Live Work Dream Fulltime RV Travel Tips and Lifestyle Advice | Live Work Dream

Amazon finally got their groove on.

September 4, 2023November 16, 2007 by Jim

After driving for thousands of miles over the past few months, I have to say that one of the most vital accessories we purchased for this cross-country road trip has to be our iPod. We got a used 40GB iPod on eBay that has a good dent in it, but it was a deal!

I spent many a late night transferring most of our CD collection onto it before we left, and it was time well spent. I only wish I had copied all of our CDs.

While you can always find classic rock somewhere on the dial, much of this country has really, really bad radio. That’s why I was happy to find out that Amazon is finally offering MP3 downloads!

Goin’ Down to the Piggly Wiggly

September 4, 2023November 16, 2007 by Rene

This week started our first real Workamping gig at Safe Harbor Animal Rescue in Maysville, North Carolina. We’ll get to talking about that soon. But today, we went out exploring on our day off, to secure provisions and check out the nearest big city, New Bern.

Our route included a stop at the Piggly Wiggly.

Remembering My Birthday Dinner in Virginia

November 15, 2007 by Jim

Carol would call this one a Back Track … one of the hardest things about trying to blog about our travels is trying to keep everything current when there is so much to see and do. Hell, there is still stuff I could write about from way back in Colorado. At least this one only goes back a few weeks to my birthday dinner.

Rene got off easy this year. I was a cheap date. All I wanted was a to take the day off from driving and do nothing, other than barbecue myself a steak. So the day before ? on Halloween ? we went to the Blacksburg Farmers Market for some fresh produce, in search of some local meat. Having never seen cattle ranchers at a farmers market until we got to the East Coast, I was feeling lucky. And I struck gold, or black rather, as in Angus.

Road Trip Planning; Throw Out the Itinerary and Prepare for Adventure

September 4, 2023November 14, 2007 by Rene

Are you a trip planner? Before you go on vacation, do you put together an itinerary (“On Wednesday, we’re going to play mini golf and have fun, dammit!??), and chart your exact course on your GPS (“At Exit 25 we’ll stop and have lunch??)?

I used to be a planner. I thought that the more organized I was for a vacation, the better it would be. I would waste hours on the web, researching every detail about where we were going. Then I’d chart out a Plan B, just in case.

This would guarantee that our precious vacation time was the best it could be, right?

The Protani Family Takes the Next Step with an RV Road Trip

September 4, 2023November 13, 2007 by Rene

One of the best parts about this trip has been getting to know people, and hearing their unique stories. Sometimes, we meet people who have overcome so much adversity in life, it makes us ashamed to have ever felt an ounce of self-pity over our own trivial challenges.

Last weekend, we met such a person. Well, a family really. While staying at the McDowell Nature Reserve outside of Charlotte, we met Annette Protani and five of her six kids who were camped out next to us. Annette and her kids started calling their RV home when they left Houston back in August, in search of a new town in which to lay down some roots.

Applecare good. Urban sprawl bad.

November 12, 2007November 11, 2007 by Jim

By the time I was about to write about dropping off my Powerbook at the Charlotte Apple Store for repairs, they had already called to say it was ready to be picked up. This came as a pleasant surprise considering they said it would take five to seven days to be fixed at the service center in Texas.

So our stay in Asheville ? a few hours away, in the Smoky Mountain foothills ? was cut a bit short, but the couple days we did have there was plenty to get a feel for the area.

This little wrench in the works also gave us time to realize we never care to live our lives along an interstate corridor. As we criss-crossed North Carolina, the incredible population density and mass consumption of this country became remarkably clear.

Hair Coloring And Fulltime RVing: Easier Than I Thought

January 10, 2017November 11, 2007 by Rene

When we first decided to live in an RV, one of my first thoughts was: how the heck will I maintain my hair color? Not that I’m a high maintenance brunette, but I’m too vain to let those pesky gray roots show through yet, so I zap ’em with hair dye once a month.

I’ve always done my color. But, since going on the road, I’ve gone to hair salons. But each time, the stylist left me with hair that was too light, or too dark.

I kept getting irritated that the hair colorists couldn’t get it right. So recently, I surrendered and decided to do it myself.

We’re Gettin’ South Now…

February 4, 2021November 11, 2007 by Jim

Jim reviews Famous Anthony’s restaurant in Christiansburg, VA and reflects on his stay in Virginia

Foodies Beware: RV Kitchens Can Wreak Havoc on Favorite Recipes

November 10, 2007 by Rene

If you’re a real foodie like Jim and I are, be aware that gourmet cooking in an RV can be a challenge. Not impossible (especially if your rig is large), but as we have discovered, making our favorite recipes while living with an RV kitchen requires some patience and creativity.

It’s simple; in a rig our size, there isn’t enough room to carry all of the spices, appliances and utilities that one needs to prepare certain foods. Since hitting the road, we have had some interesting times in the kitchen;

Workamper Situation Wanted: Two Fulltime RVers, Ready and Able!

November 11, 2007November 9, 2007 by Rene

When we started fulltiming, we knew that we wanted to look for a “Workamper” arrangement. Workamping is generally a situation where a person or couple gets to assist in campground or RV park duties, hosting, etc., in exchange for a great campsite where they can park their rig. The work can be as challenging as one wants; from 12 hours a week greeting visitors, to being full time and working on a construction or maintenance team. Along with perks like free propane, hookups or laundry room access, sometimes an hourly wage or stipend is also included.

Since our schedule is wide open for the next year, we have begun our Workamper campaign. Here is our resume that we are sending to prospective employers:

What the Wawa?

November 7, 2007 by Jim

Jim discovers there is no Wawa store in Mawah, NJ.

Our First Parking Lot Camp Out

April 11, 2012November 6, 2007 by Rene

Seems that many folks aren’t aware that there are quite a few places where an RVer can park the rig overnight for free. No hookups of course, but when you’re pooped out after a long day of driving, anything can look like the Hilton. And you can’t beat the price.

WalMart is known for being nice to RVers and allowing them to park overnight. Good capitalists that they are, they figure that most overnighters will shop there too, so why not let ’em. A word of caution, more and more locations are banning this practice due to long term campers checking in. Check for listings of WalMarts that don’t allow camping.

We had not tried boondocking in a parking lot until just recently, when we were halfway to Appalachia. The reason is because until now it had been too hot, and since we don’t have an internal generator, we aren’t able to run the air conditioner. Now it’s getting cold (really cold) here in the East, so we were willing to give it a shot. Here’s what we discovered:

Duh.

November 6, 2007 by Jim

Jim describes the sign he saw in a campground which describes how trailers should back in

Going home? Don’t bother.

January 20, 2019November 4, 2007 by Jim

Jim visits his childhood home and the community of Chatham Township does not live up to his expectations.

Those Dems Can Play! VA Governors Jam Bluegrass at the Floyd Country Store

September 4, 2023November 3, 2007 by Rene

I’ve always wanted to visit Appalachia, and when I found out that we were within spittin’ distance to the Floyd Country Store music venue in Virginia, it was a given we’d make it to their legendary Friday Night Jamboree.

And what a lucky night for us; we were graced with the presence of the governor of Virginia, Tim Kaine, and the past governor Mark Warner. They were there campaigning for local Dems, but they weren’t there just to give stump speeches; they actually play banjo, harmonica and guitar, and joined in with Blacksburg’s own Jugbusters!