What is the process of shipping an RV?

Whether you’ve bought an RV online or have limited vacation time, shipping the vehicle makes a lot of sense, especially if you don’t want to drive it yourself. But what exactly does the transportation process involve?

Here's a Step-by-Step Guide to Shipping Your RV

photo via Roadpass on Unsplash

Step 1 – Find Your Transporter 

The first thing you should do is reach out to a reliable RV shipper. According to https://www.a1autotransport.com/rv-transport/, you want to ensure you work with a dependable provider to improve your experience. The best way to find your company is to contact a few organizations and ask them the following questions: 

Travel Tuesday Travel Blogger Link Up

It's the second Tuesday of the month, which means it's time for another Travel Tuesday travel blogger link up. Share any fun travel or RV-related blogs, videos, or IG posts using the blue button at the bottom of this post.

Small Town Find of the Month- Cafe Karibo 

7 Tips and Tricks for Visiting Yellowstone National Park in June

Yellowstone is a stunningly beautiful national park! With last week being National Park Week, I finally got around to putting together our video from our time in Yellowstone National Park in 2018. Babe and I both agreed that it is, so far, the best national park we have visited. The scenery is out of this world, and it’s so easy to navigate, but there are other reasons to visit Yellowstone. Everyone has heard of Old Faithful, and the park definitely gets crowded with people coming to see it, but there are some easy ways to make sure your experience is a great one! Here are 7 tips and tricks for visiting Yellowstone National Park in June…

Tips and Tricks for Yellowstone National Park

First photo: Eagle Creek Campground View from hiking trail \\ Second Photo: Our Eagle Creek Campsite

Where to Stay: Gardiner, Montana (Yellowstone North Entrance)

We heard that the West Yellowstone entrance gets super crowded, especially the closer you get to summer. Make plans to stay just outside the North Entrance to Yellowstone. We stayed at Eagle Creek Campground. This beautiful campground is up on a hill, overlooking Gardiner, Montana, and the north entrance to the park. For only $7 a night we had a campsite all to ourselves. There are no hookups, but there are bathrooms to use if you are planning to tent camp. We had our RV and were able to secure a spot right near the front of the campground. Be sure to try to get there early in the day as Eagle Creek Campground can fill up quickly. The host is very accomodating and tried to make room for people without also overcrowding sites, but if you want to ensure you have a spot, it’s best to set up BEFORE you head into Yellowstone National Park. The town of Gardiner is super cute and offers options for dining and shopping, so you can grab a bite to eat to get set for a day of exploring.

Getting clean drinking water in an RV may seem like a hard task, but it's actually really simple and doesn't require a lot of setup. When we were just weekend warriors we had yet to work out a good solution for getting purified drinking water in our RV. I hated thinking about all the plastic we were going through with the water bottles we were using, but we finally figured out a solution that works great for us. Here's how we get clean drinking water in an RV.

How to Get Clean Drinking Water in an RV

You can watch the video above to see exactly what and how we purify the water for RV living or follow these 5 easy steps for how to get clean drinking water in an RV. 

Best RV Camping Site at Tallulah Gorge State Park

 Well, hello 2021! 

We spent the week after Thanksgiving visiting Tallulah Gorge State Park in Tallulah Falls, Georgia. It is a gem of a park, with amazing waterfalls and gorgeous scenery. We stayed 3 nights at the Tallulah Gorge State Park campground. When booking online a lot of the sites were only equipped for shorter rigs, so we were a little hesitant on which spot to book, but we think we found the perfect site. See what we loved about site #43 at Tallulah Gorge State Park... 

Best RV Site at Tallulah Gorge State Park

Happy travels!

Pin for Later

Grand Canyon RV Tips for Booking Trailer Village RV Park Last Minute

Another post a few years in the making, but I'm going to stop calling myself a broken record and say that's just life this days, so here we go. When we were on the road we mostly flew by the seat of our pants, which is how we liked it, but there are a few places where it is hard to do that and the Grand Canyon is one of them! We did know this, but unfortunately did not know the exact dates for when we would be hitting the Grand Canyon until maybe a month before we hit it. That really didn't give us a lot of time to plan our stay at Trailer Village, but we did learn a few tips for booking Trailer Village RV park last minute.  We knew we were going to take 3 full days off of teaching, because we weren't sure what the wifi situation would be like when we got to the park and knew we wouldn't be able to find other accommodations as Trailer Village RV Park is the only full-hookup RV park within Grand Canyon National Park. We almost didn't score the days we wanted with such last a minute booking window, but we made it work and here's how: 

Tips for Booking Grand Canyon RV Spots Last Minute

 

Stalk the Website! 

Once we found our dates we knew when we would hit the Grand Canyon area I basically lived on the Trailer Village RV Park website. At first there was nothing, a downside to trying to book any RV site last minute, but especially true for Trailer Village.

RV DIY Projects to Save Time and Money

We are heading out for our first weekend in the camper in what feels like years! It's only been 6 months, but after living in Delilah the Dream Machine for almost two years, 6 months without her moving feels like forever. We are mostly taking her out to let her breathe a bit, because if you have an RV you know that having them sit in storage for that long leaves them a little musty. It will mostly be a weekend filled with small projects to get her ready for more travels in the future hopefully. 

We are all about the DIY projects around here and while most of the ones this weekend will be smaller, there are other RV DIY projects that I am glad are already behind us. Especially considering how hot it is in Florida right now two of these RV DIY projects will be put to good use! While it can take a good bit of elbow grease, doing your RV projects on your own can help save both time and money. Here are a few of the bigger RV DIY projects we've done: 

Replacing our RV AC Unit 

Detailed instructions in video or this post: Replacing a Dometic RV AC Unit

Great Rv Movies to Watch When it's Raining

We have enjoyed a good many movie nights in our home-on-wheels camper, but to be honest we loved our RV related movie nights even more when were listening to the rain ping on the tin in our smaller weekend warrior. There was something so comfy and cozy when we were cuddled up in 22ft with a Jiffy Pop and the sound of the rain in the background. We watched some of the well known RV movies and the there are some that slide under the radar. We all know the National Lampoon's classic (which to be honest, I am not partial to; I know, I know RV sacrilege), but there are so many other great options out there! Here is my list of great RV movies to watch when it's raining... 

RV related movies to watch when it's raining 

(or any time you need some RV inspiration)...

Adults Only RV Movies

We're The Millers (DVD/Prime)- This is definitely not a movie for the little ears (or eyes), but definitely has it's pretty funny moments for an adults only movie night. Combining Rachel Green with RV life, it's a solid win in my book. 

Replacing a Dometic RV AC Unit

Replacing an RV AC Unit

Summer is upon us and here in Florida it is already H-O-T, HOT! 

Knowing that and getting ready to plan more adventures makes me all the more thankful for our new AC unit in the RV! Replacing our RV AC ourselves was actually a lot easier to do that I thought it would be, so here are a few tips if you are looking at a Summer filled with warm blowing air from your own RV AC unit. 

We spent the beginning of our full-time RV adventure in much cooler weather, so we did not need to use the AC in our 2011 Keystone Cougar. The previous owners had taken great care of it, but it spent most of it's time in Florida and that takes a toll on a rooftop AC unit trying to cool a 34ft 5th wheel. We were in Kanab, Utah when things started to heat up and we realized our Dometic AC unit just wasn't keeping up and was mostly blowing warm air through the rig. We looked into all kinds of options, but found out that ultimately it would cost just as much to recharge the current one (and may not even work) than it would be to just replace it. Trying to wait for an RV repair man can take a long time and we were not staying in one place; we couldn't take it anywhere and leave it, because where would we live. So, replacing the ac unit became our first big RV DIY project- you can see an in-depth walk through in the video below with step-by-step ways to replace it or read through some of our tips to tackle it too! It definitely saved us a ton of money doing it ourselves than if we had paid to have it done. 

How to Replace a RV Dometic AC Unit

Equipment Needed:

- New AC Unit 

- AC Duct Tape (HVAC silver tape) 

- Screwdriver 

Replacing our RV Slide Weather Stripping

Replacing RV Slide Weather Stripping

Well, we made it 7 months on the road and had quite a few adventures before we had any issues with leaking in the RV. Once we were back in Florida though and the rainstorms came in daily we started noticing a small drip in the living room slide. Our 5th wheel is a 2011 Keystone Cougar and we weren't sure if the weather stripping had ever been replaced (by the looks of things it hadn't). So we took on the task of replacing the RV weather stripping ourselves! Thankfully replacing the weather stripping on the RV was a good bit easier than replacing the RV ac, just required a little elbow grease and a few screws. Here is how it went:

Supplies for Replacing RV Weather Stripping

- Screwdriver

- Scissors 

- Primary Seal (check your camper model to see which primary seal will fit your unit)

- Secondary Seal (the smaller seal that goes on the slide itself)

- Paint Scraper (not needed, but makes the job a whole lot easier)

- RV Rubber Seal Conditioner (for maintaining seals)

Why You Need to VISIT IDAHO // A Travel Blogger Link Up

Soooo, it's only been a handful of months since I have managed to get a #TravelTuesday Link Up live, but here we are... thanks for being patient! 

Be sure to link all your adventures at the bottom of this post! 

I'm not actually going to write a lot this month, but am going to let our newest video from our time on the road speak for me. If you've never considered paying Idaho a visit, here are our favorite reasons why you need to change that...

Idaho truly is a spectacular state; from the stunning Shoshone Falls in southern Idaho to the rail trail ride on the Route of the Hiawatha in the north Idaho had so much to offer for any outdoor lover!

5 Reasons to Visit Idaho

I am kicking off the year by sharing one of my favorite spots of 2018! After spending 7 months on the road, and traipsing through over 20 different states, you might be surprised to find that my favorite one was Idaho... yes, Idaho! I was just as shocked! We planned to drive through, spending one night in Idaho on the way out west and again on the way back east. Plans changed quickly and here's why... Though there are more, here are 5 reasons to visit Idaho.

5 Reasons to Visit Idaho

Spring Skiing at Steamboat Springs Resort and Old Town Hot Springs

Spring in Steamboat Springs, Colorado!  

We've been in Colorado for about two weeks now and are LOVING it! When a friend gifted us with free lift tickets to Steamboat we booked it northwest just as quick as we could! We are now further east (almost to Utah) in a town called Grand Junction and are enjoying the warmer days and gorgeous, other worldly (at least for these Florida-natives) hikes. We will be sharing those soon, but Steamboat Springs can't be passed up. Here's why we loved spring in Steamboat Springs so much...

Steamboat Springs Is Easily Accessible 

This was the first time driving hauling Delilah the Dream Machine up really high inclines, so we were very grateful that it's pretty easy to get into Steamboat from I-70! The resort was also so gracious and allowed us to park in their lot overnight, when we found out we wouldn't be able to stay at the state park we were planning on. This is not customary and probably won't work during busy season, but it never hurts to call and ask. We pulled into their overflow late after the runs were closed on Sunday, were able to walk to the gondola that took us to the top of the mountain to ski Monday, and we're gone once the slopes closed at the end of the day. 

5 Reasons Cracker Barrel is a Full-Time RVers Boondocking Bestie

We did it!! 

We earned our boondocking in a parking lot badge! 

Ok, so as far as I know there are no actual full-time RV life badges, but there should be. 

Anyways, we spent this past Sunday night parked in a Cracker Barrel parking lot overnight and absolutely loved it!! I know what you might be thinking, "but, it's just a parking lot!" To me it is so much more. One, our night in the Cracker Barrel parking lot was our first night boondocking in Delilah the Dream Machine; two, the ambiance was actually perfect for a wonderful night's sleep. Here are 5 reasons we think boondocking at Cracker Barrel is an amazing component to full-time RV life.... 

Cracker Barrel: The Bed and Breakfast for RVers

We actually ate two different meals at this specific Cracker Barrel. We pulled into the lot, after a long day of driving, and went in to grab dinner before tucking in for the night. We also made sure to introduce ourselves to the manager, just to let staff know we would be staying overnight. The staff was so hospitable and accommodating. The next morning, we woke up and went back in for a huge breakfast to fuel us for the next 6 hour leg of our trip out West. Cracker Barrel now offers specialty coffee beverages and we loved adding a little oomph to our coffee game with a caramel and mocha latte. 

Full-Time RV Life || Nashville, Providence Canyon, and Micanopy

I feel like I have been saying this so often, but yet again we have been a little MIA around the blog. We returned to Florida for a wedding in St. Augustine last weekend and, because we were so close to Orlando, we made plans to come back and catch up with friends and family before hitting the road again. We were only planning to stay for a week, but there was so much to fit in (and soooo much laundry to get done) that we have ended up staying for two. We've been busy running errands, placing Amazon orders, and catching up with everyone that we have neglected to do much updating around these parts. I have a few minutes between the chaos today to play catch-up, so I figured I would share a little bit about the last few spots we hit up before rolling back into Orlando...

Nashville, Tennessee 

Life's Sweet Journey Life Lately

Happy February friends!

Hoping all is well in your world! 

It's the beginning of a new month, and we've been a little quiet on the blog, so I figured it's the perfect time for a little "Life Currently" update. Here is what February is currently looking like for us... 

{Finishing} We just finished our new Road Talk Tuesday video and it is now live over on YouTube. We have had a few questions about what we do on the road, so we answered those questions this week. We both teach English online, while we work on hopefully growing this space into part of our income on the road. Head over to YouTube to catch the new video and subscribe! 

{Subscribing} Now that we are spending so much time in the car we are trying to jump on the Podcast Train! We really haven't listened to very many and are trying to find some that we can enjoy together! We have been listening to other travel couples share their stories on To the Nations Worldwide podcast and are excited to be one of the couples on there soon!Share your faves! What podcasts should we be subscribing to?

Full-Time RV Life || Staying Connected and Happy on the Road

Happy Thursday! 

If you follow our adventures on social media, or have watched this weeks Road Talk episode, then you know it's been one crazy week on the road! 

From our first tire blow out, to no cell service at the campground we were staying at (we teach English online and have to be connected), only to get stuck the mug on the way to our next location, it's definitely been a week of on-the-go learning experiences for us. I figured I would share some tips and tricks we learned that might help you avoid making some of the mistake we made! So here are... 

5 Tips and Tricks for RV Life Travel 

Our Maker's Mark Distillery Tour || Touring Iconic Kentucky Distilleries

Happy Tuesday Adventurers!!

Let's head to Maker's Mark Distillery!

Location: Maker's Mark Distillery, Loretto, Kentucky // It's the 2nd Tuesday of the month, which means it's time for another #TravelTuesday link up! Been adventuring anywhere lately? Explored somewhere new in the place you call home?! Join in at the bottom of this post! This month we are sharing one of our first adventures on the road, as well as our first installment of Road Talk Tuesday over on YouTube! Last week we headed to Maker's Mark Distillery for a tour and it was everything a Kentucky pit stop should be... 

The Maker's Mark Distillery Tour is Totally Worth It

While you can visit the Maker's Mark Distillery without paying, you only get access to explore the outside grounds and visit the gift shop (where you can dip your own bottle!). The tour itself costs $12 and is worth EVERY. SINGLE. PENNY!

Leaving for Full-Time RV Life and a Stay at Forest Lake RV Resort

Happy Friday!! 

We are spending our Friday in the truck, with our home hooked up behind us and moving northward. We have officially been on the road for 5 days now! So, I figured I would share a little look at the mix of emotions and destinations that have been part of our first week of full-time RV life…

Goodbyes are Hard! 

We kicked off the week with tons of goodbyes and TONS of tears! Saying goobye to friends and family was harder than I thought it would be and the surge of emotions accumulated into a very tearful goodbye.

#TravelTuesday 22 // A Goodbye Tribute to our Travel Trailer

Happy Travel Tuesday Folks! 

I'm super excited for this month's link up and to see where in the world you have been! 

Add your link at the bottom of the post and let's adventure together! 

This month I am throwing it back with a tribute to our sweet travel trailer, Florida ReVa, and all the great adventures she brought us during the two years that we had her. It was a bittersweet day when we traded her in for our new home-on-wheels, but we needed something a bit roomier for full-time RV living. Here's a little taste of our life with our very first traveling home...