RV Home Yet?

KOA work kamper bootcamp September

KOA is offering a Work Kamper Boot Camp in Lodi, CA on September 30, according to RV Daily Report. The one-day event will give "KOA Work Kampers an opportunity to hone their skills regarding KOA campground operation practices, as well become familiar with KOA’s proprietary KOA KampSight computerized campground reservation system."

The event is free. You can pay $35 to have access to job postings and manage your resume on their website, www.WorkAtKOA.com. E-mail welovekamping@koa.net for more information.

Workamping for KOA parks does offer some benefits to RVers when you travel between jobs. Keep in mind that most are family parks, so take that into consideration when deciding on which parks to apply to. Jaimie Hall Bruzenak

Niche retirement communities- for you?

An interesting article at SmartMoney.com, "A Retirement Made for You (and People Just Like You)," mentions the Escapees RV Club CARE Center in Livingston, TX. The article features five retirement communities that cater to specific groups and discusses the pros and cons.These also include one for Asian Americans, for artists, for the gay-lesbian community, and for intellectuals.

I'm not sure I'd classify CARE the same way as the others, but it is certainly the least expensive option. Care is more for Escapee members who have health issues and need extra care. The others focus on providing activities compatible with the interests of its residents.

In any case, nice to know there are options if you decide to give up full-time (or part-time) RVing! Jaimie Hall Bruzenak

Pass required for WA state parks

Heads up! On July 1 you'll need a Discover Pass to enter state parks and recreation lands or face a $99 fine. Passes are for sale online at discoverpass.wa.gov or by calling 866-320-9933. Or they can be purchased at a number of sporting goods and retail stores for an extra fee. A list of licensed vendors can be seen here.

The pass is required for any lands managed by Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, the Washington State Department of Natural Resources and the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife. There are a few exemptions, which can be seen here. RVers will be relieved to know that if they are camping in a state park, the camping fee receipt will serve as your permit. If you have a vehicle pass of some kind for fishing, hunting, ATVs or snow mobiles, you'll also be exempt.

An annual pass is $30, a day pass is $10. Jaimie Hall Bruzenak

Technology- can help you spend or save

One app available in New Zealand will get you a loan of up to $600 with just a text message. On the other hand, Putnam investments have apps to encourage savings. If you "Punch the Pig," you can instantly transfer extra cash to your Putnam account.

Putnam apps - only for iPhone now - include showing you how you can save on major purchases and increase your retirement income by investing the difference. These are leading edge and postive- if people use them. It could help your RV retirement and extend your travels. The other could sabatage retirement plans. Sending a text and getting a loan at 292 percent annual interest is not a good thing. When the impulse to buy strikes, it is too easy to obligate yourself and set aside how you will pay this back. Let's hope this does not spread to this country.

The big question for the Putnum apps is will people use it? One does tell you where you could purchase the item for a better price. That would have appeal. Now would the difference get into the investment account? Possibly. I tend to think that the people who would use these apps are careful shoppers and research and comparison shop when purchasing a high-value item even without an app. If they work, other financial institutions and investment firms will introduce comparable apps of their own. The jury is out! Jaimie Hall Bruzenak

 

Fee-free day tomorrow

The National Park Service is waiving entrance fees tomorrow. Take advantage of it iin your RV travels if you can! This is one of five fee-free days offered this year. See NPS.gov for more information. There is a link on that page listing all the parks it applies to. Pictured are ruins at Tuzigoot National Monument, located in Cottonwood, AZ.Some units have no fee ever, but many do. Getting in free can make a difference especially at larger parks like the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone that charge more than the usual $5 entrance fee.

Concessionaires may offer special deals on this day too so check at the park. Jaimie Hall Bruzenak

Wheelchair Accessible RV - it's about time!

While updating Retire to an RV I found out that Play-Mor no longer build units customized for handicapped individuals nor installs wheel chair lifts in their trailers. They were one of the few RV manufacturers to build units for handicapped RVers.

Fortunately, Walters Travel Trailers in Ohio has introduced the Freedom Traveler H to fill that gap. It comes with a spring-loaded wheelchair ramp, handicap stool, double stainless steel sink with knee hole below, and a modified shower for wheelchair-bound RVers. There is also more space between the beds to accommodate a wheel chair. See the complete list of features and photos.

Thank you Walters- your trailer will indeed mean freedom for many! Jaimie Hall Bruzenak

 

Retire to an RV — eBook reader edition released

Retire to an RV: The Roadmap to Affordable Retirement, the best-selling ebook by Jaimie Hall Bruzenak and Alice Zyetz, is now available for Kindle, Nook and iPad/iPhone ebook readers. The ebook has been reformatted to make reading on these devices easier. This edition comes with instructions for loading your ebook onto your device.

Retire to an RV: The Roadmap to Affordable Retirement helps answer these questions:
    •    Can you afford to retire to an RV?
    •    Is the RV lifestyle for you?
    •    And … What is the RV lifestyle?

RV lifestyle experts, Jaimie Hall Bruzenak and Alice Zyetz, share their combined knowledge based on 17 years on the road and five previous books. They are joined by 41 solo and couple RVers who have contributed their real-life experiences.

Says Mark Polk of RV Education 101, "Retire to an RV-The Roadmap to Affordable RV Retirement is by far the most comprehensive guide to full-time RVing I have ever seen. It is easy to read. In addition to getting the authors' knowledgeable information on all these topics, the opinions and comments from numerous other full-time RVers covers all of the bases. For anybody planning, or just considering full-time RVing this is a must, must read. Great ebook!"

The 202 page Kindle ebook reader version and the pdf format for reading on your computer are available for instant download at RVLifestyleExperts.com and at other RV bookseller websites. An affiliate sales program  is also available.   

Elvis' tiny home

If you've seen pictures of or visited Graceland, it is hard to imagine that Elvis Presley was born in a tiny, two-room house. Our last stop on the Natchez Trace, before leaving it for Arkansas, was Tupelo, Mississippi, birthplace of Elvis.

While some towns have painted cows, porpoises or other creatures, Tupelo has painted guitars! As you head down the Main Street towards Elvis' place, you can't help but see them. Also, looming on the left is the Tupelo Hardware Company. That is where Elvis got his first guitar.

Because Elvis' twin brother died very young, Elvis was an overprotected child. We heard different versions, but as one story goes, on his 10th birthday, his mother took him to the hardware store to pick out a birthday present. He wanted a shotgun but his mother nixed that, as well as the bicycle that was second choice. Finally he decided on a guitar. His mother didn't like that idea either but gave in since she'd turned down his other choices.

Several Presley families all lived in the same area so today, that land is now the Elvis Presley Birthplace. On the grounds are several buildings including the house where he was born. A cousin (or maybe distant cousin) sat on a stool and gave us a tour. She didn't need to move- the house was that small! She told us his story and how his father was sent to jail and the family eventually moved away to Memphis.

You can purchase tickets to tour the house, museum or church or buy a combination ticket and see them all. And, of course, there is the gift shop with all sorts of Elvis gifts with his songs playing in the background. If you were a fan, there's plenty to buy. Neither George nor I fall into that category, so a few postcards completed our purchase plus a tour of his home.

It was a fun stop, though. It does give you some insight into the man. They've done a nice job presenting his life. And, you can take an Early Years Driving Tour - ask at the gift shop/admissions building. Check the calendar. You might be along for Fan Appreciation Day or the Tupelo Elvis Festival. Get more information for your visit at their website or the Tupelo town website. There was a lot where a small RV could be parked, but leave it at a campground if possible. Jaimie Hall Bruzenak

Unraveling the mystery of RV weights

GAWR, GVWR, UVW, NCC- those are enough to drive any potential RV-purchaser crazy. Blogger Andrew Odom, blogging at Tiny House Blog, wrestled with figuring out trailer weights as he purchased a new trailer. As a result, he has simplified the explanation, defined all those acronyms and explained how which ones are critical to decision making so you don't purchase a trailer too heavy for your tow vehicle.

You may not want a tiny house. You may want a long, long trailer or a big rig. This blog entry will  still take some of the mystery out of it. Andrew plans to follow up with more explanations if you need more information.Take a look at the post here.

And thanks to our friend Lloyd Treichel who blogs at Wandrin for sending me the link to the Tiny House blog. Jaimie Hall Bruzenak

National park visitor centers - not important?

RV Daily Report pointed to an article suggesting that National Park Service visitor centers may fade as visitors rely more on digital means of acquiring information. That and the fact that NPS construction budgets have been reduced big time are making NPS concentrate on other ways to reach visitors.

Reading the original article in the New York Times, though, at Yellowstone they expected a drop in the number of visitors stopping at visitor centers since park brochures and maps can be found online. That was not the case. Visitors still came in with questions but they were more in depth and more curious because they already had basic knowledge. And, they've also found that visitors like the human interaction.

Julia Washburn, associate director for interpretation and education for NPS, is quoted in the article. She "envisions a day when visitors armed with smart phones will stop a small kiosk at a wayside station, scan a barcode and listen to a podcast about the site, look at photos, watch a movie or even play a game that helps them understand the significance of a park resource or historical event."

Even though I have an iPhone, I'm not ready to rely totally on it. George and I usually stop by all the visitor centers in a park that we travel by, sometimes two or three in a park. Each has slightly different information and focus. Plus, they usually have their own stamps and we collect them in our Passport to Your National Parks® book. We filled up the little ones and have gone to the notebooks! I usually check online as well before visiting, but like to see the exhibits and get information about ranger talks, hikes and whatever other information they have.

In your RV travels, do you stop at the visitor center when you go to a national park? How important is having that available to you? The Park Service has a limited budget but should visitor centers be a priority? Feel free to leave a comment below. Jaimie Hall Bruzenak