No, that’s not a typo that I left in the headline to give my proofreading friends a migraine. It’s a word that I made up to describe living long term with your spouse or partner in the close confines of an RV. It is a situation that can be either heaven on earth, or pure hell, depending on the couple.

I always tell newbies and wannabe RVers that it’s one thing to love your significant other, but if you plan to live the RV lifestyle, you had better really like each other too! Because when you live in a 2,000 square foot house and start to get on each others’ nerves, or have a little spat, one of you can always retreat to the bedroom, garage, or workshop until you cool off. But if you live in a 300 square foot box on wheels, there is nowhere to go to escape!

Back when I was teaching for the Life on Wheels program, a couple sat though my The Reluctant RVer seminar, in which I explore the concerns that many new RVers have to deal with that are holding them back from totally embracing the RV lifestyle. One couple came up to me later and thanked me for talking them out of selling their home and becoming fulltime RVers. They said that they love to travel, but that they are always arguing and stepping on each others’ toes in hotel rooms because they each didn’t have their own space, and they had hoped that RVing would be the answer. They told me that my class convinced them that this would have probably ended in a divorce. Not everybody is cut out for the RV lifestyle, and I’m glad that they released it before they sold their home and invested all of their money in an RV.

The couple in this photograph, on the other hand, are a perfect example of a loving relationship that has only grown stronger through RVing. We have known Sal and Bonnie Bellomo for years, and they are delightful people who are totally in love with each other. Sal is her knight in shining armor, and Bonnie is, and always will be, his fair princess. It makes my heart warm every time I see them together.

So what does it take to have a successful relationship on the road? I think the same things that are required for any relationship, only more so.

Communication is probably first and foremost. A lot of guys are terrible about keeping things inside of them until they fester and blow up. I’ve been guilty of that myself more than once. If something is bothering you, or if you are not enjoying something, talk it out. Ladies, if he is a slob and you are tired of picking up for him, or if you need some help with the household chores, tell him so. Don’t just bite your tongue and let resentments build. I always tell Miss Terry that I can read books, magazines, and internet blogs, but I can’t read minds.  

Compromise is just as important. If one half of the couple wants to spend a few weeks sitting still, and the other one always wants to be on the go, something has to give. Agree to spend a few days sightseeing, and then block out some downtime for just relaxing around the RV park, reading, watching TV, or whatever it takes to recharge your physical and emotional batteries.         

You both have to be on the same page. Does the husband see RVing as an endless exploration of the back roads, seeing new places every day; while the wife envisioned a lifestyle where she could go and spend quality time with the kids and grandkids scattered around the country, staying in their driveway or in a nearby RV park for weeks at a time? Discuss before you start what you both expect this new lifestyle to be.

Treat every day like your first date. My dad told me once that a man should always treat his wife with the same respect and consideration that he did on their first date, and it was good advice. The little things mean a lot. My wife and I may have just had a terrible argument, and we might both be ready to poke each others’ eyes out, but you’ll never see her get into a car without me holding the door for her. Guys, compliment your wife when she makes you a nice dinner, and tell her how pretty she is. And ladies, it’s not a one way street. We need some positives strokes too. When you arrive at a campground at the end of a long day on the road, thank your husband for getting you both there safely. If you get hung up in heavy traffic, or have to thread your way through a narrow construction zone, compliment him on his driving skill once you’re in the clear.

In this RV lifestyle, you will have to depend on each other for everything. Even RVers have bad days from time to time. Our lives may seem like a permanent vacation, but the reality is that you might be a thousand miles from the nearest familiar face, you might be sick, tired, or discouraged about something. You may be feeling insecure, you may be homesick for the grandkids, or you may just have the blues. Having a loving, supportive partner can help you get through it and back to the sunny side of the street.

Of course, the flip side to that is that when the sun is shining, life is good, and you are excited about the day’s new adventures, it’s sure great to have your best friend by your side to share it with! 

Thought For The Day – It’s a great pity that things weren’t so arranged that an empty head, like an empty stomach, wouldn’t let its owner rest until he had put something in it.

Register Now For Our Arizona Gypsy Gathering Rally

We’re getting down to the wire on our Western Gypsy Gathering rally, and I need to be twins, maybe even triplets, to get everything done! Most of yesterday was spent answering e-mails and phone calls from folks registering for the rally.

We have over 200 RVs registered now, and more coming in all the time. I just hope we can find a parking place with electricity for everybody! We have lots of room for dry camping, but we hope to have 20 amp electricity for everybody too.

There are no full hookups for RVs at the fairgrounds, but there are water bibs and a dump station. We have very few 30 and 50 amp electric hookups, but those have to be reserved for people with special needs. And no, wanting to use your microwave or curling iron is not a special need! Sorry.

Hey, Terry and I have been here all week, and we’re getting by just fine on 20 amp electric in our Winnebago diesel coach. Just because we have a 50 amp plug doesn’t mean we have to have 50 amps to live comfortably.

Bill Becker stopped by to say hello yesterday afternoon. Bill and his wife Mabel handle T-shirt sales at our western rallies, and they are hanging out around Yuma until it’s time to come in for the rally. Bill is a retired Marine, and he has arranged for a spokesman from the Marine Air Station here in Yuma to come to the opening of the rally and tell us all a little about their mission to train pilots and crews.

About 3 p.m., Tom and Barbara Westerfield arrived at the fairgrounds. They are part of our advance staff, and boy, do we have a lot of work for them to do! They handle a lot of our technical things, making sure the seminar speakers have the audio-visual equipment they need and that it is working properly, as well as 1001 other tasks. We sure do appreciate all of our volunteer helpers!

Once they were settled in, the four of us took a tour of the fairgrounds, and I showed them where the two main RV parking areas will be, as well as other spots where we can park a rig or two. Unlike the fairgrounds in Casa Grande, where we have held our past rallies, here we won’t have everybody parked in long back to back lines of RVs. Some folks will be parked that way, but others will be put in spots next to buildings where we can get them plugged into electric.

If you don’t have or want to use your rooftop TV dish during the rally, we have several 20 amp electric hookups with water that are under a large covered canopy.

With so little time left before the rally starts, there isn’t time to send rally confirmations by snail mail, but we can do so by e-mail if you register online. You can also register and pay when you arrive at the fairgrounds, either on Sunday, the 7^th from noon to 5 p.m., or Monday, the 8^th from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. If you are staying in the local area and don’t want to bring your RV to the fairgrounds, you can come in on day passes, for $5/person per day, which entitles you to all rally activities. Come join in all the fun!

Thought For The Day – I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past.

Register Now For Our Arizona Gypsy Gathering Rally

A few months ago I didn’t even know what a podcast was, and now we’re the topic of one! How cool is that?

For those of you who don’t know what a podcast is, basically it’s a digital media file that you can view or listen to online, or download from the internet. Kind of like a radio broadcast that you listen to on a computer, an iPod, or an MP3 player. There are millions of podcasts floating around in cyberspace, ranging from short movies (think U Tube), to talks on any subject you can think of, from technology to religion, to politics, as well as musical podcasts. Many producers have their own regular podcasts.

A while back a gentleman named John Huggins contacted me and told me that he and his wife Kathy have a website and produce a weekly podcast called Living The RV Dream, which they produce from their motorhome as they travel around the country fulltime. John asked if they could interview us, and we arranged to get together. Wednesday afternoon they arrived and we had a very nice visit, then John set up his digital recorder and we sat down for the interview.

We talked about our life as fulltime RVers, about the Gypsy Journal, and about our upcoming Gypsy Gathering rally. I’ve conducted a lot of interviews in my newspaper career, and I’ve been interviewed myself before. John and Kathy are real pros, and they kept the process flowing smoothly. Miss Terry isn’t quite as comfortable when she’s put on the spot, but she did a fine job and helped carry the conversation well. The podcast is live now, and you can listen to it here.

In previous podcasts, John and Kathy have interviewed folks like Fleetwood executives Dave Coffin and Justin Humphreys about the future of Fleetwood; Mark Nemeth from the Escapees RV Club; and Ron and Opal Erickson, a country and gospel duo who have been working the RV circuit for years. Other podcasts have covered things like the Escapees Bootcamp Program for new RVers, getting their RV’s thermo pane windows repaired at a Florida business specializing in refurbishing RV windows, RV fire safety, and their travels around the country. I’m hooked! All of their podcasts are available free online, and it’s like having an RV radio program on my computer. Check out their website and our interview, they are a great resource for both new and experienced RVers. I was so impressed with John and Kathy that I asked him to do a seminar on podcasting at our rally, and he readily agreed.

John had originally said they needed about an hour of our time, but we had such a fun visit with them that it stretched out a couple of hours, and then we piled into their car and headed to the nearby Texas Roadhouse for dinner. The time flew by, and all told, I think we were together about five hours! Isn’t the RV lifestyle wonderful? We meet new friends wherever we go!

While Terry and I were learning about podcasts, Bad Nick was busy too, writing a new Bad Nick Blog post titled You’re Fired! Check it out and leave a comment.

Thought For The Day – Live the life you love, and love the life you live.

Register Now For Our Arizona Gypsy Gathering Rally

We had forgotten from our previous visits to Yuma just how bad the local tap water is. Most folks here buy water at “water stations” like this one, which can be found all over town. You bring your plastic jugs, put a quarter or two into a vending machine, and fill them up with filtered water. I don’t think we have seen water stations anyplace else that we have traveled. If you are coming in for our Gypsy Gathering rally, please try to arrive with a full fresh water tank if you can, for your own good.

We spent most of yesterday running around getting the pizzas for our Wednesday night pizza party arranged, and trying to find somebody at the WalMart bakery who could understand that we need to order 25 to 35 dozen donuts every morning during the rally. We need to go back, because everybody we talked to was just a little bit dimmer than your average donut. I think some people work at WalMart only because they’re not smart enough to get jobs that require them to memorize lines like “Do you want fries with that?”

Back at the fairgrounds, we spent some time checking out the location of the electric outlets scattered around the property. We will only have a few 30 and 50 amp electric hookups, but we need to reserve those for people with special needs. But we should be able to hook everybody up with 20 amp service, which is enough to keep batteries charged. That’s all we’re using here next to the stables, and we’re getting along just fine. Think of it as upscale boondocking!

Several people have asked if there will be WiFi available at the rally. The fairgrounds does not have WiFi, but we have found at past rallies that there are usually a few people with internet connections who leave them open to allow others to get online. These days, with air cards so cheap and the service available almost everywhere, I don’t know why anybody would depend on hit or miss WiFi for internet access.

The fairgrounds is right across the street from the Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, and most of the day Northrop F5 and AV-8B Harrier jets are flying overhead. It is amazing to see how closely those pilots fly in formation.

I had never seen a Harrier land or take off before, and it is pretty interesting. When they come in to land, they hover and then set down slowly, instead of making a high speed landing like other aircraft. It gets a little loud sometimes as they roar past, but that’s the sound of freedom, baby!

I need to clear up some confusion on the RVSEF RV Lifestyle, Education & Safety Conference to be held in Bowling Green, Kentucky June 3-6. They have me listed as an instructor on their website because we have agreed to be at future conferences, but we will not be at the June event. We have been promising ourselves for years that we are going to slow down, and this is the summer for that to finally happen. We just want to piddle around and just let the wind and whimsy blow us where they may. But, not to worry, RVSEF honcho Walter Cannon has put together an excellent program, and you’ll find plenty of top notch instructors at the conference. Whether you’re a new RVer, a veteran road warrior, or a wannabe, you’ll learn a lot at the conference.

Thought For The Day – I want to move to theory; everything works in theory.

Register Now For Our Arizona Gypsy Gathering Rally

We were in no hurry yesterday, and that was a good thing. It was cold in Gila Bend overnight, and I was too lazy to get up and turn on the furnace, so instead I shivered half the night. Finally, about 7 a.m., I got up for a bathroom trip, and when I came back to bed I snuggled up to Miss Terry and dropped into a deep sleep. So deep that finally somewhere around 10:40 a.m. Terry woke me up and asked if I ever planned to get out of bed. There were several RVs at the Elks lodge overnight, but by the time we opened the curtain over our windshield, there was only one travel trailer parked back at the far edge of the lot, and I think he’s staying there long term.

We puttered around for an hour or so, checking e-mail and returning a couple of phone calls, and finally got on the road about noon. But we only had about 120 miles to go, so there was no pressure.

It was a beautiful day, and the storm from the day before had blown itself out. We cruised west on Interstate 8, stopping only long enough to pull into a rest area for a quick walk around the motorhome and van, making sure everything was still in one piece. It’s always a good idea to stop every hundred miles or so do a walk around and stretch your legs. It gives you an opportunity to check your tires, be sure your tow bar and safety cables are still secure, and look for anything that might need attention. We had friends who once drove 400 miles nonstop, and when they arrived at their destination, they discovered that the side window of their SUV had been shattered. They had no idea when or how that had happened, and it remains a mystery today.

I like comparing how our Winnebago motorhome compares to our MCI bus conversion on steep grades. There is a small mountain range just east of Yuma on Interstate 8, and in the past, if I had a good running start at it, we’d top out in the bus at about 15 to 18 miles per hour. We had stopped at the rest area just before the uphill climb began, so there was no running start, and I had to slow down for a big truck, but in the Winnebago, we still hit the top at about 50 miles per hour. What a difference! However, I still much prefer the Jake brake in the old bus to the exhaust brake on the Winnebago. I just felt more secure with it on steep downgrades.  

After a stop for fuel at the Flying J on the east side of town, we arrived at the fairgrounds and stopped to check in at the office. They have several other events going on between now and our rally, so we found a quiet spot away from the main area, parked next to the stables. We have 20 amp electric and water, which is plenty to sustain us indefinitely.

Once we were settled in, we called our friends Mike and Elaine Loscher and arranged to meet them for dinner at the Golden Corral. Mike and Elaine are sweet people, and very dedicated supporters of our efforts. They have been to every one of our rallies, always volunteering to help. We could never afford to pay them for all that they do, from helping with parking and registration, and a hundred other chores that come up. We feel very honored to have such wonderful friends. 

I noticed in Gila Bend, and again here in Yuma, that our Verizon air card is working much faster than it was in the Apache Junction/Mesa area. Some snowbirds had told me that they were experiencing slow service here in Yuma too, but so far, so good. We’ll be busy getting all of the last minute rally chores done in the next few days. The clock is ticking down!

Thought For The Day – Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

Register Now For Our Arizona Gypsy Gathering Rally