You've worked hard all your life.  The one thing you’ve looked forward to is that day you could hit the road and travel with the wind.  There is one tiny little concern that may be bothering you... How do you maneuver a vehicle that's practically as big as a house?!

The largest thing you’ve ever driven was a string of sub-compact cars that provided cheap, yet reliable, transportation for your commute to and from the suburbs.

The thought of piloting a 38-foot long, 8-1/2 foot wide behemoth through the narrow streets of a city is a terrifying prospect, to say the least.  And the notion of directing something that large down the freeway at 70mph seems more like navigating a run-away  train that could easily destroy everything in its path. 

Should you give up your dream of traveling in luxury and stick with the motel routine?  Or is there hope for the first time motorhome driver?

One thing's for sure... driving a Class A motorhome can be intimidating. But it's a skill that can be easily learned -- with a little practice.

We left Flagstaff, Arizona on April 26th, headed to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and our jobs for the summer.

The 225-mile or so drive is one of the most scenic I have ever travelled.

We took Highway 89 north out of Flagstaff, passing by the entrance to Sunset Crater and Wupatki National Monument.  The road took us through the Apache Indian Reservation.

As a new fulltimer, you are about to head out on a great adventure. It’s a whole new way of life that is totally different from any other. 

As a true full time RVer, your mobile residence is about to become your only home -- your immediate world.  Full timers are similar to turtles, because everything they need is right there with them.

Many parts of the transition will be difficult, even bordering on traumatic.  There will be some hard decisions made that you will struggle through. 

These full-time RV tips will help you make the right decisions when you're just starting out...

I know I have been out of touch with the world for a while.  Jim and I arrived at the Grand Canyon back on April 26th. My life has been a blur since then, first with training for my new job, then with finding our way around our new “home”, on top of not having Internet service for about 3 weeks. 

The last time I wrote, I told you all about our RV trip from Dalhart, Texas to Grants, New Mexico. So, it is about time to catch up.

Here are highlights from our time spent in Flagstaff, Arizona -- en route to the Grand Canyon...

Here in Minnesota, RV season is officially underway. Finally the snow is gone, the trees are leafing out nicely, and the spring air is starting to warm up.  The time has come to unveil the travel trailer for yet another season of RVing. 

If you prepared your RV properly last fall at the end of the RV season, then it’s probably covered with one of those big blue plastic tarps, at the very least. Or, you might have a quality RV cover instead.

I keep our 24-foot Dutchman RV trailer stored in a fenced storage facility.  Unfortunately, I don’t have a garage to keep it in, so mine gets the blue tarp treatment.  Minnesota summers are short, so it spends more of the year protected by the tarp then it does in a state of readiness for the road.

Here's how I prepare our RV each year for a summer of fun on the road...

Large recreational vehicles face many of the same issues on the road that are common in the trucking industry -- like being able to turn around a big rig, making wide turns, and difficulty backing up, to name a few. That's why mapping software and GPS units can be lifesavers for RVers.

Picture this late night event... 
With nothing more then a general idea of where I was going, and an address jotted down on a scrap of paper, I was coming into New Orleans. My 1-ton truck with 40-foot gooseneck trailer had a total length of about 60 feet. I saw the exit that was labeled with the street name I was watching for at the very last second.

As soon as I got off the freeway, I knew I was in trouble.

RVing is exploding as both a family-oriented activity and a way of life for couples or even single individuals who want to travel and see everything this great country of ours has to offer.

When shopping for a new RV, there are lots of choices! For example, there are different types, classes and manufacturers of recreational vehicles to choose from. So many, in fact, that it can easily lead to a sense of confusion when it comes to trying to determine which RV will best fulfill your needs.

Following are some questions you'll want to ask yourself, along with a list of the pro's and con's for each of the different styles of recreational vehicles on the market today. This will definitely be helpful if you're in the market for a new or used RV.