears Pass without huffing and puffing your way to the summit?
You’ll probably want to opt for a diesel. However, don’t think every Class A diesel is a massive 40+ feet behemoth. There are a select few 35-foot or so Class A diesels to consider.
Who Will Travel With You?
How is this affected by length? Simple. The shorter the motorhome, the chances are it has been specifically designed with a camping couple in mind.
For the most part, every Class A motorhome has the capability of sleeping at least 5, but really put your eyeballs on respective floorplans to see what fits you best. If you are planning on taking quite a few members of your family (or camping family as it were), you will need more sleeping spaces, ergo a longer Class A, possibly even a Class A bunkhouse.
Also, the longer the Class A, the more likely you’ll be able to get a master bedroom with a solid privacy door. When you’re taking out a large family, that will matter… as will the possibility of having a second bathroom. Bath-and-a-half models generally run 40+ feet in length.
What About Storage?
Differing sizes means storage issues in two different ways. Part one is regarding the actual amount of storage available in the motorhome.
If you decide a shorter Class A would fit you better, double-check to see if everything you plan on taking with you fits into your decision as well. Sometimes opting for a slightly longer Class A is a better choice purely from a storage standpoint.
Part two of storage is regarding how you’re planning on storing your Class A when you’re not out traveling the country. If you are a full-timer, no worries on this and congrats to you as that sounds amazing. But for the vast majority of us outdoor lovers, you will not be living in your Class A on a day-to-day basis.
As such, long-term storage may need to be taken into consideration when thinking about the length of your future motorhome.
To sum it up, Class A motorhomes vary in size. But, when you’re shopping for a Class A motorhome, it’s not the width or height that should concern you the most, it’s the length.
