When plans go wrong, the adventure begins. That’s why you carry seemingly mundane items like a Trailer Aid ramp. Yes, it’s a bright yellow chunk of Made in China plastic. You don’t buy a Trailer Aid because it’s a fun sexy purchase. But every time you need it, you’ll be happy you have it.
When we embarked on our 14,000-mile road trip to Alaska, our “adventure” began almost immediately. It felt like an exercise in Murphy’s Law. Everything was going wrong. It was undoubtedly the worst start we’d ever experienced on any Airstream trip.
We departed our Deep South home in the midst of a punishing summer heat wave. Outside temperatures were exceeding 110 degrees. Naturally, the air-conditioning unit in our Airstream failed. At night the outside temperatures dipped all the way down into the mid-90s, and it wasn’t much different inside our aluminum shelter. Ever tried sleeping inside a steam sauna? As the poet Snoop Dogg once wrote (presumably in reference to air-conditioning), “it ain’t no fun… if the homies can’t get none.” Read More
Severe weather and camping go together like ice cream and motor oil. RVs and emergency weather are simply not a good combination. In fact, they are a really bad combination, and a recipe for disaster. Sure, RVs are comfortable, cozy, and fun. They’re a fine and adventurous method of seeing America. In most everyday situations, [...]
It’s often said that “more than 70%” of all Airstreams ever built are still in use today. (I don’t know who has the job of running around the world counting Airstreams in use, but it must be exhausting.) While many vintage Airstreams are still being used for camping – as God and Wally intended – [...]
South Dakota’s Wall Drug evokes competing emotions. My feelings on the subject are divided. As the Persuaders once sang, it’s a thin line between love and hate. Or to paraphrase Dickens: it is the best of tourist traps; it is the worst of tourist traps. Let’s start by hearing from the prosecution. The argument for [...]
In 2012, we towed our Airstream on a 14,000 mile road trip. We traveled 5000 miles from Alabama, exiting the United States from Montana, branching through Alberta, and then along the Alaska Highway through British Columbia, and the Yukon, all the way up to the Alaska border. Then we drove around the Alaska interior (visiting [...]
It goes without saying that I love Airstreams. Their legacy in the RV travel industry is unmatched. Their design is iconic. Airstreams are pretty much the only travel trailers that can occasionally pass as art. They’ve been doing it for eight decades. By extension, I have a great fondness for the Airstream company. It’s an [...]
When the time rolled around for new tires, we faced a minor dilemma. The OEM tires on SEEMORE, our Ford F250 pickup truck, were Continental Contitracs. Our experience with those Continental tires was pretty good. We managed to extract just over 47,000 miles of service from the tires, and that’s after putting those slabs of [...]
Several months ago, I stood outside on a chilly winter night, staring at the moon. Doing so is a rite of passage for budding photographers. Taking a nice photo of the moon is not a difficult task, though it requires some preparation. A tripod is a must, and it helps if you have a decent [...]
For the past couple of years, we’ve been kicking around the idea of taking our Airstream to Alaska. We never really intended to “see every state” in some sort of checklist fashion. We have always simply gone to the places that felt right. But after all of these years, since we’ve camped in each of [...]
The undead are the talk of the nation. Or at least the talk of the Internet. Every day, it seems, innocent people are getting their faces chewed off or their brains and hearts eaten in random, unprovoked zombie attacks. Whatever your political or religious persuasion, no one wants to get his or her face chewed [...]
First, a little background. I like many different kinds of music. But when I was growing up in the 80s, my favorite bands were Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, and a variety of hair metal bands like Metallica and even that silly guilty pleasure called Judas Priest. (Question: is it still “hair [...]
Over the years, I’ve tried just about every method of making coffee when camping. When it came time to create a coffee page on our website, I was overwhelmed by the topic. There’s a lot of ground to cover. It sounds ridiculous, but for some reason it seemed easier to tackle New York and Yellowstone [...]
As of this writing, we’ve taken our Airstream into all of the lower 48 States. We’ve camped just about everywhere between Mexico and Canada that we could squeeze our rig. We’ve inexplicably bypassed a few destinations along the way (why on earth did we cruise through Oregon without stopping at Crater Lake?!) but we’ve seen [...]
A few years ago, when decorating our tree we put together a “video Christmas card” and emailed it to friends. We’ve done several over the years, usually consisting of some sort of sloppy timelapse in which I drink a lot of whiskey-laden eggnog while Kristy labors on our tree. I guess it’s become a tradition. [...]
Devil’s Tower is a national monument located in the northeastern corner of Wyoming. It’s one of those road trip icons of the all-natural variety. If you are driving into the state from South Dakota (say, from visits to Wall Drug and Mt. Rushmore) it beckons. It’s located about a half hour off the main interstate [...]
When Kristy and I travel in our Airstream, we become “part-time full-timers.” In other words, we are full-time Airstream travelers for an extended period of time. But (so far, anyway) we always return to the comfort of a house sans wheels. Our longest stretch full-timing in our 25-foot long tin can is five months. It’s [...]
To paraphrase Sinatra, “Dumb mistakes? I’ve made a few.” Yes, throughout the course of our travels, I’ve made my share of dumb mistakes. Of course, what I’m referring to are more accurately described as careless mistakes. A dumb mistake is something you might make on an IQ test. A careless mistake is far more common [...]
Let’s face it: the current economy is one giant financial dump station. How bad is it? I’m thinking about moving most of my investments away from the stock market and toward canned food items and ammunition. We might even bury our Airstream in the backyard and start using it as an apocalypse shelter. Okay, things [...]
I’m not much of a “festival” kind of guy. As I’ve written before in this space — believe it or not — I’m an introvert. For me, true bliss is not likely found in NYC. It’s found in BFE. You can have Manhattan. I’ll take camping in the mountains of Wyoming where we’re surrounded by [...]
Have you ever seen one of those episodes of Cribs when they expose what’s residing inside a country music star’s refrigerator? There’s always a gallon of milk, some old Chinese takeout, and a tub of potato salad gone bad. This topic is a little like that, albeit without the cowboy boots and withered spinach. Here [...]
“I don’t get the Airstream thing,” a gentleman recently posted on our YouTube Channel. Fair enough. Believe it or not, I know what he means. The pragmatist in me (remember, I survived college on a steady diet of Ramen noodles and Taco Bell) understands his point of view, even though I do get the Airstream [...]
Long Long Honeymoon is usually a lighthearted website. We tout ourselves as celebrating “the fun stuff” as it relates to Airstream RV camping. Usually our focus is gleeful escapism. But when a historic disaster happens in our backyard, it can’t be ignored. And this topic — severe weather — DOES relate to camping. Does it [...]
Hitching is among the most fundamental tasks related to Airstream camping. It’s the first thing they teach you. Rather, it’s the first thing they WOULD teach you, if anyone was teaching you at all. If you’re like me, you learned by doing. #162 Unboxing the Swift Hitch Cam from Sean Michael on Vimeo. Typically hitching [...]
While on the road promoting my novel The Lost Spyder, Kristy and I attended a vintage car show in Rosemary Beach, Florida. In fact, we did more than simply attend this car show – we served as judges, giving each vehicle the “white glove and electron microscope” treatment. We gave awards for best paint, best [...]
Most vehicles built in the last couple of decades come equipped with on board “check engine” lights. There are other lights on the dashboard, often referred to as “idiot lights” because they were originally invented for mechanically challenged folks who could not read traditional auto gauges. These warning lights are designed to illuminate anytime the [...]
When I was a wee lad, I daydreamed about owning a boat. I didn’t care so much about owning a speed or leisure boat, but rather a larger ocean-going vessel equipped with all sorts of creature comforts – a cozy bedroom, a spacious living room, a comfy couch. For some reason, I’ve always wanted to [...]
Mail delivery and receipt is of ongoing concern to most Americans, at least those of us who pay bills and taxes. Thus, one of the dilemmas of full-time RV travel: how to handle the daily influx of paper documents demanding our money? Those of us who forego a fixed brick-and-mortar address entirely (and truly live [...]
“When things go wrong, the adventure begins!” Someone emailed me this expression. I’ve found it quite useful. In the early days of our road tripping travels, my attitude was not quite so chipper. I recall a couple of Airstream-related temper tantrums. When our best laid plans took a turn for the worse, we shut off [...]
Suppose you had an extra couple of billion dollars in your bank account that you wanted to give back to your community. What would you do with it? Here in the United States, you could just cut a check to each individual resident. It would be one hell of an automatic bill pay. Assuming we [...]
What, tires AGAIN? For some reason, I’m thinking of an old Brady Bunch episode. You know, the one in which Jan exclaims, “Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!” Except on this day, you, the loyal reader, are in the role of Jan. And you’re exclaiming, “Tires, tires, tires!” Tires are an ongoing concern for anyone using wheels, and [...]
You’ve got mail — or do you? If you take the plunge and become a FULL-TIME occupant of your RV, life goes on. It still rains, snows, sleets, and hails. (And in our case, it now also leaks.) You still need to receive mail from time to time. Of course you can always keep a [...]
Less is more. The old axiom “less is more” applies to many facets of life. Sure, there are a few notable exceptions. I think we all agree that when it comes to money, more is more. It’s pretty rare that individuals, corporations, or the government demand less money. The phrase “Give me my salary reduction!” [...]
To upgrade, the philosopher known as Beyonce teaches us, is to live. That’s the cool thing about owning an Airstream or any other RV — like a brick-and-mortar home, it’s a constantly evolving platform. With the simple flick of a plastic card, you can express your ideas and/or wreck your bank account. Some upgrades are [...]
About 20 years ago, my best friend Mike and I loaded up my trusty 1985 Honda CRX (a tiny 2-seater, but you could cram an adult male bison in the rear hatch) and headed west on the first great cross-country road trip of our lives. We departed in early August. Our route took us from [...]
Here’s a brief update from the road — specifically, from gorgeous Grand Teton National Park. I’m in LOVE with our current campsite. This is the finest camping locale we’ve enjoyed all year. We are surrounded by wilderness. We have a tremendous view of some of the most beautiful mountains in North America while LYING IN [...]
Here ya go folks. Fresh new post from the hardest workin’ man in the bloggin’ business! Sure, I don’t post as often as some. But hey, who else gives ya a FRICKIN’ TV SHOW in their blog? (Oh, I guess Diablo Cody does — in RED BAND TRAILER. Anyway…) You must agree that this is [...]
This video clocks in a little longer than our usual fare. I can’t determine what the ideal length might be for an Internet video. For some people, the shorter the better. (For you short attention span people, our shortest video on YouTube is about 9 seconds long.) Other people tell me they want longer videos. [...]
As we meander around North America, we always set aside a little time to stop in local eateries. It’s often rough on the waistline, but many fond travel memories are made at the dinner table. We’ve found all sorts of fun places along the way. Some new, some old. Some expensive, and some cheap. Some [...]
Our visit to Amish country sent us back a few hundred years. While not quite the Wacky Wayback Machine of Amish land, Mackinac Island rolled the clock back at least a century or so. Mackinac Island is a charming tourist destination that’s distinguished by what it DOESN’T have: motorized vehicles. It’s also a quaint little [...]
Several years ago, my brother and his family lived in Detroit. I thus visited the Motor City many times. While we spent much of our time just hangin’ out in the suburbs, we also explored vast expanses of urban sprawl for which Detroit is famous (and/or infamous). Thereafter, whenever someone mentioned “Michigan,” my brain conjured [...]
Okay, this is a weird one. The Amish pose a compelling conundrum for a travel blog. We travel types are motivated to explore. Not unlike Captain Kirk, we seek out new life and new civilizations. Most of us embrace modern technology along the way (yes, you can have my iPhone 4… when you pry it [...]
As we haul our Airstream throughout North America, we often spotlight camping destinations along the way. But how about the PEOPLE we meet? Cities and parks are nice and all, but people are unforgettable. RV campers are generally a warm and friendly lot. We were stopped in a West Virginia Walmart parking lot when a [...]
As I’ve written before, on LongLongHoneymoon.com we’re committed to documenting the RV lifestyle — the good, the bad, and the ugly. So here’s a facet of RV travel we’ve never previously addressed. I suppose we could classify this job as “the ugly,” although it really isn’t particularly dirty. In truth, it’s the THOUGHT of black [...]
Alumapalooza is a gathering of Airstream enthusiasts. It’s unique because it takes place on factory property in Jackson Center, Ohio. We camp right behind the building where our Airstream was built. Camping at Airstream has many upsides. While at the factory, we took advantage of the excellent Airstream Service center. Our Airstream “Liv” got new [...]
Pressure washing — an addictive activity? It’s definitely dangerous, as you see in the video. But in addition to splitting human skin, will it split aluminum seams? Overall, my approach is moderation in all things, including moderation. We have owned our Airstream for several years, and this is the first time we’ve chosen to pressure [...]
For those of you who think I don’t know jack about RV repair, I finally have a video to prove you wrong. In the past you’ve heard me bemoan the fragility of our power jack. The sacrificial part in question is a little nylon gear. This gear works fine for the most part, but if [...]
After we bought our RV, we quickly realized that electricity is quite useful. Unless you like ice-cold coffee, blank TV screens, and sweltering summer heat, you’ll want the ability to camp with substantial amounts of the stuff on hand. But since one can’t purchase extension cords in mile-long lengths, we need portable options. What about [...]
One of the great upsides of Airstream ownership, in my opinion, is the product’s longevity. Airstreams are not disposable. Over 70% of all Airstream travel trailers ever built (going back to the 1930s) are still in use today. So if you are a “buy and hold” type like myself, it’s a natural fit. In all [...]
I like stuff. But stuff breaks. There’s a Bob Dylan song in which the old man croons, “Everything is broken.” Sometimes I feel this way about my stuff. What’s wrong with my stuff? Why does all of my stuff seem to break?
One of the most intimidating tasks awaiting any new towable RV owner is backing into a campsite. The process is counter-intuitive. When traveling in reverse, you’ll find that the trailer responds to steering inputs in a fashion that’s completely opposite to what you expect. Sometimes back-in campsites can be narrow, and require the type of [...]
Water, water, every where, And all the boards did shrink ; Water, water, every where, Nor any drop to drink. Samuel Taylor Coleridge Rime of the Ancient RVer Mariner Water — it does a body good. For the moment, our Long Long Honeymoon is veering into edumacational territory. It strikes me that the gigantic edumacational [...]
A week or so ago, I asked my Twitter friends for topic suggestions. Someone (yes, I’m referring to you JJohnston1975) suggested integrating “creature comforts” and the spa experience with RVing. Personally, I’ve been wanting to do a blog about sleep for a long time. So these two topics dovetail in this LongLongHoneymoon.com entry. I’m a [...]
Confession: I find RV floor plans strangely fascinating. Okay, “fascinating” may be a stretch. I mean, I don’t sit around all day dreaming about floor plans. But it’s quite remarkable how many different combinations manufacturers create. I’ve likened RV floor plans to Mexican food entrees — the chef always starts with the SAME BASIC INGREDIENTS (meat, [...]
One of the primary missions of our website is to document RV ownership. We like to help educate newcomers to RV camping. It can all be a little perplexing at first. So why haven’t we talked about liquefied propane (LP)? Well folks, now you know what’s inside those mysterious aluminum canisters resting at the [...]
Recently we hauled our Airstream to RVIA, the annual industry convention in Louisville, Kentucky. We found ourselves “camping” in freezing weather upon an enormous slab of asphalt. Oddly, this is much more fun than it sounds. I’m happy to report that Airstreams are quite comfortable in sub-freezing weather, provided one’s heat furnace is working properly. [...]
Overall, we’ve been happy with our Airstream Classic. Although the company makes hipper models with contemporary interiors, we also like the “old school” experience of Airstream camping. Sure, the decor is a bit long in the tooth, but it channels generations of Airstream campers who have preceded us. It’s more of a country cabin than [...]
Okay, here are a few photos of wildlife — the tiny variety. Last week Kristy and I were lounging on some sun chairs in Florida. Yes, with apologies to our friends up north, it was sunny enough for sunbathing. (This obviously was before Hurricane Ida came to town.) Anyway, behind our sun chairs was a [...]
According to Wikipedia, “in North America, a tailgate party is a social event held on and around the open tailgate of a vehicle.” Which begs the question, what is a tailgate party in South America? A form of sociopolitical rebellion? But I digress.
“Do they still make those things?” Every Airstream owner, sooner or later, hears this question. This indicates the degree to which the Airstream travel trailer has achieved iconic status. But if I were running the company, I’d find the question deeply troubling. I mean, if your potential customers don’t even realize you are still manufacturing [...]
Probably the highest compliment I can pay Niagara Falls is that it looks fake. To be more precise, at times the natural scenery is so spectacular, it seems to good to be true. We snapped a couple of photos with our SLR. Viewing the results, I just shook my head. But it is true. People [...]
Oh, Canada? Oh my… Where to begin? The transition from Quebec to Ontario is subtle, but the difference is dramatic. There’s no border check (not yet anyway) but when you see that first “Welcome to Ontario” sign you’re already back on more familiar turf. Whereas Quebec feels like another country, Ontario feels like another state [...]
When visiting different places, travel “experts” tell us to visit museums, tour historic buildings, and generally behave like obedient fourth graders on a field trip. Our approach, for better or for worse, has always been a little different…
For the past six months, Maine has been an ethereal, theoretical destination for our Long Long Honeymoon. If we had a dollar for every time we exclaimed, “This spring, we’re taking our Airstream up to Maine!” our fuel expenses would be covered. So now that we finally made it, has Maine lived up to our [...]
Is it possible to visit Boston without actually, um, visiting Boston? When we rolled into Beantown, we set up camp in a rural area some 30 miles outside the metropolis.
On our Long Long Honeymoon, we’ve enjoyed our share of rustic camping locations. Places like Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, and Glacier National Park come to mind. Getting back to nature is what camping’s all about, right? But what happens when we take our “condo on wheels” into an urban environment like NEW YORK CITY?
As a general rule, our “Long Long Honeymoon” is a lighthearted show. We focus more upon the fun stuff than the alternative. I figure there’s enough bad news in the world. Why add to it?
‘Tis said that “the journey is the destination.” But what does that mean? For our Long Long Honeymoon, it illustrates a key upside to RV travel vis-a-vis the old fly-and-rent route.
Extended warranties — to buy or not to buy? That is the question.
One of our ongoing missions here at LongLongHoneymoon.com is to document the RV ownership experience. After all, many of our readers and video watchers are researching RV purchases when they discover (and immediately bookmark, right?) this site. This leads us to cover a few topics beyond the usual. Sure, it’s fun to capture photos of [...]
On our Long Long Honeymoon, we often like to talking about “seizing the day.” But what does that mean? To me, it means having the courage to live the life you want to live.
Although we only RV’d for a short while in Argentina, we learned quite a lot. In this article I’ll review some of what you can expect if you rent an RV in the country.
If you want to RV camp in Argentina, the most obvious method is to fly into the country and rent an RV. So that’s what we did. Our rental company of choice was Ruta|Sur (the name’s Spanish for “Road South”).
My love for technology and gadgets is well documented. I’m usually an early adopter when it comes to this stuff. Confessional case-in-point: in 1995, I made the unfortunate decision to install Microsoft Bob on my PC. We can’t be absolutely certain, but I think I was the only person in North America to install Bob. [...]
Kristy and I appeared on HGTV’s “RV 2009″ show. During the filming of “RV 2009,” a TV crew followed us as we toured “America’s Largest RV Show” in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The premise of the show had us shopping for a larger RV. Unfortunately, we had no Airstreams to tour at the Hershey event. If they’d [...]
Over the past couple of years, we’ve managed to stock our RV with a variety of useful items. A few of these products have achieved “must have” status, in that we wouldn’t go camping without having them on board. Since we often receive questions about these products, we thought we’d create a page with a [...]
Maps. No great American road trip is complete without ‘em. Or is it? Sometimes it’s tempting to think we can leave the maps at home. After all, these days they’re packing GPS units in cereal boxes. And GPS units have maps, right?
There comes a time in every creative venture when the show must travel overseas. The Brady Bunch went to Hawaii. The Facts of Life went to Paris. And Steve Urkel? I guess Urkel never went anywhere, although I really wish he had done so. (He could have stayed for a long time.) So it only seems reasonable [...]
I have a friend in the RV business. He studies the industry and the people who buy RVs. He’s privy to a lot of “inside information” about RV travel, the results of some sophisticated market research. Well, this fellow insists that RV travel promotes healthy marriage. As evidence supporting his claim, he says that the [...]
With overnight temperatures dropping into the teens, Kristy and I decided to hitch up our Airstream, tow it to a nearby state park, and do a little camping in the cold. The low temperature was a bone-chilling 21 degrees Fahrenheit, with wind chill dropping into single digits. By any measure, that’s a hard freeze. So [...]
When we first embarked on our Long, Long Honeymoon adventures, we quite frankly had no clue what we were doing. Since we were newcomers to RV travel, there was much to learn. And I’m talking about more than electric jacks and sewer hoses. We were also learning about campground options, and where we might like [...]
Ancient philosophy and RV camping: the two go together like lobster and smores.
We get several requests from folks who want to see more of our Airstream, which we sometimes call “Liv.” (What? You don’t name your inanimate objects?) So here’s a brief video of the gal… Airstream RV Blog #4 – Grand Tour (in 2 minutes!) from Sean Michael on Vimeo.
We experienced a few episodes of extreme wind and rainfall in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It’s always interesting to ride out a storm in an Airstream. Due to the trailer’s aluminum skin, you enjoy the “rain on a tin roof” effect that’s actually rather soothing (assuming, of course, your shelter doesn’t topple over in a [...]
You watch The Long, Long Trailer for one reason. And that’s to see Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball together at the height of their 1950s popularity.