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@Been nope, a lady does not need to smile more. Don't watch this I'd you don't like it. They film themselves as if we were with them, I appreciate how "simple" and "as is" their videos are. Please do not change anything Hanks. Thank you for your videos.
We are Canadian and really like your State and COE parks. Thanks Hanks. In 2018 we spent 6 months up in NWT, YK and AK...beautiful.. you are going to enjoy it. Spend time in Canada...it's a great place. We made it to the Arctic Ocean at Tuktoyaktuk. We noticed a lot of USA folks rushing to get through Canada seemingly as fast as they could to get to Alaska...take your time. S'all I can say. Have fun. Love the channel.🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦
Thank you guys for saving my drive by for your closing comments! I am the Airstream in your shot, so stay safe and living our lives at our speed of enjoyment
Traveling in a caravan is the easiest way to lose friends! It’s far too difficult to overcome all of the different travel styles, driving time, speed, bathroom breaks, food breaks, fuel stops, it’s a recipe for disaster! Share your destinations and arrival times and leave the traveling to the individuals.
Shhhh, geeze louise, it's hard enough to book at a State Park here in Florida, now you are showing how beautiful our parks are! 🤪 Even as a resident, we have to mark our calendars to remind us when we can book for the next year. We are so proud of our State and our Parks! Enjoy!💖💖
You guys make me and my wife want to just pick up and go explore. We just recently became full time RVers after my retirement from active duty service and now we live literally near a lake in good ol central Texas and enjoy all the beauitful views every morning. Keep up the great content it has help me and my wife adjust super easy to full time living 👍🏽🤙🏽
Yes we did do a caravan, way back in 2003. We had a total of 5 rigs. It was a blast. We traveled from central California to Wyoming. We had a detailed itinerary for fuel and stopovers. We would love to do it again! Thanks for the video. Safe travels!
thanksHanks. I'm not a fan of caravanning for any distance especially when it is a multi-day trip. too many variables, I am an early riser and like to get rollin' asap, I like to stop every 90 minutes - 2 hours for a pee break, but, not a 15-30 minute waste of time, others like to sleep later, ease into the day, roll out at check-out time, and then make the bee-line , no stops to the next destination, there are also those that want to travel at 55MPH and others who are comfortable at 65. I prefer the caravanning style where we all stay at the same place each night, have dinner together, share our stories from the road and leave the travel portion more self-directed.
I agree Tom. If any troubles are encountered a cell phone call to update the travel crew is much better than several rigs sitting & waiting. The camping experience is what we enjoy sharing.
Loving your content more and more, wow, you guys are killing it. Every content creator has a thing… yours is storytelling. Some are cinema photography, or locations or adventure. Your day to day storytelling is engaging. Well Done!
You hit the nail on the head. You should never get in a hurry. Just take it as it comes. My wife Janet and I always never plan any of our trips. We have a location we would like to get to. We never know what or where we will be, this makes our travels more enjoyable.
Love Love Love our state parks here in Washington and Oregon! As a disabled veteran both states give us free state park camping (includes full hookup) for life and both states have numerous and wonderful parks. Really enjoy your videos.
@@carolineriedlinger2904 Yes, WA is residents only but Oregon issues to non resident disabled vets. I am a resident of WA and have an Oregon disabled vet pass. Wa pass is lifetime and Or renews every 5 years.
We have caravaned and not had issues. With us being full time we just followed them and their lead, left when they did, stopped when they did. Not being in a hurry and just enjoying the trip and the people.
I have done three caravans with friends and relatives. We let people drive at their own pace and we have places to stop and regather, fuel, snack and use the bathroom. I like it cause you have a crew with you when something goes wrong and someone to enjoy the sites with. On a side note, state parks are the best and not just for camping. Stay safe and enjoy!
@@HappilyEverHanks you guys are so inspirational we will begin our rv journey September we are so excited thank you guys so much for sharing all your knowledge and Wisdom 💙🙏
I love that you haven’t gone to a residential or 12 volt fridge. So many of us can’t afford to make that upgrade. Similar to jumping into thousands of dollars in Solar. You are continuing to keep it real! Thanks Hanks❤
Get solar! You don't have to spent thousands of dollars if you do it yourself. I have 400w on my roof and all in, I've spent 600-650$. That includes controller, wiring, panels, mounting brackets, EVERYTHING! It's BY FAR the best investment I've made, as we're off grid 99% of the time. I have 480ah agm batteries too (two 6v in series and two 12v paralleled together)
Great advice. I get turned off by making reservations a year in advance. I called a park and they returned my call and said it was a curtesy. If we want to come to Florida, make the reservations a year in advance. Especially after the hurricane hit and a lot of people scrambled for new spots. What a hassle!
Haven't done the caravan thing yet but I retire next year so opens up more time and possibilities while traveling. Found that Colt Creek State Park last year while sampling creek outside on highway. Very nice and quiet back there. Awesome video as usual.
Another real world video, Thanks for showing how full time RV life can be less stressful! It’s a learning curve and you two help with your life adventures. Thanks again! Loved this week video.
Glad I found you. My wife and I are waiting for the snow to melt so we can pick up our new GD Transend. We have camped with our 4 kids in a tent trailer since 1998. The kids are out on their own and we are now ready to pull a travel trailer. Love your content learning alot.
Bonecrusher and I subscribe to the "Hanksing it" style of RV travel as well. And yes, it always seems to work out in the end. Sometimes better then what we might have tried planning in the first place. Sometimes not, lol... However, we always take away something new from each experience, which is why we enjoy the journey so much. Best of luck with the caravanning, looking forward to all the new content this year. And no Karl, Nirvanna wasn't a real 80's band, just saying my friend. ;-)
We did a caravan with two other rigs two months. We left the same time in the morning but we had a smaller rig and got better gas mileage so we would just meet up for lunch or at a planned stop. We also made more stops along the way because we were smaller and could park in cute little towns. We were sure to check into campground in time for cocktail hour. We all are still talking and would do it again. We left them in Vancouver and went to Alaska. An Epic trip for sure. You will love the journey.
Hubby and I can’t decide which one of you is more weird…but really, we crack up when we watch you guys! Thanks for the good info and for getting us excited for more rving in 2023!
when my parents were alive, we used to caravan with 5 campers in a camping club. the thing we found worked best was to have the schedule of where we were going to stop and how often we were going to stop EACH DAY set up ahead of time. That way everyone had already given their buy in and there were way fewer opportunities to have a friction point. I would suggest having a meeting with everyone a couple of weeks before you actually start out.
My way of Caravanning is “see you there”. We stayed at Camp Margaritaville during the Tampa show. Loved it, then a Harvest Host, then a state park in Eufaula, Alabama. Lakepoint state park was great and a nice historic town.
Haven't tried caravanning but I think you will love the star link for out west ... And as a former camphost ... Why they have a couple hours between check out and in is to give workers enough time to clean 15 to 30 sites ... Excited to see your trip to Alaska
Hey Guys! Glad you are heading towards Alaska with your peeps. Sounds like fun! Looking forward to traveling along with you both...share all the pics💙🩵💚 Love & hugs, Lisa
I cant believe how much I look forward to my Friday mornings to watch yalls new video drops. Been following yall for so long and still dont have an RV. YET! ;) Thank you for bringing joy to my day yall!
Love you guys! We aren't full time RVers. Actually, we are retiring this year and will finally be able to do some "long" trips. We typically do four week long trips during the year fairly close to home. We have a class C and not a fifth wheel, but we have learned so much from ya'll and have saved ourselves from a few disasters.
Love your videos, you're probably our favorite RV couple to watch. I have to ask though, why the click bait titles recently? Your content is great please don't cheapen it.
We have done the caravan thing and it is not as bad as it seems. We got lucky and everyone was on the same stop schedule for the most part with a few exceptions. Have a safe and fun trip also We use the TST TPMS and it is amazing little pricey but worth it.
The way we caravan is to have a destination and everyone goes there on their own at their own speed. We sometimes end up at a rest area to eat lunch and one of our group is there. That's always fun. If anyone gets in trouble, another one in the group is within an hour if they need someone to turn around or catch up and help. This method of caravaning takes the stress off and keeps people from being irritated with others in the group. We run no more than 65 mph because of our toad's restriction and one couple we camp with a lot runs 70+ and tends to leave earlier than we do, so we came up with the "see you at the next campground" method. We love it!
I love FL state campgrounds- and I’ve caught a bunch of cancelations all over FL as I’ve been traveling this winter. I’ve tried a few different ones - with mixed results.. Wandering Labs seems the best so far - anxious to hear your results.
I like how you guys roll, we hardly ever make reservations also. However we normally do Boondock with our 37 foot fifth wheel. We have gone early to our camp ground many times when we do have reservations. I do not think that we have ever been turned away. We are also heading up for Alaska this summer, I think we're leaving around mid May to head up there.
I think I figured out why I enjoy your videos so much. There's a shit ton of RV vloggers on TH-cam. I have seen videos by dozens, if not hundreds, of full time RVers. Some are more helpful than others; most have something to offer. But I subscribed to your channel because I enjoy the vast majority of your videos versus a handful of others where one or two here and there seem relevant. The weird thing is that when I am ready to pull the trigger on an RV purchase and retire into it, I will NOT be traveling around like you do. I will not have to search for spaces to park on a regular basis. But the reason I enjoy your videos is because the way you film, narrate, and edit them, I feel like I am sitting in the back seat of your tow vehicle. While you were waiting for the green light to get into the State Park, I felt the same trepidation that you did, and the same relief when you got the go-ahead to move into your space. I don't know how you managed it, but you are very good at making the view feel like they're a part of your adventure. So, well done! I will continue to view and enjoy your content. Thank you for what you do.
My family and friends caravanned many times. We carried CB radios in each vehicle and also hand held ones for parking the trailers onto the campsites. We all had maps in each vehicle so we all knew the route for each travel day.
Just started following you and you are a breath of fresh air to watch. Do you guys ever come out west?my husband and I pull a fifth wheel every year for 8 weeks and look forward to our yearly trips.
Great video as always . Iv only traveled with on other camper on a couple occasions I see how it could be kind of difficult depending on how many rigs there are two three total may not be bad more than that I think may be kind of difficult to make decent time and keep everyone happy
Hey , Happily Ever Hanks . I drove over the road hauling heavy equipment for 30 years. Making tight turns and backing up is not a problem for me. But that comes with a lot of time behind the wheel. My wife and I have owned at one time or another every make and model of Rv’s . We now have a 38 ft Jayco Eagle Premier travel trailer. It is a 338 RETS , 2015 model , we love it . We do not travel full time but we enjoy camping none the less . We have been out north west , Grand Canyon, Yellow Stone , Grand Tetons National Park. Been out to the walkway that goes out over the Grand Canyon. That was really neat . I love you guys videos, keep up the good work. We live in Georgetown, Louisiana. We’ve been married for 52 years and going strong. Stay safe out there on the road, all truckers are not bad , there are a lot of good ones out there.❤😊 🥰💕🎼🎼🎼🥁🥁🥁🥁
Hey you two crazies. Glad you had a good time in Florida. Alaska huh, sounds awesome. Over the years we often have traveled in a pack. With most of our family owning RVs road trips with 4 to 8 families involved has been how we vacationed for decades. The more the merrier. Safe travels! 🍻 Sean & Angie
I agree with Robby Smith about caravanning. For me it's about leave times. Getting my wife out the door on time is hard enough. We plan trips together but travel separately. The stops are also planned, and we share trips in RV Trip wizard. See you there!!
If you want to spend the day waiting, caravan. My preferred way is to agree on each day's destination. Depart when you want, stop when you want, catch up at the destination.
This sounds like the way to do it. We have gone camping with friends a couple of times. They go to bed at like 8:00pm and we go to bed around 11:00 pm. They are early risers and we are not. They like to leave between 8-9:00 am and we take our time and usually are just making check out time. Agreeing ahead of time to plan the destination and then the freedom to catch up at the destination would be my choice too.
One more addition to our "see you at the next campground" method of caravaning. We also meet with the group the first time we're going with new folks and talk about everyone's expectations and also about these rules: 1) we're not all joined at the hip-if anyone wants a couple's date day, they're to simply say so and the 2 of them take off. 2) we don't have to all do the same thing together. 3) how you're going to do meals - which ones will be shared and how. Different groups we camp with do food differently- the couple that travels fast also eats differently than we do, so we each just do our own thing and then sometimes we eat together, but most times we eat our own food. Another group loves to do group meals. I find group meals stressful unless I know what foods everyone likes. Just clarify how you're going to do meals. On your own most days and a group thing one or twice a week or what? It helps immensely in the food packing. 4) reiterate that you're not all joined at the hip- everyone should feel free to do whatever they like. 5) EVERYONE is to be honest and open and not make people guess what they want or are thinking. No passive-agressive behavior tolerated. That exhausts my caravaning advice!.
My one year Nonadiversary was January 5th! Currently in Texas and in 2 weeks I'm heading up to Northern Minnesota for work camping. yikes! Planning this trip up North in the winter is pretty scary. I'm solo with 3 black labs. It's always a logistical dance for potty breaks and setting up. Mostly, I never have all 3 out together so it appears I have 2 dogs. Still enjoying your channel and your tips and humor!!
Hello Hanks - We started with Starlink in November 2022. The average is around 80Mbps on the download but you also have WiFi calling available to you with Google or iPhone so you might want to utilize it cause its a lifesaver. We have never not been able to make a call anywhere. We are in Quartzsite, AZ so its really sparse on cell coverage we’ve had a great expereince with Starlink. Works great in the cold, rain, or snow so your going to love it. It streams Apple TV and other streaming services just fine so your both in for a treat! Good Luck!
Great video, regretfully I agree with your minimalist planning lifestyle. When camping I know when I will leave home and when I plan to arrive at destination, all of the rest just has to work out, I will say that was a lot easier 30 years ago.
We have done it before, and it was a lot of fun. We used walkie Talkies to keep in touch. It can be fun if everyone travels the same. Pit stops, fuel stops, and meal stops.
Hay Carl & Nay nay I understand all about stopping, after driving truck for 36yrs. my wife can't hold it as long as I can, I've had to learn to stop and relax. Another good video, good information. Keep the shiny side up.
I'm not an RVer but I am interested in traveling. You two are wonderful people and very entertaining and educational. Thanks for sharing! I live in Florida.
Happy trails, Hanks crew! 👍 Been watching yous for about 3 months, while rehabing a rt. hip replacement. Now, I'm back to camp hosting at Tumalo SP near Bend, OR & had to add my 2 cents on early arrivals at that Florida SP. "Hey, we're so glad you're here, but we're still cleaning campsites. We have a great day use park just across the road that can easily handle your rig. Hang out by the river for an hour & we'll be ready for you." Oregonians, Rangers & camp hosts, are a heck of a lot more friendly than how y'all were treated there in Florida... Got on your email 2-3 days ago. I have a standing winter assignment in Lincoln City at Devil's Lake SP. Maybe I'll see you. In winter, at Devil's Lake, we always have "walk in" RV sites that can handle 35'. I'm solo lady van dweller with my ESD, Nicholas, my trusty sidekick & co-host. In May, 2021, I downsized from 30' HitchHiker 5th wheel into our 2018 Ford Transit Cargo Van 250 Short...& I love it! It's a lovely little cocoon for us. Well, see yous down the road 👋🚐🐶👵 happy trails, Ms. CharLee, Nicolas & Angel
I'm definitely all about being a little more away from amenities. I like having power and water and a place to dump but I also like having some space and as much nature and quiet as possible! RV parks are not my thing unless there's no better option. Too compact and busy
You will learn to love your Starlink out west. When we stay at Cape Dissapointment (for real place) there is zero cell coverage, Starlink is the only way to be connected while there. I used a ten pound weight using a bungy to put the Dish on my roof for better reception. We really enjoy your videos!!
I will be very interested in your caravan experience. Have heard pros and cons as I'm sure you have. I'm not much of a group guy would be maybe ok if just give me the nights destination and travel at my own pace. However,sometimes it would be nice with someone else taking care of reservations and some event planning. Sounds like you have a small group hopefully you will get along. Course you guys are so chill I'm sure it will be 👍 happy trails
Done caravan with my parents quite a few times with the RV. Sure the destination is great, but the journey is pretty cool too! Wish I could full time in an RV...guess Ill have to wait til retirement.
I received an email from someone posing as you two saying I won some camping items and to text them via WhatsApp. When I called them out as a scam on a regular text they failed to respond. Gotta love it!!
We caravaned with one other couple. It was ok except we were way more fuel efficient. But we still has to stop when they were out of fuel. Have fun and stay safe.
We are not full timers but we have traveled with our friends in a "caravan". We always make our plans for fuel stops and food in advance and unless someone has a need for an extra stop we stick to our plans. If someone in the group needs to stop before our planned stop, we just communicate through the cell phone and let everyone know and then we decide whether we will all stop or just let the ones that needed to stop catch up with us (that is usually what we do unless it was an emergency stop and in that case, as friends, we stop also and make sure our friends are ok). Love watching you young people travel across the country.
I've had TST for four years and love it. You will, too. Really entnjoyed caravaning the few times we have done it. Telll Keith and Raini that Buzz from NASCAR said Hi.
Looking forward to your Alaska content. We are planning it but not for a couple more years. (need to get the Moryde installed 1st ) On the shelf with caravanning but there is safety in numbers, so good luck. We stayed at Colt Creek SP last year for a week. Was also very early arrival but they were very nice about it. You can park in the day use lots and wait as instructed. Park by the dumpsters rather than drive all the way to the parking lots. Allot of room to make a K-turn with a large 5er there. AC units got a workout as not many sites are shaded, it was a hot sunny week. The sites are huge and spaced out nice. Also, not too close to any stores so bring in what you need full for you stay. Plenty of walking trails for sure. They def need to let people know the cell service is really bad there in the CG. I was working remote and could not get much of a signal anywhere in the park. Our phones (verizon,tmobile and att ) kept dropping calls. Data was useless. The park was full so there is also contention for signal. Forced me to finally install my road warrior antenna for my pep wave on the roof of the rv. That made a huge difference for Verizon service. But only for data I got 35mb down 3 up during the daytime hours. We had to use an ip phone to make calls. Nighttime got congested and we just gave up. I think we were able to get about 40 channels on the over the air TV.
Travel days are not stressful to us. The journey is more important than the destination. Even when places like Hawaii is the destination, we turn it into a daily journey while there. Exploring is our shtick.
We did an Alaskan caravan last year and had a blast. 22 rigs and we were fine. Be careful between Destruction bay and Tok, that road is awfull but way better then the over the world route to Chicken. You guys are gonna have a blast. Everyone traveled at their own pace on travel days with a tail gunner brining up the rear in case someone had issues.
Watching from Australia, love you kids. Fun and kind to each other. I camp in my horse trailer at competitions and shows. Just wish I could reverse park like you guys .
I envy you Hanks on the road full time. My wife and I are older and have grandkids. We would not want to be away from them very long. We bought our first camper last year. Small 4600 lb, Jayco Jay Feather Micro MBS 199. Sleeps up to 7 to 8. We pull it with a Ford Ranger rated to tow 7500 lbs. So far we have only gone to sites within two hours of home for 4 days at a time. I have my eye on a F350 Dually and a Fifth Wheel if my wife and I ever decide to venture a little further out and for longer periods of time. We live in the Midwest and would love to do Florida or somewhere out west. I can spend hours looking at different model campers. I find looking at all the different models extremely interesting. I have the exact Fifth Wheel picked out and truck when the time is right. I may need to be patient a bit longer and wait for prices to drop. Until then, we will live vicariously through the Hanks.
We only run with one other couple and the small caravan runs smooth. We usually run about 4 hours and stop for fuel, restroom, and food. I would say with 6 RV’s it’s going to be Interesting for sure. Good luck and try to enjoy.
As always you always present information in a fun way which is both helpful and entertaining. I do appreciate that you don't refer programs which you are not confident in using your self. I know you won't lead us astray . Grandpa Jack
Travel day yesterday with lots of wind/wind gusts after being in place for 5 weeks. Phew! Stress and deep breaths......and a big glass of wine at the end of the day!
Caravans are GREAT! Hope for safe travels across the country. I’m livin it up on the van life caravan in Arizona this winter. It’s been more positive than negative since joining a small group.
We’ll, Hanks…after nearly 50 years of rv/camping, travel days are exciting. The journey is most often greater than the destination. As far as a caravan experience…we’ve done lots of them and learned to always go your own ride, set some check in times/places, and final destination, but stop when and where it suits you, not everyone else. Just think of how long a quick potty break takes with five rigs and 10 people at one place 🤨
As always another informative video. I like how ya'll keep it real and try things out before you let us know about it. The internet starling is an interesting opportunity and I've listened to others tLk about it and I'm looking forward to seeing what your take is.
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Warning unsolicited advice
Sir, you shouldn't chew gum when you're recording, and
ma'am, you could smile more.
@Been nope, a lady does not need to smile more. Don't watch this I'd you don't like it. They film themselves as if we were with them, I appreciate how "simple" and "as is" their videos are. Please do not change anything Hanks. Thank you for your videos.
Yep we love the way they record. Like we were their friends. Which I believe a lot of viewers actually are.
How bout dat tpms..zit legit ?
Try doing it with with 30 different rigs always HDT with 57ft fifth wheel travel trailer
We are Canadian and really like your State and COE parks. Thanks Hanks. In 2018 we spent 6 months up in NWT, YK and AK...beautiful.. you are going to enjoy it. Spend time in Canada...it's a great place. We made it to the Arctic Ocean at Tuktoyaktuk. We noticed a lot of USA folks rushing to get through Canada seemingly as fast as they could to get to Alaska...take your time. S'all I can say. Have fun. Love the channel.🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦
Thank you guys for saving my drive by for your closing comments! I am the Airstream in your shot, so stay safe and living our lives at our speed of enjoyment
What a gorgeous Airstream!!!
Traveling in a caravan is the easiest way to lose friends! It’s far too difficult to overcome all of the different travel styles, driving time, speed, bathroom breaks, food breaks, fuel stops, it’s a recipe for disaster! Share your destinations and arrival times and leave the traveling to the individuals.
Couldn't be said any better.
I agree 100%. Even when it's you and only 2 other rv'ers, every 10-minute fuel stop turns into 45 minutes.
I agree 💯. I’m kinda of adventurous and if I see something I may want to stop and check it out. Getting to the destination is part of the adventure.
👍🏻
Best advice! 😀 We are that friend...the sight-seer, the slow pace...etc. We will see you when we finally get there. Lol
Shhhh, geeze louise, it's hard enough to book at a State Park here in Florida, now you are showing how beautiful our parks are! 🤪 Even as a resident, we have to mark our calendars to remind us when we can book for the next year. We are so proud of our State and our Parks! Enjoy!💖💖
How do y'all find an open site here in FL?I look two and more times a week and they're all booked.
WooHoo! It's Thursday again! #ThanksHanks!
You guys make me and my wife want to just pick up and go explore. We just recently became full time RVers after my retirement from active duty service and now we live literally near a lake in good ol central Texas and enjoy all the beauitful views every morning. Keep up the great content it has help me and my wife adjust super easy to full time living 👍🏽🤙🏽
Yes we did do a caravan, way back in 2003. We had a total of 5 rigs. It was a blast. We traveled from central California to Wyoming. We had a detailed itinerary for fuel and stopovers. We would love to do it again! Thanks for the video. Safe travels!
thanksHanks. I'm not a fan of caravanning for any distance especially when it is a multi-day trip. too many variables, I am an early riser and like to get rollin' asap, I like to stop every 90 minutes - 2 hours for a pee break, but, not a 15-30 minute waste of time, others like to sleep later, ease into the day, roll out at check-out time, and then make the bee-line , no stops to the next destination, there are also those that want to travel at 55MPH and others who are comfortable at 65. I prefer the caravanning style where we all stay at the same place each night, have dinner together, share our stories from the road and leave the travel portion more self-directed.
I agree Tom. If any troubles are encountered a cell phone call to update the travel crew is much better than several rigs sitting & waiting. The camping experience is what we enjoy sharing.
Your editing has become stellar!!!
Loving your content more and more, wow, you guys are killing it. Every content creator has a thing… yours is storytelling. Some are cinema photography, or locations or adventure. Your day to day storytelling is engaging. Well Done!
and the funny voice and faces constantly makes me busta gut
You hit the nail on the head. You should never get in a hurry. Just take it as it comes. My wife Janet and I always never plan any of our trips. We have a location we would like to get to. We never know what or where we will be, this makes our travels more enjoyable.
Love Love Love our state parks here in Washington and Oregon! As a disabled veteran both states give us free state park camping (includes full hookup) for life and both states have numerous and wonderful parks. Really enjoy your videos.
Thanks for this info. Something I'll need to look into. Thank you for your service!
I read the rules: state res only, 30 percent service connected. 😏
That’s amazing! Good for you.
@@carolineriedlinger2904 Yes, WA is residents only but Oregon issues to non resident disabled vets. I am a resident of WA and have an Oregon disabled vet pass. Wa pass is lifetime and Or renews every 5 years.
Any know if any other states are free camping for veterans?
Hey Hanks! I’m not a fan of caravaning. Most people don’t like the idea of getting up
At 04:00 and pounding 700 miles a day like I do.
We have caravaned and not had issues. With us being full time we just followed them and their lead, left when they did, stopped when they did. Not being in a hurry and just enjoying the trip and the people.
You too are just wonderful and Real. I love watching the fun chatter and realism in your banter. Thanks for brightening up my camping day. 🐣
I have done three caravans with friends and relatives. We let people drive at their own pace and we have places to stop and regather, fuel, snack and use the bathroom. I like it cause you have a crew with you when something goes wrong and someone to enjoy the sites with. On a side note, state parks are the best and not just for camping. Stay safe and enjoy!
We Love Y’all! 💙💙 So Happy It’s Thursday 😎👏🏻🎬🎥
Aww thank you so much 😊 You guys rock!! Much love!
@@HappilyEverHanks you guys are so inspirational we will begin our rv journey September we are so excited thank you guys so much for sharing all your knowledge and Wisdom 💙🙏
I love that you haven’t gone to a residential or 12 volt fridge. So many of us can’t afford to make that upgrade. Similar to jumping into thousands of dollars in Solar. You are continuing to keep it real! Thanks Hanks❤
Get solar! You don't have to spent thousands of dollars if you do it yourself. I have 400w on my roof and all in, I've spent 600-650$. That includes controller, wiring, panels, mounting brackets, EVERYTHING! It's BY FAR the best investment I've made, as we're off grid 99% of the time.
I have 480ah agm batteries too (two 6v in series and two 12v paralleled together)
Great advice. I get turned off by making reservations a year in advance. I called a park and they returned my call and said it was a curtesy. If we want to come to Florida, make the reservations a year in advance. Especially after the hurricane hit and a lot of people scrambled for new spots. What a hassle!
I agree, I have no idea what day(s) I'll be where a year from now.
Haven't done the caravan thing yet but I retire next year so opens up more time and possibilities while traveling. Found that Colt Creek State Park last year while sampling creek outside on highway. Very nice and quiet back there. Awesome video as usual.
You guys really are a breath of fresh air. Thanks, Hanks! ❤️
Another real world video, Thanks for showing how full time RV life can be less stressful! It’s a learning curve and you two help with your life adventures.
Thanks again! Loved this week video.
Thanks!
Thank you so much, Bruce! You rock =)
All the best,
Carl and Ney Ney
Totally agree with you guys, state parks are the best! More room between rv spots, generally more wilderness.
Great videos, you guys are awesome!
Love the Hanks! Are you still practicing nurses? Such a noble profession. I also love the honesty in the videos.
It's weird, normally I like 15 +/- minute videos, but for some reason, I wish the HappilyEverHanks videos were a tad bit longer. Good job guys!
Well did you want him to repeat that last 5 minutes over a few more times? 😂
Me too!
Great advice for everyone, don't sweat the small stuff. Live life.
Glad I found you. My wife and I are waiting for the snow to melt so we can pick up our new GD Transend. We have camped with our 4 kids in a tent trailer since 1998. The kids are out on their own and we are now ready to pull a travel trailer. Love your content learning alot.
Bonecrusher and I subscribe to the "Hanksing it" style of RV travel as well. And yes, it always seems to work out in the end. Sometimes better then what we might have tried planning in the first place. Sometimes not, lol... However, we always take away something new from each experience, which is why we enjoy the journey so much. Best of luck with the caravanning, looking forward to all the new content this year. And no Karl, Nirvanna wasn't a real 80's band, just saying my friend. ;-)
We did a caravan with two other rigs two months. We left the same time in the morning but we had a smaller rig and got better gas mileage so we would just meet up for lunch or at a planned stop. We also made more stops along the way because we were smaller and could park in cute little towns. We were sure to check into campground in time for cocktail hour. We all are still talking and would do it again. We left them in Vancouver and went to Alaska. An Epic trip for sure. You will love the journey.
It was so great meeting you two and talking with yall this morning. Safe travels!
We always look forward to Thursdays. New campers here. You guys rock!!! Why was Ne Ne so quiet? 😂
Hope y'all are having fun! Thanks for the video. I really look forward to THUR to see what you, (and Dexter, of course), 🙂are up too.
Me too. Grandpa Jack
You are really a awsome family. Yes I enjoy the Hanks fun and silly side. But to see you as you, well I enjoy him as well. Keep on being you!
Hubby and I can’t decide which one of you is more weird…but really, we crack up when we watch you guys! Thanks for the good info and for getting us excited for more rving in 2023!
Love that you are testing before recommending. #LoveHanks,Thanks!
Caravans are okay, especially if someone has road trouble.
Yeah Thursday! #ThanksHanks!
Hey Tim!! :) Thank you for being so supportive!
when my parents were alive, we used to caravan with 5 campers in a camping club. the thing we found worked best was to have the schedule of where we were going to stop and how often we were going to stop EACH DAY set up ahead of time. That way everyone had already given their buy in and there were way fewer opportunities to have a friction point. I would suggest having a meeting with everyone a couple of weeks before you actually start out.
My way of Caravanning is “see you there”.
We stayed at Camp Margaritaville during the Tampa show. Loved it, then a Harvest Host, then a state park in Eufaula, Alabama. Lakepoint state park was great and a nice historic town.
Beautiful campground. Caravan before can be fun and stressful. Safe travels!
Haven't tried caravanning but I think you will love the star link for out west ... And as a former camphost ... Why they have a couple hours between check out and in is to give workers enough time to clean 15 to 30 sites ... Excited to see your trip to Alaska
Hey Guys! Glad you are heading towards Alaska with your peeps. Sounds like fun! Looking forward to traveling along with you both...share all the pics💙🩵💚 Love & hugs, Lisa
I hope you have a wonderful time RVing with your caravan, it seems like it would be fun traveling with friends
You two never fail to make me smile! Sixty dollars for truck stop camp is a bit pricey but at least it was clean and had some good amenities.
Clean & safe is worth the $ even though high. There are just too many “go wrongs” that could derail the adventure.
Way too much. Cracker barrel or on the street near the truck stop is free
You guys both share so much and I appreciate it. I am taking notes.
I cant believe how much I look forward to my Friday mornings to watch yalls new video drops. Been following yall for so long and still dont have an RV. YET! ;) Thank you for bringing joy to my day yall!
Love you guys! We aren't full time RVers. Actually, we are retiring this year and will finally be able to do some "long" trips. We typically do four week long trips during the year fairly close to home. We have a class C and not a fifth wheel, but we have learned so much from ya'll and have saved ourselves from a few disasters.
Thank you so much for saying this ❤️ We are very happy for you guys! Keep up the travels. We appreciate all your support 🤗
Love your videos, you're probably our favorite RV couple to watch. I have to ask though, why the click bait titles recently? Your content is great please don't cheapen it.
We have done the caravan thing and it is not as bad as it seems. We got lucky and everyone was on the same stop schedule for the most part with a few exceptions. Have a safe and fun trip also We use the TST TPMS and it is amazing little pricey but worth it.
The way we caravan is to have a destination and everyone goes there on their own at their own speed. We sometimes end up at a rest area to eat lunch and one of our group is there. That's always fun. If anyone gets in trouble, another one in the group is within an hour if they need someone to turn around or catch up and help. This method of caravaning takes the stress off and keeps people from being irritated with others in the group. We run no more than 65 mph because of our toad's restriction and one couple we camp with a lot runs 70+ and tends to leave earlier than we do, so we came up with the "see you at the next campground" method. We love it!
We love travel days. Quit complaining you chose this life so enjoy it!!
Note: very good idea to put a red cone beside your Starlink antenna, it has kept ours from getting backed over
I love FL state campgrounds- and I’ve caught a bunch of cancelations all over FL as I’ve been traveling this winter. I’ve tried a few different ones - with mixed results.. Wandering Labs seems the best so far - anxious to hear your results.
How do you find cancelations?
@@Blgrsslvr They said Wandering Labs is good.
I like how you guys roll, we hardly ever make reservations also. However we normally do Boondock with our 37 foot fifth wheel. We have gone early to our camp ground many times when we do have reservations. I do not think that we have ever been turned away. We are also heading up for Alaska this summer, I think we're leaving around mid May to head up there.
I think I figured out why I enjoy your videos so much. There's a shit ton of RV vloggers on TH-cam. I have seen videos by dozens, if not hundreds, of full time RVers. Some are more helpful than others; most have something to offer. But I subscribed to your channel because I enjoy the vast majority of your videos versus a handful of others where one or two here and there seem relevant. The weird thing is that when I am ready to pull the trigger on an RV purchase and retire into it, I will NOT be traveling around like you do. I will not have to search for spaces to park on a regular basis.
But the reason I enjoy your videos is because the way you film, narrate, and edit them, I feel like I am sitting in the back seat of your tow vehicle. While you were waiting for the green light to get into the State Park, I felt the same trepidation that you did, and the same relief when you got the go-ahead to move into your space. I don't know how you managed it, but you are very good at making the view feel like they're a part of your adventure.
So, well done! I will continue to view and enjoy your content. Thank you for what you do.
I've been away for awhile with surgery on my foot & ankle, it's good to be back and watching your video.
My family and friends caravanned many times. We carried CB radios in each vehicle and also hand held ones for parking the trailers onto the campsites. We all had maps in each vehicle so we all knew the route for each travel day.
Just started following you and you are a breath of fresh air to watch. Do you guys ever come out west?my husband and I pull a fifth wheel every year for 8 weeks and look forward to our yearly trips.
Great video as always . Iv only traveled with on other camper on a couple occasions I see how it could be kind of difficult depending on how many rigs there are two three total may not be bad more than that I think may be kind of difficult to make decent time and keep everyone happy
Hey , Happily Ever Hanks . I drove over the road hauling heavy equipment for 30 years. Making tight turns and backing up is not a problem for me. But that comes with a lot of time behind the wheel. My wife and I have owned at one time or another every make and model of Rv’s . We now have a 38 ft Jayco Eagle Premier travel trailer. It is a 338 RETS , 2015 model , we love it . We do not travel full time but we enjoy camping none the less . We have been out north west , Grand Canyon, Yellow Stone , Grand Tetons National Park. Been out to the walkway that goes out over the Grand Canyon. That was really neat . I love you guys videos, keep up the good work. We live in Georgetown, Louisiana. We’ve been married for 52 years and going strong. Stay safe out there on the road, all truckers are not bad , there are a lot of good ones out there.❤😊 🥰💕🎼🎼🎼🥁🥁🥁🥁
Hey you two crazies. Glad you had a good time in Florida. Alaska huh, sounds awesome. Over the years we often have traveled in a pack. With most of our family owning RVs road trips with 4 to 8 families involved has been how we vacationed for decades. The more the merrier. Safe travels! 🍻 Sean & Angie
I agree with Robby Smith about caravanning. For me it's about leave times. Getting my wife out the door on time is hard enough. We plan trips together but travel separately. The stops are also planned, and we share trips in RV Trip wizard. See you there!!
If you want to spend the day waiting, caravan. My preferred way is to agree on each day's destination. Depart when you want, stop when you want, catch up at the destination.
This sounds like the way to do it. We have gone camping with friends a couple of times. They go to bed at like 8:00pm and we go to bed around 11:00 pm. They are early risers and we are not. They like to leave between 8-9:00 am and we take our time and usually are just making check out time. Agreeing ahead of time to plan the destination and then the freedom to catch up at the destination would be my choice too.
Thanks Hanks 🤘🤠🤘
Thanks for being here! :)
One more addition to our "see you at the next campground" method of caravaning. We also meet with the group the first time we're going with new folks and talk about everyone's expectations and also about these rules: 1) we're not all joined at the hip-if anyone wants a couple's date day, they're to simply say so and the 2 of them take off. 2) we don't have to all do the same thing together. 3) how you're going to do meals - which ones will be shared and how. Different groups we camp with do food differently- the couple that travels fast also eats differently than we do, so we each just do our own thing and then sometimes we eat together, but most times we eat our own food. Another group loves to do group meals. I find group meals stressful unless I know what foods everyone likes. Just clarify how you're going to do meals. On your own most days and a group thing one or twice a week or what? It helps immensely in the food packing. 4) reiterate that you're not all joined at the hip- everyone should feel free to do whatever they like. 5) EVERYONE is to be honest and open and not make people guess what they want or are thinking. No passive-agressive behavior tolerated. That exhausts my caravaning advice!.
I think that is good advice. Don't stress about it. Let the others know what you're thinking. Thanks Grandpa Jack
My one year Nonadiversary was January 5th! Currently in Texas and in 2 weeks I'm heading up to Northern Minnesota for work camping. yikes! Planning this trip up North in the winter is pretty scary. I'm solo with 3 black labs. It's always a logistical dance for potty breaks and setting up. Mostly, I never have all 3 out together so it appears I have 2 dogs. Still enjoying your channel and your tips and humor!!
Hello Hanks - We started with Starlink in November 2022. The average is around 80Mbps on the download but you also have WiFi calling available to you with Google or iPhone so you might want to utilize it cause its a lifesaver. We have never not been able to make a call anywhere. We are in Quartzsite, AZ so its really sparse on cell coverage we’ve had a great expereince with Starlink. Works great in the cold, rain, or snow so your going to love it. It streams Apple TV and other streaming services just fine so your both in for a treat! Good Luck!
Great video, regretfully I agree with your minimalist planning lifestyle. When camping I know when I will leave home and when I plan to arrive at destination, all of the rest just has to work out, I will say that was a lot easier 30 years ago.
We have done it before, and it was a lot of fun.
We used walkie Talkies to keep in touch. It can be fun if everyone travels the same. Pit stops, fuel stops, and meal stops.
Watching multiple fulltime RV content creators makes me lean more and more towards traveling in something other than an RV.
Like ?
Love the fact you share driving… my husband is not comfortable driving our coach…
Hay Carl & Nay nay
I understand all about stopping, after driving truck for 36yrs. my wife can't hold it as long as I can, I've had to learn to stop and relax.
Another good video, good information.
Keep the shiny side up.
I'm not an RVer but I am interested in traveling. You two are wonderful people and very entertaining and educational. Thanks for sharing! I live in Florida.
Happy trails, Hanks crew! 👍 Been watching yous for about 3 months, while rehabing a rt. hip replacement. Now, I'm back to camp hosting at Tumalo SP near Bend, OR & had to add my 2 cents on early arrivals at that Florida SP. "Hey, we're so glad you're here, but we're still cleaning campsites. We have a great day use park just across the road that can easily handle your rig. Hang out by the river for an hour & we'll be ready for you." Oregonians, Rangers & camp hosts, are a heck of a lot more friendly than how y'all were treated there in Florida... Got on your email 2-3 days ago. I have a standing winter assignment in Lincoln City at Devil's Lake SP. Maybe I'll see you. In winter, at Devil's Lake, we always have "walk in" RV sites that can handle 35'. I'm solo lady van dweller with my ESD, Nicholas, my trusty sidekick & co-host. In May, 2021, I downsized from 30' HitchHiker 5th wheel into our 2018 Ford Transit Cargo Van 250 Short...& I love it! It's a lovely little cocoon for us. Well, see yous down the road 👋🚐🐶👵 happy trails, Ms. CharLee, Nicolas & Angel
Hi y’all! We love Tumalo SP 🙂 that was our first day when we went to Bend, Oregon! We hope our paths can cross soon. Stay safe and enjoy
I'm definitely all about being a little more away from amenities. I like having power and water and a place to dump but I also like having some space and as much nature and quiet as possible! RV parks are not my thing unless there's no better option. Too compact and busy
You will learn to love your Starlink out west. When we stay at Cape Dissapointment (for real place) there is zero cell coverage, Starlink is the only way to be connected while there. I used a ten pound weight using a bungy to put the Dish on my roof for better reception.
We really enjoy your videos!!
I will be very interested in your caravan experience. Have heard pros and cons as I'm sure you have. I'm not much of a group guy would be maybe ok if just give me the nights destination and travel at my own pace. However,sometimes it would be nice with someone else taking care of reservations and some event planning. Sounds like you have a small group hopefully you will get along. Course you guys are so chill I'm sure it will be 👍 happy trails
Done caravan with my parents quite a few times with the RV. Sure the destination is great, but the journey is pretty cool too! Wish I could full time in an RV...guess Ill have to wait til retirement.
Yep! Caravaned from WA state to Yuma. It was good to go since we both travel similarly and both have dogs 👍💯
I received an email from someone posing as you two saying I won some camping items and to text them via WhatsApp. When I called them out as a scam on a regular text they failed to respond. Gotta love it!!
We caravaned with one other couple. It was ok except we were way more fuel efficient. But we still has to stop when they were out of fuel. Have fun and stay safe.
We are not full timers but we have traveled with our friends in a "caravan". We always make our plans for fuel stops and food in advance and unless someone has a need for an extra stop we stick to our plans. If someone in the group needs to stop before our planned stop, we just communicate through the cell phone and let everyone know and then we decide whether we will all stop or just let the ones that needed to stop catch up with us (that is usually what we do unless it was an emergency stop and in that case, as friends, we stop also and make sure our friends are ok). Love watching you young people travel across the country.
I've had TST for four years and love it. You will, too. Really entnjoyed caravaning the few times we have done it. Telll Keith and Raini that Buzz from NASCAR said Hi.
Looking forward to your Alaska content. We are planning it but not for a couple more years. (need to get the Moryde installed 1st ) On the shelf with caravanning but there is safety in numbers, so good luck. We stayed at Colt Creek SP last year for a week. Was also very early arrival but they were very nice about it. You can park in the day use lots and wait as instructed. Park by the dumpsters rather than drive all the way to the parking lots. Allot of room to make a K-turn with a large 5er there. AC units got a workout as not many sites are shaded, it was a hot sunny week. The sites are huge and spaced out nice. Also, not too close to any stores so bring in what you need full for you stay. Plenty of walking trails for sure. They def need to let people know the cell service is really bad there in the CG. I was working remote and could not get much of a signal anywhere in the park. Our phones (verizon,tmobile and att ) kept dropping calls. Data was useless. The park was full so there is also contention for signal. Forced me to finally install my road warrior antenna for my pep wave on the roof of the rv. That made a huge difference for Verizon service. But only for data I got 35mb down 3 up during the daytime hours. We had to use an ip phone to make calls. Nighttime got congested and we just gave up. I think we were able to get about 40 channels on the over the air TV.
Travel days are not stressful to us. The journey is more important than the destination. Even when places like Hawaii is the destination, we turn it into a daily journey while there. Exploring is our shtick.
We did an Alaskan caravan last year and had a blast. 22 rigs and we were fine. Be careful between Destruction bay and Tok, that road is awfull but way better then the over the world route to Chicken. You guys are gonna have a blast. Everyone traveled at their own pace on travel days with a tail gunner brining up the rear in case someone had issues.
We used to camp every weekend in Anastasia State Park in Florida. Always clean, inexpensive, quiet and beautiful.
Watching from Australia, love you kids. Fun and kind to each other. I camp in my horse trailer at competitions and shows. Just wish I could reverse park like you guys .
I envy you Hanks on the road full time. My wife and I are older and have grandkids. We would not want to be away from them very long. We bought our first camper last year. Small 4600 lb, Jayco Jay Feather Micro MBS 199. Sleeps up to 7 to 8. We pull it with a Ford Ranger rated to tow 7500 lbs. So far we have only gone to sites within two hours of home for 4 days at a time. I have my eye on a F350 Dually and a Fifth Wheel if my wife and I ever decide to venture a little further out and for longer periods of time. We live in the Midwest and would love to do Florida or somewhere out west. I can spend hours looking at different model campers. I find looking at all the different models extremely interesting. I have the exact Fifth Wheel picked out and truck when the time is right. I may need to be patient a bit longer and wait for prices to drop. Until then, we will live vicariously through the Hanks.
We only run with one other couple and the small caravan runs smooth. We usually run about 4 hours and stop for fuel, restroom, and food. I would say with 6 RV’s it’s going to be Interesting for sure. Good luck and try to enjoy.
As always you always present information in a fun way which is both helpful and entertaining. I do appreciate that you don't refer programs which you are not confident in using your self. I know you won't lead us astray . Grandpa Jack
Travel day yesterday with lots of wind/wind gusts after being in place for 5 weeks. Phew! Stress and deep breaths......and a big glass of wine at the end of the day!
Caravans are GREAT! Hope for safe travels across the country. I’m livin it up on the van life caravan in Arizona this winter. It’s been more positive than negative since joining a small group.
We’ll, Hanks…after nearly 50 years of rv/camping, travel days are exciting. The journey is most often greater than the destination.
As far as a caravan experience…we’ve done lots of them and learned to always go your own ride, set some check in times/places, and final destination, but stop when and where it suits you, not everyone else. Just think of how long a quick potty break takes with five rigs and 10 people at one place 🤨
As always another informative video. I like how ya'll keep it real and try things out before you let us know about it. The internet starling is an interesting opportunity and I've listened to others tLk about it and I'm looking forward to seeing what your take is.
Thank you for your tips 😊 I am a full time PCA and been offered to hit the road. Any tips how to get license for other states?
Ahhh, thank you so much for sharing. Have fun.
We will be wintering in FL next year. Good to hear about the quality of their State Parks!
I always enjoy your videos and information. Have a wonderful adventure and travels!