Solo Women RV Podcast

I am back with the podcast and back in Oregon at one of my favorite first come, first serve campgrounds near my homebase of Portland. On this week's episode, I decided to share some of my favorite places to camp near Portland that offer first come, first serve reservations. If you're like me, you don't like to plan too far in advance and having the option to find a place at the last minute is key. Listen in and let me know what you think.

If you'd like to get a closer look at these campgrounds, here is an article I wrote that lists information about each one with a lot more details and photos:

I've got something serious to talk about this week. It's about making a plan for getting sick or injured while traveling. As I record this, I am recovering from an injury that is impacting my ability to drive and travel. I want to make sure that you have a plan in place, incase something happens to you and you're unable to drive your RV. What will you do?

This week I share what's been going on with me and some solutions and ideas that you can use in case you get sick or injured while traveling solo in your RV.

Show Notes:

Sometimes you just need a place to stop and sleep. It doesn't have to be fancy or pretty or even offer any amenities. Thankfully, there are a lot of retail stores that welcome RVers to spend the night in their parking lots. This week's episode, we go over the different stores that allow RV overnight parking and how to find them. We also talk about some overnight parking etiquette and a few places where overnight parking is not allowed.

Show notes:

This week I have a fun episode for you. Fellow solo female traveler Charlie Grace and I share our top 7 things we wish we knew about before hitting the road. We compare stories of what our expectations were before we hit the road as solo women RVers versus what the reality is of our lives on the road. We banter a bit back and forth. We had a blast and hope you enjoy this episode.

Show Notes:

What do you need to know before you buy an RV? There is surprisingly a lot that goes into the process of buying an RV--new or used. You need to figure out which class of RV is right for you. You need to make sure the rig you're buying is in good condition and once you do find your dream RV, you need to make sure you're not getting ripped off. My guest this week is an expert in all these areas. Cathy Conrad from RV Advisors offers customized one-on-one consulting services for folks who are just getting started in the RV lifestyle, want to make a change or who want to shorten their learning curve.

Special Offer for Solo Women RV Podcast:

This week my guest is Cynthia. Cynthia travels solo in her tow behind trailer with her German Shepard. Cynthia shares her stories of meeting angels on the road who came to her rescue and went above and beyond when she experienced breakdowns on the road.

The first time Cynthia broke down, she was terrified. But now she knows, she doesn't have to be afraid.

Key Take Aways:

1.    Everything will not go as planned. And that’s a good thing.

2.    I know for me personally, one of my biggest causes of anxiety is the fear of breaking down. I think if I ever do break down again—and I’m sure I will—I will remember Cynthia’s stories.

In this episode we’re going to learn about what it’s like to work at Yellowstone National Park.

When I visited Yellowstone a few years ago, I fell in love and said to myself that I'd love to return to work here one day.

What's it really like to work at Yellowstone National Park? I have two guests on the show today who share their experience and knowledge about working at Yellowstone as solo women RVers.

My guests are Jan, solo woman RVer who has worked at Yellowstone for 12 years and Alden who is the Talent Acquisitions manager, who handles a lot of the hiring at Yellowstone. She shares about what it takes to get hired and succeed as a Yellowstone National Park employee.

Show Notes:

1.    Qualities that make someone successful: willingness to learn, to be flexible, to be willing to be part of the community.

2.    Some of the RV sites are reserved for couples, but there are still plenty of opportunities at Yellowstone for Solos—and also there is housing provided if you don’t have a fully self-contained RV.

3.    Part of your salary will go toward housing—whether you’re in a dorm or in an RV. Meal plans are also offered.

4.    You can work at Yellowstone with a pet, but it needs to always be on a leash. And always attended to.

5.    Community is a big part of working at Yellowstone. It’s such a big park, you’re likely to find community in the district of the park you’re in.

 Links and Info about Working at Yellowstone:

I recently joined up with three other women to caravan from Portland, Oregon to Quartzsite, Arizona. I know a lot of women are interested in how to find others to caravan with, so I wanted to share my experience and what I learned from the driving 1200 miles with a group of other women RVers.

Show Notes:

Are you thinking of taking a trip to Baja, Mexico in your RV or van? This week, we've got two experts who will tell you everything you need to know as a solo woman to plan the perfect trip to Baja.

Heather and Keri have traveled to Baja multiple times and just got back from a 6-week trip.

They discuss safety, what to do it you get pulled over by the police, what paperwork and documents you need to do before crossing the border and how to find great traveling companions. It’s a bit longer than my usual episode, but chock full of great information. Listen in.

Show Notes:

My interview with vanlifer and comedian Tamale was so inspiring. She has lots of good tips and advice for anyone who is sitting on the fence of whether or not you should make the leap into this lifestyle.

She’s been traveling for three years in a small Ford Transit, doing stand-up comedy shows and basically making a living any way she can. She travels with 4, yes 4 dogs. We had a wonderful conversation. Listen in.

Key take aways:

 I got some great tidbits from Tamale for the way she’s structured her life to make full time van living a thing.

1. Make the decision to be uncomfortable.
2. Tamale demonstrates there are lots of ways to fund this lifestyle. She is a stand up comedian and that is her main income source, but she also works other odd jobs, house sitting, teaching online, balloon wrangler.
3. Just because stuff gets hard, doesn’t mean we should give up.
4. If the thing that’s keeping you from van/RV life is comfort and security, that’s all an illusion anyway.

I sold two RVs this year. Both of them sold really easily and quickly. In this week's episode, I share the steps I took to sell both RVs in just a few days.

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Have you ever thought about renovating your RV's interior? Most RVs don't roll off the lot with the most stunning interiors. But with a few simple touches, you can make your RV feel homey and reflect your personality.

This week I share 8 great gift ideas for solo women--or really any RVers. Here is my list:

As a solo RVer, I managed to go five years before I had black tank horror story. But this summer, I sure did have one. And let me tell you, that’s something I never want to go through again. That’s why this week, I have Sue Rasmussen as my guest. She is the owner of Royal Flush RV and she specialized in black and grey tank cleaning. This week’s show, we’ll have lots of tips and she’ll settle the age-old debate—to flush toilet paper or not to flush toilet paper.

Show Notes:

My guest this week is Katie. Katie is fairly new to RVing and she decided to check out the scene in Quartzsite Arizona last year. Quartzsite is a destination for many RVers because it offers a plethora of free camping and a warmer climate in the winter months. There are several gatherings in Quartzsite for nomads to learn from one another, socialize, tour each other's rigs and even find seasonal jobs.

Katie talks all about her first time at Quartzsite and why you should go, even if you're solo and don't know anyone there.

Show Notes:

This week we are talking with Vanna Mae all about Quartzsite, Arizona and why RVers flock there each December and January. Vanna tells us why Quartzsite is one of her favorite places--for the beauty and community. She tell us exactly where to camp, find water, dump your tanks, get groceries and most importantly, about the events and community meet-ups that make Quartzsite such a special place.

Show Notes:

Have you ever dreamed of traveling to Alaska, but feel intimidated as a solo traveler? My guest this week has been traveling to Alaska solo for many years and this year she's decided to lead a small caravan from Washington to south central Alaska. She tells us all about the trip, what you can expect, how to prepare and how to determine if this is the right trip for you.

Show Notes:

This week on the Solo Women RV Podcast our guest Betsy talks about her very first solo camping trip. Having done a lot of solo international travel, Betsy thought she was all set to handle a solo car camping trip. Until it came time to settle down for the night and fear took over.

Learn how Betsy overcame her fear and was able to keep going on her journey. Betsy’s story is a perfect example of having a beginner’s mind. She made a few mis-steps, got scared, but kept going learning from her mistakes along the way.

Listen in!

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And don't forget, for the month of October 2023, Solo Women RV podcast listeners get $10 off a yearly membership of the WINS (Wandering Individuals Network) RV club. It's a great way to connect with and travel with other solo RVers.

In this episode I talk about my recent meet-up with a great group of wandering women RVers. I share some of my favorite parts of this group and give three reasons you should attend a women's RV meet-up or caravan.

And don't forget, for the month of October 2023, Solo Women RV podcast listeners get $10 off a yearly membership of the WINS (Wandering Individuals Network) RV club. It's a great way to connect with and travel with other solo RVers.

On this short episode I share some of my updates about my camp hosting job, what I'm thinking about doing this Fall/Winter and also an update on my RV situation.

I also talk about an interview I did on The Galavan YouTube channel about the 10 Ways I Make Money as a Solo Woman RVer.

This episode is all about Tucker the Adventure Kitty: how I trained my cat Tucker to be comfortable in the RV and the things and products I use to make traveling with a feline companion so much easier and enjoyable.

I share some of the things I learned a long the way. I shared things that worked. Things that didn't and how Tucker and I make the most of our time together on the road.

Products mentioned in this episode:

My guest this week is Portia. Portia made the brave decision to leave an abusive marriage and to hit the road. She bought an old RV and hit the road—traveling for three years full time. She talks about the decision to leave the marriage, why traveling in an RV was such a great move for her and share some of her top adventures she had on the road.

Key Take-Aways

1.    All that really matters when purchasing an RV is the engine.

2.    People by their very nature like to help. And it makes them feel good to help. So don’t deny someone the opportunity to feel good.

As I am recording this, there is a wildfire burning just 40miles from me. I can see the smoke from my campground. Firefighters are swooping in with airplanes to collect water from my lake to douse the fire. The place where the fire started is right near a campground that I’ve camped at.

I decided to pull this episode from the archives. It’s an interview with Lisa Knight who is a fire fighter, EMT and avid camper. She shares with us her best tips for preventing a wildfire and also what to do in the unlikely event you find yourself camping when a wildfire breaks out.

Connect with Other Solo Women RVers

As a solo woman RVer, I rely on my apps to find me great places to camp, places to hike and even places to get cheap gas. There are a lot of apps out there, some free, some paid, that cater to campers and RVers and these are the 8 that I use the most. What apps do you use?

My Favorite Camping Apps

In this episode I share all about my job this summer as a campground host in Oregon. I share a bit about how I got the job, the application process, what is involved in the training and a report from my first few weeks on the job. If you've ever thought about becoming a campground host, this show is for you.

Show Notes:

This week on the podcast I speak with Shannon. Shannon headed out on the road after her first home was destroyed in a storm. She bought a cheap van, did a minimal build and set out. She received some assistance along the way, but when her money ran out, she had some medical and van issues, she now finds herself in a precarious situation. She wanted to come on and share her story so that others can learn from her situation.

Shannon definitely had some angels come to her rescue along the way. I really appreciate her vulnerability for sharing all that’s happened to her. And I also appreciate her outlook—she continues to find the good in all that’s happened to her.

Show Notes:

My guest this week is Susan Carpenter, the president and chair of the Women's RV Alliance, an organization that supports women who work or aspire to work in the RV industry. She share with us how this organization came to be, how she helped start it, why it's important and how we as women RVers and campers can support women who work in this male dominated industry.

Debra Dickinson was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury, so severe that she had to have a trustee help her with her financial decisions. Yet, when she got the news that things were getting worse and she might not live a year and if she did, she wouldn’t remember it, she did something quite brash. Debra set out to travel—something that had been on her bucket list.

This week on the podcast my guest is Maria Boutzoukas, a solo female vanlifer who dreamed of living in a van since she was a kid. She has so many people, and even the voices in her head, telling her that selling her house and moving into a van wasn't practical. But now that she's done it, she know she made the right decision.

We talk about all the ups and downs that came from selecting obtaining a van, building it out and finally hitting the road. Maria has ADHD and she quickly discovered that life on the road actually helped her symptoms. The constant changing scenery makes her feel more calm. She's loving life on the road and share a bit of her story with us. Key Take Aways:

1.    There are a lot of ways to make community. Take advantage of them. Maria and I have never met in person, but we were part of a group on Clubhouse and then started to follow each other on Instagram. This interview was our first time actually chatting and now I feel like if we do meet up in real life, we’ll have so much to connect about.

2.    With her ADHD diagnosis, the continuous chaos of moving and changing her environment actually helps her stay calm and focused. The constant change of scenery inspires her creativity and that helps at her job.   

3.    Rolling with the punches—going with the flow. When Maria didn’t get her van as expected, she showed a key trait of successful rv/van living. She pivoted and sketched the whole thing out so she could start the build as soon as she got it.

The Girl Camper podcast one of the first podcasts I listened to when I was getting started on my RV journey, so it's my pleasure to have Lesa McDermott, the Vice President of Operations at Girl Camper as my guest this week on the Solo Women RV podcast. Girl Camper is much more than a podcast. It's evolved into an organization with chapters all over the US with one purpose--to educate women to get out and enjoy the outdoors.

The Girl Campers have different chapters all over the US with events happening in each region. Meet-ups can vary from lunch with fellow campers to multi-day camping trips. They have a free Facebook group with more than 400,000 members! They also have a beautiful magazine--which Lesa has generously offered a free one year digital subscription for our listeners. Details on how to get your copy are below.

Links and Show notes:

My friend Sari reached out to me to let me know she was going on her very first solo camping trip--her first time camping as an adult--at age 47. I first interviewed Sari back in July 2021 and I'm sharing her story again because she is such a good story teller. She shares everything she did to prepare and the funny mishaps that happened along the way. After listening to Sari's story, you'll never look at guacamole the same way again.

Connect with Other Solo Women RVers

There are lots of ways to make money as an RVer and I like to joke that I do ALL of them. Here are the 9 ways that I make money to travel in my RV:

My guest this week is Val Nelson, a career and business coach who works with women who want to start their own businesses. Val and I talk about why coaching can be a great business for women who live on the road and why RVers are especially suited for entrepreneurship.

Key Take-Aways:

This week on the podcast I share all the things I'm doing to prepare to hit the road for a season on travel. I talk about getting my RV ready, getting my home ready for travel and all the things I need to do to for my job this summer as a campground host.

Show Notes:  1. Getting RV ready:

•  Uncover it
• Fill water
• Replace rod in water tank
• Turn on all faucets and check for leaks
• Fill hot water heater and check that
• Check stove
• Check Refrigerator
• Turn on all fans
• Drive it around

    2. Get house ready to rent

• List on Furnished Finder & Airbnb
• Repair floor
• Refinish kitchen table
• Find landscape maintenance person
• Remove my personal affects
• Clean basement

3. Get ready for job

• Drug testing
• Assess Clothes and footwear I need
• Getting van ready—the place I’m going to be working has no power hook-ups, so I purchased a Jackery lithium battery    

Connect with Other Solo Women RVers

Have you ever wanted to attend a gathering where you could hang out with other solo women who RV, camp and live in vans? This week on the podcast, I interview Merissa Peterson who is the onsite event coordinator for A Roam of Our Own, a women-only vanlife gathering March 16-19, 2023 in Palm Springs, California.

Take Aways:

1. A roam of our Own—March 16-19, 2023 just outside of Palm Springs, CA. Cost is about $100 per person. 

2. They are still looking for people to lead events or a craft and discounts are available for workshop presenters. Reach out to josiah@thejournaloflosttime.com if you're interested. 

3. This event is not a big party event like some vanlifer gatherings. Expect it to be chill and inviting.

Links:

This week we tackle the question, "Will I get lonely as a solo woman traveling alone in my RV or van?" The answer is, "Probably." Loneliness can be a part of solo travel. But loneliness doesn't have to be a bad thing. There are things you can learn about yourself by being solo that you won't be able to learn any other way.  On this episode I share some of my thoughts about loneliness and solo travel and I also share some ideas from other solo female travelers about how they cope with loneliness on the road. 

Connect with Other Solo Women RVers

Today we’re going to talk about propane.  Many women are nervous about their propane systems—they’re fearful of a fire, an explosion or carbon monoxide poisoning. Our guest today, Brenda Puckett from Queen Bee RV is here to quell our fears and tell us all we need to know to safely use propane in our RVs.

Takeaways:

1. Propane is liquified petroleum and it’s an important fuel for our RVs. The more you understand it and how it works, the more empowered you’ll be to use it safely.

2. Propane can cause issues if there is a leak in your line.  Get a professional Leak Drop test annually and perform DIY checks as often as makes you feel safe.

3. Carbon monoxide detectors are your first line of defense against a carbon monoxide

poisoning. Make sure your batteries are charged or you have fresh 9 volt batteries for those to operate properly.

My guest today is Emily Pennington, author of Feral Losing Myself and Finding my Way in America’s National Parks.  Emily shares stories from her book, including some of her favorite national parks, some of the things she did to plan for such a trip, experiencing the unexpected and the lessons she learned from taking such an adventure during a global pandemic and in the middle of a break-up. 

Key Take Aways

1. You can plan as much as you want for a trip—no matter how big or small, but things will happen that will likely make you change your course. The more you can be prepared for that, the more you will get from your journey.

2. Think about things you can do to have a positive impact on the environment as an RVer. Things like limiting your driving, driving slower, changing your diet to eat less meat are all little things you can do to preserve some of the beautiful places we travel to.

3. Don’t miss out on some of the lesser visited National Parks.

4. When planning a big trip like this, be sure to take basic safety precautions. And most importantly, we always talk about this, listen to your gut.

Links:

My guest this week on the Solo Women RV podcast, has perhaps one of the most powerful stories I’ve shared on this podcast. Angie Peacock is a military veteran who suffered a lot of trauma from her time in service. Like a lot of people struggling with mental health issues, she sought out medical help and was prescribed psychiatric medications. They helped for a while, but after years on the drugs, Angie suspected they were doing more harm to her than good. She began the process of healing herself again—and a big part of her story is moving into an RV and traveling full-time. She's got some really powerful things to share and I love her RV road magic! 

Key Take-Aways:

1. It takes courage to make big changes.

2. On the other side of fear is freedom

3. If you have mental health issues and you want to hit the road, it’s possible. Just make sure that you have a plan for when you inevitably hit a rough spot.

4. Give it time. Especially if you’re healing from trauma or some other thing, it will take time to get into your groove on the road.

5. Look for moments of magic. Angie calls them RV Road magic. Look for places where you can create moments of magic for others.

6. If you’re worried about the steep learning curve to RV life, take a class like those offered for new RVers.

Solo Women RV