The Knowledge – RV Travel Tips

We’re not sage old timers like the man in the cover shot, but we’ve learned some stuff!

Below, you will find practical tips and advice from our own experience of caravanning, with many useful links embedded within each blog.

We have been caravanning for only a few years and do not claim to be experts. We are UK based, so some aspects (such as legal requirements etc) will be UK specific. There is also no substitute for professional advice in certain areas. (Please see my Disclaimer.)

We simply aim to highlight some of the issues that we have faced, how we approached them and what we learned.

Brexit

Gifts!

1. Gifts for the Caravan & Dog Lover – a page of Cool Caravan Cadeaux & Pawsome Presents
2. Product Reviews – honest, ‘Warts and All’ Product Reviews

Caravan Paraphernalia

1. Toilets: Toilet Training – how to avoid a Kamikaze Chemi-Khazi & other useful advice. 
2. Electrics: Reverse Polarity & Issues of Electrical Safety in a Caravan. – “electricity is just organised lightning” which is why you should be careful with it.
3. Gas: Safefill Refillable Gas Bottle Review – save money & never run out of gas again.
4. Security: 25 Ways to Improve Caravan or Motorhome Security At Home & Abroad
5. Caravan Sat Nav:never get lost again. Maybe!
   1. Tom Tom GO Camper Review
   2. Snooper Ventura Pro 2700 Review

Towing

1. Towing Safely & Legally – the art of pulling!
2. To Tow or Not to Tow? – Is it Safe to Tow in High Winds? – make sure you live to tow another day…
3. 12 Tips on Driving Safely in Romania – want to tow the Transfăgărășan – ‘the best road in the world’? Here are our tips from 3 months with a caravan in Romania.

Winter Storage

1. Winterising your Caravan  – getting your caravan ready for winter storage.
2. Mothball Your Motorhome for Winter – & avoid expensive mistakes with boilers & batteries! 

Lifestyle & Touring Full-Time

1. Practicalities
   1. Top Tips for Going Full-Time in your Caravan or Motorhomee – practical hints on how to go from first-timers to full-timers in two bottles of champagne!
   2. Why I Chose A Nomadic Life – an interview with Valentina Cirasola about why we chose to give up our home, possessions, friends & family, & how we cope with the practicalities.
   3. Tips for Planning the Perfect Trip – “So much world. So little time…” tips, tools & inspiration to help you make the most of limited touring time.
   4. So. What Did We Learn?! – “We Made the Mistakes so that You Don’t Have To!” Lessons from our first year on the road.
   5. Coping in a Heatwave in your Camper or Motorhome – great advice from the folks at ‘Our Tour’ about surviving the heat (their tips work just as well in a caravan!)
   6. 25 Important Travel Safety Tips– from Matt at the Expert Vagabond. 
2. Financing Your Lifestyle
   1. The Question that No-One Dares Ask – “What Does It Cost You to Tour Full Time?!”– It might be less than you think. This is our annual budget.
   2. Tips on Letting Out Your House to Fund your Travels – we’re not millionaires, so this was our key to livin’ the dream and never working again!
   1. Funding a Long-Term Motorhome Tour, Buying a Dream – 5 spiffing ideas from the folks at Our Tour. 
   2. How We Did It – has lots more tips on downsizing and going full time. 
   3. 15 Best Freelance Websites for Beginners – thinking of becoming a digital nomad? This is a good place to start. 
3. Recording Your Travels
   1. 5 Reasons Why You Should Keep A Travel Journal – My No 1 Travel Tip.
   2. 10 Tips to Titivate Your Travel Journal
   3. How Travel Journals Led Me to Publish Four Books
   4. 6 Ways To Make Your Travel Photography Stand Out – a great post to help you supercharge your snaps!
   5. My First Book Birthday! – from an invitation to Bucharest, an acknowledgement from Prince Charles to a purchase by a kitty, my first year as a published author.
   6. A Beginner’s Guide to Self-Publishing a Book & Selling it on Amazon – if you have ever dreamed of getting into print, read on. It is now easier than ever. 
4.  Family & Friends
   1. The Perils of Proximity – coping with the joy of togetherness – 24/7/365!
   2. The Impact of Long-Term Touring on Family & Friends – what about those that you leave behind? A few solutions to doing the right thing for both you & your family.
   3. The Black Dog – Coping with Depression & A Midlife Crisis– the positive side of depression.

Money Saving

1. 10 Tips to Save Money while Caravanning and Motorhoming  – how we saved £1,000’s in our 2nd year!
2. Zero Waste Caravanning – Save Money, Weight, Space & The Planet!– tips which apply at home as well as on wheels.

Coronavirus

Since we find ourselves locked down in quarantine in Northern Italy, here are some facts and survival strategies to counter all the hype.

1. 10 Tips For a Safe & Stress Free Post-Covid Road Trip – is it legal, safe or ethical to travel? 10 tips to help you make the decision & have a safe & stress-free trip. 
2. How And When Can We Return to Road Tripping Safely in Europe? – with helpful links to the most up to date information.
3. 10 Tips to Make Covid-19 Isolation SPLENDID! – you can choose look at the headlines & worry – or use my tips to make use of this precious gift of time. 
4. How to Survive Coronavirus – Even If You’re Caught in a Hotspot – in the midst of all the hype and hysteria, as a scientist, I look for the facts.
5. Locked Down in Italy – Our Novel Coronavirus Survival Strategy – where are we? Are we in danger? And why we won’t move on Friday 13th?
6. Life In Lockdown – Our Coronavirus Quarantine in Italy – includes how to halt misinformation, whether to cancel your plans & what to do if you run out of toilet paper.

Miscellaneous

1. Bailey ALKO Axle Problem – have you suffered the dreaded axle collapse? Here is how we approached Bailey, who eventually replaced the axle free of charge. 
2. The Black Dog – Coping with Depression & A Midlife Crisis– the positive side of depression.

My blogs contain many useful web links. Please let me know via the comments if any of the links are broken.

Please note that the purpose of my blog is simply to inform and entertain, not provide professional advice. Please see my Disclaimer for further information.