Information and Memberships

When we started out RVing, we were complete newbies. We have learned a lot and still enjoy listening to and watching the following people through podcasts and YouTube (in alphabetical order):

• Creativity RV with Robin Barrett:  We like some of her information but find some not as interesting. Robin’s YouTube videos are pretty short and some are very helpful. She definitely gives you an idea of the ups and downs of RV life. 

• Diversity Van Life with Naomi Grevemberg: Naomi just published a book that focuses specifically on diversity, but her book and website have information that is relevant to and helpful for everyone, particularly those new to RV life. 

• Drivin & Vibin: They have a newsletter and videos that have a lot of useful information. 

• Keep Your Daydream: We found this couple really inspirational when we were still working and needed an escape :) For inspiration, listen to some of their earlier podcasts about why they started RVing. 

• Queen B RV with Brenda Puckett: Brenda is a certified RV inspector and has really helpful information about maintaining an RV. 

• RV Blogger: I find the blogs to be helpful and informative. 

• RV Geeks: They have some really good tips and tricks that we like reading about.

• RV Life Podcast: Patti Hunt hosts this podcast, offering straight-forward and helpful information without self-promotion. The podcast is sponsored by RV Life (see Memberships below) and a few other organizations, so she promotes their products during the podcast. 

• RV Lifestyle with Mike and Jen Wendlend: Just get onto their website and then you can find their podcast and YouTube videos. Mike and Jen are really helpful, have a huge following, and offer helpful tips. They also have a Facebook page with over 200,000 followers and you can post and read questions there and they started a pay-to-join "gated virtual community".  They have travel books and are probably some of the biggest influencers in the RV blogging world. We used to follow them regularly, but they self-promote way too much. 

• Solo Women RV with Kathy Bilge: Kathy’s blog and podcast may seem pretty niche but many of the issues she raises are relevant to everyone and welike her style a lot. She’s much more low-budget than some of the others above, which we appreciate.

• The Wayward Home with Kristin Hanes: Kristin talks a lot about how to make money on the road but also offers other information. She has a podcast and a website full of information, and she helps run yearly RV summits.

• Traveling Robert with Robert Morales: Robert shares a lot about his travels and it’s fun to follow him. 

• Wandering Bird with Kat: Kat provides good information for RVing in Europe and the UK. 

• We're The Russos: This couple has a website full of information, travel guides, and products. I found them through their podcast, RVing with Joe & Kait, where they interview interesting people and cover a variety of topics. I like their interview style, questions they ask, and information they cover. 

There are a lot of memberships to consider and some are costly. Memberships make great holiday and birthday gifts! Here we list the memberships that we find particularly helpful in planning our trips and while on the road (in alphabetical order):

• Good Sams Club: This provides discounts at Camping World, a few other stores, and many campgrounds. We also have Good Sams Roadside Assistance which covers our RV and cars,  as well as their extended warranty program for one of our cars. 

• Harvest Hosts and Boondockers Welcome: We love using both of these to find places to stay overnight that are MUCH better than Walmart parking lots!

• Road Pass Pro: The pro membership comes with Roadtrippers and Campendium. We use Roadtrippers to plan all of our RV travels and as a RV-friendly GPS for when we are on the road. And Campendium is great for finding campgrounds. We find the package is worth the price.

• RV Life: We get the pro membership and find that the Trip Wizard and RV GPS are worth the price. And the campground reviews are really helpful! 

• The Dyrt: We use the free version of The Dyrt to help find campsites. 

• AllTrails: When hiking in new areas while traveling, this is a very helpful app to have.  And downloading trails and areas in advance is so helpful on hikes with no cell reception. We find the paid version to be well worth the price.