By Debbie Gardner
dgardner@thereminder.com
Bruce Tranter, RV expert from Prime’s June feature story on the RV lifestyle, offered to answer reader questions about RV trip planning and the lifestyle.
Below are three questions submitted by readers, and Tranter’s expert answers.
If you have RV questions, send them to dgardner@thereminder.com for a future column!
Q: What are the best RV guide books to make the most of your trip?
“Some of the most popular books that you can purchase to help with RV trip planning and sightseeing are listed here. I approached this list with the goal of helping RV’ers plan a multi-state trip, or even across the entire country. The books are easily obtainable from Amazon or possibly your local bookstore. The value of having a travel book in your RV is the instant lookup and reference of information specific to your intended route or state you are passing through. Internet lookup to learn the same information would take considerably more time to sift through and there’s always the problem of limited internet access.
“Road Atlas US & Canada” by Rand McNally – This must-have route planning atlas is the most important reference guide you can possibly have when traveling in your RV. The giant 15” X 11” atlas is updated every year and is offered spiral-bound or stapled. My advice is to get the spiral-bound as this atlas will get more daily use than any other reference you have. Features of the atlas include city-to-city mileage charts, driving times, 350 city and 50 state maps, 26 national park maps, and regional ‘best of the road’ trips. Maps for Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico are included. The state-by-state index in the back of the atlas lists every city and town with the corresponding map location to find it on the state map. I especially like the nationwide map of all interstates on one page at the front of the atlas. An added bonus on each state map is the phone number and website for tourist information, toll road rates, construction, and road conditions. The Rand McNally Atlas sells for around $30 at any office supply store or online.
“50 States: 5000 Ideas” – National Geographic – Backed by National Geographic and written by award-winning authors, the book provides a state-by-state snapshot of the must-see attractions and highlights of each state. The 288-page book is paperback and costs around $40, a handy reference guide as you move throughout the country.
“Smart RV Travel Guide” – Author Ron Samson had compiled a comprehensive lower 48-state guide for the RV traveler. The book includes a state-by-state guide of all national parks, RV parks, costs, and major attractions. The author describes his book as a “no-fluff guide with no story telling”. The 598-page paperback guidebook costs around $25.”
Q: The internet is so much of everything we do, including travel. How can RVers plan for connectivity on their trip?
“Reliable internet service can be tricky while traveling in your RV. If you need constant connectivity for your employment or streaming capability for enjoying movies, there are devices, plans, and pitfalls you need to consider. While most private campgrounds claim to offer wifi service, the service may be unreliable or slow. It is almost impossible to determine if the service is reliable and accessible until you arrive. State parks rarely offer wifi and if they do it may be only in the vicinity of the office. So let’s dig into the basic terminology and options you may have available.
“Every cell phone has three features you are billed for in your service plan: voice, data, and text. Internet capability and connectivity comes under the data function of your plan. Check your plan to see what level of data you have. When you use your phone to access the internet, you are using the data function and that may be “unlimited” or 100 Gb or 50 Gb. While it would take many pages of explanation for these numbers in detail, let’s break it down to a very simple analogy: One Gb of data equals one picture. Your friend has wedding pictures to send you. You have a 50 Gb data plan per month. If one picture equals one Gb, that means your friend can send you 50 pictures to your phone. After that you have used up all of your data capability in your plan. If you want more pictures from your friend, your carrier will charge you for more data usage.
“While this is an over-simplification of data usage, the point here is you need to estimate how much data you will need to function on a daily basis.
“Do you just want to check email periodically, or maybe Google (look up) a few things per day? A 50 Gb plan may work nicely for that. Or are you watching a movie on your phone every day? A 100 Gb plan may work for that. Or do you need live streaming capability with your office every day for lengthy meetings over the internet? An unlimited plan may work for that. If you frequently experience additional charges for going over your data plan, then you obviously need to upgrade. “Don’t worry about not knowing how much data you may need. Nobody knows. You will just have to wing it for a few months and keep an eye on data usage. If you are consistently using only 50% of your data plan per month, then downgrade it. You carrier can help you read and understand data usage on your phone.
“So how do I connect to the internet on my laptop computer using my phone?
“1).Using your IOS or Android phone as a hotspot. This feature offered on every cell phone service carrier allows you to use your phone as the link to the internet. It is usually an extra charge and there may be various data levels you can purchase based on monthly need. Your laptop will need to know where the internet is coming from so your phone will show up as a network to connect to with internet access. This is password controlled so a person sitting next to you with a laptop can’t get on your phone network. If you don’t have reliable cell service where you are, your hotspot internet service will not work either.
“2). You purchase a “mobile hotspot” device rather than using your phone. The device will require a new cell number and is also capable of connecting to the campground wifi. The mobile hotspot device acts like a router (capable of connecting several devices) to the internet. The performance is much faster and you will have other features your phone doesn’t offer. Mobile hotspot devices have costs ranging from $100 to $700 (depending on manufacturer) not including the cell service data line. There are many manufacturers of mobile hotspot devices and you are advised to talk first with your cell phone carrier before purchasing any device. A device may perform well with T-Mobile service and not perform well with Verizon service, so be very careful when researching. A mobile hotspot device may improve cell service slightly better than your phone, but if you don’t have reliable cell service where you are your mobile hotspot device may not work either.
“3).If your internet connectivity is crucial to your employment you may want to consider an external antenna located outside of your RV, or a signal booster. External antennas or signal boosters can drastically improve cell service and cost from $100 to $900.”
Q: Can you recommend apps and websites to help with planning an RV route and stops?
“There are great websites and apps for RV trip planning! Most have a “free” version that allow you to do some sample planning. Paid versions offer more features. Do your research ahead of your trip and experiment with different routing, attractions, and timing of your stops. Be aware some apps work differently on phones than on laptops or tablets.
“RV Parky (www.rvparky.com) – This site offers features not found in other sites. The free version has limitations of only three stops, can’t save trips, and has advertising. The fee for the “Pro” version is $4.99 per month or $19.99 annually and offers unlimited stops, no advertising, saving favorite campgrounds, and more. Maps also show rest areas, RV parks, and RV friendly routes. Works with IOS or Android phones, laptops, tablets.
“Roadtrippers” (www.roadtrippers.com) – The free version of Roadtrippers is good for seven days and has everything in the paid version. Roadtrippers can plan the route for you or you can plan it out yourself. The package includes an extensive database of attractions, RV resorts, rest areas, and more! Roadtrippers also offers several roadside assistance plans for an extra charge. The annual fee is $59.99 (not including roadside assistance). Works with IOS, Android, and laptops.
“RV Life Trip Wizard” (tripwizard.rvlife.com) – This web-based app has a database of 20,000 campgrounds, 57,000 points of interest, trip planning, trip costing, driving times, and distances. The downside is you are out of luck if you lose internet. However, once you enter your RV specifications there won’t be any roads you don’t belong on. Free for seven days. After that it costs $19.99 monthly, $65 annually.”
