You made the decision to go full time Rving and you have conquered the reality of downsizing. Congratulations! You are ready to hit the road Jack and not come back! But, wait! Not so fast…

What about your place of domicile? The place you will call home? Unless you are Walter from Breaking Bad and planning to be off-grid and illegal, you have some planning to do, my friends. I am not the blogger that lays out detailed planning of every step, every step of the way. There are many other sights for that, but I am the short list planner. Necessities with a sarcastic twist, that’s me. So here is my outline of “cover your @ss” tips before you head out to discover America. This is the closest thing to a list that I will ever do, but it’s a worth-while list.

Domicile. the closest thing to “home.” Everyone must have one if you want to vote and be counted. You also need to put tags on your RV, tow vehicle, and have a valid driver’s license, so don’t think you can escape this one. Please read up on this subject before you pick a state, but the “domicile friendly” states are Texas, Florida & South Dakota. You will also set up your vehicle insurance through this state or you will be committing fraud. But that is not my business…

Mail. Everyone needs to receive mail, so most folks set up a mail service through their state of domicile. If you choose a family member to pilfer through your stuff, please be advised that they will know as much about you as you do. I wouldn’t burden a family member with sorting through your stuff and have to forward the important things, but whatever floats your boat. It is a burden no matter how close you think you are, so choose wisely. People get sick, people die, and not everything can be emailed.

Banks (and a Printer). Although much banking can be done on-line and even with your phone, you have to have a physical bank at times, so research bank options & locations well before choosing to stay with your local, trusted branch you’ve always used. Wells Fargo, Chase, & Bank of America rank high for most locations in the US. Also, have a small printer with you, especially if you like remote camping. You will need one, and there won’t be one available just when you need it. I used ours often and printed things for other people all the time (happy to help). If you have the space, add it to your packing list.

WiFi and TV. This is the most discussed issue (and probably the most frustrating) in any RV group! Unless you want to live like cavemen and women and have your children drive you nuts, you MUST HAVE it. And guess what? It usually doesn’t work well in all areas you want to be, so have a hobby or park where there are places to occupy your time. We used unlimited Verizon text/calling for cell phone service, and a jetpack for WIFI. Rarely ever had a problem. Our TV service was provided by Dish and it was very good. You do have to call or go on your computer to change your zip code when you move out of range of your last location. This is really important if you want the local news and weather for your location, but can be a PIA. Dish is more RV friendly than Direct, and that is based on personal experience, not bs. They will also come out to your RV (only if you’re renting their equipment) and Direct will not. Direct TV is rumored to charge you to continually change your location. Also, if your antenna is obstructed by trees, mountains, or even windy conditions, you better have patients. Your provider cannot help you. You must move or deal with it. Please do not cut all the limbs off the trees to accommodate your antenna.

RV apps. This is so important if you have a large RV where getting fuel can be tricky and roads, bridges, and overpasses can be dangerous. I used “RV Parky” to locate truck stops because we used diesel and I liked this user-friendly app, but there are many others to choose from. Do this before you put the beast out on the highway! Trust me, when your husband or wife is asking which way to go for fuel once he/she gets off the highway in traffic, you will want to actually know where to go in advance.

GPS. If your RV is equipped with one, you must have a back up! It will leave you up sh!t creek without a paddle at some point, and you will have me to thank for having a plan B! Buy a Trucker GPS that you can enter your size (height/width/weight) because you will need it once you leave the safety of a truck route or main highway. You might use your phone and think this is totally unnecessary. Please use your phone and post a video when you get yourself into a mess! These sights are usually pretty funny, but totally avoidable if you have a trucker GPS. Don’t be that guy that everyone posts pictures of that lost the top of his RV going under the overpass.

RV Club membership. I wish I had a dime for every time an RVer asks about which clubs to join. But do yourself a favor; research it yourself and pick which one is suited best for you! We had Good Sam’s for discounted rates in RV parks across America. We had FMCA (Family Motor Coach of America) for two good reasons; They offer good insurance rates for RVs (we had Progressive) and they would transport it, should you become unable to drive it to a home destination. We also had Triple A, but that was more targeted toward our tow vehicle (however, they do offer RV insurance/services, but a bit more costly, in my opinion).

This list is a good start to fun and safe adventures and should be completed before you head down the road, but there is always the unexpected. Like illness and pandemics. Where would you go for a good doctor or hospital should you need a life-saving operation? Where do you go for routine health care or dental care? These are the most important things that most people do not give any or little thought to, and could mean saving a life! Do yourselves a favor and talk about it while it is very fresh on everyone’s mind.

You must have a safety net. A safe place to go. A spot that will always be available to park your RV, and for you to live safely by yourself, should one of you be hospitalized. This is the very reason I am writing this blog. For many people, RVing is thought of as escaping the drudgery of life. Hit the road and become free of all the every day mundane decisions. Live and let live! Well it’s not. At least not to the extent you think. Life still happens.

When this pandemic started, it was unknown to all of us what the dangers might be, the extent of the illness, how aggressively it could spread, etc. It is one of the many “unknowns” we all face, whether stationary in a sticks & bricks or in an RV. We ALL need a place to feel safe and secure from tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, and yes, pandemics. I know what it’s like to be living in a motorhome and have a hurricane as bad as Irma knocking on your door. I know what it’s like to have tornado sirens go off several times in one night in Iowa or Alabama. And now I know what it was like to face a total shut-down during a pandemic. I am so thankful that we had purchased an RV lot that was always available as our safe place to be in the south, and maintained a seasonal spot up in the north. We could go anywhere we wanted in-between, but we had a place to be up north when we had to see our doctors, and a place to get off the road in Florida when travel became difficult during the start of the pandemic and shut-downs. We have since then purchased a small sticks & bricks, as you know, if you’re a regular follower. But discussing these things before the actual emergency hits (as there was little warning of what we would face with a world-wide pandemic) is crucial to you and your family’s safety on the road. Consider if there were no places you could rent to park your RV. All of them closed at one time across the US. Roads were suddenly closed to cross state lines unless you had a home address you could give them where you needed to go. What would you do? Where would you go? This is not the first emergency we have faced, and it certainly won’t be the last. But don’t be caught with your pants down because you were one of those who lived by the seat of them! My motto is to always have a plan B. Do it! Do it now and stay safe my RV friends…

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU AND YOURS!!