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 big believer in “spoiling” ourselves when we go Airstreaming. I mean, we’re already dealing with compromises in terms of living space and **ahem** plumbing. So why not add a little pampering to the equation? An extra pillow or blanket never hurt anyone. A dash of lavender linen spray can work wonders. And while we’re at it, bring on the aged gouda and Trappist ale.
Someone out there will inevitably shout, “Hey, that’s not exactly roughing it!” Read More
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 an [...]
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 your [...]
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 often [...]
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 – a [...]
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 our [...]
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 will be appearing on HGTV’s “RV 2009″ show on April 3. 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 [...]
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 what [...]
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…
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.
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.
Thanksgiving offers the opportunity to reflect on life, liberty, and the pursuit of full hookup campgrounds. As we take a fond gaze in the proverbial rearview mirror, we see another action-packed year of whimsical RV antics, mind-expanding personal growth, and charming Wal-Mart parking lots.
Recently, someone asked us to name a few favorite camping locales we’ve discovered on The Long, Long Honeymoon. I’m partial to remote, rural, dry camping sites out West, in obscure places far removed from civilization. But my wife has different tastes. Her favorite is probably that little full hookup spot we found down in Florida. [...]
As a devout online blogger, an Internet connection is as important to me as fresh water and diesel. More than once we’ve made overnight camping decisions based upon the answer to one crucial question: “Do they have wifi?” Thankfully, we no longer have to ask that question. Now we have our own wifi. We’ve installed [...]
One of the best upsides to RV ownership, as we’ve discussed, is the ability to haul around your own hotel room. It’s even better when you park it right next door to a major community event. That’s just what we did in Albuquerque, New Mexico, when we attended the fantastic International Balloon Fiesta. Owning an [...]
How valuable was this camping experience? We’ve been told that a half acre of land on the Las Vegas Strip recently sold for $47 million. And yet, here’s a massive swath of such land dedicated to a full hookup RV campground. So I guess our little campsite is worth at least $5,000,000, and the campground [...]
Being travel enthusiasts, my wife and I have stayed everywhere from flea-infested hostels, to skanky motels, to cozy bed & breakfasts, to five-star resorts. I’d like to think we’ve learned something about hotels, and how they compare vis-a-vis RVs. So let’s ponder the timeless question: “What’s better, staying in an RV or in a hotel?”
Probably [...]
In a recent blog post, we discussed our mysterious tire wear. One of our tires has been rapidly wearing on the inside, in a pattern suspiciously reminiscent of crop circles. What was causing this strange phenomenon?
Traveling to historic places is obviously good for the mind. Nothing enhances one’s understanding of history like viewing what’s left of it.
But it’s also good for the soul. There’s something both sobering and magical about being amongst sites that were occupied by humans long ago. It provides perspective. It’s not just a matter of sociology [...]
Okay, so it finally happened to us. We managed to lock ourselves out of our Airstream.
“How did this happen,” you ask? (And yes, I can hear you snickering.)
It was easy! On an Airstream there are two door locks. One of these is a deadbolt-style lock. We use it on a daily basis.
The second lock is [...]
Do you believe in miracles? Sometimes in our RV travels, we come across things that cannot be easily explained. That was the case a few weeks ago in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where we explored the Loretto Chapel and its “miraculous staircase.”
As you’ll see in the video, this hand built wooden staircase is a stunning [...]
America is replete with privately owned RV parks. Some of these parks have been in operation for decades. The best deliver not only a pleasant camping environment, but also a sense of history. It’s more than a good night’s rest. It’s a cultural experience.
It’s always a good sign when your campground hosts also own the [...]
Q: How many times have you camped in a Wal-Mart parking lot?
A: I’m not sure exactly. Maybe a dozen.
Remember when you were a child? You’d receive new toys with no concept that they might someday actually break. You’d tear open that shiny new package, rip out the contents, and start putting your new acquisition through hell. Ah, those were the days.
One mission of this website is to document the details of RV life. Want to know what RV travel is REALLY like? We’ll lift the curtain for you.
In a little over a year of ownership, we’ve had three flat tires on our Airstream.
The first occurred in Myers Flat, California. After rolling into one of the prettiest private campgrounds in California’s redwood forests, our tire died. We woke up the next morning, and it was just…gone. It didn’t even leave a note. Thankfully, [...]
A few years ago, a friend of mine — who also happened to be one of the most talented comedians I’ve known — suffered a heart attack. As a comic, this guy was absolutely hilarious. He was always bursting with rambunctious energy and zany, off-the-wall humor. So his heart condition came as something of a [...]
For someone who has consumed more than his fair share of wine (just ask my liver), my palate is remarkably imprecise. I know what I like. I know the difference between a good wine and a bad wine. Thanks to the words “corporate expense account,” I’ve had a fair amount of experience with high dollar [...]
A few years ago, a couple of employees at Yellowstone National Park played a joke on the tourists. They placed a large hand crank apparatus on top of a wooden box. Next they set the whole contraption in the vicinity of the world famous Old Faithful geyser, which always naturally erupts once per hour. Just [...]
When in college, I worked a couple of summers in Yellowstone National Park. My job was usually in the kitchen, where my friends and I could be found chopping vegetables, flipping burgers, or (if we were lucky) scooping ice cream for tourists. As you might imagine, the work paid peanuts. We invested many long, hot, [...]
If you lead an active lifestyle, eventually you’re going to suffer an injury. Your odds of injury may actually increase when you travel.
Last time I wrote about beating gas prices by camping close to home. So it seems fitting that in today’s post we consider what happens when you throw caution to the wind, and camp FAR AWAY from home. For my wife Kristy and I, the time we spent in Canada’s stunning Banff National Park qualifies. [...]
Have high gas prices got you down? Have you been pondering whether to even take an RV trip this summer? Are you considering driving your daily commute in an electric golf cart? Fear not, my friends. You can have your RV, and camp in it too.
Of course, the secret is simple. If you want to [...]
One of the most delightful aspects of RV ownership has been discovering the variety of environments in which we can camp. We’ve camped in friends’ driveways and in Wal-Mart parking lots. We’ve camped in national, state, and city parks. We’ve camped in public and private campgrounds. We’ve camped in the mountains, we’ve camped alongside majestic [...]
Our most frightening towing experience happened in remote British Columbia. We were following a tip offered by a park ranger in Alberta. “If you want nice hot springs,” the ranger said, “check out Lussier Springs. It’s in British Columbia, down near Canal Flats.”
We gamely turned on the highway to Lussier Springs, and were shocked by [...]
To tow or not to tow: that is the question. Whether it is nobler in the mind to haul a travel trailer, pop-up camper, or fifth wheel… or to just say “fuhgettaboutit” and drive a motor home? Here are a few scattered thoughts on the towing experience as it relates to RVs.
The subject of cooking aboard an RV is not as simple and straightforward as one might think. Every RV is equipped with different cooking capabilities that range from “hunter/gatherer caveman” to “Julia Child’s kitchen on wheels.” Our Airstream falls somewhere in the middle on this scale. We do have a full kitchen on our [...]
Camping and grilling go together like juicy hamburgers and freshly cut French fries. Yet most campground grills (when available) leave much to be desired. Either they are falling apart from neglect, or they are gargantuan devices apparently designed by Cro-Magnons for the roasting of freshly slain woolly rhinoceros.
Enter the Weber Q100 “Baby Q” Grill. This [...]
I was once trying to talk a friend into taking a road trip with me. My friend was skeptical about the idea. “Suppose we go,” he said, “what will we actually do once we arrive?”
“Learn,” was my one-word reply. And I was serious.
The ultimate goal of our journeys is to learn — to learn about [...]
A friend of mine recently took his two children (ages 8 and 12) for a stay at Walt Disney World’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground. This wasn’t their first family vacation at Disney’s RV Mecca. In fact, they went last year. But here’s the amazing part…
One of the first times Kristy and I ever actually spent the night in an RV, we were staying in a friend’s travel trailer. These friends cleverly use their RV as a guest house. The advantages are obvious: increased privacy on both sides, for the host and the guest. We loved the experience. I suppose [...]
They say there’s camaraderie in campgrounds. No matter how large or small the RV, it’s pretty much a class free society. Perhaps this is because it’s tough to be a snob while you’re holding a sewer hose.
In RV parlance, sewage (that which goes into the toilet) is referred to as “black water.”
Water that accumulates in [...]
When I was a college student, my net worth at any given time fluctuated. But it typically hovered between five and seven dollars. This led to developing a taste for such culinary staples as ramen noodles, spaghetti, and ketchup-covered cardboard. But for a special night on the town, I’d go to my favorite “Mexican” (and [...]
Most people who own RVs also enjoy getting outside to sample the natural pleasures of our bountiful planet. I’m not talking about the pleasures of ice cream, barbecue, and cold pale ale. I’m talking about activities like kayaking, surfing, biking, and hiking. These endeavors go hand-and-hand with camping.
Personally, I enjoy a nice hike – especially [...]
My love affair with wine began in college. It was there I discovered the ubiquitous Boone’s Farm label, which offers a delightful alternative to Thunderbird, MD 20/20, or even Blatz beer. Take it from me: Strawberry Hill pairs well with Top Ramen noodles.
Some of the finest wines I’ve ever tasted were served at fancy corporate [...]
Airstream has been making travel trailers since 1936. You might think that the scrap yards are full of worn out old trailers. But actually, it’s said that more than 60 percent of ALL Airstreams ever built are still in service today.
Many vintage rigs are being used for camping. For some people, restoring a vintage RV [...]
Recently, while towing our travel trailer back from the Sunshine State, I fueled up our tow truck SEEMORE. A thirsty beast, SEEMORE ingested $99 of diesel into his belly before I finally released the pump trigger. He could’ve swallowed even MORE of the costly stuff, but I wanted to keep the final tab beneath that [...]
[NOTE: The guys at the Vintage Airstream Podcast (The VAP) have posted an excellent hour-long interview with Frank Bates. You can check it out here: http://thevap.com.]
I like mavericks. These are people in our world with the courage to do things a little different. They may emerge as entrepreneurs, writers, artists, teachers, you name it. But [...]
There are two known methods to convince one’s spouse to honeymoon in an RV. Allow me to summarize:
1. Camp in Key West.
2. Cash payments.
I opted for the former approach.
Key West is an intoxicating cultural brew. Presidents lived here. Ernest Hemingway lived here. Pirates walked these streets, although today you’ll likely see more drag queens than [...]
The old saying goes, “If you want something done right, do it yourself.” Nothing illustrates this principle better than the sad saga of our Airstream ceiling fan. When the fan malfunctioned, we first entrusted our Airstream to a local RV service center. It wasn’t an official Airstream dealership because the nearest such business is located [...]
If Yellowstone is birthday cake, the Grand Tetons are ice cream. The two go together like rivers and mountains. The Tetons are just a few short miles to the south of Yellowstone (although the distance between the two will feel much farther as you crawl along the two-land highway). Really, you shouldn’t visit one of [...]
During my college days, I worked a couple of summers at Yellowstone National Park. It’s a really special place. My time in Yellowstone is probably what gave me the desire to go camping and explore the outdoors. The RV campgrounds of Yellowstone, surprisingly, get mixed reviews from me. Those with RV hookups are glorified parking [...]
We’re in the process of rebuilding thelonglonghoneymoon.com. In the long run, this will be for the best. We’ll have a slick layout that will bring more of our best stuff to the fore. We’ll deliver even MORE entertainment satisfaction to YOU, the idle Internet surfer.
But in the short run, this process is a [...]
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