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Whether you’ve camped in a new or used travel trailer hundreds of times or you’re renting your first trailer, towing is stressful. Learning how to safely tow a travel trailer will reduce that stress and help you account for unexpected moves that other drivers might attempt. 

The Importance of Towing Safety

Photo by Brian A Jackson via Shutterstock

With the right preparation, towing doesn’t have to be a stressful part of owning a travel trailer, but a lack of preparation can have disastrous consequences. There is a lot to be aware of if you’re new to towing a travel trailer. 

For starters, familiarize yourself with towing terminology that’ll help you determine how much weight your tow vehicle can handle. You might also find our guide to towing with a mid-size SUV useful.

All drivers of towable campers must be aware of, and do their best to avoid, bridges with low clearance, tight turns, fast food drive-thrus, and, perhaps the most dangerous thing of all, other drivers. 

Knowing how to safely tow a travel trailer protects you, your investment, and others on the road. So let’s talk about everything you need to know to tow safely!

Even if you’ve already winterized your RV, you don’t have to wait until the spring thaw to enjoy your next camping trip. While hot springs are the obvious choice in the winter months, some snowbird RVers might find that their winter destination is a little warmer than expected.

That’s why it makes sense to know the best (hot and cold) springs to soak in this winter. So whether you’re winter camping and need a hot spring to warm up in or you’ve gone south and clear, cool water isn’t as easy to find; there’s a spring on this list within a few day’s drive!

The Best Hot Springs for Winter RV Trips

For those interested in winter RVing, check out these awesome hot spring camping destinations:

Buckstaff Baths

Where: Hot Springs, AR

The Buckstaff Baths are actually one of eight bathhouses along Bathhouse Row in downtown Hot Springs, Arkansas. Most were initially built in the 19th and 20th centuries and are now part of Hot Springs National Park. The nearby Ouachita Mountains offer some exceptional hiking when you’re not in town shopping or enjoying your luxury hot springs experience.

Sometimes bigger really is better. When you’ve been exploring the road less traveled, sometimes it’s good to hit the main path again with a fresh perspective. Visiting the big cities throughout the country can be a fun, adventurous challenge for the weekend warrior who fancies a good excuse to gas up the RV. So, if you’re up for it, here’s a list of America’s 10 biggest cities and their best RV weekend trips.

New York City, NY

Population: 8,230,290

Image: Shutterstock

Known as The Big Apple as well as The City That Never Sleeps, New York City is big on fast-paced energy, job opportunities, and adventure, which makes it the perfect place for an RV weekend getaway.

New York’s Best RV Weekend Trip

As anyone would expect, parking the RV and heading into the heart of the city is a must. Check off the bucket list spots on your list like Central Park and Times Square (go ahead, buy the t-shirt), then hop back into the RV and head upstate to one of the best locations in the world — the Niagara Falls State Park.

There’s plenty to do at this national landmark, so a weekend trip is perfect. There’s the tour of the falls, of course, but there’s also an aquarium, a big-screen adventure theater, the Cave of the Winds, and plenty more to fill your time. Plus, there’s the Top of the Falls Restaurant with incomparable views of the falls that you’ll definitely want to stop by for a bite.

Just south of Miami, Florida lies Biscayne National Park. Consisting of almost 50 keys (coral reef islands), the park was originally created to protect the area from imminent development in the 1960s. Today, it harbors unique marine life, scenic waterways, and even a few shipwrecks.

The park is known as a water wonderland with evidence of 10,000 years of human history from prehistoric tribes to pineapple farmers. Visitors can expect to enjoy activities like boating and fishing as well as relaxing with a warm breeze surrounded by stunning scenery.

Why Visit Biscayne National Park in an RV?

Image: Shutterstock

Biscayne National Park is 95% water, so the use of your motorhome or travel trailer is limited to driving to the Dante Fascell Visitors Center on the mainland. From there, exploration of the park is done by boat, and what a fascinating journey it is. Visitors can take sailboat tours or launch their own canoes and kayaks from the center, and Miami Dade County has boat services from several docks in the area.

When to Visit Biscayne National Park

Image: Shutterstock

The park is open year-round and sees most of its traffic during the winter and spring months. The Dante Fascell Visitor Center is open seven days a week from 9AM-5PM. The weather, while full of sunshine throughout the year, does see a shift from season to season, which affects the volume of visitors as a result.

Biscayne National Park in the Spring

Spring temperatures range from the mid-60s to the mid-80s throughout the season. March through May does bring several cloudy days, but few rain showers. Still, it’s wise to pack a poncho or raincoat just in case.

If you’re out camping in the fall, winter, or early spring, keeping your RV furnace in good working order is essential. Like anything else, the furnace in your RV requires maintenance to operate efficiently and reliably. You’ll want a working furnace to keep you warm when outside temperatures drop unpredictably.

The truth is, certain furnace maintenance tasks are best left to the pros. That being said, it’s up to you to know when to call for help. Plus, there are some simple maintenance tasks you can do yourself. 

So let’s talk about everything you need to know to keep your RV’s furnace in tip-top shape.

How to Check That Your RV Furnace Works

Conducting a furnace test is a great place to start and you can perform this task on your own. It’s really as simple as turning your furnace on and making sure it is running properly. Here’s how to do it: 

How to Do A Quick RV Furnace Test

Photo by Kit Leong via Shutterstock

Locate your RV’s thermostat and adjust the temperature setting so it’s higher than the current air temperature in your rig. Within 15-30 seconds, you should hear the pilot light ignite. Wait and listen for the fan to kick on and you should soon feel hot air coming from the vents throughout your RV. 

The Santa Fe‒Taos circuit in the northern part of the state is where most visitors would go once they enter New Mexico, which, for locals, would be quite predictable. But New Mexico will deliver whether you go north or south. From bathing in crystal-clear light to dazzling desert landscapes, to deep gorges and canyons, you won’t be disappointed. We have compiled a list of the top ten reasons to visit New Mexico (and stay a while, too!).

The White Sands area

Visitors flock tp the White Sands National Monument. Located in the northern Chihuahuan Desert in the U.S. state of New Mexico, it’s known for its dramatic landscape of rare white gypsum sand dunes. But there’s more to this area than you might realize. In addition to hiking or sledding, don’t miss the White Sands Missile Range. You can wander through a fascinating collection of missiles and rockets that will make you feel as if you’re travelling through time. As it is an active military base, you’ll be required to bring an ID and go through security.

The Very Large Array

Visit this attraction located on the Plains of San Agustin fifty miles west of Socorro, New Mexico. It consists of 27 radio antennas with a height of 25 meters in Y-shaped configurations and is dubbed as one of the world’s premier astronomical radio observatories.

Six RV parks have recently joined the Good Sam network, boosting your chances of finding savings and value on the road. Remember, Good Sam members can save big with a 10 percent discount at any of our 2,000-plus Good Sam parks across North America.

Not a member? Sign up online to purchase a membership or simply buy it at the Good Sam Park you visit (discounts apply immediately). As you plan your trip, check each park’s link to determine seasonal availability and make reservations.

Whispering Pines RV Resort East and West, Gulf Shores, Alabama

Whispering Pines RV Resort sits in Alabama’s iconic Gulf Coast region. Within a 6-mile radius, visitors can find OWA, one of the largest amusement parks on the Gulf Coast, along with a Tanger Outlet Mall and the new Gulf Coast Zoo. Thrillseekers can check out the Wharf Marina with a Ferris wheel, laser shows, kids events, shopping, dining and more. Also close by are dozens of restaurants serving delicious, fresh seafood. Just a short drive away you’ll discover gorgeous white-sandy beaches and state parks with lots of natural attractions. While here, explore hiking, jogging and bicycle trails.

Park amenities include a resort-style pool, clubhouse and a fenced-in dog play area. Guests also can take advantage of the laundry facilities, restrooms and showers. The resort offers 40×80-foot back-in sites with 30- and 50-amp hookups.

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In the United States, many people have a difficult time teaching their kids about civil rights. There are a few different ways to do this, but one of the best ways is to spend time in an area that had a huge impact on the civil rights era.

A Civil Rights RV Road Trip is a fantastic way to visit several key places where world-changing events happened. Recent events and protests have renewed interest in the historic civil rights movement, making a Civil Rights RV trip a timely and important opportunity to teach children.

As a Black woman raising a Black child, teaching him about the Civil Rights movement is so important to me. We spent about a month in the south, learning everything we could about the Civil Rights Movement and it was heart-wrenching, but also amazing.

Teaching Kids About The Civil Rights Movement

We still have a long way to go before we can say we live in a society that is free of inequality and racism. However, one way to help close the gap is to take your kids on an educational trip that includes a Civil Rights RV Itinerary.

Before this trip, make sure to talk to your kids about the Civil Rights Movement. Engage their critical thinking skills prior by getting them books and watching age-appropriate videos. This will help make the trip more meaningful for them.

Get a taste of perfection by staying at a Top Rated Good Sam Park. For 2022, a total of 157 Good Sam Parks scored flawless 10/10★/10 Good Sam ratings based on our trusted evaluation system.

Our rep teams travel across North America and inspect parks for the cleanliness of restrooms and showers; environment and visual appearance. Each category is graded on a scale of one to 10, and a star is added for exceptionally clean restrooms. You’ll also find these parks listed by state and province — along with plenty of helpful RV-related content — in our 2022 edition of the Good Sam Campground & Coupon Guide.

Alabama

Ahoy RV Resort, Foley

All About Relaxing RV Park, Theodore

Arizona

De Anza RV Resort, Amado	Good Life RV Resort, Mesa
Sundance West RV Resort, Apache Junction	Mesa Regal RV Resort, Mesa
Sunrise RV Resort, Apache Junction	Sun Life RV Resort, Mesa
Superstition Sunrise RV Resort, Apache Junction	Towerpoint Resort, Mesa
Weaver’s Needle RV Resort, Apache Junction	Valle Del Oro RV Resort, Mesa
Black Canyon Ranch RV Resort, Black Canyon City	Desert Shadows RV Resort, Phoenix
Vista Del Sol RV Resort, Bullhead City	Far Horizons RV Resort, Tucson
Verde Ranch RV Resort, Camp Verde	Mission View RV Resort, Tucson
Sundance 1 RV Resort, Casa Grande	Rincon Country East RV Resort, Tucson
Pueblo El Mirage RV & Golf Resort, El Mirage	Rincon Country West RV Resort, Tucson
Eagle View RV Resort Fort McDowell	Bonita Mesa RV Resort, Yuma
Arizonian RV Resort, Gold Canyon	Del Pueblo RV Resort, Yuma
Canyon Vistas RV Resort, Gold Canyon	Villa Alameda RV Resort, Yuma
Gold Canyon RV & Golf Resort, Gold Canyon	Westwind RV & Golf Resort, Yuma
Apache Wells RV Resort, Mesa

California

Bakersfield RV Resort, Bakersfield	Pala Casino RV Resort, Pala
The Springs At Borrego RV Resort & Golf Course, Borrego Springs	JGW RV Park, Redding
The RV Park At Rolling Hills Casino and Resort, Corning	Redding Premier RV Resort, Redding
Yanks RV Resort, Greenfield	Coyote Valley RV Resort, San Jose
Indian Waters RV Resort & Cottages, Indio	Pechanga RV Resort, Temecula
Jackson Rancheria RV Park, Jackson	Vineyard RV Park, Vacaville
Berry Creek Rancheria RV Park, Oroville

Colorado

Royal View RV Park, Canon City	Mesa Verde RV Resort, Mancos
Canyon View RV Resort, Grand Junction

Florida

Looking for the perfect recipe to add to your camping menu? Check out this recipe from CountryLiving.com! This sausage and onion recipe with apples is the perfect combination of savory and sweet. With almost no prep work and a single skillet, it’s also an easy thing to throw together last-minute. Get the full camping recipe below.

Ingredients

Recipe found on CountryLiving.com and adapted for this blog.

1 tbsp. olive oil6 small sweet Italian sausage links2 Pink Lady apples1/2 red onion1/2 head red cabbageKosher saltfreshly ground black pepper1 c. fresh apple cider2 tbsp. fresh cider vinegar

Instructions

In a large cast-iron skillet, heat a drizzle of oil over medium-high heat.Add sausage to the skillet and cook until golden brown, turning to brown on all sides. Transfer to a plate and set aside.Wash and dry all produce.Halve apples and slice the cabbage and onion.Reduce heat to medium, add the apple, and cut side down to brown them. Add onion and cabbage and season with salt and pepper to taste.Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally until apples are golden brown.Flip the apples over and return the sausage to the skillet, pushing them down into the veggies to marry the flavors.Add cider and vinegar and simmer for 18-20 minutes, stirring and turning the sausages regularly to ensure they cook through.Serve warm with a slice of crusted bread, and enjoy!

To find the perfect RV to take you to the campground, shop at RVingPlanet.com.

When you’re towing something much heavier or lighter than usual, you’ll need to make adjustments to your weight distribution hitch. Fortunately, adjusting a weight-distribution hitch for safe towing is fairly straightforward. 

But if you need more guidance on how to connect your hitch in the first place, check out this article on how to hitch up a weight distribution hitch.

Now, let’s get into how to adjust your hitch. 

The Initial Measurement and Installation Phase

During the initial installation, you’ll take several measurements to establish a baseline. That baseline will help you determine how to adjust your hitch to transfer more or less weight to your tow vehicle’s front axle. 

Find Your Hitch’s Setup Table

Your weight distribution hitch comes with a technical manual that includes a setup table. In that table, you’ll find a simple formula to help you calculate the acceptable range of measurements when adjusting your weight distribution hitch.  

Full-time RV life isn’t just for retired couples. Younger folks are discovering the benefits of moving into an RV full-time, like downsizing their belongings and scaling up their outdoor adventures.

But it begs the question: are toy haulers the best RV for outdoor lovers?

Whether you’re into hunting, fishing, riding UTVs, or any other type of outdoor recreation, toy haulers give you the ability to carry all of your toys to your next outdoor adventure destination. 

Why Are Toy Haulers Great for Full-Time RVers?

You don’t have to be retired to enjoy living in a toy hauler full-time. In fact, toy haulers are one of the best options for young remote workers because their garages can easily convert into home offices. 

So instead of working at the dining room table while your partner is preparing breakfast, you can create a dedicated workspace in the back of your rig. And there are more advantages to a convertible space in your RV. 

Traveling the country in your very own RV is so much more rewarding when you can take along your favorite outdoor toys! Check out the best 2022 toy hauler fifth wheels that you can take home today and get more out of your campground adventures! See our five favorite floorplans below.

Alliance Valor 36V11

This incredible toy hauler fifth wheel is great for multi-family vacation and features 11′ of separated garage space that transforms into a second bedroom or dining area for your guests. The dual entry system gives you the option to enter the living room or garage space directly. You’ll find that the garage also offers tie-downs to help keep all your gear in place while on the move and a 60-gallon fuel tank to make it easy to refuel your toys before hitting the trails.

Additional Features:

Master Suite11′ Separate Garage60-Gallon Fuel TankFireplaceDual EntryFull-Width Wardrobe

When it comes to RVing, most people focus on all the exciting adventures the daytime holds. However, when the sun sinks below the horizon, the biggest adventure of all is waiting in the darkness. Stargazing is becoming increasingly popular, especially among the RV community, because of the breathtaking views that only appear between sunset and sunrise in locations without light pollution.

Why is Stargazing Great for RVers?

With stargazing comes astrophotography, which focuses on photographing celestial events, astronomical objects, and certain parts of the night sky. It’s only natural to want to capture what you’re seeing with the naked eye in an image to look back on later. As stargazing becomes more mainstream, the best places to see the stars without light pollution are ideal destinations for RVers due to their remote nature.

If you’ve ever wanted to see a shooting star or point out the little dipper, then consider this a wish granted. The RVer’s guide to stargazing and astrophotography highlights destinations, necessary equipment, and other must-haves perfect for seeing the stars at night from your remote RV campsite.

Must-Have Equipment for Star Viewing

Image: Shutterstock

Finding the ultimate viewing spot, parking your RV, and looking up at the night sky sounds easy enough, but having a few items on hand can take the experience from good to great.

Binoculars

For an up-close and personal viewing, plan to have a quality set of binoculars. While you will undoubtedly be able to bask in the subtle glow of the stars above, binoculars can give you a magnified perspective. Many models offer sharp, crisp images through lenses that allow increased light transmission for perfect viewing even in the darkest conditions. If there’s one must-have item to reach for, it’s this.

Roadside attractions are usually defined as some giant, green-spotted animal (dinosaurs, for the most part) you can see on Interstates. But roadside attractions are sometimes as-is: an attraction by a roadside that’s so eye-catching that you just have to stop and admire it. There are tons of these in the United States, and here we have compiled a list of the top 10 roadside attractions.

The Thing, Arizona

Before arriving in Dragoon, Arizona, you’ll most likely see some “precautionary” signs along the way to alert you of the presence of The Thing. Made up of striped metal sheds, it houses a number of strange things. If you take the time to go inside, you’ll be welcomed by a nauseating surprise. Not only will you be confronted with gimmicky taste in patterns, but you can also get a little history fix as you trek the sidewalk. No spoilers here though, you can simply pass by and admire it. Mini spoiler: Rolls-Royce and mummies.

Miles the Monster, Dover, DE

At the site of the Dover International Speedway in Dover, Delaware lives a massive rock monster with flame red eyes. While the speedway is less-than-scenic, posing with this 46-foot-tall car-crushing behemoth guarantees massive Instagram likes. It seems like it’s from The Thing and The Hulk’s same angular genetic branch. “It actually usually has legs,” says Joe Heller, the racetrack’s PR coordinator,  “but if it did, it could go up to 80 feet tall!” He does have a point there. They compromised by showing the monster’s upper half only.

When it comes to love at first sight, never underestimate the ability of a campground to steal your heart. Just like that first time you laid eyes on your significant other, there are campgrounds out there that give you butterflies in your stomach with a single glance.

If you can’t remember the last time you and your partner hit the road for some alone time, or even if you can and you’re longing to do it again, let this be the encouragement you need to go for it. Spark up more than a campfire with these romantic campgrounds calling for a getaway.

Start by finding the perfect RV for traveling couples, or rent an RV for a quick weekend getaway.

First Landing State Park in Virginia

Beach Campfire. Image: Shutterstock

What better way to start off this list than in the state for lovers–Virginia. If you’re looking for the perfect campground to escape to year-round, look no further than the shores of Virginia beach. First Landing State Park, tucked in near Virginia Beach, offers privacy when you need it and easy access to local tourist spots when you don’t. North Landing Beach RV Resort & Cottages offers 800 feet of private sandy beach for campers, too.

Does it get any more romantic than beachside camping at night? Probably not but exploring 19 miles of trails during the day is a close second. Not only is First Landing the ideal place for a getaway, but the beaches are dog-friendly. What’s not to love about that?

One of the best parts of owning a motorhome or camping trailer is having your home (or second home) on the road. Still, the choice between drivable coaches and towable campers can be tough because of this very question: can you ride in a travel trailer or fifth wheel?

Perhaps surprisingly, there are quite a few states that allow riding in a towable camper. But many have restrictions or conditions that must be met to do so legally. To stay on the right side of the law, follow these recommendations when considering riding in a travel trailer or fifth wheel.

Can You and Should You Ride in a Travel Trailer or Fifth Wheel?

This is a tricky situation because every state is different and the rules change depending on the type of RV you’re traveling in. Many states have different rules for travel trailers and fifth-wheels, for example.

Besides that, there’s the question of safety. Even if something is legal doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a safe or smart thing to do.

Most towable campers lack seat belts, which means getting into an accident with passengers riding in a trailer could result in significant injury or death. Few travel trailers or fifth wheels are equipped with airbags and other safety features that reduce the likelihood of serious injury in the event of an accident.