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Topic: Short introduction to motor homes and travel - got one? (Read 3 times) previous topic - next topic
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Short introduction to motor homes and travel - got one?
Yahoo Message Number: 126067
Some friends of ours think they'd like motorhoming, but have no experience at all. Is there a good introduction to it online, something to get them started - 10 to 20 pages kind of thing? They've looked at a few RVs, but right now, they don't even know what questions to ask, and the dealers can't be expected to bring them up to speed.

Eric Greenwell
2005 Jayco 24SS
Re: Short introduction to motor homes and travel - got one?
Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 126068
If you find one can you post a link or title.  I am
Currently: 2008 36' Tiffin Open Road
Previously: 2007 Mid Bath
Re: Short introduction to motor homes and travel - got one?
Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 126069
In a message dated 10/18/2011 4:41:52 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time,  eric@... writes:
Quote
Quote
Some    friends of ours think they'd like motorhoming, but have no experience at    all. Is there a good introduction to it online, something to get them    started - 10 to 20 pages kind of thing? They've looked at a few RVs, but    right now, they don't even know what questions to ask, and the dealers    can't be expected to bring them up to speed.

Have them read the 4 fine  articles by Joan Taylor. I learned everything from her, and purchased a used LD  in excellent shape in May 2010.
 http://www.rversonline.org/ArtLazyDaze1.html http://www.rversonline.org/ArtLazyDaze2.html http://www.rversonline.org/ArtLazyDaze3.html

http://www.rversonline.org/ArtLazyDaze4.html

John in Escondido,  CA  2003 Lazy Daisy 26.5  MB
Re: Short introduction to motor homes and travel - got one?
Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 126070
Why not take them on a weekend trip?  They can learn about the systems, etc.    Hands on learning.
 That's how I ended up with a m/h.    Went on a trip with a friend and learned to drive and work the systems.

Helen

Sent from Helen's iPhone
Re: Short introduction to motor homes and travel - got one?
Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 126071
Quote

In a message dated 10/18/2011 4:41:52 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time, eric@... writes:
 "Have them read the 4 fine  articles by Joan Taylor. I learned everything from her, and purchased a used LD  in excellent shape in May 2010.
 _http://www.rversonline.org/ArtLazyDaze1.html_ (http://www.rversonline.org/ArtLazyDaze1.html) _http://www.rversonline.org/ArtLazyDaze2.html_ (http://www.rversonline.org/ArtLazyDaze2.html) _http://www.rversonline.org/ArtLazyDaze3.html_ (http://www.rversonline.org/ArtLazyDaze3.html)

John in Escondido,  CA  2003 Lazy Daisy 26.5  MB
Sorry John but none of those links work. Try testing them before you post.

Steve S.
Lazy Bones & Jiggs
Steve S.
Lazy Bones & Cedar
2004 30'IB (Island Bed)
Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery
Live for the day!
Re: Short introduction to motor homes and travel - got one?
Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 126072
Eric, Tell them;
 That its a good idea to buy, borrow  or rent a less expensive, older model that is in pretty good shape for your  first RV. Then when they have used it for awhile, they can decide  if they want the same model, the same flour plan or something quite  different.
 There's a rating CD that will give a buyer  an idea of what's out there and how they are rated.I haven't seen it, but those that bought it, say it  saved them lots of money.
 That its a really good idea that when they  find an RV that they are interested in buying, to have an experienced RV guy  check it out, the coach and the engine. Print out a list of things to check and  questions to ask.
 They need to figure out what they want to  use the RV for. Do they want to take long or short trips? Remember, this is for  right now. Later their life and interests might change. Do they want to stay in  RV parks or boondock or somewhere in the middle? This will help them decide if  they want lots of room and slide outs or something small that will get them into  state parks for a week end or week. If they will need a generator or solar  panels to be comfortable when boondocking? Or if they will just plug into  whatever RV park they will be visiting and won't really need those items. Do  their friends or family have RVs and what kind and do they plan on vacationing  together.
 Go to lots of RV sales lots and look at  them, sit, lay on the bed, sit on the toilet, at the dining table together. Try  to imagine themselves in one for a week or a month...
 Join a couple of rv yahoo groups and ask  questions. There are lists of things to pack, things to check when buying,  things to do before setting out, like unplugging electric and sewer and lowering  the antenna and pulling up the step.
 If they have never driven the size RV  before, they would do well to take an RV driving class. People swear by them.  Tips, safety, and lots of confidence.

This is an old site but most of the stuff  is still correct.
http://community.sba.gov/community/blogs/community-blogs/small-business-matters/starting-child-care-business-government-tools-and-resources-can-help

Denise

===============

Some friends of ours think they'd like motorhoming, but have no experience at all. Is there a good introduction to it online, something to get them started - 10 to 20 pages kind of thing? They've looked at a few RVs, but right now, they don't even know what questions to ask, and the dealers can't be expected to bring them up to speed.

Eric  Greenwell
Re: Short introduction to motor homes and travel - got one?
Reply #6 –
Yahoo Message Number: 126073
They aren't at the stage where they need to learn how to operate a particular RV, and I don't think they want to travel the way we do, which is a very narrow slice of the RV life. And, four people in our 24' motorhome might mean the end of their interest in RVs ;-)

I'm looking for a broad introduction to motor homes to avoid the haphazard learning that goes on if you just talk to dealers or one or RV couples. Even though we've been doing it for 40 years in pickup campers and motorhomes, we still have traveling modes, interests, biases, and prejudices that don't fit most people.

Eric
2005 Jayco 24SS
Re: Short introduction to motor homes and travel - got one?
Reply #7 –
Yahoo Message Number: 126074
All the things you mention are exactly what I'm hoping an "introduction to motor home travel" would cover. They have no idea of most of this, so they can't even ask the questions or sort out the answers. My wife and I can give them some help, but it will invariably be incomplete and biased, and it's not the same as having something you can read and refer to.
 It'll be awhile before they are ready to try one out. They really need the basics right now, so they have an idea of the possibilities. It's not even clear whether they are thinking week-long trips or month-long trips.

The link goes to the Small Business Administration - you probably intended a different one!

Eric Greenwell
2005 Jayco 24SS
Re: Short introduction to motor homes and travel - got one?
Reply #8 –
Yahoo Message Number: 126075
Oops, you are right. I was writing two  different emails and without my glasses! :-o http://web.archive.org/web/20110501195123/http://www.phrannie.org/phredex.html

Getting on a generic All About RVing group  will give them a place to ask general questions.
 There's lots of articles on the internet.  A google search will find lots. Here's one: http://www.your-rv-lifestyle.com/RVing.html

There's all kinds of things to learn.  Just have them go about learning like an adventure and enjoy researching and  planning and remember that the first RV does not have to be their last one.

Denise
Re: Short introduction to motor homes and travel - got one?
Reply #9 –
Yahoo Message Number: 126076
These folks have time. I suggest they might plan their next vacation
Re: Short introduction to motor homes and travel - got one?
Reply #10 –
Yahoo Message Number: 126078
Eric, You might point them to our fearless leaders website..  Travels with Andy and also his book links(recommended reading). One that comes tom mind is "How do they live like that".  A CD version exists.
 http://www.andybaird.com/travels/index.html

Mark here has some good things to offer as well http://www.marxrv.com/

You have really thrown us a curve-ball.  Usually people have an idea of what they want to do.  They should make a list now of what they think RV travel might be like.  Then bounce it off you , other friends, maybe this community, etc.
 For us to help we kind of need more info like are they retired now or plan to use the RV before retirement.  From what it sounds like, if they are not sure about any of this, they could be open to more then just a motorhome.  So they need to learn the pros and cons of trailer, motorhome (A,B,C), cab-over, etc.

Some basics would be: What can I afford? Have I ever towed anything before? Do I have anything now that I can tow with or be towed? Can I live in tight quarters (meaning size of RV)? Do I want to go anywhere or get into tight places? Do I want to be gone for long periods of time or short? ***Keeping in mind that any of this can and will change over the years the years?
 Remember that you usually don't get the perfect RV.  Things change and you need other features or styles as years go by.  I suffered from what some dealers call 2 foot-itis.  You always want an RV a little longer.  I had a 27', then 28', now 32' 5th wheel. The latest driven by 3 kids, and having a bunk room we can close off and not have to make or take down beds every night.  We are not retired and are weekend campers with summer vacations here and there.  I would not go any longer because we are limited now in places we can go in our area.  For me, in my demographics, a 26' RV would be an ideal length for the places I go.  We literally walk campgrounds now with the map and check off spots we think we can fit into for future visits.  Sometimes the online reservations systems don't portray an spot correctly.
 Really, I think renting a few different types will really help them with what they want to do in the RV world.

Good luck to your friends.
Ramon
Re: Short introduction to motor homes and travel - got one?
Reply #11 –
Yahoo Message Number: 126079
Renting might be good       idea, maybe give some focus to their situation. Right now, it just       seems like a fun idea because they know us and some other folks       that do it routinely, and retirement is looming.
 I'll mention it to them, though it's getting late enough in the       year, weather might a factor if they can't get away in the next       few weeks. He's still working, but is flexible.

Eric
2005 Jayco 24SS
Re: Short introduction to motor homes and travel - got one?
Reply #12 –
Yahoo Message Number: 126080
In a message dated 10/18/2011 6:35:00 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time,  no_reply@yahoogroups.com writes:
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Sorry    John but none of those links work. Try testing them before you  post.

My bad.  Seems like  they have deactivated the 4 part story by Joan Taylor.  However by going to  archives, the 3 parts are still there. http://web.archive.org/web/20100322220829/http://www.rversonline.org/ArtLazyDaze4.html
Re: Short introduction to motor homes and travel - got one?
Reply #13 –
Yahoo Message Number: 126082
Eric, Suggest to them to go rent an RV for a week and try it out.  I did that with some friends who decided that RVing was not for them.  We who are RVers know that this is a lifestyle (which I think is the greatest) any way after a week they will have a better idea.
Betty JEan
Re: Short introduction to motor homes and travel - got one?
Reply #15 –
Yahoo Message Number: 126086
In a message dated 10/19/2011 8:42:18 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time,  cmadix@... writes:
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I couldn't make those links  work.

Seems like they have  deactivated the 4 part story by Joan Taylor. However by going to archives, the 3  parts are still there. http://web.archive.org/web/20100322220829/http://www.rversonline.org/ArtLazyDaze4.html
Re: Short introduction to motor homes and travel - got one?
Reply #16 –
Yahoo Message Number: 126089
Eric,
 A subject still fresh to me, so am willing to share.  We had owned a van camper years ago, then tent camped years after that, but all our friends owned RV's. We asked the pros and cons of their rigs, but at that time, it didn't mean much to us. So we started renting them, different models each time.  Learned what we did not like more than finding something we liked.
 Thru fellow RV campers, got tips on how to move forward in the process.  I joined the yahoo group AllaboutRVing (or something like that), where I was able to ask alot of generic things, as I did not know what to ask. Got terms explained, etc.  Thru them, I joined the RV organization http://www.rv.org> and got the CD's on details of all makes of RV's.  After "listening" to folks on that yahoo group, I kept wondering why they kept buying things that were over-weight before they drove off the lot, things had to be fixed right off the lot, etc.  But what it did was help us decide what class of a rig we would aim for.  Once that was decided and in using the CD's - started researching specific models.  Then one day someone spoke up about Born Free and the Lazy Daze RV's. Never heard of them.. But it was interesting to "hear" the ahh's and oooh's from the yahoo list.  This is truly a great list, you really get the pros and cons of anything related to RV's.  And you learn how devoted folks are to their model of RV too. Such as the Airstream's and the Blue Bird - cults (in a good way), not unlike the Lazy Daze folks.
 We do not have access to RV shows, showings or much of a variety of dealerships (just of the models we rented) here in Alaska, so all my research was done on the internet and "listening" to fellow RVer's. And me asking a ton of dumb questions, tho I was often told they appreciated me asking, its a slow way of learning. I became a sponge for info - any RV info. All this took me close to 5 years to accumulate, sort and decide.
 The end decision for me was a Lazy Daze RV. We had never seen one in Alaska, how can we buy something we have never seen?  So I contacted those that were traveling to AK if we could stop in and see their rigs - 2 did this for us and I will forever be eternally grateful for them. One was a 31' and the other a 27' RB or RK.  We decided to buy a used RV around the 2003 - 2005 range.  Well, heck on many rigs we thought sounded good, if they weren't sold before we called, we couldn't get flight reservations down to go see them. This was immensely frustrating!!! I enlisted friends to do the viewing, but alas no rigs became available near them.  This all got put on the back burner as I dealt with my dying Mother. Two days before she passed, she told me to go buy a new rig with whatever was left of my inheritance. Told her we didn't want new, we wanted to go used. And with a twinkle in her eyes she said, you will be ok with either choice. I think she was right on that!

Summary of this long winded message:

1) rent different rigs
2) join rv.org and get the CD's - study them
3) join AllaboutRVing yahoo group (for starters)
4) do internet search on every little piece of new info
5) Hope Joan Taylor pops up with new links to her info - great info, so was Phred's and a few others.
6) Don't buy books, its a waste of money until you know what you want
7) Ask what you perceive as dumb questions - there are at least 9 others that want to know
8) Enjoy the process of learning...

Melinda
27' MB
2011 Mid Bath
Re: Short introduction to motor homes and travel - got one?
Reply #17 –
Yahoo Message Number: 126091
Might I suggest another approach? I hadn't even thought of RV's except with condescension. The old "That's not really camping" stuff. My birdwatching teacher described waking
 
Re: Short introduction to motor homes and travel - got one?
Reply #18 –
Yahoo Message Number: 126096
All I get from the links is 404 not available...

Andrea E

2007 RB