Julie Chickery

July 5, 2021 by Julie Chickery Leave a Comment

Tips for RV Travel with Pets

One of the best things about RV travel is that it makes it easy to bring your pets along with you. You can pack all their gear once and not have to worry about finding pet-friendly hotels or even worse, boarding your pets. A recent survey from the RV Industry Association More than 65 percent of RV campers bring a pet on their RV adventures. Dogs are the most common at 93 percent with cats next at 8 percent. The 101 percent total means that some RV owners bring both.

That is exactly where we were when we started full-time RV travel six years ago. We had two senior dogs and one cat. Along the way we found several strategies and products to make pets safe and happy during RV travel.

Trip Planning

As you plan your RV adventures, it is important to keep your pets in mind. Many places nowadays are pet-friendly, but not all. That means you’ll need to do a little advance planning to be sure. And you’re not only looking for pet-friendly activities like hiking trails or pet-friendly patio dining, but also checking to see if the campground has a dog park, breed restrictions, or limits on the number of pets allowed. In fact, you’ll also want to check and see if there is an additional charge for pets as this is becoming more and more common.

Be sure to check out Go Pet Friendly, the #1 Resource for trip planning for pet-friendly vacations. The owners of the website are full-time RV travelers and have definitely been all around the country finding the best of the best for pet lovers.

Finally, if you are traveling to a location with a lot of activities that don’t allow pets, you may want to look into doggy daycare in the area. Why should your dog have to sit in the RV alone when you are out having a blast? Treat him or her to a dog spa or day camp with a pool for those hot summers days.

Buckle Up for Safety

I think it is pretty standard now for Americans to buckle up for safety in their vehicles whether it is in a motorhome or tow vehicle that is pulling your fifth wheel or travel trailer. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like that practice extends to our furry companions. I can’t even count how many times I’ve seen people driving down the road with pets in their laps or on the dash.

The problem with that though is the danger it poses to you and your beloved pet. The primary reason why you’re buckled in is if there’s an accident and you have an abrupt stop but if you have nothing to hold you your body still goes flying and can be ejected

from the vehicle. Well, the same thing can happen with your pets. An unrestrained 10 lb. dog involved in an accident at just 30 mph will exert roughly 300 pounds of force – more than enough to inflict serious harm on itself or a passenger.

A pet safety harness can protect all of you. It also protects your pet from running away in the ensuing chaos if there is an accident or even from slipping away when you stop to refuel.

I’m sure that many people don’t buckle their pets because they’re afraid their pets are

going to be uncomfortable and it’s going to make an overall miserable travel day for everyone involved. The good news is that there are actually a lot of different styles of pet restraints so you can find the one that works best for your companion.

We personally like the K&H Pet Products Buckle N’ Go Dog Car Seat because it doubles as a restraint and protector for the seats. You could also just get a simple strap that attaches to your dog’s collar and the seat belt or headrest. There are also soft-sided carriers for both dogs and cats that can be buckled into a seatbelt.

Pet ID or Microchip

We all know even with the most vigilant parents, pets can be pretty darn crafty and sometimes get away from you. Can you imagine being on vacation, miles from home, and losing your dog or cat? I think it is one of my greatest fears.

Obviously, one thing you can do is have your pet microchipped. A microchip is a small, electronic chip enclosed in a glass cylinder that is about the same size as a grain of rice. The microchip itself does not have a battery—it is activated by a scanner that is passed over the area, and the radiowaves put out by the scanner activate the chip. If a lost pet is found, most kennels will scan the animal for a chip which will then transmit the identification number to the scanner. If you have registered your contact information with the microchip, they can contact you.

But what if someone in a nearby neighborhood or even the campground finds your pet? They won’t have a scanner and they will have to call animal control or take your pet to a vet’s office to have it scanned delaying your reunion.

That’s where a pet ID tag comes in handy. Now you can obviously buy an inexpensive one that has your phone number on it. We’ve gone a step further and have something called the Pet Hub ID tag. This tag goes on your pet’s collar or on their harness like the traditional ones, but it has a QR code that can be scanned by a smartphone, a website, and a phone number. It provides three ways an individual can find your contact information.

The great thing is you can easily update it and put the campground you’re staying at or have both you and your spouse’s phone numbers listed. And if your pet has a medical condition, it can also share that. So say your pet has diabetes and requires insulation. It can have that urgent message on there. Finally, when the code has been scanned it shows you the location on a Google Map.

The Pet Hub also allows you to digitally store all of your pet’s medical records so that you have them anytime you are traveling. Then you have easy access if you need to pay a visit to the veterinarian. And you get all that for only $27/year for an individual pet. There is a multi-pet discount as well.

Temperature Monitor

As much as we try to find pet-friendly attractions to visit, there are times we leave our fur babies in the RV while we’re out and about. It has always made me nervous that we’d lose power and the RV would quickly get hot as a car does. That’s why we purchased the Temp Stick™ WiFi-powered smart monitor that sends alerts to your phone or emails the instant an important change in temperature or humidity is triggered. You set the trigger points and alerts.

Now you might be wondering how we’d have WiFi if the power goes out. That’s simple, we have a hotspot from our cellular service provider. We keep the battery charged and the temperature monitor connected to it.

We chose this particular brand because it doesn’t require a subscription service. With Temp Stick you just pay for the sensor. The unlimited data logging and 24/7 monitoring and alerts are FREE for the lifetime of the sensor.

See how simple it is in the video below.

Pet First Aid Kit

It is also important to make sure to have basic first aid supplies for your pets in the RV. Carefully putting together a well-provisioned first aid kit will make you more ready to deal with a medical emergency if one confronts you for your dog, cat or other pet. Have this kit in the house and fully stocked with supplies at all times, next to the first aid kit for your family. See the Ultimate Pet First Aid Kit or make your own using the checklist below.

Pet First Aid Checklist Download

Here’s a special word of caution about being prepared for poison hazards.

Related: Read our article on RVing with Cats for specific tips and products to help your feline friend enjoy RV travel.

July 2, 2021 by Julie Chickery Leave a Comment

Internet Solutions for RV Travelers

One thing RV travelers learn quickly is the challenge of getting reliable internet access on the road. If you only need to check the occasional email, you may be able to get by with campground WiFi or a local Starbucks. But if you need regular, reliable internet access, you’ll need a more robust solution. In this article, I’ll share what we have learned after 6 years of full-time RV travel and the equipment we use.

Campground WiFi

Many campgrounds advertise free WiFi, which sounds great! The problem is that it is rarely reliable. Our personal experience is that you cannot rely on it. Most times it is spotty at best. We’ve even been at campgrounds that have posted in their campground rules that you can’t use their WiFi to stream video services like Netflix because it takes up too much bandwidth.

We consider campground WiFi (when we have it) to be a bonus, but not something we plan on. Instead, we use cellular data plans for internet access.

Cellular Data

In addition to being able to make phone calls from cellular signals, you are probably aware that you can use it to access the internet as well. The great thing about this method is that there are more and more cellular towers all across the U.S. We use Verizon as our primary and ATT as our back up. When you are working from the road full-time and need reliable service, having more than one carrier can really make a difference. You can use an app like Coverage (created by full-time RVers) to compare the coverage maps for different carriers across the country.

However, there are drawbacks to using cellular data as well:

It is not cheap. If you are working full-time from the road like we were, you will need a lot of data. This means using not only your cell phones plan, but likely also a backup hotspot (see #2 below for an explanation of why you need this). Verizon calls it a Jetpack. Unlike the built-in mobile hotspot feature in your smartphones and tablets, a hotspot or Jetpack is a separate device that lets you wirelessly share your Verizon network connection with other devices.
It isn’t really unlimited. No matter what people tell you, we’ve learned there is no such thing as UNLIMITED data. Let me clarify that statement. Your cell plan may say you have “unlimited” data. Technically, that is true because all it means is that they will not charge you for how much data you use. However, there is a catch. At a specific point specified by your plan, they may throttle or slow down your access. For me, if I’m having a video call this often meant I could not longer do my job. Big problem! Some cellular providers use other names for this…instead of throttling, they’ll call it ‘network management.’ That isn’t any better in my opinion. Network management also means they slow down your access, but it is based on usage of other users in the area. So if you are near a city, you might get ‘managed’ a lot.
There are places where signal is very low. Low signal means trouble accessing the internet. And forget about using graphics programs or video teleconferencing. To overcome that we use a booster.

Click here to download a FREE Cellular Information Guide from our friends at TechnoRV. They are full-time RVers with a background in training and have guides and videos for all their products.

WiFi and Cellular Signal Boosters

If you need reliable internet on the road, you are going to want to get a booster. There are all different types on the market. Some only boost WiFi and some only boost cellular signals. We choose to go with one that can do both.

We bought the Pepwave Max BR1 MK2 Cat 6 LTE Advanced Modem three years ago and it has been fabulous! As you’ll see if you click the link, it is not inexpensive. To us, however, it is essential and we consider it a cost of working from the road. And to us, that is a price we are willing to pay for location freedom.

We did not get the optional roof-mounted antenna and it has worked perfectly without it. We especially love being able to prioritize which source we want to use first (cell phones, sim cards, or campground wifi).

Here’s a list of the major features:

Dual Simcard Slots – Although the Max BR1 MK2 has one cellular modem, it allows you to use 2 SIM cards (cellular plans) in the one modem and switch between the two plans as needed. This allows for the redundancy often needed to stay connected while on the road. You can also set limits and rules for when you want to use one cell plan over the other which is a great feature when you are trying to conserve one plan and only use it as a backup.
WiFi – The Max BR1 MK2 has WiFi as WAN capabilities which means you can use it to access campground WiFi using 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz.
Supports Carrier Aggregation – Cat 6 routers like the Max BR1 MK2 support Carrier Aggregation (CA) which means they have the ability to connect to 2 cellular bands (from the same plan) at the same time. By combining more than one cellular band together, it is possible to increase the bandwidth available. Traditional hotspots and phones are usually only able to connect to one cellular band and the tower selects which band you are using. With the Max BR1 MK2 you can choose which primary band you want to use (the tower selects the second) which allows you to avoid the crowded primary band used by phones and hotspots.
Works with the Major Cell Carriers in US and Canada

Note: This is our second booster. We previously used the WeBoost, which worked for a year, then broke. The Pepwave has been going strong for 3 years. Read our WeBoost review here.

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Getting reliable internet access while traveling is tricky. This article provides reliable internet solutions for RV travelers.

May 31, 2021 by Julie Chickery Leave a Comment

All Trails Tutorial – How to Find Great Hiking Trails & More

One of the best activities to do when you’re traveling is hiking. It’s free and great exercise. It also allows you to see and experience more of the area you are visiting. In this article, I’ll share how I use All Trails, my favorite tool for hiking that allows me to find great hiking trails, read reviews about them, and assess the difficulty to see if the trails are right for me.

In the video tutorial below, I share my screen and show you how I use All Trails to accomplish these tasks and more. Then keep reading below to learn more details about what this app can do.

Finding Hiking Trails

One of the most common things hikers use All Trails for is to find great trails along their travels. If you’re somewhere new and don’t know what the best hiking trails are, All Trails gives you options with user reviews, but it does a lot more than that. You can do these searches on the app or on your computer.

All Trails can help you find the best hiking trail for your preference, ability, and location. You can sort and filter on so many options. When you first bring the app up you have the option to search nearby or if you are planning a trip in advance, you can enter the location. For example, when I was traveling to Maine, I used the app to find trails on Monhegan Island and in Acadia National Park.

View of the All Trails app that shows all the hiking trails in an area.

If you click the filter button, you can sort by Best Match, Most Popular, or Closest. You can also choose the difficulty (easy, moderate, or hard). The problem with choosing a difficulty level here is that you don’t really know how that compares to your rating. Instead, I prefer to filter by length (in miles) and elevation gain (in feet).

As you scroll down, you’ll see you can sort on attractions like waterfalls, beach, rails trails, or historic site. You can also filter on suitability such as dog friendly, paved, accessible, or stroller friendly. Finally, you can choose the route type including out & back, loop, or point to point.

Be aware that you don’t have to filter on anything. You can simply choose to see the full list of hikes. However, the filters help save time if you are looking for something in particular.

If you want to view them by location (nearby is a subjective term after all), you can see the hikes on a map.

Assessing Hiking Trails

Once you have a list of potential hikes, you can use All Trails to assess if it is right for you. One of the most important consideration is your hiking experience and ability. It is so important to follow these hiker safety tips to ensure you don’t get yourself into danger.

Here’s how you assess a hike in All Trails:

Click on a hike that looks interesting to you.
Take note of the length and elevation gain to get a general idea of the difficulty.
View the full map to see if the elevation is concentrated in one area. You can also see the grade of the incline and any water crossings on the map.

View of the All Trails Hiking Map that allows you to see the elevation gain and grade of an incline.

Scroll down to reviews and see what other hikers have said about the trail. Just realize that some terms like “easy” or “hard” are subjective and vary among hikers.

Creating Your Own Custom Hiking Trails

If you don’t see a trail that fits all your requirements, don’t despair. My favorite part of All Trails Pro is the ability to create my own custom maps. When using All Trails Pro on your computer, simply click the down arrow next to “Plan” and you’ll see a drop down menu. Choose “Create Map” and you can draw your own. Using the map, navigate to the location you want to hike at and you’ll see all the public trails. In this example, I’m looking at Shenandoah National Park.

Just choose Draw Route and when you click on a trail, you’ll start the hiking trail map. Continue doing that along the route you want to take and it will show you the total mileage and elevation. And you can continue to edit it until it meets your needs.

Then you name it and add notes under Description. Then save it and you’re ready to sync it to your phone.

Navigating Using All Trails

The first thing you will need to do if you want to navigate using All Trails is the download the trail on your phone. This will ensure that you have navigation even if you don’t have a cell signal. Here’s how you do that:

Don’t forget to share the map of your hiking trail with someone else so they know where you will be. It’s a good idea to share your itinerary details like when you plan to arrive at the trailhead, your hiking speed, and when you plan to be finished.

Once you reach the trailhead and are ready to start your navigation on your phone, you … As you hike you will be the blue dot moving along the trail. The dark green dot is your starting point. When you stop for breaks, you have the option of pausing or continuing to let it run. If you continue to let it run, which is what I do, when you are completed you’ll see “total time” and “moving time.”

Tracking for Hiking Progress with All Trails

Another feature that I really enjoy with All Trails is the ability to track my progress. Under “History,” you’ll see a tab for “Stats.” This is great because it shows mileage, elevation gain, and moving time in a graph by month. It also shows your personal bests for each category.

Additionally, you can look at your “Activities” list and review each hike to see the average pace, mileage, and elevation individually. If you click on “Splits” you’ll see your pace for each mile.

All of these features are great it you want to improve your time or increase your distance and mileage.

All Trails Limitations

One thing I’ve noticed from my experience is that the mileage listed for hikes is often shorter than the true duration. If you are looking at a hike that is already loaded, scroll down to the reviews and see if anyone has a recording of their hike. If so, click on that and you’ll see how long it really was.

If you are drawing a custom map, take a look at the elevation gain because that is what is often not accounted for in the All Trails mileage estimate.

Another thing to note is that many trails are crowd sourced, meaning that individuals can record and recommend a new trail. For this reason, be sure to pay attention to any no trespassing or private property signs.

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