Category: family

Stories and ideas to streamline family life

Barnes On Move: Our Story

The whole family was participating in the rat race. But we were a multi-generational home. To accommodate everyone, we up-sized our house. Enlarged our footprint, and had to live bigger. This included more time for maintenance, cleaning, repairs, cleaning, and just taking care of the time sucks.
We thought the pool would be a great addition. But that took money to upkeep, it was only usable part of the year. We used more time keeping it up than actually using it.
The yard was great, but that required mowing, or paying someone else to mow. So this took time and money.

All these little things that are “normal” just seemed to take away from the time in the day to see the world, travel, learn, explore, and quality family time.

We finally decided to do what we though right for our immediate family system. Parents were all healthy and had moved out on their own. The oldest child had moved out. So now was the time for us.

Sonya and I had traveled significantly throughout childhood.

When Sonya was a child, she road tripped with her family all over the US, to include out west, and up to Alaska. She has checked off all 50 states, and 9 different countries to this day.

When BJ was a child, he hiked/camped with his dad. Along with road trips in the South East. I have 30+ states, and 3 countries.

When we got together, we day tripped a lot to different Florida cities, from Tampa, to Daytona, St Augustine, to Key West.

One year-2016, we packed up our youngest, only 5 at the time, loaded up a tent, a cooler, and some clothing and headed north. This road trip took us up the eastern seaboard all the way to Quebec Canada.

The trip was a huge success! We saw many of the “not destination” things that were interesting and historical, along with food. On that trip there were only a couple hotels, but a few friends to couch surf with. All in all we consider this a “trip of a lifetime.”

That trip reignited the want to travel.

Here’s the timeline. We tent camped for a while. Found an easier way to do it, a Wolf Pup tow behind camper. A glorified tent (with bathroom) on wheels. This was small enough to be pulled by a Jeep Cherokee, and big enough to sleep, cook, and entertain.

We outgrew this when our son reached about 4′ tall. He could no longer sleep on the dinette table sleeping area. It got sold, I wonder how that lil trailer is doing?

We then got back in a tent, but not nearly enough thanks to the heat and bugs in Florida.

We got a boat, loads of fun! How does this fit? Well, we camped ON the boat in Hontoon Island near Blue Springs, Fl.

Come 2019, before the great lock down of COVID, we discussed going full-time in a Camper. Many hours researching, looking, shopping, we settled on a 5th wheel bunk house.

2021: Purchased the camper, sold the house…It was go time.

From then, we have moved around Florida into areas we had visited, but never had enough time in. We have lived in the Keys. We have lived on a river. We have lived near the springs. We have lived near the beach a few times. In horse country, in the country, near the retirement areas, and we have yet to get to all the places we want to see in our home state.

Outside of Florida, we have RV’d into Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, and Texas. We will adventure farther out every time we get a chance.

This adventure is for us to see this state, and country we live in, along with looking at places we may want to settle down at in the future.

Follow, like, and share and follow along with our adventure. We may not be doing everything correctly, but we are doing it…

Catching Up & What’s Coming Up – Changes for Addicted To Teaching

May 9, 2023

May is always a hectic time of year for our family as we wrap up our son’s school year and complete state testing, as well as my own since I am a teacher. Even though I teach year round, many students are trying to finish before summer, while several are starting my course for either a summer activity or to play catch up for school before fall.

We are back at our home base this month to accomplish these tasks, some family business, and take care of doctor’s appointments since we will be traveling around until fall. Anytime we are at home base, it seems to be a busy time with seeing everyone and tackling projects while we have all the tools and helping hands.

Last week we added to the mix our nearly 16 year old doxie falling gravely ill from her kidney disease progressing, so we made the difficult decision to put her down while we were home. She is now laid to rest next to her sister, our doxie, Angel, that passed a few years ago, on the family property. It’s been an emotional week, and inspiration to write was even harder to come by.

I also started a YouTube channel for cooking in the RV since we are total foodies on a budget and my allergies are a battle, so that has been taking up time. I’ve only just started posting there, but I would love if you would subscribe to There Is Always Takeout.

Over the years, this blog that has evolved from purely teaching to all things life, which is prompting a change. My husband has a blog and website for our traveling family, so we have decided to join forces and combine blogs.

Over the next several days, we will be exporting blogs from Addicted to Teaching and importing them to Barnes On The Move since writing is more my thing and video is more his. This will allow us to work towards a common goal and share the load. I’d love if you’d take the time to click over to our travel page and subscribe and interact there! We are still going to keep our social media pages as well, so you can follow and interact there (details below).

So, you will see this page fade away from your inbox in the near future, but I will still be posting about Food on YouTube, TikTok & Instagram, and we will post about traveling and family on Facebook, TikTok & Instagram. I’d love if you would take the time to follow along on the new journey, but if you were only here for education, I certainly understand if you won’t be joining us there. I wish you all the best and thank you for your support on this blog over the years!

Like or comment below, and share with others to support the blog. I post weekly about teaching, traveling and family. Until next time, you can find us on Facebook, TikTok & Instagram @barnesonmove or follow our adventures at BarnesOnMove.com

Why We Ditched Our Beddy’s

April 25, 2023

Beddy’s
sheet set and coverlet

If you have watched many YouTubers or started researching RV life, you have probably heard of Beddy’s. If you have not, they are a bedding set that has the bottom section that fits like a fitted sheet and the top zips onto it, similar to a sleeping bag, that has a flip out section for a drop sheet when sleeping.

They are amazingly convenient for making beds, especially in the awkward spaces of an RV. They are also a minimalist’s dream due to their simplicity and ease. Because so many raved about it, we spent the big bucks to purchase them, only to regret it.

The convenience of making the bed was all that the hype said it was. They zip quickly and seamlessly and the bed looks nicely made all day. They are deep pockets, which work great if you have a large mattress or add a topper for extra comfort, or your RV mattress is an odd size. For us, though, that is where the positives ended.

TEMPERATURE They are extremely hot to sleep under–a negative since we only RV in Florida year round. We chose the minky, which is their heavier version, but liked the feel of the material better than cotton. From researching, the cotton is supposed to be lighter and better for warmer climates, but the comforter itself is heavier than I like to sleep with in summer, and since we aren’t always on 50A hookup to run our bedroom AC, it meant we had to have an additional light sheet to sleep under, or kick them off entirely.

WASHING Due to their bulkiness, even if you are lucky enough to have an RV washer, these won’t fit in them. In fact, when we try to use a regular household washer and dryer, we still have to split them into 2 loads per set. Which meant for our 2 beds, we needed 4 loads, or had to go to the laundry mat for the larger washer and dryer. Depending on the laundromat, they wouldn’t always get completely dry, so that meant finding a way to hang them out to dry or spending extra on another dry cycle.

MAKING THE BUNKS RV bunks are an odd size. Even with the elastic fitted bottom section, they were still too big, making the wall side completely unusable. We did get the sheet clips that work like suspenders to attach them from the underside, but this means taking the mattress off the bed and flipping it around every time the bed needs made or torn apart for washing.

While we do love the Beddy’s in terms of comfort and simplicity, they just weren’t a good fit for our RV lifestyle, so have found themselves sealed in a vacuum bag until we have a house again or to pass on to a family member.

Since they are a substantial financial investment, be sure to think about temperatures where you will use them and how you will wash them before making a purchase. In a house where I could do laundry every day, I would absolutely have these, but they just weren’t a good fit for our RV lifestyle, traveling full time in Florida. If they were to come out with a lighter version for warmer climates (more coverlet than comforter), we’d be tempted to give them another try.

Like or comment below, and share with others to support the blog. I post weekly about teaching, traveling and family. Until next time, you can find us on Facebook, TikTok & Instagram @barnesonmove or follow our adventures at BarnesOnMove.com

What to Pack – RV Life

April 18, 2023

I’m in several RV life social media groups, so interact with people at all stages of their journey. One of the most frequent questions asked from those just starting out is “what do I need to pack in my RV?”

The answer is simple: whatever you will need in your daily life.

But the process isn’t so simple.

When we live in a sticks and bricks, we have room, and how much everything weighs doesn’t factor in when making decisions.

But in RV life, space and weight are crucial, so must be thought about. Anytime something can serve multiple purposes, it’s a winner. If a lighter option exists on something you use, it may be good to replace it.

It also depends on what size RV and how long you will be in it. Our packing list for our 16 foot travel trailer for a long weekend is quite different from our 39 foot 5th wheel that we now full time in.

Some of typical living spaces may not be in your RV, some may be combined with another space, so be sure to think about that. Sketching out your storage space and listing what you’ll keep where can be very helpful, and save you from purchasing a rig that may not work for you. Keep in mind, just because the space is big enough, doesn’t mean you should fill it!

So let’s run through the spaces of a typical home and RV and what to think about when deciding.

BEDROOM This is a pretty basic list since the bed and clothing storage come built in. You will need bedding, possibly 2 sets so you have a back up if you won’t have quick access to laundry. You’ll need clothing for the seasons and activities you will participate in. Think about where you will be staying and how often you will have access to a laundry facility to decide. Most of us have too many clothes and that is a lot of extra weight, but, since we do laundry weekly, our rule of thumb is 7-10 days worth of clothing items, plus workout gear, swimwear and sleepwear.

BATHROOM This is another area where it can be easy to have too much. You will need your basic toiletries, cosmetics, linens (plus an extra set, depending on laundry routine) for both bathing and swimming, and don’t forget about pets, if they get bathed. We also keep a few extra throw blankets and scatter rugs in here for cooler weather or messy feet.

KITCHEN This is the area most of us overdo things. While there are plenty of gadgets that do one thing really well, there are a surprising amount that can do more than one thing and eliminate utensils or special equipment. It comes down to what is important to you. Most don’t have a dishwasher, so we keep enough cups, plates and bowls for our family of 3 for 1 meal, plus utensils, as well as enough storage containers to serve from and hold leftovers to feed us all a meal–these are our guide. Should we have company, we use paper plates! I love cooking and baking, so we made room for a nesting mixing bowls, a hand mixer, instant pot, coffeepot, and cook with 2 cast iron pans and a boiler, plus we have a Blackstone grill since we have always loved grilling out. A few specialty utensils and our set is complete and has served us well for over a year.

LIVING ROOM/COMMON AREA This area will be used for movies and television watching, reading and board games or electronic games. We have a small cabinet that houses all of our entertainment–so we downsized our games to travel or card decks, and all of our DVDs fit into small books and stack with our small library of favorite books, as well. Our game system is small and compact, so doesn’t take up a lot of room.

We also keep a couple of throw blankets for cooler nights. Since our RV has only a 2 seater loveseat, we added a lightweight beanbag chair for extra seating, in addition to dining chairs, and it has worked perfectly without adding extra weight. We also added an area rug that makes it feel like home an is an added layer of insulation for keeping cool or warm in the RV.

OFFICE We all work from home and love arts and crafts, so we paired down to what we need. A laptop and mouse works well and fits into a small storage bag for travel days or heading to work at a café. We have a small box for stationery, markers, colored pencils, drawing books, coloring books and craft paper, as well as scissors and a ruler. This has proven to be ample to keep us entertained on rainy days, along with our books and games. We also keep extra flashlights and lanterns in here, and our charging cords for our electronics. We used a divided tackle box style that we can coil our cords into and store them when not in use.

GARAGE Our 5th wheel RV has a large garage, so we can hold a lot, just as you would a garage in a home. We store tools and equipment for basic repairs or work and RV hookups. For entertainment, we have our snorkeling gear, inflatable paddleboards, fishing poles and a tackle box, bike helmets, a tote of outdoor toys, and a stroller/trailer for our dogs. We also fit our rug, folding chairs, solo stove and dog fencing for enhancing our outdoor space when location and weather allow. Our bikes don’t fit in here, but they do fit on a bike rack on the back (that we ensured was RV rated!). We also like to hike, so keep a small hiking pack, hiking sticks, thermos’s and a soft lunch box, as well as rain gear and a couple other backpacks.

PORCH/PATIO Most campsites have an outdoor space, so we set ours up with the gear we store in our garage. Some RVs even come with fold out porch/patios, but you’ll still need to store things when it is folded away, but you can still create this outdoor space. We had a hammock when we started out, but it wasn’t quick to set up, so we have since put it in storage.

This will just get you started, and as you learn to make these decisions, you will figure out what works for you. Weight is always a factor, so pay attention to what you have. If you plan to spend more time “boondocking” or “off-grid” (a.k.a. not plugged in and completely self-reliant) then you will want less weight to allow for fresh water, and full black/grey tanks when driving (1 gallon of water is 8lbs so it can add up fast!)

A shake down trip, or a few, will be vital to “test drive” the lifestyle and see what you need. Depending on how often you go and where, it can vary. We are lucky enough to have a home base we stop through every few months, so we can swap things seasonally, but this isn’t an option for everyone.

You may keep stuff you end up not needing, and you may get rid of things you did actually need. It will happen. Often you can replace them, and there are always donation drop offs along your travels to get rid of things you won’t need.

Are there things I forgot to include? Comment below and let me know!

Like or comment below, and share with others to support the blog. I post weekly about teaching, traveling and family. Until next time, you can find us on Facebook, TikTok & Instagram @barnesonmove or follow our adventures at BarnesOnMove.com

We Only Thought We Were Prepared

April 8, 2023

We dreamed of RV life for years and were thrilled to start our journey sooner rather than later. We’d heard so many horror stories, so we prepared, researched and thought we were ready.

Turns out, we weren’t.

We had a lot of great memories our first year, but we had a lot of issues, too.

NEW RV WOES Sadly, there is not a great deal of quality control on RVs that are new and, with full time use, things wear out quickly. Not to mention, it’s like living through an earthquake with every move. We lost a lot of travel time getting repairs done and not being prepared that some appointments were only to see the issue and get warranty work approval–which means multiple visits. If you have to get repairs, ask questions about your appointment. Will the repairs be that day, or is it just to diagnose? How long will they take? Can you still live in your RV while they work (some offer camping on site at night and they work during the day) or will you need to move out for the duration? Let them know it is your full time home if it is, this changes timelines a bit. And if they won’t work with you, go elsewhere. There are many dealerships that can do the warranty work, you just may have to plan travels around it.

SCHEDULING Even in RV life, there are still doctors, dentist, veterinarian, hair, dog groomers, chiropractors…all these appointments need to happen. Our first year, we just came back for them, but as we scheduled for this year, we selected certain months we’d be home and scheduled for during that time, unless we can take care of them on the road. This made life a lot easier.

MAIL This is a difficult one for some, but we’ve been lucky for two reasons. One, our home base family member gathers our mail as it comes in. If it is urgent or looks important, he calls and opens it for us. Two, I was able to set up with our local post office to get a daily email with an envelope scan of our mail, so I know what is coming in. This is great since I can give a head’s up to our family member about it in advance. I know some have a family member gather it up and mail it periodically to a known location, or you can always pay for a mail service in a variety of forms to bundle and mail, or even scan and email everything.

SOCIALIZING We heard it was hard to meet people, make friends and keep friends, and we thought we prepared, but not well enough. Since we RV in Florida, being outside a lot isn’t always possible to meet people, especially if you are only there for a week or so. We’ve met a few friends along the way and have stayed in touch, though. We have also struggled maintaining relationships with local friends at home. Even though we post on our private social media, they still miss it when we are there, or we are so busy we forget to reach out, or we just miss them as they are off somewhere. We have gotten better about joining FullTime Families, sitting outside, talking to people, and calling or texting our friends as we think of them.

WORK & SCHOOL We knew we would be closer together in a smaller space, but it took us some time to get used to it. The hardest part is overlap. As a virtual teacher, I do a lot of calls and zoom lessons or meetings, which means the house needs to be quiet and I need to be somewhere with proper lighting and workspace. My son is a virtual student, so deals with the same needs. My husband runs his own business, so has incoming and outgoing calls, as well as work to do. The good news is, other than class times and appointment calls, we can be flexible about who is working and where, but this can make for long, quiet days while we all get through everything, especially if the weather isn’t conducive to being outside. We’ve learned to talk about our week and our day, plan well, and created workspaces throughout the RV so we each have a quiet place if we all need to be on at the same time.

So, as we start year 2, we are doing it a bit differently. While we did get a new RV last month and will still be dealing with a lot of warranty work, we know what to expect and can ask the right questions or make the right plans this time. We are also trying to stay in locations longer, be outside and talk more, and invite our friends to come camping, visit, or get together when we are in town. Our son’s classes have a lot more flexibility and we are learning when we can all work at the same time in the same room, or walk to another room. This new floor plan has a bit more distance between living room and master, so they can watch a movie while I have a call or meeting in the back room. I have faith we will do better this year, but we are sure to still make mistakes and learn more.

Like or comment below, and share with others to support the blog. I post weekly about teaching, traveling and family. Until next time, you can find me on TikTok & Instagram @barnesonmove2 or follow our adventures at BarnesOnMove.com, Facebook & TikTok at @BarnesOnMove

Nanny’s Meatloaf

March 28, 2023

My grandmother was a great cook. Whether it was a meal when we’d visit or a holiday family gathering, the food was always delicious. One of my favorites she made was meatloaf and, when I grew up and got married, it was one of the first ones I learned to make. I’ve made it so much, I can often make it without the recipe or measuring anything, and can adapt it for a small meal or large.

My grandmother is no longer with us, but this meal makes me think of her everytime. Now I will share with you to keep her legacy alive, and add another flavor to your dinner table this week.

INGREDIENTS

(feeds 6-8)

  • 2 lbs ground beef (90-95% lean) *can supplement half beef, half turkey, but it will be dryer, so extra moisture, less bread crumbs
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup milk
    • beat egg and milk together before adding to mixture
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon accent
  • 1/2 teaspoon Lawry’s seasoned salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder or dried minced onion
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon A-1 sauce
  • cracker crumbs or Italian bread crumbs

THE PROCESS

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

I prefer to mix all the dry and wet ingredients well before I add the beef in, then mix them by hand.

Start with beating the egg and milk, then add in your sauces, dry ingredients, but wait to mix in the bread crumbs/cracker crumbs until after you have mixed these in with the ground beef to make sure it won’t be too dry. If you want to use the drippings to make gravy, you’ll want less bread crumbs. If you get it too dry, just add a splash of more milk.

Once the mixture is well blended, form into your baking shape. We use a variety of options. You can use a traditional loaf pan, a round or rectangle baking pan, or even a muffin tin for portion control, serving sizes or just a faster cooking time.

For a traditional loaf pan, bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hour

For a round or rectangle baking pan, bake for about an hour

For muffins, bake for about 45 minutes

You’ll know they are done because the outer edge will have a dark brown beef look and a slight crisping on the top surface, the inside will be cooked all the way through. And it will smell amazing!

We like to serve ours with homemade mashed potatoes and either corn or green beans, as well as some homemade biscuits. If you want to make gravy, use the drippings from your pan and add flour into the hot grease on a pan, then add salt and beef stock or beef bullion to the consistency you’d like.

Whether you are in a house or an RV, this meal mixes easily and can freeze mixed. We have made this in our RV oven with no issues. I hope you enjoy this traditional dish. I know my grandmother is smiling down on you as you enjoy it with your family!

Like or comment below, and share with others to support the blog. I post weekly about teaching, traveling and family. Until next time, you can find me on Tik Tok @sonya.BOMSquadleader or our adventures at BarnesOnMove.com, Facebook & TikTok at @BarnesOnMove

How Minimalism Helped My Allergies and Asthma

March 21, 2023

I’m an accidental minimalist. In 2001, I was medically discharged from the military because I had asthma induced allergies and was allergic to, well, just about everything. Apparently, traveling to so many new places had jarred my immune system and tipped me over the edge–or that was how a doctor explained to me how a perfectly healthy person could be a disabled vet by 22.

Since my biggest allergies included grass, dust, mold, and fragrances, I had a huge battle trying to figure out how to live. I was on so many medications that my immune system was non-existent and the side effects were awful.

I watched decorating shows all the time and even went to EPCOT’s HGTV guest host talks to do the meet and greets with the stars to pick their brains. Nada. Still awaiting a call back from Genevieve Gorder when she has some ideas…about 10 years ago.

On a boredom Google sesh for how to decorate a home when allergic to the world, I stumbled across minimalism. The Konmari method was a hot trend and grabbed my attention. Sparking joy for me was breathing without reaction. I jumped in full swing to decluttering our overly stuffed home–who knew you didn’t have to keep everything? (My family connected across multi-generations and still lived with many practices learned during the depression–foil and ziplocks, as well as butter and cool whip containers were cleaned for future use).

Turns out the Konmari method wasn’t a success for me in the long run. While those leggings or long johns didn’t spark joy, wearing them in the cold did–and I didn’t have them. And I found I was just storing too much stuff better, but not downsizing enough. But, I started reading other books and following other bloggers and vloggers, and developed my own sense of minimalism that worked for my health and lifestyle, and blended with my family’s pack rat/always prepared nature. (Some of my favorites are Becoming Minimalist, Pick Up Limes, Dawn the Minimal Mom, Natalie Bennett, and Clean My Space).

While there was great resistance at first, eventually, everyone came around. Even my parents purged a lot and loved the freedom they found in it. The deep cleaning needed to keep me from getting sick didn’t take as long and could be done in a very short period of time without having to play tetris moving everything around as we cleaned each area.

Our success with it helped me get off many medications, improve my health, and even find our way into the RV life, affording us even more options for traveling and avoiding allergy triggers, but we are still working on figuring it all out.

While you may not have the health issues I do, minimalism can still be for you–and look totally different based on your needs and your life. So take the first step and start making room for life.

If you are already a minimalist (because, even if you are on the journey, you are one!), I’d love to hear what launched you on your journey!

Like or comment below, and share with others to support the blog. I post weekly about teaching, traveling and family. Until next time, you can find me on Tiktok @sonya.BOMSquadleader or our adventures at BarnesOnMove.com, Facebook & TikTok at @BarnesOnMove

Traveling with Bicycles

March 11, 2023

Like many travelers, we have to consider very carefully the things we decide to carry with us. Bicycles are one of those difficult to decide on things. While they can be useful, they are a lot of weight, can present transport challenges, and aren’t always easy to use everywhere you go.

For us, though, bikes have been a great choice, and have allowed us to explore new areas and save on parking and navigation headaches. When camped near or in national and state parks, we can explore and get around with ease, even enjoying bike trails that some have to offer. For big cities that are near and that we want to explore, we can load the bikes up, find public parking in a central location, and then navigate with the bikes. When staying at a theme park resort, we used it as a quick way to get to the transportation stations so we didn’t have to rent a club car or wait for the transportation within the campground. We also opted for a 2-in-1 dog stroller/bike trailer so we can take the pups along whenever possible.

If you decide that bikes are a good fit for your traveling lifestyle, be sure to do your research. Many RVs do not have a proper hitch installed, so you may need to invest in one, unless you have storage inside your RV or the back of your truck. Also, check the ratings for hitches. We had a catastrophic failure on a hitch that was rated for enough weight overall, but the adult bikes were too heavy for the individual rating and broke a strap, leaving our bike flopped and about to fall off in traffic, if not for the kindness of a stranger.

Decide what type of bikes you want to use. Electric bikes can be a great option, but also expensive. Do your research on these, especially with children, since the laws for them as an operator can be grey. Also research the areas you will be in to see what kind of bikes are allowed and if they are a bike friendly location, or if you are safer leaving them parked and choosing another option.

Finally, be sure to invest in safety gear. Helmet laws exist in many areas, and are just plain smart. Adding lights to the front and back of your bike is inexpensive and can add visibility. Side mirrors will help if you want to watch for traffic behind you. A bike chain will allow you to keep your bike secured when you leave it somewhere. Do you need a basket, water bottle holder, saddle bags? These are options to think about as well. At one point, we did invest in a bike cover, and it was great, but we found it to be cumbersome. It was too loose to cover while transporting and it was easier to park it under the cab of our 5th wheel to protect it from inclement weather.

Like or comment below, and share with others to support the blog. I post weekly about teaching, traveling and family. Until next time, you can find us on Facebook @BarnesOnMove, Tiktok & Instagram @BarnesOnMove OR @BarnesOnMove2, or our website BarnesOnMove.com

RV Show Camping – Is It Worth It?

March 7, 2023

Map of the Tampa Super Show 2023

In January, we camped at the Tampa RV Show, as did many other RVers. Many we talked to that came over for the day asked us if it was worth it. This was a question we asked ourselves before deciding to commit to it. Since there are RV Shows all over the country at varying times of year, it’s a great question to ask! Here are the things that draw people to the RV Show and some things to think about to help you decide if staying for all or part of the show is right for you.

WORKING AS A VENDOR If you have a product to sell and the RV and travel community is your target demographic, then you want to be at the RV show! Often the shows have requirements to be on site start to finish every day of the show, so staying on property can definitely make this easier.

RV BLOGGER/VLOGGER If you make a living off of this lifetstyle, then attending them is a great reason to be here and since people attend on different days, you will want to be here to connect with them, whether in passing or at a scheduled meetup you share with your followers. It’s also a great chance to let you preview the new coaches available and see the updates to share with your audience that couldn’t attend but wants to keep up with it.

Loved getting to meet Finding Our Someday this year!

ATTENDING MEETUPS If you are on social media and in this lifestyle, chances are you follow at least one Blogger/Vlogger. Many of them attend the RV shows around the country and host meet ups, giving you a chance to say hello or hang out with them, just depending on the details of the meetup.

GUEST SPEAKERS AND SEMINARS Learning new skills from those more experienced in the industry is very helpful, especially when you can ask questions, and there are many opportunities for this during the show on each of the days. Some will repeat on different days, but we also found some were only available on one day. You can learn about gear, maintenance, various experiences, and even get involved in volunteer events or with companies while you are there.

SHOPPING FOR A NEW RV OR GEAR If you are in the market for a new coach, then an RV show is a great place. It’s great to do your research ahead of time to have an idea of features or styles you may want in a coach, but nothing beats having time to walkthrough and hang out in it. What’s better is that many different dealerships will be present, so you can see a variety of them just by walking around instead of driving all over, and you can work out deals on site–even going back and forth for a little competition. Not to mention, they often have great deals at the shows that are the best all year. The same can be said for all the gear you may want or need that doesn’t come standard on a coach. If it works for an RV, you can bet there’s someone there selling and demonstrating it!

NETWORKING WITH OTHER RVERS Since everyone is staying on the grounds in the same area, this is great chance to meet people! This year in Tampa, our stay included donuts and coffee in the mornings, live entertainment in the evenings, and people were set up outside with firepits and folding chairs, spending time with friends-both new and old–after the show closed up for the day.

LEARNING THE LIFESTYLE If you are new to the lifestyle, this can be a great chance to meet and learn from other RVers as well as those in the industry. With so many people around you in the lifestyle, you can learn a lot from a lot of people! If you are considering swapping to another type of coach, this can be a great chance to sit and talk with someone who lives in that style and learn about the day to day life of it to see if it is a good fit for you.

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT IF STAYING AT A SHOW If your thinking about staying at an RV show, a few things to think about are the hookups and how long to stay. Some people come to stay for a couple days, some stay for the entire show. Also, some shows will have no hookups available, or, if you are lucky, they may have 30A electric available. However, be aware they are portable generators and there can be issues. When we arrived, we didn’t have power for a few hours. Some folks never got power the entire show (don’t worry, they made good on it for them!). Be sure you empty your black and grey tanks and have fresh water in your tank at a minimum. Having a generator or solar is also a good idea, especially if you plan to stay more than a night or it may be hot.

We had a really enjoyable time at the RV show. We got to meet Vloggers we’d been following online, caught up with old friends, learned a lot from the seminars and speakers, purchased gear we needed at a great price and even found a new coach that we’d been hoping to find for months.

We don’t plan on staying at this one again, as of now, but we do hope to attend others around the country in the future. We will probably attend for at least a day, especially to see old friends that may be there. We may also stay at other types of events like air shows, balloon shows, races–so many options! But who knows what the future actually holds–that’s the beauty of this lifestyle, right?

Like or comment below, and share with others to support the blog. I post weekly about teaching, traveling and family. Until next time, you can find us on Facebook @BarnesOnMove, Tiktok & Instagram @BarnesOnMove OR @BarnesOnMove2, or our website BarnesOnMove.com

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