RV Lifestyle Aides

Coralville Lake, COE Park, Iowa City, Iowa

Over the years we have developed various types of aides for enjoying the RV lifestyle.  Many of these resources are online.  Some are our trusty printed handbooks or guides. And, of course, we would have to say right upfront that an important key to discovering the ins and outs of living on the road is word-of-mouth.  But, with a healthy nod to the joy of socializing with fellow RVers, we are sharing here a few resources we have counted on in our travels. The list will possibly grow as a light bulb goes on for one of us as to some important source that we omitted.  After all, we are so busy with the plethora of mind-bending projects in our lives that we occasionally may forget to recall momentarily. :)  But, wherever and whenever it happened, we found many ways to enjoy the times we've had. So, for whatever assistance may be provided, here's Nancy and Jerry's RV Lifestyle Aides:

Camping:
  Boondocking: www.boondockingguide.com - Besides dispersed camping sites, get useful related info.
  Bureau of Land Management: http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en.html - Learn about camping available.
  Casinos:  www.casinocamper.com - Find a casino where you can park, eat and/or enjoy the games.
  Corps of Engineers Parks:  http://corpslakes.usace.army.mil/visitors - These parks are among our top
       choices for a home.  We also consult the printed camping directory for the Corps of Engineers.
  County Parks: www.mycountyparks.com - Iowa's county parks are very nice stopovers.
  National Parks:  www.recreation.gov - Locate camping and other info on COE, NPS, NFS.
  National Forests: www.forestcamping.com - Thanks to our friends, Jerry and Dee, for this contribution.

  Membership-discounted parks:
        Elks - This membership allows us to park at lodges around the U.S., but not all of them.
                 There is a yahoo group that provides information on parking available to members.
        Escapees -  www.escapees.com - We are SKPs and enjoy the parks and other benefits.
          Days End - A directory of a wide variety of camping spots. Available online for purchase
          by Escapee RV Club members.
        Passport America - www.passport-america.com - We find this membership worthwhile.

  Overnight Parking:
       www.overnightrvparking.com   - This site has an annual fee of $18.  We use this directory often when
         traveling from point-to-point, needing a convenient overnight stop.

General Information and Advice:
   Help on All Topics - Escapees Discussion Forum - www.rvnetwork.com  - No membership required.   
   Campground reviews  -  www.rvparkreviews.com  - User reviews can help make a choice.
   Dumps - www.rvdumps.com - Self-explanatory - :)
   National Forest Info - www.fs.fed.us - Provides guide to national forests; maps, etc.
   National Park Passes - www.nps.gov/fees_passes.htm - These passes can mean a nice savings.
   RV-maker groups - Many RVers share information within a group of owners of a particular make of RV.
                                  We find many good hints on the Foretravel owners website.

Highways and Byways:
    Atlas - We find it comfortable to have each state's map to glance at as we travel or plan.
    GPS -  We love "Tillie," our Garmin GPS. She tells us so much about every place we go.
    DeLorme Streets and Atlas - This software has been our good friend over these seven years.
    Mountain Directory - East and West - Assists with planning for steep grades and mountain passes.                     Available at bookstores or Amazon.com
   
Volunteering - http://www.volunteer.gov/gov/ - Lists opportunities to volunteer.  We enjoyed 
                           our experiences with Fish & Wildlife Service and National Forest Service.

Weather - Here are a couple of sites we use to be aware of what's down the road:
     www.wunderground.com
     www.noaa.gov