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Do You Have A Good Times' Story To Share?
The Davis family works hard at being the best small 2nd generation RV dealership that we can be. Messages like this reinforce that for us. We would like to share an email that we received from Al and Verniene Harden.
"Just a short message to thank your dealership for the excellent customer support I received while in Maine this year. I had a ladder installed and leak repair on my 05 SunnyBrook Solanta. Tell John he did an excellent job on both, no more leaks, I had previously had in to two dealerships and repairs were not done correctly. Thanks again. Allen and Verniene Harden"
RV Vacations Are Still One Of The Most Affordable Ways To
Vacation With Family And Friends!
Here are some RV related articles you may find interesting...
OTTAWA -- A new study which compares total carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) demonstrates that RV vacations are more
environmentally friendly than vacations involving flying, driving and hotel stays.
The study, conducted by U.S.-based PKF Consulting, a third party independent research firm specializing in travel and tourism, revealed that a family of four taking an RV vacation will generate less CO2 emissions than a family traveling by plane, renting a car, and staying in a hotel.
"Since a large part of the RV lifestyle has to do with enjoying and respecting the great outdoors, RVers are generally pretty environmentally conscious people to begin with," said Go RVing Canada spokesperson Catherine Fortin LeFaivre. "What this study shows is that by RVing, Canadians will actually be choosing a greener alternative to traditional vacations."
The methodology of the study was as follows: PKF analyzed the CO2 emissions of vacations varying in length from three, seven, 10 and 14 days to destinations such as Orlando, FL; New Orleans, LA; and Napa, CA. The RV vacations which were studied included car/ folding camping trailers, SUV/travel trailers, Type C motorhomes, and Type A motorhomes (using diesel). PKF then utilized a carbon calculator methodology developed by Conservation International, an organization promoting biodiversity conservation. Their findings revealed that in all cases, RV vacations had less of an environmental impact than the more traditional vacations involving
flying, renting a car and staying at a hotel.
"We already know that RVing is a more flexible and cost effective vacation choice," said Fortin LeFaivre. "Canadians should also know that it's a greener travel option. In fact, many RVers actually park their RVs at a given campsite for days and sometimes weeks at a time, further reducing their carbon footprint when this is the case."
For more information, visit www.rvia.org.
More Than Half Of RV Owners Travel With Pets
CHARLESTON, S.C. --- Fido may be top dog among RV owners who take their animals with them when they travel, but no matter what type of pet you own, if you want to take it along on your next RV trip you'll need to plan ahead.
That's the word from animal experts backed by statistics that show 57 percent of the nation's 8 million RV owners travel with their pets, most of them dogs. Bringing along the family pet should not be a last-minute decision, they say. In fact, it may take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks to make sure your dog or cat is ready for the trip.
Visiting the vet tops the list, since you will need to know if your pet is in good health and is up to date on shots and medication to protect it from rabies, heartworm, Lyme Disease, even fleas.
"You want to make sure your pet is healthy to travel and that there are no medical problems," says Humane Society of America issue specialist Kelly Connolly.
Make sure to obtain and take along a printout from the vet showing when and what shots your pet has been given, she adds. You may be required to show it in order to park your RV at some campgrounds and parks.
"You'll also need it to cross into Canada, Mexico or another foreign country," Connolly points out.
Plan to keep your pet in a travel crate that can be strapped in when you're on the road. "It's a matter of common sense," says Dr. Greg Hammer, president of the American Veterinary Medical Association.
In addition to being a potential distraction to the driver, a dog or cat left to run loose in an RV can be tossed around and injured if you have to stop short or go around a sharp curve, he warns.
"Animals that are not prepared to travel can suffer sickness and anxiety," adds Hammer, a Dover, Del., veterinarian. He urges pet owners to spend adequate time readying their animals for long trips normally associated with RV travel. "Some animals are bad about travel, even driving a mile down the road, but you can get them used to it by traveling with them for short periods of time."
It's important to spend the time to plan your RV trip with your pet in mind, says Hammer, with the American Veterinary Medical Association. "Treat your animal like you want to be treated. Make your pet's trip enjoyable."
SOURCE: Charleston Post and Courier
"New Study Shows RV Vacations Least Expensive-Source: RVIA"
Despite record-breaking fuel prices, typical RV trips remain the least expensive type of vacation, according to a new study comparing vacation costs. PKF Consulting, an international consulting firm with expertise in travel and tourism, found that "typical RV family vacations are on average 27 to 61 percent less expensive than other types of vacations studied." Even factoring in RV ownership and fuel costs, the 2008 study reveals that RV family vacations tend to be significantly less expensive than other types of vacations.
PKF analyzed major costs that would be incurred by a family of four taking eight different types of vacations for three, seven, 10 or 14 days to such popular travel destinations as the Grand Canyon, Cape Cod, and Napa, CA.
"On average, RV vacations were more economical than the other types analyzed in all but one case," says Kannan Sankaran, PKF's lead researcher for the study. "Even as fuel prices increase, our findings show that almost all RV vacations are still significantly less expensive than non-RV ones."
Fuel prices would have to more than double for typical motorhome vacations to become more expensive than other forms of travel, according to PKF Consulting. The study also shows that fuel costs would have to more than triple for trips in lightweight travel trailers or folding camping trailers to be more expensive than the least expensive non-RV vacation. Almost 80 percent of the RV market consists of towable RVs, including lightweight units which can be towed by car, van or pickup.
RV owner John Bargo, a computer operator from Milwaukee, WI, agrees with PKF's findings. "When you figure the cost of driving in a car, staying in hotels and eating in restaurants, it's a lot more expensive than bringing your lodging and food with you."
Dennis Silipena, a 55-year-old service and parts manager from Hammonton, NJ, also appreciates the affordability of RV travel. "I've owned an RV for 25 years and I've enjoyed significant savings over other types of vacations. I pay $30 to $40 to stay in a campground rather than $150 to stay in a hotel. And it's a much nicer experience staying in my RV."
The study showed that a family of four traveling from Phoenix, AZ. to Napa, CA., with their folding camping trailer for 10 days, staying in campgrounds at the local average of $33 per night, would save 52 percent, or $2,379, over the same trip taken by car, staying in hotels averaging $122 per night and eating in restaurants. Taking the same vacation by a Type C motorhome would save $1704, or 37 percent, over going by car.
A week-long family vacation towing a conventional travel trailer from Salt Lake City to the Grand Canyon compared to the cost of taking the same trip by airline, renting a car and staying in a hotel would be $2,647, or 65 percent less expensive.
Shorter getaways by RVs were also found to be more economical. For example, a family taking a three-day vacation from Pittsburgh, PA. to Lancaster, PA., would save $323 or 31 percent by towing a conventional travel trailer, rather than going by car, staying in hotels and eating in restaurants. The savings would be even greater -- $889 or 52 percent -- for families taking the same trip by a Type C motorhome rather than flying.
In addition to major expenditures required from the start to finish of each vacation, PKF factored in an estimated cost of ownership of the RVs analyzed: a folding camping trailer, conventional travel trailer, and Type C and Type A motorhomes. Research included documenting average ownership periods, residual values, annual days of use, insurance and applicable interest deductions.
The PKF study considered only quantifiable economic factors, not the comparative quality of each vacation. As a result, the convenience, flexibility and quality family time cited as major benefits of traveling in an RV could not be addressed.
Visit GoRVing.com for more information about RVing and to get a free DVD on how to get started RVing.
'THERE'S NOTHING LIKE HAVING COMFORTING FOOD WHEN YOU'RE ROUGHING IT' By Michael James Rocha STAFF WRITER May 21, 2008 " The San Diego Union-Tribune"
Keep it simple The key to successful camp cooking is sticking to the basics. The fewer ingredients, the better. Leave the 30-ingredient casserole for Sunday-night dinners at home. “People make camping food more complex than it needs to be,” said Andrew Zimmern, a St. Paul, Minn.-based chef and host of the Travel Channel's “Bizarre Foods With Andrew Zimmern.” “It's silly to re-create a fancy kitchen experience when you're camping. When I'm out in the woods, I want to keep it as simple as possible.”
Katherine Emmenegger, executive chef at the Great News! Discount Cookware and Cooking School in Pacific Beach, remembers a simple stew from her teenage days in Ohio. “It had beef, carrots, potatoes, garlic, beef bouillon, and salt and pepper to taste,” Emmenegger said. “It was the best stew I've ever had. There's nothing like having comforting food like that when you're roughing it.”
Use versatile main ingredients You can come up with enough meals for a three-day camping trip with versatile ingredients such as ground beef or boneless chicken breasts. Ground beef can be split and used for burgers one night and spaghetti the next. Those leftover potatoes from dinner? Toss them in the next morning's omelets. Check out www.rvcookingshow.com
Good Times has a variety of cook books available. On the shelf now is:
"RV Cooking, Recipes for the Road" Gooseberry Patch Publishers, 29 pages $4.95
"Pie Iron Recipes" by Richard O'Russa, 64 pages, Price$8.79
"Biker Billy's Hog Wild On A Harley Cookbook" by Bill Hufnagle, 200 fiercely flavorful recipes, Price $19.95
We invite our customers to send us your "Good Times" RVing picture along with a story about your experience at Good Times Unlimited so that we can share it with others through this special section of our web site.
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