Customer Reviews

301 Ways to Make RV Travel Safer, Easier, and More Fun

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My only experience with RV travel was last year, one week in a Class C. This year I have plans for 10 days in a Class A, and thought I should study. 301 Ways to Make RV Travel Safer, Easier, and More Fun was not the answer. After reading the book I can safely say, I learned nothing. This book appears to really be written for teenagers off on their own for the 1st time. Recommendations like: Purchase frozen foods at the supermarket last, so they won't melt, Make the bed everyday, and everything will seem neater, At rest stops you can go to the bath room, walk the dog, or have a picnic..... you must be kidding. There is even a part to help you remember thing; like throwing a box of tissues on the floor could remind you to buy milk at the next stop. Save your money.

My wife and I are considering the idea of getting an RV motor home in the next couple of years. I wanted to read up as much as I could to find out as much as I could about the advantages and pitfalls. We bought three books, this one among them.

Mrs. Beard sounds like a very nice person who is not too many years older than I. But, she could have given these "tips" in about 75 pages, instead of the 246. The majority of this book is basically a journal of a several week trip Mrs. Beard and her husband took from east to west and back in a motor home. To be honest, it is a mostly boring trip for a reader looking for the ins and outs of RVing.

Nothing much happens on the trip that can be considered a "tip" except several recountings of her husband draining the water filter from their diesel engine. Oh, and making sure your camping spot has enough room for slide-outs.

We meet several old friends Mrs. Beard really cares about, but whom, as readers, we don't care about at all. Nor should we. We bought the book for tips.

If you want valuable tips and information, get The COMPLETE IDIOT'S GUIDE TO RVING. It was much more interesting, informative and good reading. Most of the tips in Mrs. Beard's book are in that one and in others.

If you want a travelogue, try TRAVELS WITH CHARLEY by Steinbeck or BLUE HIGHWAYS by Least Heat Moon. I genuinely feel we wasted our money. Sorry, Mrs. Beard, but that's one reader's view.

This book has all kinds of practical tips for various aspects of RVing. It's very readable, and I recommend it.

As I roam about the country, I love talking with other adventurers who travel by RV. During our conversations, I often learn about a special trick that saves time or makes life on the road more relaxing for them. ~Bernice Beard

RV travel can be a cozy way to travel and you can take along the comforts of home that you normally have to leave behind when you travel by plane. You can take along your pets, you get to experience the beauty of traveling through America and you can sit outside at night next to your RV and enjoy the beauty of the night sky.

I've camped out in an RV a few times in my life and all of them have been very memorable. My first experience was in Africa near Cape Town and it rained the entire time. The second time was in Washington State and we went camping with friends. I remember those trips more vividly than trips where we drove in the car and stayed in hotels.

301 Ways to Make RV Travel Safer, Easier, and More Fun is perfect for anyone who is looking into RVing or anyone who wants to enjoy a more carefree trip. Bernice Beard is an experience traveler who loves to share all her RV secrets and thinks of an RV as a playhouse. In this book, she has compiled all her best tricks and techniques. She also includes travel checklists and a glossary with definitions of RVing terms.

Bernice Beard starts her book with a checklist for getting on the road. You might want to pick up a few extra feet of heater hose, a hydraulic jack and some flares. Wrenches, quality jumper cables and a flashlight are recommended. In chapter two she goes on to explain how you can prevent mechanical problems with regular maintenance.

Other Features:

Lists of Recommended Campgrounds
Recipes - try an earthquake cake
Restaurants
Tips for transporting food
Stories about various trips are sprinkled throughout the book.
Travel Courtesy Tips
Travel Comfort
Things to do before you leave home
Lists of supplies you might not think you need, but probably will!
Kitchen Supplies
Tips for Traveling with Pets

I loved Bernice's writing style and she displays a real love for life. She definitely enjoys the adventure of RVing.

If you know someone who has an RV, this would make a perfect and very caring present. I didn't know anything about RVs and had to deal with one or two problems on a trip in Washington. This book would have been immensely helpful and all I can say is that this book should be sold with every RV!

This book deserves 10 stars! :)

~The Rebecca Review