We are newer than thee nwest newbie
Hello All. My wife and I are so new to RVing that we havent started yet. We bought a MH and its in the driveway ready to pounce or chug a long on the open road. We are waiting until a grandbaby arriv...
Forum Discussion
Cell phone coverage depends on where you happen to be, the same as a car. Usually coverage is reasonably complete in urban and suburban areas, and often along major highways (such as Interstates). In rural areas off of major highways it can be a good bit more spotty. The exact situation of course depends on where you are and what carrier you have.
Internet service would be most reliably had through the cell phone, though it's best not to necessarily consider it full-speed service like you might have at home. You probably have some access already on your smart phone, though the details depend on what plan you have. The least expensive I know of offhand for minimal use is a pay-as-you-go Tracfone, which (using the 60 minutes/90 days cards) can work out to as little as about $7 a month. One does also encounter public Wi-Fi hotspots scattered around, such as at many rest areas and restaurants and occasionally at campgrounds; these generally require no payment.
There are a number of weather apps for smartphones. I use (on my Android phone) "NOAA Weather Free" which I think has a nice interface and seems to work well. The actual forecast data, as the name implies, comes from the government, which I think is likely true for most weather apps.
Towing is only needed if you need to haul something along with you that you can't fit in the motorhome, such as a car. Sometimes this may be useful for sightseeing, depending on where you're going and how comfortable you are maneuvering the motorhome and how much work you do to set up and tear down camp. As a very general principle, another vehicle is much more of an aid the longer you tend to stay camped at one campground. If you're traveling every day or every other day anyhow, it's a lot easier to stop along the way for shopping and sightseeing and whatnot than if you're staying at one campsite for a week or two. However, there's certainly no requirement to tow anything; it's a convenience, sometimes a great convenience, but not a necessity. (For occasional needs, renting a car can be a reasonable option; some rental companies will even come to a campground to pick you up.)
Internet service would be most reliably had through the cell phone, though it's best not to necessarily consider it full-speed service like you might have at home. You probably have some access already on your smart phone, though the details depend on what plan you have. The least expensive I know of offhand for minimal use is a pay-as-you-go Tracfone, which (using the 60 minutes/90 days cards) can work out to as little as about $7 a month. One does also encounter public Wi-Fi hotspots scattered around, such as at many rest areas and restaurants and occasionally at campgrounds; these generally require no payment.
There are a number of weather apps for smartphones. I use (on my Android phone) "NOAA Weather Free" which I think has a nice interface and seems to work well. The actual forecast data, as the name implies, comes from the government, which I think is likely true for most weather apps.
Towing is only needed if you need to haul something along with you that you can't fit in the motorhome, such as a car. Sometimes this may be useful for sightseeing, depending on where you're going and how comfortable you are maneuvering the motorhome and how much work you do to set up and tear down camp. As a very general principle, another vehicle is much more of an aid the longer you tend to stay camped at one campground. If you're traveling every day or every other day anyhow, it's a lot easier to stop along the way for shopping and sightseeing and whatnot than if you're staying at one campsite for a week or two. However, there's certainly no requirement to tow anything; it's a convenience, sometimes a great convenience, but not a necessity. (For occasional needs, renting a car can be a reasonable option; some rental companies will even come to a campground to pick you up.)
