RV Podcast: Summer RV Trip Challenges 2020

Your summer RV Trip faces unprecedented challenges this year. We’re still in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. Camping and non-essential travel is restricted in many places. Dangerous riots have erupted across America in every major city and in many smaller ones. The Canadian border is closed. There are safety concerns, financial concerns, and seemingly a new crisis every day. This week in the RV Podcast, we talk about those summer RV trip challenges and how you can make your RV travel as safe and satisfying as possible, given the very unusual circumstances under which we now find ourselves in the summer of 2020. Hello everyone and welcome to episode 297 of the RV Podcast. We have a lot to talk about this week. We have RV news, your questions, an interview about how you can get around those summer RV trip challenges, and get your RV to Alaska by ship, plus RV tips and suggestions. Shownotes for Episode #297 June 3, 2020 of The RV Podcast: RV Podcast: WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK This is Mike and Jen at Bryce Canyon National Park...one of their favorite summer RV trip destinations What tumultuous times we live in. Last week, as we finally started to move out of the national lockdowns from the coronavirus pandemic, we were saying who could have seen such a terrible thing. This week, we look at the wave of terrible riots and violence sweeping the country in the wake of the protests over police brutality and the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis and we say who could have seen such destruction and pain. This podcast is about the RV lifestyle but we certainly have to acknowledge the terrible times we are living through. Jennifer and I are people of faith and optimistic by nature and we know many of you Fellow Travelers are the same and join us in prayer for our nation. None of us know what is next. But at the same time, we believe we can move forward when it comes to summer RV trip plans but we have to do so recognizing the challenges we face. This will be a summer like no other we have expected. As this episode of the RV Podcast releases, we’re still in Florida on Okaloosa Island. We’re planning a getaway camping trip next weekend and then, the week after, barring the unexpected – which is certainly happening a lot this year – we plan to leave Florida after almost six months and head to our home in Michigan. We have lots of RV travel plans for late June and July and beyond but if we’ve learned anything this year, it’s that those plans have to be flexible. RV PODCAST NEWS OF THE WEEK - Summer RV Trip challenges Judge denies request to lift mandatory 14-day quarantine for out-of-state visitors as court challenge works way through courts As we talk here on the RV Podcast about summer RV trip challenges, let’s start in Maine, where a federal judge has upheld the governor of Maine's requirement that all out-of-state visitors be quarantined for 14 days when entering the state. Two campgrounds were among several small businesses that filed a federal lawsuit saying the quarantine is unconstitutional for discriminating against out-of-towners. The governor permits Maine residents to go camping, but out-of-towners must be quarantined for 14 days before they can travel about. The small businesses, heavily dependent upon tourism, said this order was hurting them financially and sought a preliminary injunction to lift the order as their lawsuit works its way through the legal process. While the injunction was not granted, the case is still in the early stages. We'll keep you informed when we hear more. One in four Americans interested in doing some sort of RV camping trip in next year, according to report That’s just one of the summer RV trip challenges this year. But despite the many concerns, one in four Americans plan to take some sort of RV trip in the next 12 months according to a survey released last week from the RV Industry Association. The reason why so many want to travel by RV is because of COVID-19. As people shy away from airline travel, and express concern about staying in a hotel, more and more are buying and renting RVs and planning to do a summer RV trip in a self-contained style. We've been telling you this was coming and each week we hear about people buying RVs and camping trailers sight unseen. The demand remains very strong. Yellowstone rocked by a cluster of 11 earthquakes in 24-hour period How’s this for a summer RV trip challenge: Yellowstone National Park experienced 11 earthquakes in a 24 hour period last Friday, with the largest measuring 3.1 magnitude. Yellowstone, which just opened its remaining gates to the public this week, often reports earthquakes, but 11 in a short amount of time is notable. The park is home to a supervolcano, though authorities don't expect it to erupt soon. The earthquakes are part of what makes Yellowstone such a fascinating place. To see our favorite Yellowstone hike, click here. More campgrounds continue to open, but check before you go More campgrounds and national parks are continuing to open across the country. Michigan just opened camping in its state parks this week. Nebraska is opening more of its state park campgrounds June 4. In Washington state, counties reopened campgrounds Monday, yet other locations still pose summer RV trip challenges, like Vermont, which only allows camping for Vermont residents. As always, if you are heading out, check ahead to see what is open. States are opening more and more, and the best place we have found for knowing what is open is Campendium which you can access by clicking here. Looking to visit Rocky Mountain National Park? Be sure to sign up in advance Here’s a new summer RV trip challenge. Advance reservations to visit… that’s right, I said just visit… a national park. Anyone seeking to visit Rocky Mountain National Park will now need to reserve an entry time. In an effort to limit visitors during COVID-19, all people entering the park beginning June 4 need to sign up in advance for a permitted entry time. The goal is to reduce visitors to 60 percent pre-COVID-19 numbers. The system permits 13,500 vehicles to enter per day between 6 am and 5 pm. We'll be watching to see if the timed entry system spreads to other parks as well. Speaking of National Parks, Arches National Park had to close three hours after opening because of huge crowds this past weekend… that’s how desperate people are to be outdoors after the long shutdown caused by the pandemic. And up in Canada… where the Canadian-US border remains closed for non-essential travel including RVing until June 21… Canada was opening some of its national parks but will not allow camping at least until June 21. (Our RV podcast interview of the week coming up in just a few minutes will talk about how to still do your summer RV trip to Alaska) When you talk about summer RV trip challenges in 2020, canceled RV shows is another casualty of the pandemic. For four months now, every regional RV show and gathering and rally has been canceled, messing up the travel plans for tens of thousands of RVers. Now it appears that those plans will stretch into the fall. The biggest RV show in North America is the annual Hershey RV show held every year during the first week if September. While that show is technical still on the calendar, it suffered a major blow this week when Camping World, perhaps the show’s biggest exhibitor, announced it would not be participating in 2020. Here’s a sound bite of how Camping World CEO Marcus Lemonis announced that decision in a corporate video, “As you might imagine, RV shows tend to draw large crowds, with long lines and packed aisles – all very exciting,” Lemonis said. “But in light of COVID-19, it feels irresponsible to subject our associates and our customers to this type of environment. I’m concerned not only about the density of crowds, but the travel required to get there. I’ve been attending the Hershey RV Show in Harrisburg, Pa., for years and I always look forward to it. But because of the lack of clarity around guidelines, our company – Camping World, Gander RV and Good Sam – will not be attending.” I’m betting that with things so unsettled because of the virus and now the riots, that the whole event will be canceled. That hasn’t happened yet. But I bet Hershey will cancel. Then there’s the question of what will happen to The California RV show, scheduled fr the first two weeks of October. California is one of the most restrictive states in terms of shutdowns and travel restrictions and Los Angeles, just a few miles south of Fontana where the show takes place, has been hard hit by riots this week. It’s going to be a tense summer out there and I predict that California will cancel its show, too. Let me stress, both the Hershey and California shows are still scheduled to take place. But my advice to you is make flexible RV trip plans if you plan to attend either of them. I wouldn’t bet on them happening. This part of the podcast is brought to you by RadPower Bikes, America's #1 e-bike brand, offering direct to consumer pricing on powerful premium electric bikes. Now with free shipping RV PODCAST LISTENER QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK ABOUT SUMMER RV TRIP PLANS QUESTION: We are supposed to leave for a long-planned summer RV trip in two weeks. We have confirmed our campground spots will be ready for us. But we’re scared to death as our route as us traveling through several cities that have had very bad rioting this week. First the pandemic and now this! Should we go? We trust you and Jennifer and respect your advice. - Callie ANSWER: Some of our suggestions (amplified on in the podcast): Don’t believe social media (fake news accounts) Travel during daylight hours Get through the cities on the interstates as fast as safely possible. Monitor local news radio stations before you are there, Be aware of your surroundings as you travel, ie smoke ahead, people on the interstate, brake lights.