Books On Full-timing
RV Living in the 21st Century
Camping Journal
How do they live like
that? Answers for those who wonder?
Living Aboard Your RV
A Complete Guide
to Full-time RVing: Life on the Open Road
Movin' On: Living and Traveling Full Time in a Recreational
Vehicle
RV
Living in the 21st Century will
quickly become your best friend as you explore North
America. It combines the timeless information from Peggi’s first
best-seller, Spirit of the Open Road and updated changes in
technologies that were not even thought of pre 9/11. In this interesting
tell-it-like-it-is publication, Peggi addresses everything from buying a
first RV, to finding a campground, to setting up, to staying in touch with
voice and cyberspace, to packing, to driving, to everyday living and so
much more. The McDonalds relay their good and not so good experiences of
near two decades as fulltiming motorhomers. As
a Canadian snowbird who spends half the year in the U.S.A., she readily
shares her comprehensive border crossing knowledge.
This avid RVer also relays many of the
‘life-lessons’ she learned the hard way so those new to this life can
avoid her pit-falls. The comprehensive Index makes it easy to quickly find
answers to your questions. Personal stories of places she and John visited
along with a rendition of the unique experiences of their fascinating life
on the move makes this book difficult to put down.
Many new RVers read it once for enjoyment and several times more to
highlight specific advice. Their dog-eared copy then nestles in an
accessible spot in the RV for immediate reference.
Buy at Amazon.com RV Living In The 21st Century: The Essential Reference Guide For All Rvers
Camping Journal by Terry Taylor. This is
a spiral-bound book printed on heavy paper you can use to record your trip.
details of your trip:
where you stayed and how you rate the park, miles covered, weather, and
your thoughts and adventures. It provides a handy reference to your
itinerary and feedback on places you stayed. A Trip Index allows you to
create your own table of contents so you can easily find your report.
There are also pages to record mileage and fuel and maintenance.
You’ll enjoy going back over your travels with all the details at
your fingertips. This would also make a good gift item for a friend who
are already traveling to thinking about doing so. 116 pages.
Camping Journal is available from Amazon.com
How
Do They Live Like That? Answers For Those Who Wonder
by Judy Farrow and Lou Stoetzer, PhD.
Newport, OR: Oceanview Publishers, 2004.
Most RV books and magazine articles address the
how-to issues: how to get your mail, how to select an RV, how to find
places to park, how to fix any physical system that will fail, and, of
course, where to travel next. After ten years of traveling, I have learned
from my experiences and others’ that the hardest “system” to fix is
the human one. For many people who have lived long and fruitful lives
together in a house with a number of rooms and a life with a number of
separate activities, being thrust together in one box twenty-four hours a
day, seven days a week, many months in a row can be a shock. Some books do
address these issues, but very briefly.
Former family counselors, Judy Farrow and Lou
Stoetzer, created a unique book describing the human interactions inside
the tin boxes we inhabit. Dr. Ludy, as they refer to themselves, apply
their years of professional knowledge, their own nine years’ experience
on the road, and their eighteen-month research project with RVers. The
result is a book full of insight and suggestions for RVers to deal with
each other, their families and friends left behind, and other life issues,
including their health, aging on the road, and finally hanging up the
keys.
What especially appeals to me is that the authors
describe all issues in detail and then offer tools to resolve those
issues. For the couple who must adapt to the smaller space, Dr. Ludy
recommends the “RV Two Step,” a dance where partners inhale, slide,
and dip as they pass each other in close spaces. This is part of Road Tool
#2—Make Room for You. They recommend finding private space, even using
the bathroom as a place to read the morning newspaper, for example. In our
own experience, we found that just putting down the awning created a
private space for my husband as he sat outside while I drank my coffee
inside getting my news fix from CNN.
As many RVers retire earlier, they not only leave
behind their adult children and their grandchildren, they also must deal
with their aging parents. Some of Dr Ludy’s suggestions when you are
called to respond to a crisis: Determine how serious the “crisis” is;
enlist a trusted relative, neighbor, professional to give you accurate
feedback; if you go back, try to stay in a campground or a bed and
breakfast to keep a little time for yourself.
Another concern for RVers is how will they handle
health problems on the road. Again Dr. Ludy give excellent
recommendations. Their book reflects the common sense approach to life on
the road that I have seen in people who are successful RVers, people who
are nourished (and nourishing to all those they meet) every day by their
choice in lifestyle. They see obstacles as situations they will find
solutions for. And they do!
I
highly recommend this book to all those who currently live on the road as
well as those who are contemplating entering this rich lifestyle. It’s a
good idea to buy several copies to give to your children, parents, and
dear friends who ask, “How DO you live like that?”
Available
now in eBook or CD format.
Living Aboard Your RV (3rd ed) by Janet Groene and Gordon Grone is
full of practical advice based on their ten years living full-time in an RV. If you are just starting to think about
purchasing an RV, going full-time or for an extended time, this book will
help you make better decisions and evaluate whether or not the lifestyle
is for you. It will also help you determine if you are sufficiently
prepared and with your planning. You will have a more realistic picture of
what you are getting into and be aware of many aspects of this lifestyle
that you need to consider.
The authors first differentiate between RVing and camping as well as
dispel some myths about full-time RVing. The Groenes advocate looking at
your financial picture and making decisions that are wise and with a view
to the future as well. A number of topics are explored including choosing
a domicile, insurance, getting cash, getting mail, traveling with children
and pets, dealing with medical problems, tips for housekeeping and
maintaining your rig and safety on the road. The book concludes with a
discussion of when do you get off the road. Resources are listed in two
appendices. 207 pages. Indexed.
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