Things that work out on the road
Just returned from a 4,000+ mile trip through seven states. We were traveling in a 24' Class C but all of these worked just as well in our 22' TT. Here are some of the things usually inexpensive (as in cheap like me):
Some sort of emergency road service. I carry the tools to change a flat but really don't want to have to...especially alongside a busy interstate. For the record we have Coach Net but have never needed them.
At least one smart phone or tablet. My bride and I each have an i-phone and we carry a 7" tablet, all share the same data plan. If you have cell phone coverage you have internet. Checking weather, campgrounds, RV parks all can be accessed easily. Most RV parks have free Wi Fi which helps to keep the cost down.
Gas Buddy App for your smart Phone. Gas Buddy will save you big bucks (the more you use the more you save). Every time we thought about getting fuel the GB App showed us exactly what to expect, who was charging what and where they were.
We all have toys (smart phones, tablets, camera's and in my case hearing aid batteries and the remote), that require daily charging. No, you do not need to run the genny or have hook ups to do so. Get thee to Walmart and for $11 buy a one into two cigarette lighter adapter. It plugs into your dash receptacle and provides two female outlets AND a USB charging port. I use one for the GPS leaving another free for the the next item you need.... a small inverter.
I have had the same 250 watt inverter since 1994 and at less than $100 it represents tremendous value. Plug it in and you can run more AC stuff than you might think (it will run the color TV and the DVD player), and certainly charge any AC toys you carry.
Music: I have to have my music everywhere I go. I do not however have the need to share it with the neighbors. Try Radio Shack, Walmart, Target or the good ole internet and buy a rechargeable Blue Tooth speaker. For less (usually way less), than $100 you get a rechargeable speaker, pretty decent sound quality, that will take a Blue Tooth feed from your smart phone, I-Pod or just about any other music player or you can just plug in the music player. They are small, light and can be carried out to the campfire, down to the beach wherever and are not going to blast your neighbors into the next county. By being close to you they eliminate the need for excessive volume.
Blue Ice is your friend, we carry 3 large and three small. In 38 days we never had the "NEED" to run our refrigeration while driving. Stay out of it, aside from brief access when stopping for lunch and it will still be nice and cold, virtually no temperature loss at the end of the day when you pull into your site for the night. Every morning pull the the frozen ones out of the freezer and put them into the ice chest or frig - spend the money, about $60 for a decent ice chest. The new ones will hold ice for 4 days and worth every penny - we keep all of our drinks in the chest which eliminates a lot of refrig open time (win-win). A couple of plastic ice cube trays for drinks and you have eliminated the need to ever buy ice (usually about $5 a bag).
These are some of our favorites, they all work well and pay for themselves very quickly with the real world savings to be had. So what works for you folks? :h
Some sort of emergency road service. I carry the tools to change a flat but really don't want to have to...especially alongside a busy interstate. For the record we have Coach Net but have never needed them.
At least one smart phone or tablet. My bride and I each have an i-phone and we carry a 7" tablet, all share the same data plan. If you have cell phone coverage you have internet. Checking weather, campgrounds, RV parks all can be accessed easily. Most RV parks have free Wi Fi which helps to keep the cost down.
Gas Buddy App for your smart Phone. Gas Buddy will save you big bucks (the more you use the more you save). Every time we thought about getting fuel the GB App showed us exactly what to expect, who was charging what and where they were.
We all have toys (smart phones, tablets, camera's and in my case hearing aid batteries and the remote), that require daily charging. No, you do not need to run the genny or have hook ups to do so. Get thee to Walmart and for $11 buy a one into two cigarette lighter adapter. It plugs into your dash receptacle and provides two female outlets AND a USB charging port. I use one for the GPS leaving another free for the the next item you need.... a small inverter.
I have had the same 250 watt inverter since 1994 and at less than $100 it represents tremendous value. Plug it in and you can run more AC stuff than you might think (it will run the color TV and the DVD player), and certainly charge any AC toys you carry.
Music: I have to have my music everywhere I go. I do not however have the need to share it with the neighbors. Try Radio Shack, Walmart, Target or the good ole internet and buy a rechargeable Blue Tooth speaker. For less (usually way less), than $100 you get a rechargeable speaker, pretty decent sound quality, that will take a Blue Tooth feed from your smart phone, I-Pod or just about any other music player or you can just plug in the music player. They are small, light and can be carried out to the campfire, down to the beach wherever and are not going to blast your neighbors into the next county. By being close to you they eliminate the need for excessive volume.
Blue Ice is your friend, we carry 3 large and three small. In 38 days we never had the "NEED" to run our refrigeration while driving. Stay out of it, aside from brief access when stopping for lunch and it will still be nice and cold, virtually no temperature loss at the end of the day when you pull into your site for the night. Every morning pull the the frozen ones out of the freezer and put them into the ice chest or frig - spend the money, about $60 for a decent ice chest. The new ones will hold ice for 4 days and worth every penny - we keep all of our drinks in the chest which eliminates a lot of refrig open time (win-win). A couple of plastic ice cube trays for drinks and you have eliminated the need to ever buy ice (usually about $5 a bag).
These are some of our favorites, they all work well and pay for themselves very quickly with the real world savings to be had. So what works for you folks? :h
