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We Made Every Rookie RV Mistake So You Don’t Have To | Featuring Amped to Glamp · Inspired Travels With Patti

0:00
SPEAKER_01: Do you want to avoid some of the worst newbie RV mistakes?
0:04
SPEAKER_01: Today, my guests and I are going to share our most embarrassing mistakes to help you not make the same ones.
0:14
SPEAKER_01: So, John, what was the moment you realized you had no idea what you were doing?
0:20
SPEAKER_03: Well, when we first got the RV, we decided to take our shakedown trip down to Disney, which was ridiculous to go so far.
0:27
SPEAKER_03: But we went down there and on the way down, we couldn't figure out why our refrigerator wasn't working.
0:33
SPEAKER_03: And so we pulled into a truck stop and we called back to the dealership and we had to go and ask them how what we were doing wrong.
0:41
SPEAKER_03: And it turned out we just had no idea we had to turn on the inverter.
0:45
SPEAKER_01: Listen, we are all going to be sharing our worst mistakes.
0:50
SPEAKER_01: We've all done them.
0:52
SPEAKER_01: And guess what?
0:52
SPEAKER_01: We're talking about newbies, but I know well into my traveling days, I was still making some incredible mistakes.
1:30
SPEAKER_01: Now, John and Sherry Hill of Amp to Glamp have a YouTube channel, a travel and lifestyle brand that proves adventure doesn't have to be a deadline created by a couple who spent years balancing professional careers with part-time travel, and the channel has entered its most exciting chapter yet, the freedom of retirement.
1:53
SPEAKER_01: While they maintain a home base, they now have the liberty to hit the road whenever the mood strikes, exploring the country in their 36-foot class ARV.
2:06
SPEAKER_01: Amptiglamp is a celebration of life on the move, sharing logistics, locations, and the joy of traveling on their own terms.
2:15
SPEAKER_01: And today, sharing all of our screw ups.
2:18
SPEAKER_01: Let's just call it what it is.
2:20
SPEAKER_01: Welcome, John and Sherry Hill to Inspired Travels with Patty.
2:25
SPEAKER_02: Thank you so much for having us.
2:26
SPEAKER_02: We really appreciate it.
2:28
SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
2:29
SPEAKER_01: And so let's start.
2:31
SPEAKER_01: Where and when and why?
2:33
SPEAKER_01: Tell us the story, how the whole idea of RVing began.
2:37
SPEAKER_02: So we used to cruise a lot, and when COVID hit, we could no longer cruise, and neither one of us was able to work because of both of our offices shut down.
2:47
SPEAKER_02: And we needed a way to travel.
2:48
SPEAKER_02: And so we said, okay, let's go get an RV.
2:50
SPEAKER_02: And that's what we did, and that's how it all started.
2:53
SPEAKER_01: Okay, so you started like a lot of us during COVID.
2:56
SPEAKER_01: I myself, for people who don't know my backstory, during COVID, said, hey, let's sell it all.
3:03
SPEAKER_01: Now we sold it all with little planning, and that's one of the mistakes.
3:08
SPEAKER_01: You know, not researching, not planning.
3:11
SPEAKER_01: One of the mistakes we'll talk about.
3:13
SPEAKER_01: What then inspired you to start your YouTube channel, Amped to Glamp?
3:18
SPEAKER_02: We had watched so much YouTube before we got the RV, and we just kind of thought to ourselves, hey, we can do this.
3:25
SPEAKER_02: And then as we started doing it, we realized we really didn't know anything at all.
3:29
SPEAKER_02: So then we said, hey, people can learn from our mistakes.
3:32
SPEAKER_02: So let's keep doing it.
3:33
SPEAKER_02: And that's what we did.
3:34
SPEAKER_01: And I think that's a great way to do it.
3:36
SPEAKER_01: I, the whole point of this podcast is to inspire people to live life more fully.
3:42
SPEAKER_01: And sometimes we just have to start messy, start without having it all figured out.
3:48
SPEAKER_01: But like I keep saying today, we are going to help people make a little bit less mistakes.
3:55
SPEAKER_01: So when you guys started out, what were some of the common mistakes that you made?
4:04
SPEAKER_01: Let's let's focus on one.
4:06
SPEAKER_01: What's the one thing?
4:07
SPEAKER_01: Let me say this differently.
4:08
SPEAKER_01: What's the one thing you would have done different if you could go back in time?
4:14
SPEAKER_02: I think we would have bought a different RV.
4:16
SPEAKER_02: Yes.
4:17
SPEAKER_02: That would have been the first thing.
4:18
SPEAKER_02: Um, we we didn't know anything about RVs, and there weren't RVs for us to go and look at.
4:24
SPEAKER_02: And so, you know, we just bought what we thought, what we could get and what we thought would work.
4:28
SPEAKER_02: And that was probably our our one of our bigger mistakes.
4:32
SPEAKER_02: We we didn't buy the right RV.
4:34
SPEAKER_01: Okay, and that is a big mistake for people like you.
4:38
SPEAKER_01: We couldn't go look at a lot of RVs.
4:40
SPEAKER_01: We did look at some of them.
4:42
SPEAKER_01: I didn't do a lot of research, and we ended up in a 40-foot class A, you had a 36-foot class A.
4:50
SPEAKER_01: Um, my whole thing with an RV, like I didn't look at the mechanics and the stability and all that stuff.
4:56
SPEAKER_01: That was something my husband looked at.
4:58
SPEAKER_01: But for me, walking into an RV, I needed to know that my espresso machine had a place for it.
5:06
SPEAKER_01: Honestly, that's what I was looking for.
5:09
SPEAKER_01: I'm embarrassed to say that I have my priorities.
5:13
SPEAKER_01: And when I went in and there wasn't counter space for the espresso machine, that was it.
5:18
SPEAKER_01: We were done.
5:19
SPEAKER_01: So would not recommend that.
5:22
SPEAKER_01: Make your priority list for sure, and then figure it out from there.
5:26
SPEAKER_01: Now let's talk about what we both could have, shoulda, would have done different.
5:31
SPEAKER_01: Um, and today people have the option of going to like RV shows.
5:37
SPEAKER_01: The Hershey RV show is coming up in a few months after the this episode goes live.
5:42
SPEAKER_01: The Hershey RV show, for those who are new, is the largest RV show in the country, one of the largest.
5:48
SPEAKER_01: And you could go explore every different type of RV, go walk in, go sit down, and really feel if this would work for you.
5:58
SPEAKER_01: What would be a suggestion you would give people about choosing the right RV?
6:03
SPEAKER_03: We usually recommend spending some time in it, maybe getting in there and taking a seat and just relaxing, looking around.
6:14
SPEAKER_03: Know what you really want.
6:16
SPEAKER_03: Do you want extra kitchen space or do you need extra sleeping space?
6:20
SPEAKER_03: I mean, figure that out.
6:22
SPEAKER_02: And I think a lot of times people think they know what they want, but they really don't know.
6:27
SPEAKER_02: And so when we're saying spend some time in the RV, we're saying when you find the RV that you really like, especially at the shows, you need to sit in that RV for at least 30 minutes.
6:37
SPEAKER_02: You need to pretend that you're doing dishes, you need to pretend that you're doing laundry, you need to pretend that you're taking a nap in the bed, you need to sit in the chairs and pretend or you know, watch the television.
6:48
SPEAKER_02: That's the only way that you're really gonna know whether or not that RV fits the needs that you have.
6:55
SPEAKER_01: I love those suggestions.
6:57
SPEAKER_01: One thing I will add is making that priority list.
7:02
SPEAKER_01: First of all, you and I both travel without kids.
7:05
SPEAKER_01: You know, how many people are gonna travel?
7:07
SPEAKER_01: How many actual beds do you need?
7:09
SPEAKER_01: Saying that you're gonna do a fold-out couch or the jackknife couch for a teenager probably isn't going to work.
7:19
SPEAKER_01: So, what are the needs?
7:20
SPEAKER_01: Make that list.
7:22
SPEAKER_01: And I love what you said, sit in it.
7:25
SPEAKER_01: So if you're at a Hershey RV show and it is busy, sit down, don't worry about it.
7:30
SPEAKER_02: And I would add um another thing to that is um really use the bathroom in there because if you're short, if you don't use, if you don't sit on that toilet, you may not realize that your feet will dangle whenever you want to use it.
7:44
SPEAKER_02: Or if you're really tall and you don't get into the shower, you may realize after the fact that you can't stand up straight in the shower.
7:51
SPEAKER_02: And then the other thing is buy the RV for you.
7:56
SPEAKER_02: Yes, like whoever's buying you, your husband, your partner, whatever, not for who you think might travel with you.
8:03
SPEAKER_02: Because when we bought our RV, we got a really big one because we thought the whole family, our parents were gonna travel with us, our son was gonna travel with us forever, all the time.
8:12
SPEAKER_02: And that's just not simply the case.
8:14
SPEAKER_01: And again, I found the same thing.
8:16
SPEAKER_01: So when you say use the toilet, you could sit on it.
8:18
SPEAKER_01: Please do not use it.
8:21
SPEAKER_01: I know you didn't need to literally.
8:23
SPEAKER_00: You're right.
8:24
SPEAKER_00: Just sit on it.
8:26
SPEAKER_01: But you're right.
8:27
SPEAKER_01: Sit down on it, stand in the shower.
8:30
SPEAKER_01: Yes, you can walk in the shower with your shoes on, make sure you can fit sideways.
8:35
SPEAKER_01: Some of them are very tight, make sure they're high enough.
8:38
SPEAKER_01: This is big, and we're spending some time talking about this because this is the first biggest mistake that people make.
8:45
SPEAKER_01: So that is true.
8:47
SPEAKER_01: And I did the same thing thinking I'm buying this RV and the family and the kids and the grandkids are gonna come.
8:54
SPEAKER_01: And even if that happens, get a tent, have a blow-up, you know, an inflatable mattress, like those kinds of things.
9:03
SPEAKER_01: But yeah, plan for the people that you know will be there, not who you think may show up.
9:09
SPEAKER_01: A lot of campgrounds, if you decide to go out, a lot of campgrounds have cabins.
9:13
SPEAKER_01: So if you're staying in the RV, your family could stay in a cabin.
9:16
SPEAKER_01: So there's other solutions.
9:18
SPEAKER_01: Love these ideas.
9:20
SPEAKER_02: And that's exactly what we do now when we travel with our parents because you know they're both in their 80s, and climbing in and out of the RV and sleeping in the RV is just not comfortable for them.
9:30
SPEAKER_02: So we rent them a cavern, excuse me.
9:32
SPEAKER_02: So we rent them a cabin and we stay in the RV close by the cabin, and that's how we travel together.
9:38
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and that is a great way to travel.
9:41
SPEAKER_01: So, okay, let's talk about some other mistakes we make.
9:44
SPEAKER_01: We bought bought the RV.
9:46
SPEAKER_01: Now we have it.
9:47
SPEAKER_01: We go on a road from where to Disney?
9:51
SPEAKER_01: Did you guys go?
9:52
SPEAKER_01: Where'd you start out?
9:53
SPEAKER_03: In Maryland.
9:55
SPEAKER_03: Yes, and we went all the way to Orlando, that first shakedown trip.
10:00
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
10:00
SPEAKER_01: So that might be another suggestion.
10:03
SPEAKER_01: Would you have done that a little different?
10:06
SPEAKER_01: Now that, yeah.
10:07
SPEAKER_01: So what would you have done different, John?
10:10
SPEAKER_03: We would have gone close by, or at least close by, maybe where we bought it, so that we could go back and say, look, this these things don't work.
10:18
SPEAKER_03: We need, you know, to fix them.
10:19
SPEAKER_03: Instead, we're in Florida trying to figure out how to fix things.
10:23
SPEAKER_03: And we lost parts on the way down to Florida.
10:26
SPEAKER_00: Things fall off the LV.
10:28
SPEAKER_02: And we didn't realize it until we got to Orlando.
10:30
SPEAKER_03: Nothing too major, but still, you know, we lost the cover to our outdoor the light that comes on when you open the uh door, that flew off somewhere on 95.
10:40
SPEAKER_03: The headlight stopped working.
10:41
SPEAKER_03: Yes, the headlight went out.
10:42
SPEAKER_03: It's just a lot of things.
10:43
SPEAKER_01: A lot of extra stress that we didn't need.
10:46
SPEAKER_01: And I'm again for people who are listening, get the RV.
10:51
SPEAKER_01: Now, what I did was I'm a little bit of a control freak.
10:54
SPEAKER_01: And so when we bought our RV, we were moving out of the house and we sold everything.
11:00
SPEAKER_01: So I said, I need to be able to just shove boxes in the RV, go somewhere close so I can organize.
11:08
SPEAKER_01: Like I needed to have some organization.
11:11
SPEAKER_01: I needed to understand how the RV worked.
11:14
SPEAKER_01: I needed to understand when I could use the espresso machine in the morning, or I needed to get in a car and go get coffee.
11:21
SPEAKER_01: Like these were important things.
11:23
SPEAKER_01: So we went 15 minutes away and stayed in a campground.
11:28
SPEAKER_01: And then we would work on backing up.
11:31
SPEAKER_01: We would meet people in the campground.
11:33
SPEAKER_01: We tested all the different, you know, tried to test as much as possible.
11:38
SPEAKER_01: So still things I didn't know that I didn't know and should have checked and done and learned about.
11:45
SPEAKER_01: But that was one thing for me to be able to be organized in the RV.
11:50
SPEAKER_01: Honestly, truth be told, I never really felt organized, and you have to give up some control is one of the things I've learned.
11:57
SPEAKER_01: So you would take the RV if you bought it at a dealership or you buy it from somebody, check it out, go through the different things.
12:06
SPEAKER_01: There's a lot of systems to an RV that most people aren't used to.
12:11
SPEAKER_01: So learning about it before you get out, great idea.
12:15
SPEAKER_01: Picking the right RV, learning what to do with it.
12:18
SPEAKER_01: What else did you find that became a problem while on the road?
12:23
SPEAKER_02: So I think the the the like one of the big mistakes we made um taking out the road is we didn't realize how exhausting driving an RV could be versus driving a car.
12:35
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
12:35
SPEAKER_02: And so we thought we could do seven, eight, nine hour days without a problem.
12:40
SPEAKER_02: And that's how we planned our first trips.
12:43
SPEAKER_02: And that was a nightmare because one, John was completely exhausted, and we would arrive, and we we really liked in the very beginning, we we only really did like state parks.
12:52
SPEAKER_02: That was our thing.
12:54
SPEAKER_02: And we'd arrive in these really dark state parks that didn't have any lights, that had very small roads with lots of trees in the dark.
13:03
SPEAKER_02: And that was stressful, very stressful, especially after a long day of driving.
13:07
SPEAKER_01: So plan how long, the shorter the better.
13:11
SPEAKER_01: I find that, and we did the same thing.
13:14
SPEAKER_01: We were getting out on the road, we had a plan, we had the the campgrounds we were going to go to.
13:21
SPEAKER_01: And you know, it was go, go, go because I was still feeling like this is vacation mode.
13:26
SPEAKER_01: And that was one of the big mistakes I know I made is feeling like we had to go and do and see as much as possible, like you sometimes do in vacation mode.
13:36
SPEAKER_01: So, like you said, I think it's really important to plan how much time works for you, the person you're driving with, if you have kids, whatever that is, like how much time, also knowing that a four-hour, say, trip on your map could turn out to be six, seven, eight hours.
13:55
SPEAKER_01: Keep that in mind, right?
13:57
SPEAKER_01: But now I'm gonna put you guys on the spot because I did watch your YouTube videos, and there was one where you stayed in the park with the bears.
14:10
SPEAKER_00: Let's talk about the mistakes that were made.
14:16
SPEAKER_02: So we've had we've had a lot of parks that we've stayed with that with that had bears.
14:21
SPEAKER_01: This must have been one of the first ones because you had pulled in, you found out there were bears there, which you weren't prepared for, you didn't have cell signal.
14:31
SPEAKER_01: I think it was the first one.
14:33
SPEAKER_02: That was before the Maryland State Forest that we went to.
14:37
SPEAKER_02: Yes.
14:37
SPEAKER_02: Oh my gosh, we were so unprepared.
14:40
SPEAKER_02: We had no idea that they were bears.
14:42
SPEAKER_02: No, we had no bear spray with us.
14:45
SPEAKER_03: And we didn't know we'd be out of complete uh contact with the world.
14:50
SPEAKER_02: And John left before me because I I actually had to work that day.
14:55
SPEAKER_02: John didn't, so John took the RV there so that everything would be nice and set up by the time I got there.
15:00
SPEAKER_02: And then I'm driving there and my GPS loses the signal.
15:04
SPEAKER_02: So I'm in the middle of the wilderness somewhere where there are bears and who knows what other kind of animals out there ready to get me.
15:10
SPEAKER_02: And I'm on this little tiny wooded road, and I have no idea how to get to the campsite.
15:15
SPEAKER_02: Oh my god, that was so scary.
15:17
SPEAKER_02: And then, of course, like we always do, right?
15:19
SPEAKER_02: Because we still haven't learned this lesson completely, it was getting dark.
15:22
SPEAKER_03: Well, I left early, so I would get there, and I got there in daylight, which was good.
15:28
SPEAKER_03: But she was getting there, it was getting dark.
15:30
SPEAKER_03: And the weather was bad, it was raining, and it was just it was bad.
15:34
SPEAKER_02: We just keep putting ourselves in those situations.
15:36
SPEAKER_01: I yeah, so it's like, um, what's the saying?
15:40
SPEAKER_01: What's the definition of insanity?
15:44
SPEAKER_01: Expecting a different result.
15:47
SPEAKER_01: So you guys do these same things, but we're hoping our audience that's listening now learns from some of these things.
15:55
SPEAKER_01: Yes, you have to keep in mind that self-service may not work when you get into certain places.
16:02
SPEAKER_01: That's obviously a big thing.
16:04
SPEAKER_01: You I'm gonna have people watch that video, so we'll link it in the show notes so people could have a good laugh, learn from your mistakes.
16:13
SPEAKER_01: You were really afraid like some bear was gonna come out and attack you.
16:17
SPEAKER_01: She has a fear of bears, yes.
16:19
SPEAKER_02: I was so scared that like we didn't even cook outside that entire time.
16:22
SPEAKER_02: I was like, nope, Blackstone's not coming out.
16:24
SPEAKER_02: So nope none of that's coming out because I don't want any bear to smell food in our campsite.
16:29
SPEAKER_01: There you go.
16:30
SPEAKER_01: So, yes, and being aware of animals in the area.
16:35
SPEAKER_01: If you talked about Florida, if you're in Florida, you don't go into any water that isn't a pool because now we're talking about alligators, which I am not a fan of.
16:47
SPEAKER_01: That is a real thing.
16:48
SPEAKER_01: There's no spray for them.
16:49
SPEAKER_01: You just know that if there's a body of water, there could be alligators.
16:54
SPEAKER_01: So know the types of wildlife that exist in your area is a good suggestion here.
17:02
SPEAKER_02: Are you saying bear spray won't work on an alligator?
17:04
SPEAKER_02: I don't know.
17:05
SPEAKER_02: You just totally ruined my plan.
17:06
SPEAKER_01: I'm not sure the bear spray always works on a bear.
17:09
SPEAKER_01: And where are you holding bear spray to spray the bear?
17:13
SPEAKER_02: Like I tried it once.
17:15
SPEAKER_02: It does work because we actually in a situation at Yellow, no, in Grand Teton, where there was a bear on the trail, and everyone ran past us yelling, there's a bear, which I even I know you shouldn't run from a bear.
17:29
SPEAKER_02: But they ran, they all ran and left John, myself, and our son facing the bear.
17:35
SPEAKER_03: Wow, that's the story.
17:37
SPEAKER_03: I used it.
17:38
SPEAKER_03: I was the one in the front, and I saw him loping down the trail.
17:42
SPEAKER_03: And I guess, like most aggressive dogs, if you stop, they get confused.
17:47
SPEAKER_03: So I was standing still.
17:49
SPEAKER_03: So he got off the trail and sat there looking at me.
17:52
SPEAKER_03: I guess deciding what he was going to do.
17:54
SPEAKER_03: So I took the bear spray out and gave him a little puff, and he didn't like it, so he ran off.
17:59
SPEAKER_03: Okay, so there is a lot here.
18:02
SPEAKER_01: I I was at a park one time and I was with friends, and we were talking about bears.
18:08
SPEAKER_01: And they said, you know, there are certain bears you run from.
18:11
SPEAKER_01: Now, I don't know that this is fact, so take it with a grain of salt.
18:15
SPEAKER_01: But I was told that certain animals you run from, certain animals you don't, certain bears can climb trees, so that's not an option.
18:24
SPEAKER_01: So we were out, and I said, Whatever the animal was, it must have been a bear.
18:31
SPEAKER_01: And I was like, run, don't run.
18:33
SPEAKER_01: So I just stopped everybody and I said, What is the plan?
18:36
SPEAKER_01: Right now, if we see a bear, I need a plan.
18:40
SPEAKER_01: And while I was joking, I just I don't know that I could come face to face with a bear and not run.
18:47
SPEAKER_01: But it's good to know what you're supposed to do.
18:50
SPEAKER_02: A brown bear or a black bear, black or brown bear, right?
18:53
SPEAKER_02: You make yourself big.
18:55
SPEAKER_02: A grizzly bear, you cover your vital organs.
19:00
SPEAKER_02: They're very aggressive.
19:01
SPEAKER_02: A polar bear, you say your prayers.
19:03
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, that's the end.
19:05
SPEAKER_01: Okay, but so now here you are in the middle of the woods trying to figure out which big okay.
19:12
SPEAKER_01: Every time if you're gonna be in an area where there's bears, please do your research, brush up on what to do and what not to do.
19:20
SPEAKER_01: That's where we're gonna leave that.
19:22
SPEAKER_01: I never encountered a bear or any animal close, so I guess I should feel lucky about that.
19:30
SPEAKER_01: Let's talk a little more about being a newbie and being prepared.
19:35
SPEAKER_01: There's a lot of things that would be helpful to be prepared for.
19:40
SPEAKER_01: What suggestions do you have that you wish you were more prepared for?
19:45
SPEAKER_02: I think um, if you're talking about preparation, like for what you should bring with you on your RV, I think tools.
19:50
SPEAKER_02: I think everyone who has an RV needs to have tools and needs to know how to use them.
19:55
SPEAKER_02: And if you're going to take a long trip, you have to understand that things are going to break.
20:01
SPEAKER_02: I mean, even on short trips, when we took our first cross-country trip to Yellowstone, by the time we got back, the roads had completely shook so many things in our RV loose.
20:13
SPEAKER_02: I mean, the trim was falling down, pieces were falling off from underneath it.
20:17
SPEAKER_02: And so we spent a lot of time having to actually make those repairs on the road and when we got back.
20:23
SPEAKER_01: And that's again a great idea.
20:25
SPEAKER_01: Having tools, knowing which tools would be best.
20:28
SPEAKER_01: I don't necessarily have that list.
20:30
SPEAKER_01: There are experts that talk about this.
20:32
SPEAKER_01: I suggest, you know, listening to them.
20:35
SPEAKER_01: There are also spare parts that people choose to carry with them.
20:39
SPEAKER_01: I'm not talking like an engine or something or a fuel pump, like our fuel pump went.
20:44
SPEAKER_01: That is not something you can repair yourself.
20:47
SPEAKER_01: But also knowing how to do some of those repairs.
20:50
SPEAKER_01: It is tough to be in an RV and not have some ability to repair things.
20:57
SPEAKER_01: And the other thing I'll add here is also knowing when it's a DIY type thing or it's a call an expert type thing.
21:05
SPEAKER_01: I just did an episode that has will go live before this one.
21:11
SPEAKER_01: And it was from an RV tech talking about the things that would be helpful to know, maintenance tips and how to find an RV tech in your area, because you want to know that you have somebody that's on call 24-7.
21:26
SPEAKER_01: Because of course these repairs happen at night in the rain on the middle of the road is when they usually happen, right?
21:34
SPEAKER_01: So you have to be prepared for that.
21:36
SPEAKER_01: That would be a big thing I suggest.
21:38
SPEAKER_02: I think it's also very important that if you have any sort of an extended warranty or if you have a warranty on your RV, to make sure that whenever you travel, that you have the phone number to call in case something does happen that is covered under that warranty.
21:52
SPEAKER_02: Because we found out that they would send out a mobile tech to us if we called that number when we we had an issue where our slide wouldn't go.
22:00
SPEAKER_02: And it was time to check out from the campground.
22:02
SPEAKER_02: And if we hadn't brought the phone number with us, we wouldn't have been able to get in touch with anyone.
22:07
SPEAKER_01: Right.
22:08
SPEAKER_01: That is a great idea.
22:09
SPEAKER_01: And I'm just going to add to that, I have had a medical emergency with my husband while we were in the RV.
22:16
SPEAKER_01: So having phone numbers, the tech people, you're right, the insurance company, absolutely.
22:23
SPEAKER_01: Also medical, because now you're in a different area, you're in a different location.
22:27
SPEAKER_01: Of course, you could always call 911, that's across the country.
22:32
SPEAKER_01: But also knowing when you check in to say a campground or you're in a state park, being able to tell somebody in an emergency where you are, how to locate you.
22:44
SPEAKER_01: So the spot you're in, the things that I didn't think about until I had to get on the phone with 911 and you know direct them to here's where the site is, uh calling the manager to make sure the gate would be open for them to come in.
23:01
SPEAKER_01: So I suggest a like wipe off board, a whiteboard that I put inside a cabinet with all of those things.
23:10
SPEAKER_01: Like you said, the tech people, you know, if you bought it from an RV dealership, that you need to call them, have that number there, the person you're going to talk to, you know, all of that important information.
23:22
SPEAKER_01: And I like the wipe off board because you wipe it off and you put your next campground in.
23:27
SPEAKER_01: Um, that is a really good point.
23:29
SPEAKER_02: And then one of the things is we our son has a lot of medical issues.
23:33
SPEAKER_02: So when we travel, and when we do any kind of travel, but particularly when we're traveling on the road, I always map out the major hospitals along the route just in case something happens on the way.
23:46
SPEAKER_01: That's a great idea.
23:47
SPEAKER_01: And hospitals, but sometimes the urgent care, because sometimes just, you know, somebody has a sore throat or something that could be handled in an urgent care.
23:55
SPEAKER_01: I do the same thing.
23:56
SPEAKER_01: I agree.
23:57
SPEAKER_01: That's important.
23:58
SPEAKER_01: You don't want to be scrambling.
24:00
SPEAKER_01: And this is for people whether they have medical issues or not, because stuff happens.
24:04
SPEAKER_01: You get bit by something.
24:06
SPEAKER_01: Hopefully, not a bear, but again, we are not going to take a deep dive into this on this episode, but that is something because I did not travel with an animal, but it is something you absolutely need to be prepared for.
24:22
SPEAKER_01: You need to be prepared for controlling the temperature in the RV when you go out, how long you can go out of the RV, what happens if you're in there and it's 90 degrees out, you lose power in the RV, how would you know?
24:35
SPEAKER_01: These are all things that could happen, knowing where an emergency vet is in the area that you go in.
24:43
SPEAKER_01: I'm going to tell people if you go on to other YouTube channels, they have talked about it extensively, but that is something to make sure that you are prepared for before you get out on the road.
24:57
SPEAKER_01: And again, we've done a lot of different things kind of all over the place here, but hopefully these are tips that people can say, okay, let me not make that same mistake.
25:07
SPEAKER_01: Let's talk a little bit about finding places to stay, finding those campgrounds, you know, where how did you guys navigate that?
25:17
SPEAKER_01: You said you stayed mostly in state parks.
25:20
SPEAKER_02: We don't like to plan.
25:22
SPEAKER_02: So if you watch any of our recent videos, you'll see that we just kind of wing it like, okay, we have to check out tomorrow.
25:29
SPEAKER_02: Where should we go?
25:30
SPEAKER_02: In the beginning, we started planning, but that's just not us.
25:33
SPEAKER_02: We like to wake up and say, what would we like to experience today, and then go experience it.
25:38
SPEAKER_02: And so by having to plan things out, it takes away that freedom from us.
25:43
SPEAKER_02: We can't just go where we want.
25:44
SPEAKER_02: So we just we just kind of roam, you know.
25:50
SPEAKER_01: And and so when I started RVing, I'm a planner, I need to know where I'm going next, what's gonna happen next.
25:57
SPEAKER_01: I'll be honest, that does not happen well on the road.
26:00
SPEAKER_01: So if you're really a planner and you need to know what's next, first of all, I felt like I was missing things because I was so in my head trying to figure out the next thing.
26:12
SPEAKER_01: The plan, once we decided to leave the location that was 15 minutes from where we were living, was set.
26:20
SPEAKER_01: We had I had a set, here's where we were gonna stay within 24 hours.
26:25
SPEAKER_01: That went out the window because somebody called and said, Hey, if you can make it to Albuquerque, New Mexico in a day and a half, whatever it was, then you could go on a um, it was a Model T Ford rally, and this guy had a Model T Ford car.
26:45
SPEAKER_01: And you know, we were like, oh yeah, okay, let's do it.
26:49
SPEAKER_01: So everything changed.
26:50
SPEAKER_01: We stayed at a Cracker Barrel the one night.
26:52
SPEAKER_01: We were in Las Vegas at this point, so it wasn't as far.
26:56
SPEAKER_01: So everything changed, and that's where I realized, okay, if I'm too in this box, if I'm too stringent with planning, I'm gonna miss out on a lot of things.
27:05
SPEAKER_01: And so I had to loosen up.
27:08
SPEAKER_01: Now, when you say winging it, you guys wing it more than anybody I have ever met.
27:14
SPEAKER_01: And here's the thing, because people are constantly told, well, if you don't plan the campgrounds, you won't get in one.
27:22
SPEAKER_01: It doesn't sound like you guys ever had to be on the side of the road, not by choice, because you couldn't find a place to stay.
27:29
SPEAKER_02: We've never had that problem, and we've been able to book resorts the same day.
27:33
SPEAKER_02: We've been able to call and say, hey, we're in Georgia, we're headed to Florida.
27:37
SPEAKER_02: You guys have anything there?
27:38
SPEAKER_02: And we've been able to get a spot.
27:39
SPEAKER_02: And yeah, and you know, when you box yourself in, I think you miss out on so much.
27:44
SPEAKER_02: And I think so many people just plan so much that they're really missing out on the fun.
27:50
SPEAKER_02: Now, some people, you know, for them, they have to be that way.
27:53
SPEAKER_02: And I understand that, I get it, but yeah, that's just not for us.
27:56
SPEAKER_02: I mean, even when we were in college, yes, we uh woke up one morning, there was this new mall that was being built called the Mall of America.
28:03
SPEAKER_02: I know I'm dating myself, and we just looked at each other and said, Hey, let's go.
28:07
SPEAKER_02: We rented a car and we drove there.
28:08
SPEAKER_02: That was it.
28:09
SPEAKER_02: That was all the planning.
28:10
SPEAKER_02: That was all the planning.
28:10
SPEAKER_02: Didn't know where we were gonna stay, what we were gonna do.
28:13
SPEAKER_02: We just went.
28:14
SPEAKER_03: That's like every trip.
28:15
SPEAKER_03: We do have a destination.
28:16
SPEAKER_03: Right, we just thought how we can get there.
28:18
SPEAKER_03: Right.
28:18
SPEAKER_03: The last trip we knew we wanted to go to Key West, and we that was where we were gonna end up, and we had like a month to get there.
28:26
SPEAKER_03: So we just did whatever on the way.
28:28
SPEAKER_01: Yep.
28:29
SPEAKER_01: And I think that's a great lesson that is a big mistake people make.
28:34
SPEAKER_01: I think it's a huge mistake.
28:35
SPEAKER_01: I'm glad I learned it relatively early to just be in the moment.
28:41
SPEAKER_01: I always say enjoy the journey because so many people, because of the planning, are so focused on the destination.
28:48
SPEAKER_01: There is so much to see and do in this country that I know I was missing because I was focused on we have to get there.
28:56
SPEAKER_01: What time are we going to get there?
28:57
SPEAKER_01: What are we gonna do?
28:58
SPEAKER_01: What's next?
28:59
SPEAKER_01: What am I gonna plan next?
29:00
SPEAKER_01: What about next month?
29:01
SPEAKER_01: And I think that is one of the biggest mistakes that people make is like, I'm on my vacation mode, I have to do all I could possibly do, and so much is missed.
29:14
SPEAKER_01: So, what would you say to people?
29:17
SPEAKER_01: Is there anything more you would suggest for people when it comes to being able to wing it, find those things along the way?
29:26
SPEAKER_02: I would say just don't be afraid.
29:28
SPEAKER_02: I think you hear so much now about how you can't, you have to have reservations.
29:33
SPEAKER_02: Campgrounds are are full.
29:35
SPEAKER_02: There's no you know, no way that you can just travel without making that reservation.
29:40
SPEAKER_02: And that's not true.
29:41
SPEAKER_02: And I think anywhere you end up, like any place you end up staying at, you can always just Google and find so many gems in that area and so many things to do and find.
29:51
SPEAKER_02: And we found so many neat things, like the the first video you were talking about when we saw the bears.
29:56
SPEAKER_02: Well, we just happened to find out, oh, look, there are rail bikes around in the area, let's go check it out.
30:01
SPEAKER_02: And that was a wonderful and fun experience, and it was beautiful biking through those mountains.
30:06
SPEAKER_01: It was.
30:07
SPEAKER_01: That's a great suggestion.
30:09
SPEAKER_01: And to your point, people here, and I want to emphasize this: if you don't have reservations in Florida for the winter, you're not gonna get a reservation.
30:18
SPEAKER_01: They book up, they book up.
30:20
SPEAKER_01: No, no, they don't.
30:21
SPEAKER_01: I had the same experience.
30:23
SPEAKER_01: I was in Florida for three seasons, three winters.
30:26
SPEAKER_01: We had to change plans.
30:28
SPEAKER_01: I never once ended up on the side of the road, was always able to get a place.
30:32
SPEAKER_01: Right now, this episode will go out in May.
30:36
SPEAKER_01: It is people are thinking about going north in the Northeast in the New England states.
30:42
SPEAKER_01: For those people who have not heard, I am working with a company called Happy Grounds, and they have 18 campgrounds in the Northeast.
30:51
SPEAKER_01: And even though this is a huge place for people to go, a lot of people would say, oh, they're booked.
30:56
SPEAKER_01: No, there are availability, there are reservations.
31:00
SPEAKER_01: Don't listen to those fears that people put out.
31:04
SPEAKER_01: Make your own phone calls.
31:05
SPEAKER_01: And if the first couple of places don't have a spot you're looking for, keep calling.
31:11
SPEAKER_01: And again, I love what you said about being flexible and being, you know, able to see what else is out there so we're not missing some incredible things.
31:23
SPEAKER_02: And when we went to Key West, we came back home.
31:26
SPEAKER_02: We were out, we were gone for a little over a month.
31:28
SPEAKER_02: We came back home.
31:29
SPEAKER_02: It was freezing cold.
31:31
SPEAKER_02: It was the beginning of March, and that's one of the times when you can't get a spot in Florida, everybody says.
31:36
SPEAKER_02: Right.
31:37
SPEAKER_02: And I had jury duty, went to my jury duty and said, okay, John, it's time to go back to Florida.
31:42
SPEAKER_02: It's too cold.
31:43
SPEAKER_02: Hopped in the RV and we found reservations at a really nice resort.
31:46
SPEAKER_02: Yes, we did.
31:47
SPEAKER_02: No problem.
31:48
SPEAKER_02: We're right back.
31:48
SPEAKER_01: Went right back.
31:49
SPEAKER_01: Turn around and went right back.
31:50
SPEAKER_01: There you go.
31:51
SPEAKER_01: And I would have loved to have done that too.
31:53
SPEAKER_01: I am right now outside of Philadelphia, and it was a brutal winter.
31:58
SPEAKER_01: And I don't like the cold.
32:00
SPEAKER_01: So um, yeah, yeah.
32:02
SPEAKER_01: And I don't have the RV right now.
32:04
SPEAKER_01: So yes, I that is awesome to be able to just get in the RV and go.
32:10
SPEAKER_01: And you talk about resorts, but it's the same for campgrounds, it's the same for state parks.
32:17
SPEAKER_01: There are cancellations.
32:18
SPEAKER_01: If it says it's full, check 24 hours later, call the place and say, hey, can you put me on a list for a cancellation?
32:25
SPEAKER_01: Be nice to people.
32:27
SPEAKER_01: They are more than happy to fill in if they have a space.
32:32
SPEAKER_01: And people cancel all the time.
32:34
SPEAKER_01: So I love that.
32:36
SPEAKER_01: That is a big thing for people worrying about reservations.
32:40
SPEAKER_01: So I want to leave on that note.
32:43
SPEAKER_01: We're not done yet.
32:44
SPEAKER_01: Tell people how they can reach you guys, first of all.
32:47
SPEAKER_02: Uh-oh, you can get to us.
32:49
SPEAKER_02: Um, we're on Facebook, Amp to Glamp.
32:51
SPEAKER_02: We're also on YouTube and uh we're on Instagram.
32:54
SPEAKER_02: And uh, if you want to email us about anything, our email address is amp to glamp at gmail.com.
33:00
SPEAKER_01: Nice and easy.
33:01
SPEAKER_01: I will put all of that in the show notes.
33:04
SPEAKER_01: Do you have any last thoughts of something we did not cover?
33:08
SPEAKER_02: I would say that um so a lot of people talking about things like when you're new and mistakes you make, right?
33:14
SPEAKER_02: Um, make checklists checklists for the exterior of their RV and forget about the interior.
33:20
SPEAKER_02: And this was one of those mistakes that we made, John.
33:23
SPEAKER_02: I don't know if you remember this one, but we didn't, we weren't very good at checking the interior.
33:28
SPEAKER_02: And one time uh we had bought some broccoli while we were out, left it in the RV.
33:33
SPEAKER_02: Oh, yeah, we shut the RV down, everything was turned off, including the refrigerator where the broccoli was still sitting, came back three weeks later, and apparently there were some bugs that had been in the broccoli that we had purchased.
33:48
SPEAKER_02: And we opened up the refrigerator and it was filled with hundreds and hundreds of bugs.
33:54
SPEAKER_02: And I think it took us a good four to five weeks to get rid of all the bugs because every time we thought it was clean, some more would just come out from the inside of the refrigerator or wherever, I don't know where.
34:04
SPEAKER_02: But that was the worst mistake.
34:06
SPEAKER_02: So yeah, inside checklist.
34:08
SPEAKER_02: Checklist really good.
34:08
SPEAKER_02: Checklists are your friend.
34:10
SPEAKER_02: Yes.
34:11
SPEAKER_02: If we had a checklist, we would have checked the refrigerator to make sure there was nothing in there.
34:14
SPEAKER_01: And a good outside one too.
34:16
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
34:16
SPEAKER_01: Great idea.
34:18
SPEAKER_01: Have a checklist for the outside, have a checklist for the inside.
34:21
SPEAKER_01: Again, sometimes a wipe off board because you could wipe off what you checked.
34:26
SPEAKER_01: That was a way.
34:27
SPEAKER_01: Use what works for you.
34:28
SPEAKER_01: A lot of people use electronics.
34:29
SPEAKER_01: So I have a reminder list that I could check off and then have it come back up so I don't have to keep making the checklist.
34:37
SPEAKER_01: So I write all of the things.
34:39
SPEAKER_01: And as I'm doing things on the outside or things on the inside, you think, okay, oh, I forgot about that.
34:45
SPEAKER_01: I need to check inside the refrigerator, and you add that to the list because it gets busy, it gets hectic.
34:52
SPEAKER_01: Sometimes you're checking out of an RV resort and it's like, oh, I got to check out by 11, and all of a sudden you're rushed.
34:59
SPEAKER_01: I say start earlier, make sure you're not rushed, but it happens to all of us.
35:04
SPEAKER_01: And that checklist taking a minute, stopping, breathing, looking at your checklist that everything got done.
35:11
SPEAKER_01: There are people who have left with their slides out.
35:14
SPEAKER_01: There are people who have left with a plug still plugged in, they're still plugged into power, they've got their sewer still connected.
35:22
SPEAKER_01: These are not mistakes I made.
35:23
SPEAKER_01: I just wanted to go up record.
35:26
SPEAKER_01: But it happens.
35:27
SPEAKER_01: Checklists are great last thought on this.
35:30
SPEAKER_01: And like I said, when we started, there are so many things that people can learn.
35:35
SPEAKER_01: And that's what it's all about.
35:36
SPEAKER_01: That's why I wanted to bring you guys on to say, hey, this is what I did.
35:41
SPEAKER_01: Hope you guys don't do the same things.
35:44
SPEAKER_01: So thank you guys so much for being on this show and sharing some of your embarrassing moments.
35:51
SPEAKER_02: Well, thank you so much for having us.
35:53
SPEAKER_02: And we've learned some things from you as well.
35:56
SPEAKER_02: So we really appreciate it.
35:57
SPEAKER_01: Well, that's great.
35:58
SPEAKER_01: And that is what it's all about.
36:00
SPEAKER_01: And we are both gonna encourage people to reach out to either of us, both of us.
36:06
SPEAKER_01: Share your mistakes, share what you think we could have done better, share your thoughts, your ideas.
36:13
SPEAKER_01: That's what this is all about.
36:15
SPEAKER_01: Um, you can reach out to Glamp on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube.
36:21
SPEAKER_01: I'll put that in the show notes.
36:22
SPEAKER_01: For me, you can reach out on Inspired Travels with Patty on Facebook, Instagram, um, YouTube, and do us a favor, support us, hit that follow button, hit that subscribe button.
36:35
SPEAKER_01: It really helps us to be able to give people information that we hope is valuable.
36:41
SPEAKER_01: As we wrap up another episode of Inspired Travels with Patty, I hope this one inspired you because living fully starts with one simple step.