Dead along the highway... there is no worse predicament to be in.  In some cases, it could even be life-threatening. 

I’ve put in plenty of hours driving across endless desert regions in the southwest with temperatures well over 100 degrees.  Shade is a pretty scarce commodity out there, so making sure you're prepared for problems can mean the difference between inconvenience and disaster.

Of course, proper maintenance and servicing is the best way to avoid breakdowns in the first place.  Taking shortcuts and letting things go will greatly increase the possibility of something quitting on you at the most inopportune time. 

Having appliances like the refrigerator or plumbing give you problems can be annoying, but when the motor sputters to a halt and all you get is a Click, Click when you attempt to restart...  things can get serious real quick.

Your options for seeking roadside assistance vary greatly, depending on what type of RV you have.

Have you been considering RV insurance for your motorhome or recreational vehicle? Or, if you already have insurance for your RV, do you know if you are really protected properly?

My Dutchmen travel trailer is insured with State Farm.  Which brand name insurance company you choose makes little difference.  But there are a few things you need to think about if you are seeking RV coverage as a full time RVer.

The fact of the matter is, all major auto insurance companies that insure your car or pickup truck will also sell you a policy to cover your motorhome, travel trailer, or fifth wheel trailer.  But what exactly are you getting when you call your friendly neighborhood insurance agent and ask to have your RV added onto your list of vehicles? 

Buying a used motorhome can be a bit scarier than the risks that come with buying a used travel trailer.  With a motorhome, you're also talking a much larger bite into your budget. Which is why it's even more important that you know exactly what you're getting when you're looking for a used motorhome to buy. 

With some 10-year-old motorhomes commanding upwards of $50,000 (or even more), being very selective is to your benefit. 

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.

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...

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.

My wife and I made the decision to hit the road as full time RVers with little more preparation than a few years worth of subscriptions to Trailer Life magazine.

We sold the house, the car, and a lot of junk. Then, we packed the rest into a small motorhome and thought we were ready. 

Well, we made some mistakes along the way. Hopefully the following tips will help you avoid some of the pitfalls that we fell victim to during our first year of fulltime RVing -- some of which can break the bank!

The last time you went looking at new RV's at the dealer’s lot, did you ever wonder just how all those new rigs get from the factory to the dealer?  Transporters, thousands of men and women, actually drive or tow new motorhomes and trailers across the country from their point of manufacture to the dealers who sell them.

Fleetwood, Country Coach, no matter the brand, they all must be driven or pulled from the factory to the dealership. 

I worked for an RV transport company in Tucson for about 6 months. During that time, I transported everything from small travel trailers to $400,000 luxury motorhomes all over the country for hire.

Here are some interesting things I've learned firsthand about the business of transporting RVs...

There really is no rule on what the right RV is for fulltime living.

Deciding which RV is right for you may be easier if you think of it as buying a HOME instead of thinking of it as buying an RV. After all, if you're going to be a fulltime RVer, your RV will be a home.

Our article about towing a Jeep Wrangler behind an RV has been so popular, I figured there are lots of other questions that RV owners might have about towing, as well.

So what follows are all the best resources I could find regarding towing with a motorhome.

Are you decorating your RV with Christmas lights and holiday decorations this year?

Need some ideas?... Or perhaps some motivation?...

What follows is a photo & video gallery featuring RVs decorated to the hilt for Christmas.

Enjoy!

There are a number of good resources for RV checklists out there.

I've spent some time researching them and I've compiled "the best of the best" below.

Need an RV checklist? Start here...

Okay... I never thought I'd be doing a movie review on this RV site.

But we just returned from a cross-country RV trip and had some pretty fun adventures. Along the way, more than one person said we just had to rent the movie RV, starring Robin Williams.

So I did (...despite my better judgment, because the previews just didn't look all that great).

Surprisingly, there were a bunch of funny moments.

I can't help but think that RVers will appreciate seeing some real-life moments play out in the movies (...albeit somewhat exaggerated, of course).

We are currently in search of an RV to call our own.

We've been fortunate to be able to drive several different makes & models of motorhomes -- many of them for long distances, even cross country!

Here's a running list of the RVs, motorhomes and toterhomes that we've driven to date...

Jim (and 3 friends) drove an RV cross country last week -- all the way from Elkhart, Indiana to Edmonton Alberta Canada.

This was Jim's first time being an RV transport driver. They were taking a Gulfstream motorhome from the factory in Indiana to a sales lot in Canada.

So, 2 guys rode in the Gulfstream -- a Class C RV with double slideouts -- while 2 guys rode in Terry's Renegade which is more like a truck with customized sleeping & living space than a "traditional" motorhome.

The trip coincided with an IHRA drag race in Edmonton, so the guys used Terry's motorhome as the return vehicle to get home. (It's the one he takes to all the races -- looks sort of like a semi -- and has his Alcohol Funny Car on board. They ship his Top Fuel Dragster separately in a semi tractor trailer.)

Here's how it went...

Who says you have to buy an RV or motorhome in order to be an RVer? ...even a full-time RVer!

There IS another option: Sign up to deliver RVs with an official RV transporter!

When Ken [Murray] learned about commercial RV transporting companies, he realized then that his dreams of full-timing could come true. Ken sold his house, and last May he moved into his present RV, a 38 foot fifth wheel trailer with a slide out. He contacted two different RV transport companies, Hinkley RV Transport and Horizon Transport, and says both were more than happy to work with him. Both companies have some 200 drivers nationwide, and while they usually deliver new RVs, when Ken wants to move he calls their dispatcher and they have a driver hook onto his trailer and move him to a new park."
-- Gypsy Journal

Heck, depending on the company (and their requirements), you may not even need to have much RV experience at all! And transporting an RV could even be more exciting than renting one!

I first saw the picture at the right on Ralph Savelsberg's MOCpages when I was surfing for fun RV stuff the other day. I thought it was so unique, that I wanted to share this fun idea with fellow RV enthusiasts.

Then, I did a bit more research and found even more motorhomes made from Legos.

Fleetwood RVs first made an appearance on the TV game show, The Price is Right, in 1987.

The 2007 season of The Price is Right marks the 20th anniversary of Fleetwood's participation on the popular CBS daytime game show!

The Price is Right! is America's favorite game show and Fleetwood builds some of America's favorite RVs. We look forward to continuing the tradition for many years to come."
-- Paul Eskritt, Executive VP of Fleetwood RV

Whether you intend to eventually buy an RV at some point or not, renting an RV is always good idea (...and a FUN one, too).

It might also be the best course of action before you purchase a motorhome of your own.

If you plan to use your RV the typical number of days per year (27), and you purchase your 3-year-old RV on credit, you will pay a premium of $200 more per day for the privilege of ownership versus renting! To make ownership financially worthwhile you need to use your RV about 40 days per year if you buy the RV outright or about 50 days per year if you buy the RV on credit. On the other hand for those who live full-time in their RV the costs per day can be well under $100."

-- "Rent vs Buy" by Dave Neale (May, 2006)

According to Kay Toolson, CEO of Monaco Coach Corporation:

At Monaco Coach Corporation, we've built our reputation by thinking outside the box, doing things differently, and exceeding your expectations. We're different by design and proud of it."

See what else makes Monaco different...