Not Your Average Explorer

Camping is supposed to be relaxing and fun, right? For us,  it usually is. Over the years, we have stayed at hundreds of campgrounds, met countless new friends and made amazing memories.

We tell everyone we know that RVers are a friendly and polite group of people and, for the most part, it’s true. But there are always exceptions to the rule. Every once in a while, a camper doesn’t follow the traditional guidelines, and a peaceful retreat turns into a stressful experience we’d rather forget.

Before diving into the 5 ways to become a better rver, it’s worth remembering that, if we want campgrounds to be well-mannered communities, we should start by making sure we are well-mannered campers.

Number 1:  Leave your Site better than you found it.  Leave the campsite as you found it OR better.  Remember that the campsite is on loan to you, and it’s important not to make any permanent changes. Don’t move boundary stones or fire rings, and if you move the picnic table, return it before you leave. Never cut down branches, and don’t put nails in trees for clotheslines or hammocks. Before departing, make a quick sweep of the site to check for personal items or debris. There are times that other RVers don’t believe in this motto and we have to pick up their pet deposits OR all the trash they left behind.  Be a good RVer and clean this up and make sure when you leave you don’t leave anything behind.

Number 2:  RV Sewer Placement.  When you are hooking up your sewer hose OR picking up for your next destination, be careful where you put it.  We’ve seen people placing their sewer hose on the picnic table!  Ewwwwe. 

When rinsing your hose. Do NOT put it up to the water spicket.  Use a separate hose that is just used for this purpose.

Do not hang your sewer hose over an electrical pedestal for cleaning or prepping to store away.

If the sewer hookup is close to another camper’s site, be considerate and empty the tanks when they are not relaxing nearby, and particularly not when they are enjoying a meal at the picnic table.

Number 3:  Be considerate with noise.  Be conscious of noise. Heavy metal might be your jam at the campground, but not everybody shares your taste in music. With the abundance of outdoor speakers and televisions on RVs, it’s important to remember that noise shouldn’t travel far beyond your own slice of real estate. Test the volume by taking a walk to a neighboring site. If you can still hear Def Leppard or ESPN, it’s time to turn it down a few notches. In addition, quiet hours are observed religiously at many campgrounds. Know the policy where you are camping and keep it down during that time.

We travel with 2 dogs so we try to be sure that they are not barking from inside the RV while we are gone OR we do not allow them to bark repeatedly at other dogs or people.  We go more into this on Number 5.

Number 4: Respect shared spaces. Playgrounds and pools can be hot spots for controversy at the campground. Don’t reserve tables or chairs for the entire day if you are not physically present at the pool. If you’re camping with a group, make sure your cannonball contest doesn’t keep others from enjoying a nice swim.

Observe campsite boundaries. One of the most common complaints on RV forums and social media is people cutting through campsites. Never use a campsite as a shortcut, and stay on clearly marked paths and roads whenever walking around the campground. Make sure you pass this wisdom on to your children as well.  OR don’t do like we saw at a campground.  We watched a couple sit down on a picnic table on someone else’s site. No No No.

Number 5:  Take good care of animals.  Be a responsible dog owner. We love traveling with our dogs, but irresponsible pet owners are another one of the most common campground-etiquette complaints. Always keep dogs on a 6-foot or shorter leash when walking, and make sure they are properly restrained at the campsite via a tether or expandable pen. Carry bags to dispose of pet waste properly or use ones provided by the campground. Perhaps most importantly, no one — not even the biggest dog lover — appreciates constant barking. If your pups yap nonstop at the campground, you might consider other alternatives for them.

Thanks!

Dora & Ed

Travel days for RVers can be quite stressful at times. From issues with your rig and tow vehicle to things getting thrown around your RV. But on todays video we have a few RV packing tips to help you make your move day go a bit smoother.

Thanks!

Dora & Ed

During these past 2 weeks we’ve been pushed to our limits. We have overwhelmed and frustrated and just stressed is an understatement. To be honest with you, we thought about displaying the ‘white flag’ and just give up. How much do you invest in a vehicle before it doesn’t make financial sense anymore? Do you purchase a new? Then what would be payments be? And yes, that new vehicle will have issues as well.

In today’s video we show you how we’ve been handling our truck issues and hopefully you can learn a few things from our mistakes.

Please help us grow by sharing our website & videos with your friends and families!

We appreciate you and thank you all the support!

Dora & Ed

There are many reasons why you should make the change to the Full-Time RV life. You can enjoy a lower cost of living, sense of freedom, and it can be a more eco-friendly lifestyle.

We’ve been living in a 250-square-feet renovated Montana Mountaineer 5th wheel for the past 15 years. Although we love living full-time in our RV – I’m writing this from inside our RV right now – the RV lifestyle isn’t always glamorous. There are several things we dislike and even hate about the lifestyle.

When you live in a tiny home on wheels, things tend to break often because you’re moving around a lot from location to location. Expect to learn some basic woodworking, electrical, plumbing and mechanical skills. If this is something you’re not up for, then you may want to reconsider full-time RV living.

Living in a small space with someone else means you’re living in a small space with someone else! With not much room to move about, it can get a little annoying because you’re constantly bumping into each other. Finding personal space can become an issue. With such a small living area it’s hard to find privacy. You also have to see each other all of the time, which can create more conflict.

If you want to live the RV lifestyle, know that you’re going to be putting a lot more wear and tear on your vehicle. When you’re towing an RV that weighs thousands of pounds, you have to inevitably change the oil and tires more frequently. You’ll also be putting on more miles than the average car owner. This means more repairs more frequently.

Small spaces get dirtier quicker as there’s less room for dirt and dust to move around. Since you don’t want to live in that filth, you’re constantly cleaning. Moreover, an untidy RV just looks cluttered. But on the flip side, it takes much less time to clean your home living in a RV.

When you’re on the road, finding experts who specialize in RV repairs can be challenging. As the RV industry grows, it harder and harder to find qualified people to work on your RV in a timely fashion. And, one that would deplete your bank account. So if you plan on traveling in a RV full-time or weekends, you need to get familiar with all the systems in your RV.

If you plan on living full-time in your RV in cooler climates, then you’re going to have to ‘winterize’ your RV. Skirting your RV so the air doesn’t go under your RV is a must so your pipes will not freeze and burst. We successfully spent one winter in our RV in the Midwest and stayed warm without issues. But, it was not easy nor comfortable.

Mold and mildew are not uncommon issues to encounter with an RV. We often run our dehumidifier or portable air conditioner to dry out the inside of our Montana. Even so, our humidity can still spike, especially if we’re cooking or taking a hot shower.

Depending on your driving skills and comfort level, towing an RV or Montana can be a stressful experience. You can feel the sway, especially on very windy days! But, for the most part, towing our Montana is easy to do as long as you remain focused on the other drivers around you.

If you’re not boondocking or have free places to park, camping fees can add up and get expensive. This is especially true if you’re traveling during the high season or staying for less than a week in the same place. The only time you find real deals at RV resorts or campgrounds is if you commit to spending long-term there.

If you like to have a lot of stuff, full-time RV living isn’t for you. When you live in a small space, downsizing your life is a must. If you have too much, your space will become cluttered. The last thing you want is to end up on an episode of Hoarders.

Every kind of lifestyle comes with ups and downs. Social media & YouTube makes it easy to glamorize living in an RV, Montana or van. But we will be real with you. It’s not always easy living this way. It’s important to know all of the struggles you may face before jumping in. We must say though, even with all the struggles, we love this lifestyle and are so happy we chose to live this way.

We hope our honest insights into full-time RV living gives you a realistic perspective of what it’s really like to live & travel in a small space.

Thanks! Dora & Ed

Today’s video is a mixed bag of things. As we all know, life can throw curve balls at you so you need to react. The RVlife is no different. Our truck issues, we hope, are resolved by simply changing out our fuel filters. And keep in mind, Ed just had changed them. But our mechanic reminded us that products can have defects. We took the plunge and drove our truck to pick out a new couch and we are happy to say; we made it home with a new couch!

To watch our video click here OR click the photo above and the link will take you to our video.

We are so excited to be back with YOU. Ed and I have taken a few days off to focus on the channel. As we re-focused our intentions and goals for our channel, we felt that as a YouTuber, we could share our experiences with others so you could share it with others as well.   “You know how these things start. One guy tells another guy something, then he tells two friends, and they tell two friends, and so on, and so on…” We are so excited to drive our focus back on how we can show YOU how you too can live, travel and work from your RV. But also for YOU to show US how you are doing it. Our hopes are sharing with you our experiences and knowledge, our hope is that it will create happiness in your life as well. Click on the video to be directed to our YouTube Channel video.