Dave & Kay Corby's Blog

The World At Your Doorstep: Part 10: A Day In The Life - Bahia Honda

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 21:49:44 +0000

Many of the advantages of traveling about in a motorhome are clear, a few are less obvious. Today we’ll touch on one of the less obvious advantages: what we call “in camp days” . . . with all the comforts of home!

In simple terms, an in camp day means pretty much what the name implies: a day where instead of charging about looking at stuff, you allow time to enjoy being where you are. By way of example:
Not long ago we were camped at Bahia Honda State Park, located in the Florida Keys – a string of 1,700 islands and reefs which collectively form the southeast extremity of the United States.

We had a nearly perfect site – spacious, private, on the water – and we had decided to make a day of “staying home”.

We actually started with a bit of shopping the previous day – planning to take advantage of having our own refrigerator, coffee pot, stove and toaster!

Our day opened with a pot of coffee made with fresh-ground beans from a great little store in Key West: Baby’s Coffee. (A blend called “Hemingway's Hair of the Dog”.) We added a breakfast treat of Mango Bread from Cole’s Peace Artisan Bakery – served not so much toasted as warmed, topped with a generous spread of cream cheese. We know it’s hard to imagine spending two hours over coffee and bread, but we managed to do exactly that!

We next rented a sit-on-top double kayak at the concession located in the park and spent the balance of the morning exploring the beautiful waters that surround Bahia Honda. We returned to our campsite around noon, rinsed off in the shower and turned our thoughts once again to food.

For lunch we grilled Cuban Sandwiches – from The Five Brothers in Key West – on our little stove and took them, along with a couple of tall cans of iced tea, to one of the small pavilions near the park’s Calusa Beach. There we ate, relaxed and had a few laughs as we watched children playing in the sand.
From Calusa Beach, we went to Loggerhead Beach and waded out to a large, shallow sandbar. We played on the sandbar for a while before heading to our main hang-out for the afternoon, Sandspur Beach. There we spent the remainder of the day: snorkeling, lounging in the sand, reading.

After a quick rinse in the public fresh water showers, it was back to the campsite for us.

Dinner was a no-brainer: A quick pass through the microwave and voila: Conch Monterey - big tender pieces of fried conch with melted cheese and jalapenos on top! Ours had been waiting in the refrigerator – leftovers from the previous evening’s dinner at Herbie's Restaurant.

It was the sort of day where we got up in morning with absolutely nothing to do and, as we watched the sun set from our little home on wheels, we knew we’d only accomplished about half of it!

NOTE: Staying at Bahia Honda State Park requires a significant amount of planning ahead – or a bit of luck. The Florida State Parks accept reservations 11 months in advance . . . and Bahia Honda is nearly always full! Occasionally you can get a spot there because of a last minute cancellation, but it isn’t the sort of thing you can plan on.

$AVING$ TIP$

Sometimes saving money is as simple as slowing down and taking time to take pleasure in what you’ve already paid for. Our day at Bahia Honda State Park is an example. As you discover special places on your motorhome touring holiday, allow yourself time to enjoy them.

The World At Your Doorstep Part 9: A Kitchen on Wheels - Basic Equipment

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 13:59:57 +0000

How does the traveler on a motorhome touring holiday start with a kitchen which is both small and empty and wind up able to prepare a decent meal? What sort of stuff is needed? And where will it come from? Because our readers have differing needs and objectives, there is no single, simple answer to the “how” and “with what” of equipping rental motorhome kitchens.

We suggest a middle ground approach to using and equipping the kitchen in your home on wheels – don’t go with the intent of being a gourmet on wheels, but do plan to prepare a few things that are at least moderately interesting.

Let’s start with this: Basic kitchen equipment will either be included in your rental package or will be available for a modest additional charge. These equipment packages go by a variety of names (provisioning kit, kitchen kit) and are typically adequate for casual meal preparation.

While adequate, these kitchen kits tend to be pretty minimal both as to inclusions and as to quality. We suggest the traveler with a semi-serious interest in meal preparation take a couple of additional steps to supplement their basic packages:

1. Bring a few small utensils from home. For us that includes a couple of good knives (in our checked luggage), some things to stir with, a spatula. We also find that a vegetable peeler, a whisk and a zester are important inclusions. The point is to bring those things which you use regularly and which are small, easy to put in checked luggage and which won’t have a significant impact on your airline's weight restrictions.

2. The Spice Bag. One area of pantry stocking where we feel it wise to be over-supplied is in the selection of spices. Generally speaking, spices are expensive and have limited shelf lives, but you already have the spices you most frequently use in your cupboard at home. Throw a dozen of your favorites – you know which ones they are – in a re-sealable plastic bag. Spices are a cost effective and space efficient way to add variety to your meals.

And don’t just carry those spices around, use them. Try rubbing a steak with a bit of olive oil and sprinkling it with garlic salt before grilling, put a pinch of cinnamon in your coffee or hot chocolate, or a dash of chili powder in your scrambled eggs. You get the idea! Don’t leave home without your spice bag. Nothing adds depth and interest to your holiday meals as quickly as the intelligent application of appropriate seasonings. (Note: please check the relevant country's Customs/import laws if you are traveling internationally with spices - Ed)

Don't make it unnecessarily complicated. The point is to eat well, not to equip a gourmet kitchen. Eating well doesn’t require much in the way of fancy equipment, nor for that matter does it require that you spend your entire holiday cooking.

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Bring a “Spice Bag”. A “Spice Bag” is a low cost way to add interest to your “meals-on-wheels”. Simply gather up a dozen or so of the spices you most like to cook with and toss them into a re-sealable plastic bag. A dozen spices take up so little room that the Spice Bag is even a practical addition for those on a “fly/drive” motorhome touring holiday.

The World At Your Doorstep Part 7: Motorhome Touring - A Culinary Holiday?

Tue, 25 May 2010 13:37:52 +0000

We open this article with a bit of a confession: Kay and I are, by most standards, a bit over the top in our enthusiastic interest in the preparation and consumption of interesting food. Terms such as gourmet, connoisseur, bon viveur (French), gourmand, bon vivant (French), epicure, gastronome or, our personal favorite, “foodie” are all probably applicable.

The notion of a “culinary holiday” in a motorhome may sound a bit strange. After all, everyone who travels in a motorhome eats while on holiday. So what does “culinary holiday” actually mean . . . and how might it differ from other types of motorhome touring? Simply put, for the culinary traveler there is a shift in emphasis. Food and drink are not merely incidental parts of the trip, but integral and important parts of the journey.

The food of a place is the result of a blending of factors – agriculture, climate, economics, and history – which are unique to each area the traveler visits. One of the best ways to get to know a place is to experience its food. And self-contained travel – specifically touring in a motorhome – positions the traveler perfectly to experience the cuisine of a place from the perspective of those who live there.

In a motorhome, a culinary journey can be more than just restaurants. Those traveling in a motorhome might include on their agenda such diverse experiences as:

Visiting food markets, farm markets, farm stands and bringing interesting, local specialties “home” to prepare in the motorhome kitchen.
Touring artisanal farms, wineries, distilleries, and dairies.
Tours of commercial kitchens and food-related factories are usually interesting.
Food-focused shops, ranging from bakeries to gourmet shops to cookbook stores to kitchen specialty shops. (Visit a small, local bakery first thing in the morning for some fresh-baked treats!)
Organized food tours, or do-it-yourself food tours, such as following a wine, a beer, or other food-related trail. (Some friends of ours recently returned from a self-guided motorhome tour of Scotland during which their focus was visiting Single Malt Scottish Distilleries.)
Attending cooking classes or schools. (Kay and I have attended classes at the Santa Fe School of Cooking several times and always gather new tips, tricks and techniques.)
And don’t overlook local food fairs, festivals and similar special events.

Travel as a culinary generalist with an interest in your destination’s entire food scene. Or specialize by focusing on a particular food category (wine or beer or cheese for example) or on a particular style or type of cooking (baking and barbeque are a couple of categories which come to mind). Regardless of your approach, we encourage you to consider making food and drink an integral part of your motorhome touring holiday. We think you’ll be glad you did!

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A culinary holiday can fit any budget. You can make a point of dining at the trendiest and most expensive restaurants; however, we encourage you to consider some of the less expensive options:

Venture outside of the tourist areas and check out the popular local establishments. Not only are they more affordable, they are popular with the locals for a reason: usually because they serve great food at reasonable prices.

You might also consider the so-called “street food” – food prepared in mobile kitchens/carts. It can be an inexpensive and delicious way to get to know how the locals eat.

Or, our personal favorite, pick up some special ingredients and head back to the motorhome. Try your hand at preparing some local specialties . . . we think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the results of your kitchen adventures!

Remember, some of the least expensive culinary options will be the most authentic, will provide the best memories, and will give you the best stories to tell when you get back home.

The World At Your Doorstep Part 8: A Kitchen On Wheels

Tue, 25 May 2010 13:19:51 +0000

For many the kitchen, or galley, is the most controversial area in a rental motorhome. Love it or hate it, use it or ignore it, the fact is a small kitchen will be traveling with you on your holiday.

General Comments: There is a group of travelers, we’ll call this one the “I’m not going on any holiday where I have to cook” group, who are disappointed to find kitchens of any sort in their homes on wheels. That a kitchen will actually be following along, uninvited, on their holiday seems somehow unfair.

At the other end of the range of opinion we find the “kitchen is the heart of the household” group. This group finds concern in the minimalist nature of motorhome kitchens. How, they wonder, are they to prepare adequate meals in a kitchen which seems less than fully present?

In the eyes of the anti-cooking group, the pro-cooking group appears at least a few tablespoons short of a full cup. The pro-cooking group leans towards a belief that their non-cooking counterparts are overlooking one of the most potentially pleasurable areas of a motorhome touring holiday.

Between these two extremes are found the majority of motorhome travelers – a majority that doesn’t have strong opinions, in either direction, about cooking while on holiday. They assume they will cook when it is convenient and eat out when it is not. To this group a minimalist kitchen, one which seems neither fully present nor totally absent, is as it should be.

Motorhome touring provides alternatives you don’t have on more conventional trips. Included in the range of options is the choice to eat out as much, or as little, as you like. Motorhome kitchens give you those options.

Equipping: The kitchen in your motorhome will, by most standards, be both under sized and under equipped. (Whether or not that matters is a separate question.) If you intend to use the kitchen that will be going on holiday with you, there are some things you need to find out:

Most important: Find out, in advance, what is included in your unit. Exactly what will be in your unit’s kitchen? Don’t, for example, make the mistake of showing up with the idea of baking something in the oven your first night on the road . . . not unless you are certain your unit will have an oven (it probably won’t). Will your motorhome have a stove and refrigerator? (almost certainly) A microwave? (possibly).

Just how does the traveler start with a kitchen which is both small and empty and wind up able to prepare interesting meals? We’re glad you asked! The “how” and “with what” of equipping a rental motorhome’s kitchen are the subjects of our next couple of articles.

$AVING$ TIP$

Minimize Eating Out. The more serious you are about saving money, the more likely it is to make sense to make use of your motorhome’s kitchen. Prepare a special meal or two, each in a special place, and you can add great memories to your holiday even as you are saving money.

The World At Your Doorstep Part 6: What Clothing Should You Bring?

Tue, 25 May 2010 12:25:32 +0000

Think Casual & Comfortable. When motorhoming, casual dress is the custom, the norm. Casual and comfortable. An interesting dichotomy in motorhome touring is that, more than any other travel style, you will almost always have room enough to bring excessive quantities of clothing . . . and yet there may be no style of travel in which there is less need for a diversified wardrobe.

There is of course no rule against “dressing up” during a motorhome touring holiday. You will have room for some extra clothing and may enjoy dressing for an evening out now and then. You will find that upscale clothing is an exception to custom.

Think Flexible. If there is a “rule” for putting together a caravanning wardrobe, it is that it be casual, flexible and, above all else, comfortable. We have never, in all our decades of self contained travel, been in a motorhome related situation where casual clothing was inappropriate. If it makes you feel better, take one outfit which is perhaps “up-scale casual”. It is unlikely you will need it.

As in packing for any trip, think in terms of flexibility. My rule of thumb is to not take anything unless it can be worn at least three different ways. (As an aside, Kay finds such criteria to be more bother than value.) You will save yourself some aggravation by selecting a wardrobe which is easy to care for and not inclined to wrinkle. Additionally, let your selection process favor darker colored clothing. White slacks might look great on a cruise ship, but they won’t look good for more than about 5 minutes hanging around a campground.

Be Prepared For Changing Weather. Occasionally you will go on a motorhome touring holiday and have perfect weather from start to finish. While it could happen on the trip you are now planning, our advice is to not count on it. Yours is likely to be an active trip with an orientation towards outdoor activities. Pack in such a way as to be prepared for changes in weather.

If you are too cold, too hot or too wet, it is at best difficult to enjoy your holiday. Dressing in layers instead of in a single, heavy piece of clothing allows you to adjust to a variety of weather conditions. Assuming you will not be going on holiday during extremely cold weather, you will be well served by an outer layer which is of a breathable, wind and water proof material worn over a middle layer of insulating material such as a fleece jacket or a sweater.

The ability to bring along more clothing than you need doesn’t mean there is a requirement that you do so. In fact, you can choose the “keep it simple” school of thought and bring a minimal amount of clothing. If needed, you will be able to find laundry facilities nearly every place you travel . . . and you can always supplement your wardrobe by buying that “perfect” souvenir t-shirt or sweatshirt!

Finally, it's a good idea to pack your clothes and belongings in soft luggage bags, rather than hard shelled suitcases. The storage compartments in motorhomes can be pokey, so you'll appreciate being able to unpack your clothes, then fold and store your bags.

$AVING$ TIP$

Don’t Buy Special Clothing. Unlike trips you may have taken in the past, motorhome touring holidays don’t require any special clothing. If you plan to go out to someplace special, you might bring one outfit that’s a bit upscale. Otherwise, think casual and comfortable as you pack . . . and your wardrobe will be perfect.

The World At Your Doorstep Part 5: The Planning Process - First Things First

Sat, 22 May 2010 21:41:19 +0000

The first step in planning your motorhome touring holiday is, perhaps obviously, that of deciding where – and when – you will be planning to go. Many of you already know the answers to the “where and when”, but here are some things to consider for those who are still trying to figure that out (and to help polish the thinking of those who already have made their decisions):

Let’s start by confusing things. If you haven’t already done so, we suggest you go to the home page of this website and look around a little. You are likely to soon be feeling a bit overwhelmed by all of the options, but there is an important point here: the “where” of a motorhome touring holiday is pretty much an open book.

We say “pretty much an open book” because there are factors which will help you zero in on the perfect place, and the perfect time of year, for your motorhome touring holiday:

First, think about what time of year you will be taking your holiday:

In most – if not all – areas you are likely to find the most dependable weather during “peak season” or “high season”. That is also when you’ll find the biggest crowds, the highest costs, and the most limited availability of both rental units and campsites.
At the other end of the desirability scale are those times viewed as “off season”. Generally speaking, “off season” is tourism speak for “rotten weather” and not a desirable time for a motorhome touring holiday.
Our personal favorite time for travel is frequently referred to as “shoulder season” - a 30 to 60 day window of time on either side of “high season”. This is a period during which you’ll often find the best weather of the year, smaller crowds, greater availability of both rental units and campsites, and significantly lower costs.

Next, your destination should make sense relative to the amount of time you have available to holiday. Example: If you live in the UK, it probably doesn’t make effective use of either your time or your money to fly to New Zealand for a one week motorhome touring holiday.

Finally, for most of us there are budget considerations. The factors here, as they relate to our topic, are obvious: Long holidays in distant locations are more expensive than shorter trips closer to home. Traveling during high season is more expensive than travel during the shoulder seasons.

Returning to our original point: It seems to us that the objective is to first decide where, and when, you would like to go, what you would like to do. Then, having decided that, we suggest that you make use of this site to help make that dream trip even better – to get the most out of your holiday by traveling and living in a motorhome!

$AVING$ TIP$

The central point in the overall cost of your holiday is where you decide to go touring. As you sort through possible destinations, keep in mind the obvious - some places are simply more expensive to visit than others. A high cost area will generally be more affordable when touring in a motorhome; however, it is still likely to make for a more costly trip than some of the less expensive destinations.

The World At Your Doorstep Part 4: When To Start Planning Your Motorhome Holiday

Thu, 20 May 2010 06:50:14 +0000

Sometimes “less is more” . . . and that is certainly true in planning the basics of your motorhome touring holiday. By giving up the freedom of waiting until the last minute to reserve your motorhome/caravan/RV you will – generally speaking – increase the geographic options available, you will have a wider variety of motorhomes to choose from, and you will expand your pricing options.

So, just how important is advance planning . . . and how far in advance should you plan? The admittedly unsatisfactory answer is “it depends”. It depends on where you are traveling and when. It depends on where you want to stay and on how specific you are about the sort of motorhome you want go touring in.

Our Number One Planning Recommendation: If possible, time your trip to take place during the “Shoulder Seasons” – periods of around one or two months on either side of “Peak Season”. Depending on the part of the world, you will frequently find the best weather of the year, considerably smaller crowds, a wider selection of available motorhomes and lower rates (often 20% to 40% lower) for a trip during these times.

If you must travel during “Peak Season,” try to be flexible with your dates and begin planning as far in advance as possible. Giving yourself a six month planning window is usually adequate, but planning even further in advance can give you even more options.

Are we saying that it is impossible to plan a peak season motorhome holiday at the last minute? Nope, we’re just pointing out that waiting until the last minute can restrict your options.

A word about the “R Word” – Campground Reservations. Flexibility is a major advantage of RV travel. Extend a day in a special place, cut short your visit in another, or skip a destination all together. Enjoying this flexibility is often done at a price. During peak seasons, a failure to plan may effectively eliminate the best, and in some areas all, of the campground options. Many campgrounds have overflow areas for last minute, unscheduled arrivals. These overflow areas are often out in a field somewhere (without any sort of hookups) and are seldom the kinds of campsites in which you would want to spend your vacation.

In general, if you are looking for a destination type of campground – a place where much of the success of your trip will depend on the time you spend hanging around the campground and joining in the activities there – we suggest you give as much attention to arranging for your campground as possible. Give campground selection as much thought, research and planning as the selection of your motorhome. In living the motorhome life style, your surroundings – the out-of-doors – become an important part of your living space!

Arranging reservations 6 months or more in advance is not an unreasonable thing to do when the goal is a really nice site in a high demand campground. Try to establish a dialogue (usually via e-mail) with the person taking reservations. Deferring to their expertise can improve the odds of your getting a choice site.

$AVING$ TIP$

Travel in “Shoulder Seasons”. Rental usage fees vary significantly depending on the time of year you decide to travel. Many dealers divide their year into “Peak Season” (the time of highest demand and of highest rates – and largest crowds), “Shoulder Seasons” (moderate demand and rates) and “Off Season” (lowest demand and rates). Trying to tour in a motorhome during the generally unfavorable weather of Off Season is typically more trouble than the cost savings are worth, but do invest some time looking over the specials you’ll find on this site. We think you’ll be amazed at the savings options you find!

The World At Your Doorstep Part 3: The Motorhome Holiday Planning Process

Tue, 18 May 2010 06:50:14 +0000

Holidays begin before they ever actually start – there is heightened anticipation and an increase in eagerness as the traveler begins the planning process. The vacation becomes more tangible as plans are fleshed out, new layers of detail penciled in. Planning is more than the developing of a scheduling roadmap for a physical journey. It is the process which builds a mental bridge between where you are now and the actual day you depart.

The Role of Planning
Vacations have this in common – the traveler leaves home, goes some place, does some stuff and returns. Such travel usually starts with a predetermined beginning and a known end. If you can manage to do some interesting things in the time between, preferably with a bit of style and a touch of eccentricity, it is likely you will return feeling satisfied with your journey.
Travel, at least in part, is a search for the unknown and the unexpected. Self-contained, self-guided, self-structured travel – specifically travel in a rental motorhome – will tend to increase your encounters with both the unknown and the unexpected. Your goal as a travel planner is to set aside slots of time for those things you want to be sure are included while leaving time open for spur-of-the-moment pleasures.

Concerns About Under Planning
One of the advantages of self-contained travel is the increased flexibility compared to other types of holidays. You can, depending on the time of year and the part of the world, get by with very little advance planning. You can be a free spirit, drifting with the tides, deciding on things as you go.
The key is to plan enough to ensure the inclusion of those experiences which are viewed as really important and to do so without becoming so regimented that the traveler looses the sense of freedom which attracted them to the idea of motorhome touring in the first place. The risk in under planning – in taking a sort of “go with the flow” approach to any trip and scheduling nothing – is that scheduling nothing pretty much guarantees that nothing is what will get done.

Dangers of Over Planning
At the other end of the travel planning continuum is the severely over planned vacation. The type of thing where you allow one hour to visit a major destination and stick with that schedule regardless of what you find when you get there. With such scheduling you must accept the risk your party may wind up moving on without having really experienced much of anything. It can be seen as a sort of “trophy traveling” – checking a series of predetermined objectives off of the “been there/done that” list without ever really having experienced any of them.
The key to good planning is to find an appropriate balance, as defined by you, between an overly structured holiday and one in which you return having experienced no memorable moments at all. Working towards that planning balance will be the subject of several future articles here at The World at Your Doorstep. We hope you’ll check back often!

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Planning Helps Avoid Impulse Decisions. Starting out with at least a general, outline sort of itinerary will provide a framework within which you can evaluate new vacation opportunities as they come along. Those things you decide to do on the spur of the moment can be the icing on the cake of your vacation experience. To the extent such impulse decisions take you outside your intended budgetary framework, they can also be expected to increase your vacation costs beyond what you had originally planned. We encourage spontaneity. Here we are only suggesting you be aware of its costs.

The World At Your Doorstep Part 2: Why Go Touring in a Motorhome?

Fri, 14 May 2010 06:50:14 +0000

They seem to be everywhere; you can hardly miss seeing them – these houses on wheels. A part of you wonders about the people inside: What are they doing in there? Where are they going? Why have they chosen such a seemingly awkward means of travel?

And why do millions of apparently normal people go cross country – or half-way around the world – to go touring in a self-contained home on wheels? What is it that leads some to load up a bunch of stuff and take off to see the world while others are content to simply stay home?

While there are variations on the theme beyond counting, answers generally bounce around the central notion that to millions motorhome touring means freedom. They find more convenience and greater comfort when they travel in RV, motorhome, caravan or with a trailer. They are in more control than with other forms of travel. Everything wanted is right there with them. There is no need to drag suitcases in and out of the car – continuously packing and unpacking. They sleep in the same bed every night and can get their own meals and snacks anytime.

Our central point is this: The only way to really discover what motorhome touring is all about is to try it. We have all met those who, without ever having experienced it, are positive they would not like traveling in a motorhome. Such people bring to mind those who know without question that they do not like, for example, Ethiopian food . . . without ever having tried it.

Let’s take a look at a couple of common reasons for renting a motorhome:

Widening Experiences – Many travel to see new places and to do things they’ve never done before. That they have never traveled by RV is reason enough to try it.

These are the same sorts of people who, drawing on the example above, would eat in an Ethiopian restaurant simply because they have no idea what Ethiopian food tastes like. The purpose of the restaurant experience is to try something they’ve never tried before. For many, the objective of the motorhome experience is to try something they’ve never done before. They may or may not like the food. They may or may not like motorhome touring. However, when the objective is simply to try something new, the likelihood of an unsatisfactory experience is almost nonexistent.

Widening Horizons – Self-contained touring is arguably the best mode of travel when visiting foreign countries. Travel by motorhome and you become part of the community you are visiting.

By way of example, rental RVing is an outstanding way for Europeans to tour North America. It places them one-on-one with North Americans and provides an opportunity to not only see a place, but to know a people.

We suggest that if you are the sort of person who finds appeal in the notion of going where you want, when you want and of doing so with all the comforts and conveniences of home, motorhome touring is an experience it would make sense for you to try.

We can’t tell you how you will be impacted by your first travels in a motorhome, but we can tell you how to find out – and that is the point of The World at Your Doorstep. We hope you’ll stop by again!

$AVING$ TIP$

Avoid allowing your holiday to become a “contest” where the whole thing becomes about getting as big a unit as you can find and traveling as far and fast as possible. Motorhome touring vacations are perhaps best experienced at a moderate pace and are most enjoyable in a motorhome scaled to your needs.

The World At Your Doorstep Part 1: An Introduction

Wed, 12 May 2010 12:00:00 +0000

A family vacation in the late 50’s was my introduction to RV travel. From Kansas to the Pacific Ocean and back. The Grand Canyon, Disneyland, Pismo Beach, Yosemite National Park, the Great Salt Lake, Grand Tetons and Yellowstone! Four people in a 16 foot Shasta (yellow with really cool silver wings on the back), no bathroom, sleeping arrangements a bit cramped . . . and the closest to heaven I had then ever been. Though I suppose I didn’t realize it at the time, I was hooked!

In the years since I have traveled as a backpacker and a car camper. I have journeyed in Van Conversions, a couple of Class C motorhomes and a Class A. I have pulled a 16 foot hybrid trailer, 19 and 30 foot conventional trailers, 33 and 38 foot 5^th wheels.

Kay and I have journeyed literally thousands of nights as self-contained travelers. And we’ve only touched lightly on the list of places we’d like to see, things we’d like to do, experiences we’d like to have. In fact, prior to the end of the year we’ll be without a “sticks and bricks” house. We will be living and traveling full time in our 5^th wheel.

For many, the thought “Let’s go touring in a motorhome” is inherently exciting – an implied adventure in the words “Let’s go touring” and a sense of something fresh with the addition of the idea of “in a motorhome”. The thought of traveling in a new way and to new places is exhilarating. Your presence here, on this site, suggests you are at least thinking about vacationing in a rental RV, motorhome, campervan or travel trailer and that you are in search of further knowledge. We congratulate you on your willingness to consider new ways of doing things!

Dave and his mother – Becky Corby – in Grand Teton National Park circa 1961

Knowing that many of you have never traveled in a motorhome, we recognize that motorhomes seem comparatively large (which is of course true), and generally incomprehensible (which is false). All who are now motorhome touring veterans have stood where you now stand – in a place of not knowing, of facing discomforting complexity. That millions have started with little or no knowledge and have gone on to have wonderful motorhome vacations indicates that, with the right rental unit and the right information, you can do the same.

We recognize that people will read this column for a variety of reasons, seeking a wide range of information. Some of you are here for a little preliminary information gathering or to satisfy a bit of curiosity. Many of you have never vacationed in a motorhome and have stopped by to begin learning what it’s all about.

Others will have already made their decision, committed to a motorhome touring vacation and have come here looking for a few last minute tips to make the journey smoother and more enjoyable. Included are readers with years of experience in self-contained travel . . . and those who have never even been inside a motorhome, campervan, RV or travel trailer.

These columns will provide tips, tricks and techniques for those with all levels of knowledge and experience. We think you will each find information of value in these columns. We hope you will stop by often.

$AVING$ TIP$

Properly planned, motorhome holidays offer opportunities for savings that are not available to those traveling by more conventional means. In each column we’ll provide money saving tips, but let’s start here with the most obvious: Where you book your RV, motorhome, campervan or travel trailer rental can make a HUGE difference. We encourage you to visit www.motorhomeandrvtravel.com This site is operated by iMall Motorhomes, one of the world’s largest bookers of motorhome holidays and they are committed to finding you the best value for every dollar you spend.