I’m back with more questions from blog readers about RVing, what’s happening in our lives since we hung up the keys, and all kinds of other things. While I try to answer all questions individually, I also share some here occasionally.
Q. We subscribed to your Gypsy Journal until you quit and trust your recommendations. My wife and I are in the process of selling everything and going fulltime. What is your recommendation for an insurance agent? I can’t seem to find it in your back issues.
A. I wish I could help you, but we have been out of the RV lifestyle for almost five years and all of the RV insurance vendors we knew are gone.
Q. I am a voracious reader and love all of your books. Recently I joined Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited program, which allows me to read as many books as I want to for just $10 a month. But then I wondered if that will cheat you out of your royalties? If so, I will still buy your e-books because I love what you write so much.
A. Authors get a small payment for each page of a book read with Kindle Unlimited. It doesn’t seem like much on the surface, but it really adds up. In fact, Kindle Unlimited page reads make up over 75% of my income from Amazon. It’s a great deal for authors and readers alike.
Q. Stumbled upon your blog. If I have the story correct, you once lived in Arizona but now reside in Florida? Just curious because we are thinking of doing the same thing, just Arizona to either Florida or my (some time ago) old home of Alabama. Thanks for your writings, I had a good time reading.
A. Yes, we lived in northern Arizona (Show Low) for many years, then bought a motorhome and traveled fulltime for over 18 years. When we decided to get back into a permanent home, we knew we wanted to live near the ocean. Our choices were either the Oregon/Washington coast or the Atlantic coast of Florida. While we loved the Pacific NW, we chose Florida because the cold, wet winters on the Pacific coast were too uncomfortable for our aging bones.
Q. For the last five years we have spent the winters in our manufactured home in a 55+ community in Zephyrhills, Florida and summers at home in Anderson, Indiana. It’s about 1,000 miles each way and we spend two nights and three days on the road going down and coming back. My wife’s brother says we should buy a diesel pusher camper to travel to Florida and back and that it will save a lot of money over motels and will be more comfortable. We have no interest in going anywhere else in a camper, just down there and back. Can you recommend an inexpensive diesel pusher?
A. There are no inexpensive diesel pushers. And if all you are going to do is sleep in it four nights a year, two going down and two coming back up, it would not begin to be worth it. It would take two or three years or more of motel bills to equal just one month’s payment on a diesel motorhome. The difference in fuel and campsites along the way could easily cost more than a motel. Not to mention the cost of buying the RV, licensing and registration, insurance, and storage. I sure hope your brother-in-law is not your financial advisor in other matters!
Q. The 4th of July is always terrible for pet owners. My two dogs totally freak out from all of the fireworks. I seem to recall you saying something about a blanket or something that helps calm them, but I can’t find it now
A. I have never used one for any of my animals, but I have heard some very good reports on the Thundershirt Dog Anxiety Jackets for things like fireworks, thunder, separation anxiety, travel, and trips to the vet. They make them in different sizes for different breeds of dogs. They also make Thundershirts for cats, and two cat owners I know say they have worked wonders.
Be sure to enter our latest Free Drawing. This week’s prize for an RV camping journal donated by Barbara House. Barbara makes several variations of these, and they all have pages where you can list the date, weather, where you traveled to and from that day, beginning and ending mileage, campground information including amenities at R.V. sites, a place for campground reviews, room to record activities, people met along the way, reminders of places to see and things to do the next time you’re in the area, and a page for notes for each day. To enter, click on this Free Drawing link or the tab at the top of this page and enter your name (first and last) in the comments section at the bottom of that page (not this one). Only one entry per person per drawing please, and you must enter with your real name. To prevent spam or multiple entries, the names of cartoon or movie characters are not allowed. The winner will be drawn Sunday evening. Note: Due to the high shipping cost of printed books and Amazon restrictions on e-books to foreign countries, only entries with U.S. addresses and e-mail addresses are allowed.
Thought For The Day – I ate a kids meal at McDonald’s today. His mother was furious.
Nick Russell
World-Famous, New York Times Best Selling Author, and All-Around Nice Guy!