The Wendlands offer perspective after dealing with a medical emergency during their travels.
Category:
Open Mike
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New Generations Of RVers
Even as baby boomers continue to discover the lifestyle, the RV industry is seeing younger people join the ranks to enjoy the fun and freedom recreation vehicles bring.
By Mike Wendland, F426141
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Recommendations for apps and devices to help achieve professional-looking results when using a smartphone to capture memories during your RV travels.
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The Wendlands recently experienced damage to their motorhome as a result of a chunk of tire thrown up by a semi, prompting them to be more aware of highway debris and to advocate for change.
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Apps For The RVer
Convenient, helpful, and even safety-enhancing programs are available for your smartphone or tablet.
Perhaps the biggest change we’ve seen in our five years of very active RVing is how apps for our smartphones and tablets have come to be essential to our motorhome lifestyle.
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I’m far from being an RV salesman. But sometimes as Jennifer and I visit RV dealerships, shows, and rallies and meet with folks across North America, we feel like ambassadors for the RV lifestyle. We also like to push people off fences . . . fences of indecision.
Who says you can’t go camping in the wintertime up North? For the fourth year in a row, we’re planning a winter outing at snowy Tahquamenon Falls State Park in Michigan’s remote Upper Peninsula.
Mike looks back at the wonderful places and people he and Jennifer — and their furry new traveling companion, Bo — have visited during 2016.This year, Jennifer and I have made a concerted effort to stay off the interstates as much as possible. And in doing so, our serendipity style of travel has opened up new sights and experiences that only the back roads offer.Up until the past few years, October was a month of dwindling days for RVers as the season came to a close across the cold-weather states. That’s all changed now. These days, it’s almost impossible to find a camping spot on many weekends in October unless you have booked it well in advance.
As a kid, I dreaded September. It was “back to school” time. Now, as an empty-nest RVer, I am still a bit sorry to see September come, but for another reason: it means fewer families in our parks and campgrounds.
Mike and Jennifer Wendland identify some trends that have transformed their RV experience during the past five years.
I’ve long heard from RV dealers and industry experts that a major reason many people buy an RV is so they can take their pets with them. I’ve heard estimates that anywhere from 20 to 90 percent of RVers travel with pets, but I’ve never had a figure to cite with any authority. Until now.What makes a perfect day during an RV trip? I don’t know about you, but for Jennifer and me, it is a day doing what we want, on no particular timetable, and blessed by surprises.Mike and Jennifer Wendland have a new furry travel companion who already has stolen their hearts.
Mike and Jennifer Wendland have a new furry travel companion who already has stolen their hearts.
So, in considering a Type B RV, what questions should be asked? To find out, we crowdsourced the topic, asking current Type B owners, members of our very active Roadtreking Facebook group.Every year is a learning experience. But for us, the past 12 months were like a graduate course. Looking back at the year, here are five of the most important things we learned from our travels.As I write this from my Michigan home, we're in the throes of winter. Our RV travel time is a few weeks away yet, but that’s okay. To enjoy it, I need only glance at my office wall. Today, I’m looking at a photograph of a half-dozen horses. Just seeing that photo takes me back.
With a new year come new opportunities to explore new places and meet new people. As I write this, our motorhome sits in the driveway of our Michigan home. But I keep glancing out at it, chomping at the bit to hit the road.I’ve written before about our travel style, which might best be described as serendipity, or just seeing what we come across and stopping whenever something interests us.
One of the most interesting things about this motorhome lifestyle Jennifer and I have been part of for the past four years is the ease with which we have been making friends. In the culture at large these days, it’s not so easy to do. The world is hectic, way too fast-paced, impersonal.I'm not sure whether it was food poisoning or the stomach flu, or if there really is much difference between the two. But for all of that day, I was ill. You know that saying we Type B motorhome owners have …
New technology such as lithium-ion batteries and solar panels that convert the sun’s energy to power for RVs is returning the RV lifestyle to its original intent, giving RVers a whole new world to once again explore.
Seven minutes is all it took for our RV to be burglarized, and for us to lose $12,000 worth of equipment — just about everything of value inside the motorhome except the dog. Yes, just seven minutes. That was enough time for the bad guys to come into our space and to take our stuff. We know it was only seven minutes, because our dash cam was recording most of it.
Data. It's a new commodity for us, a factor to budget for, a number to know. I'm talking about the data that we access on our smartphones, tablets, and laptops — sent to and received from the Internet via emails, websites, text messages, videos, and music. One question I’m often asked is how much data RVers need as they travel around the country.My wife, Jennifer, calls our Roadtrek CS Adventurous XL our “Adventure-mobile.” And maybe because of that attitude, I’ve tended to live in the moment a bit more often than I should. As soon as I got in the motorhome and we took off, I let my guard down and went into vacation mode. This is not a good idea for prolonged periods of time. I learned that the hard way.As the 2015 travel season shifts into high gear this month, I’ve been tweaking my tech — adding new gadgets, downloading apps for our various mobile devices, and redesigning the systems we use in our Type B Roadtrek motorhome as we head out for what will be another year of crisscrossing the country.When I look back over the past three years and the 80,000 miles we have traveled in our small motorhome, I have one major regret. We should have started earlier, years ago, when the notion of exploring North America in a motorhome first grabbed hold of my soul.For RVers, it’s difficult to find a more popular state than Florida. But it’s equally difficult to find a spot on the beach that isn’t crowded and built up with high-rises and condos as far as you can see in most directions. That’s why we have fallen in love with Florida’s Forgotten Coast.
All eyes this month will be on the tiny town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. More specifically, attention will be focused on a hilltop called Gobbler’s Knob, where every February 2, a shy little rodent named Phil is pulled out of his makeshift den to tell the world whether winter will last another six weeks.This is peak time for cabin fever, and it has hit us big-time. Cabin fever, as described by Wikipedia, is “a claustrophobic reaction that takes place when a person or group is isolated and/or shut in a small space, with nothing to do for an extended period. Cabin fever describes the extreme irritability and restlessness a person may feel in these situations.”At a time when most RVers are rushing to Florida or Arizona for warm weather, Jennifer and I are getting ready to drive the motorhome out into the heart of winter. We love winter camping.The Wendlands share a list of RVing lessons based on their experiences.
The Wendlands traveled the same routes taken by explorers and pioneers more than 150 years ago.
The Wendlands travel 4,000 miles along the Great Lakes and explore areas rich in history and natural beauty.
The Wendlands stay open to new experiences and adventures and leave many details to chance.
Mike shares part of his endless list of reasons why he and Jennifer love the motorhome lifestyle.
Like many motorhome owners, my wife, Jennifer, and I give a lot of tours. It seems that whenever we’re on the road and stop at a rest area or for fuel, someone comes over and starts asking questions. What they really want is a peek inside.
The Wendlands spent time in two different Florida RV resorts this past winter and discovered the fun and amenities they offer.
I have discovered something about the motorhome lifestyle that I don’t like. I have become so enthralled with being behind the wheel and watching North America go by that, well, I’ve caught a disease.
Mike Wendland lists his top five goals for the new travel season, which he is eagerly anticipating and planning for while waiting out winter in Michigan.
The top five reasons the Wendlands feel blessed to be able to explore the continent in their home on wheels.
Cold-weather camping poses added challenges but also great rewards in terms of breathtaking scenery and fun-filled activities.
Ham radio nicely complements the motorhome lifestyle, as members of FMCA’s Amateur Radio chapter can attest.
The Wendlands enjoy their motorhome more now that they know what to bring and where to store it.
We all have places we want to see, to explore, and to experience. We’ve come to refer to these as items for a bucket list. When Jennifer and I decided that traveling in a motorhome was how we wanted to spend much of our retirement time, we started out with …
Rambling along back roads and absorbing local flavor adds to the joy of motorhoming for the Wendlands.
When we began our motorhome lifestyle a year and a half ago, I knew that all those new places we’d visit, the interesting people we’d meet, and the great adventures we’d have would expand my world. I just didn’t count on our travels expanding my waistline.
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