• FUEL PRICES: ROOT CAUSES: When we asked one of our experts for an explanation of what's driving the unhappy story of higher fuel costs, we had a response that we thought deserved sharing with our readers.
• RV DRIVER COURTESY: Before we complain about those "little car" drivers, it's best that we consider what we may be doing to create that issue.
• REFLECTIONS ON RV DEALERS: RVers may be contributing to the all-too-many instances of bad dealer experiences. It doesn't need to be that way.
• GUEST EDITIORIAL: Further Thoughts on the Newbie Issue by Joan Taylor provide insightful comments on the bigger issues involved here.
• WHAT EVERY NEWBIE NEEDS TO KNOW: We take a look at the emerging problem baby boomers encounter as they leap from no experience to a large, sophisticated motorhome or fifth wheel.
• PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACTS OF FUEL COSTS: We agree entirely with the fact that logically, fuel prices are actually the least of the significant costs we bear as RVers. However that does not mean that media reports and fear over resale values might not have a significant impact on the RVing lifestyle.
• A CHALLENGE IN THE YEAR AHEAD: Sometimes in a new year it's useful to consider what trends may have emerged over the year recently ended, and speculate on what consequences there might be for the year ahead.
• AN RVer's PERSPECTIVE ON SERVICE: We've previously written an article describing steps that an RVer can take to help ensure a successful experience with a service appointment. This time we turn the table, and talk about service appointments from the RVers perspective.
• WE HOPE THEY'LL CHOOSE WISELY: The gathering of park owners for the annual ARVC Convention provides us with occasion to review our findings about outside vendors of fee-based wireless Internet service. The RV parks we select in the future will have made some careful choices...
• A NEW GAME IN TOWN: Another in our series on wireless, we compare the current frantic scramble by RV parks to "go wireless" with the early days of "Modem Friendly". The analogies deserve a careful look-see...
• MORE ON WIRELESS: As we continue to monitor the fast changing trends in wireless, we update our views on what RV parks should consider when evaluating whether to commit to an arrangment for providing in-park wireless.
• SECOND GENERATION "MODEM FRIENDLY": We're rapidly approaching the time more RVers will be looking for high speed internet connection while they're on the road. This will raise a new set of challenges for park owners, and how the issue is addressed will have significant marketing implications for individual parks.
• A CLOSER LOOK AT eGROUPS: No one could have predicted the interesting new frontiers that the Internet would bring to consumers. And RV owners are no exception. We take a look at the emerging growth of cyber-clubs comprised of owners of various RV manufacturers. While there's much they can contribute, there are obstacles and pitfalls as well. We offer our analysis.
• IMPROVING THE ODDS ON YOUR NEXT SERVICE VISIT: It's not surprising that many RVers dread the thought of taking their rigs in for service calls. Too often things seem to take far too long, and the results are less than satisfactory. But there are some things that we as RVers can do to improve the chances that the service experience can be a positive one. Here are our views on that subject...
• THE "WAL MART" ISSUE: The words "Wal Mart" can conjure up dramatically different emotions among some RVers and park owners. In fairness, it is far more than just one "RVer friendly" chain of malls -- it is the entire concept of free overnight camping. In a broader context, it goes to the essence of "boondocking", which many RVers see as one of the essential purposes of RVing. While RVers and private park owners are sometimes seen as extremely hostile towards one another on this issue, we offer a different analysis -- one which we think can lead to a "win/win" situation.
• CAMPGROUND COURTESY: While RVers tend to be a very friendly group, this is in part due to the "unwritten" but common sense courtesies which they exhibit towards one another. Most RVers find this part of the "instinct" of RVing. But it doesn't hurt to recap what some of these behaviours really are. Mel Chaney was motivated to do just that. We think our park owner readers will find this of value as well...
• MEMBERSHIP CAMPGROUNDS: Mel Chaney analyzes the threat to the continued viability of two of the more popular membership campgrounds -- and provides some concrete advice on what interested RVers can do about it.
• RVers' RESPONSIBILITIES IN MODEM FRIENDLY PARKS: With more and more RV parks responding to our request for modem access, we need to consider some common sense "modem courtesies" which we as RVers should observe in return. We hope that those of us who comprise this special cybergroup of "RVers Online" will take the lead in setting the example for others.!
• FOR RV PARK OWNERS: A PRIMER ON "MODEM FRIENDLY": (Revised 11/02) With much confusion still evident among RV park owners, and even those who inspect and "rate" RV parks, RVers Online offers some basic guidance in what is needed for a park to be "modem friendly".
• THE CASE FOR PROFESSIONAL DRIVING EDUCATION: RVers have a special challenge in learning how to competently and safely handle their rigs on the highways and byways of this wonderful country. We think there's a compelling reason for everyone to consider getting some professional training to do the job right.
• WHAT MAKES A "GOOD" RV PARK? We've long thought that the RV parks that we want to go back to time and again have some common characteristics. With the benefit of comments from many of our readers, we've distilled what we think are generally agreed things that RVers are really looking for when the plan for their next stopover. We also cannot resist what we consider fair comment on the predominantly used rating system.

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