Sunday, March 18, 2012

Getting The Motorhome Ready For Travel

Well, we handed the keys over for our house that we no longer own. What an odd feeling. We are homeless. Everything is in storage or in the motorhome, and it seems nothing is where it should be.
We have been couch surfing the last few days while we wait for the final papers to go through on the sale of the house.
During this time, my husband and I have been going through our belongings, making decisions on what to load into the motorhome, and where to put everything. First thing, I started setting up shelves in the sleeping area above the cab. We don't need that space for sleeping, so we may as well turn it into storage. I got shelves put in, and a rod for hanging clothes. My husband has been spending time checking over the engine, topping up fluids, and making sure everything is in working order.
We are exhaused from all the moving we have been doing over the past few weeks and months. But it feels good to be so close to our new adventure. The motorhome is close to being ready, as we fill it with everything we think we will need.
I picked up a mobile internet stick so I can have access to the internet while on the road. We will be in Canada and The States, so I got the flex plan for US/Canada from Rogers. As for our telephone, I got a pay-as-you-go phone from Virgin Mobile and picked up a 365 day card for $100.00.  Rogers and Virgin both have pay-as-you-go plans for about the same price, but Virgin had a cheaper basic phone, so I went with them. We can use that phone while in Canada, and pay for only the time we use. I will get another pay-as-you-go phone in The States to use when in America. Again, we will pay for only the usage on the phone. We have made no decision yet on television service. We may get a satellite dish, maybe not.
Another topic of discussion has been how we will provide power to the motorhome when we are travelling. We won't be staying in campgrounds all the time. Walmart parking lots may be our most popular 'campground' to start, until we figure things out a bit more. For electrical needs we may get a generator. But what size is best? For cooking, fridge use, and heat we have propane. But how much will that cost? Maybe we will invest in solar panels. But that would involve getting batteries and an inverter. I would like to eventually go at least partially solar, but I think we will have to put that on the back burner for now.
We have so much to learn, and all the time in the world to figure things out.

4 comments:

  1. I look forward to hearing of your adventures. Traveling the roads of Canada and the U.S.A. has always been a dream of mine. Keep us posted and ENJOY!!

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  2. Costco has a relatively inexpensive solar panel system currently in the store. Typically designed for camping this may wind up generating enough power for you. Good luck on your adventure, I enjoyed your blog very much and I was very impressed that you lasted as long as you did. I know I could not have dealt with the myriad of issues you did for the length of time you did.

    Best wishes

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  3. People who choose to embrace the mobile life have addressed many of your current issues. The generator should be about 1000 watts and quiet is important. The Chinese stuff is no where near as good as branded ones like Honda. Sine wave models are better but more expensive.
    Forget the satellite. The US has lots of local TV but you will need a $50.00 digital converter if your TV is not extremely current.
    You will also need a second battery and a switch.
    Watch for Crappy tire to put a sale on converters. 500 watts might be enough to run your computer or a small TV.
    Look for 20 lb Propane that is sold by Costco and Crappy tire - it is about half the price of corner gas stations

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  4. just do not end up on the people of Walmart site.I don't ever want to hear myself say Hey is that Ward aka warbut

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