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Sign up without credit card! Access the private forum, list items for sale, view digital products, and get discounts on parts + service. Choose a Membership Plan No Recurring Charges | Simple and Secure | Connect with Triangle RVers | Get Local Tips | Post Items for Sale | Access Hundreds of RV Resources | Huge Discounts on RV Parts Thinking About an RV $ 7 7$ Select Triangle RV Service Finder Triangle RV Forum Private Chat with Members Respond to For Sale by Owner Ads Along for the Ride $ 15 15$ Select Comprehensive RV Media Guide Triangle RV Service Finder Triangle RV Forum Private Chat with Members Respond to For Sale by Owner Ads Grow with Us. Lock in this Exclusive Introductory Rate! Leading the Trip $ 30 30$ Select Comprehensive RV Media Guide Triangle RV Service Finder RV Tips and How-to Triangle RV Forum Private Chat with Members Post and Respond to For Sale by Owner Ads Wholesale Pricing on Parts, Accessories, and Supplies Grow with Us. Lock in this Exclusive Introductory Rate!

RV on Call is a direct service provider, information platform, and community. Learn more about our services and what you can expect from us. What We Do RV on Call is a direct service provider, information platform, and community. We offer mobile RV maintenance, inspections, cleaning, and instruction in Raleigh - Durham - Chapel Hill, North Carolina. We are also a safe and supportive learning community, including an online forum with membership benefits and tips on local services. We also maintain a blog and publicly viewable listing of RVs and gear for sale. We focus on both hard and soft skills to help folks get more from their RV. Our Services and Passion RV on Call is a direct service provider, information platform, and community. We are North Carolina’s only hybrid RV community, meaning we offer a mix of both in person (mobile) and online services. Yes, we can fix and maintain your RV, but we are not only interested in keeping RVs running - our aim is to build community and make RV life more safe, efficient, and fun. Let's face it: RVs are complex. Choosing the right one, knowing how to use it, keeping up with maintenance, all the care and feeding. But the physical aspect is only half the playbook. At RV on Call we think of the RVing as having two main components: hard skills and soft skills. Hard skills are about managing the rig itself; soft skills are about managing yourself, your travel companions, and the journey . We believe mastering both is critical to the RV experience, but most guidance in books and online skews toward hard skills. RV on Call is not your typical mobile RV service because we focus on a mix of both. We like getting our hands dirty with RV repairs and maintenance, but are also fascinate by the RV industry and lifestyle . We love discovering tips, mods, hacks and planning tools related to the RV mindset + routine + planning. These soft skills cover attitude and expectations, packing checklists and physical modifications, travel routines and route plans, campground etiquette and communication techniques. We are constantly training and researching to improve our techniques and recommendations. We share what we know, amplify the contributions of others, and promote discussion. Above all, we are customer-focused and welcoming. Discover our mobile RV services , learn about our membership plans , browse the forum and engage with other RVers, or enjoy articles on the blog . More details on everything can be found in the FAQ . All RVers have a perspective worth sharing. We invite you to explore our site, join the conversation , and get more from your RV. The Need for Mobile RV Services In 2020 RVs were having a moment. The COVID-19 pandemic added fuel to an already-expanding industry, and rental services like Outdoorsy and RV Share allow tentative owners chance to try before they buy. According to the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) Survey of Manufacturers , 55,014 units were sold in September 2021, an increase of 32% compared to September 2020, setting a new all-time high for the number of RVs shipped in any previous month and quarter. A record number of rigs are on the road and owners can now manage units with the ease of an AirBnB. Despite its remarkable the growth (or perhaps because of it) of RV industry suffers from a languishing support sector. In his article, The State of RV Repairs (11/30/21), Marc Bennett described six reasons why it is so hard to get into an RV Repair Shop, citing supply and demand, the nature of RVs themselves (rolling earthquakes), and the shortage of RV technicians. In Episode 262 of The RV Podcast (2019), Mike and Jennifer Wendland discussed the causes and potential solutions for addressing the 21-day delay to get an RV repaired at an RV dealership or service center. And that was pre-COVID. Highly skilled RV repair technicians cannot keep up with demand. RV repair shops charge high hourly rates for premium services. So where does that leave the rest of us that just need help with routine tasks? You wouldn’t hire a contractor to maintain your yard, so why go to an RV shop for general upkeep? RVing is fun, but let’s face it: a house on wheels requires constant attention, and moving thousands of pounds of weight down the highway is serious business. The joy of RVing is the journey as much as the destination. Some call it a chore-cation, but RVers know that the more love you give your rig the more it loves you back. But life gets busy some times. Does that mean you should you still take those trips? Yes, but we shouldn't neglect our rigs. It’s almost like the RV industry needs the equivalent of a property manager. This is how RV on Call was born. Some folks might need help because they are new. Some folks might just not have the extra time to do the job. Some folks might just not want to deal with the aftermath of the trip. RV on Call exists to support busy RVers juggling work and family and play time, or those who are frequently renting their units to others and don't have time to handle the clean-up and turnover themselves. Whether it's fixing your RV or teaching you how to use it, we are here to help you get more from your RV. Voted Best Mobile RV Service in North Carolina RV on Call received the 2022 North Carolina Business Award for Best Mobile RV Services Company by New World Report and was featured in the RV Pro trade journal . Read more about it on our blog . In addition to direct services, RV on Call is a safe and supportive learning community, including an online forum with membership benefits and tips on local services. We also maintain a blog and publicly viewable listing of RVs and gear for sale. We focus on both hard and soft skills to help folks get more from their RV. Join the RV on Call Community Join our free Triangle RV online community via link below. There’s an RV discussion forum and members get access to useful RV resources like our comprehensive RV media guide, an ever-expanding list of RV books, films, web sites, and podcasts showcasing the best of the RV world. Join Now Service finder

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Creating an RV travel itinerary is a key soft skill you won’t find in your owner's manual or in a fancy newbie's book. Yet, having one will help you make the most of your time, prioritize your favorite activities, estimate expenditures, and even ensure essentials aren't left behind. Basically, an itinerary is an organized outline for a journey. It focuses on how and where you’ll spend your time and has plenty of leeway for unforeseen circumstances. But with so much to consider, writing an RV trip itinerary can be daunting, even for seasoned RVers. In this post, we will show you how to prepare an RVing itinerary so you can have a harmonious and fulfilling trip. Contents Choose an Editing Tool Harness the Power of RV Trip Planning Apps Research Your Destination Divide Your Document into Sections Get Input from Family and Make a Plan for at Least Three Consecutive Days Include a Packing List Be Flexible Include a Backup Plan Print a Hard Copy Choose an Editing Tool While you can use a pen and paper to make your travel itinerary, a simple program like Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel will help you share the plan with your travel companions. Plus, a digital copy is easier to access and update from different devices. Harness the Power of RV Trip Planning Apps Apart from a spreadsheet program, there are other tools that are a must-have for anyone organizing an RV trip. Visit our Media Guide Resource to discover our compilation of over 350 RVing mobile apps, websites, books, magazines, podcasts, films, and YouTube channels. Below are some of the ones related to trip planning: AllStays - Finding private and public campgrounds and RV amenities even without internet. Campground Views - Virtual tours to help you see and book campsites. RV Spot Drop - Sends you canceled or unsold sites at the most popular RV parks to your inbox. Campendium - Locating paid RV campgrounds, free camping opportunities, and their reviews. CampNab - Alerts you when a spot opens up in your preferred RV campground. CampSpot - Discover and instantly book campgrounds, RV parks and glamping spots. RV Life's Trip Wizard - Finding routes that match your RV's dimensions, discovering points of interest on the route, and reading campground reviews. ToGo RV - Use pre-made RVing checklists and find the best RV mobile service, nearby campgrounds, attractions, and service centers. Research Your Destination Using the tools above, collect all the information you can about your upcoming trip. That includes the best routes to the destinations, contacts for campgrounds to stay at, RV rental owner contacts, attractions to visit, interesting local events, foodie stops, reviews, what to pack for the weather, RVing rules in the region, travel costs, and expected weather. Divide Your Document into Sections Open a blank page in your word-editing tool and create sections to note down what you’ve researched. Your rows can include the following headings: Travel Date - The first row should have columns of your vacation dates. Where to Stop - In this section, list specific places you’ll visit on each date in the morning, afternoon and evening, and note the route and entrance fees. In addition, factor in driving time and waiting time when approximating arrival and departure time. Where to Eat - List the places you’ll stop for meals on each date. Where to Stay - Campground you’ll stay, contacts, address, and rates. General Information - List things like contacts you’ll need on each date, interesting information about each stop, opening/closing hours, emergency numbers, and other expenses. Get Input from Family and Make a Plan for at Least Three Consecutive Days It’s time to fill the sections above with the actual plan. Consult your travel companions and note down activities for three consecutive days. Ideally, the spots you visit on a particular day should be close by to minimize travel time. Make sure you allocate each activity a time frame to avoid spending too much time in one area and missing out on other activities. Include a Packing List On a different page or section, add a packing checklist. It should include clothes that match the weather that’s forecasted in your destination and gear that complements the activities you’ll be doing. Don’t forget to add travel documents. Be Flexible While it’s smart to have time frames, you don’t have to create a strict schedule. Instead of rushing from one place to the next and restricting fun hours, leave enough time for you to appreciate each attraction. There are also days when you’ll need a day off, and sometimes you can deviate from your plan to check out a hidden gem. Include a Backup Plan Have a Plan B regarding the attractions you want to visit and places to stay. Record details of free campsites near your destination in case the campground you booked is closed or can’t be reached on time. Find and list alternative attractions in case you find annoying lines or extreme traffic near your target attraction. Print a Hard Copy To easily keep track of what you’ve done and what needs to be done, print the plan. A hard copy is easier to follow and tick. Also, electronics aren’t always reliable, plus not every place is safe to use a gadget. A Complete RVing Itinerary is Your Recipe for a Successful Trip. Take the guesswork out of your trip by crafting a well-thought-out RV road trip itinerary. Creating a precise plan will ensure you know exactly where to visit, how to get there, where to camp, and how much time to spend at every point of interest. Plus, with all details in one place, it will be easier to refine your budget. ****** Enjoy the read? There's more for you at RV on Call - join our Community! We maintain an RV discussion forum and a library of premium digital products . Site membership is free, which provides access to the forum. Paid members also get discounts on RV parts and supplies. Explore membership benefits and sign up today ! You can also join our mailing list to receive future blog posts and service updates.

Managing the rig is only half the equation; achieving your RV goals means effectively managing yourself, your companions, and the journey. Hard skills + soft skills = RV happiness Contents Hard Skills vs Soft Skills Soft Skills: Getting Personal Don't Delay Soft Skills RV media is packed with tips, hacks and resources covering hard skills like driving, towing, connecting to park water and power, and emptying the holding tanks. But what about the soft skills that make up the other half of the RV experience and shape who you are as an RVer? These are the intangible ingredients like your attitude and expectations. Departure routines and set-up checklists. Maintenance schedules. Travel plans and route choices. Screen time limits for kiddos (and adults?). Soft skills are the things they don't tell you at the RV dealership or newbie clinic. They are the collective wisdom of the road. Books and media skew toward hard skills, but do not underestimate the power of the soft side and the profound impact it has on achieving your RV goals. ​ Hard Skills vs Soft Skills Hard skills are more intuitive because they are the things we see and touch (not to say they are easy). They refer to the technical knowledge needed to operate, outfit, and maintain an RV safely and efficiently. Connecting a trailer, backing into a camp site, draining the black tank. Need more examples? Pick up any issue of RV Enthusiast , one of the premiere RV hard skills publications. Hard skills readily lend themselves to training because they are an accepted practice. We don't tend to apply our personal style to RV hard skills because for the most part they are more black and white and we should do them according to the experts and the user manual. In contrast, soft skills roam the grey area. They are the organizational traits unique to each RVer. They are the habits, processes, and systems we follow to achieve our lifestyle goals. Sometimes we do this intentionally, like with a checklist. Other times we follow a routine without thinking about it. Over time, each RVer tailors their soft skills to compliment their RV lifestyle. Soft Skills: Getting Personal It's harder for an expert to recommend soft skills because some are quite personal and value-laden. What works for one RVer may not hold true for another based on how they use their rig and their goals. Is it true that watching TV while RVing distances one from nature? Yes. Does that mean it is wrong to have a TV in your rig? No. Because maybe your definition of travel and leisure includes relaxing and watching a movie on the road, be it at the campground or a Wal-Mart lot. But for someone else, connecting with nature might be tops. And if you're like me the target moves with the journey. Just because soft skills are fluid and not universal does not mean they should be dismissed. Quite the opposite, they should be studied, experimented with, poked, tweaked, and made better. If you dive into YouTube and RV web sites you will start to see the experts talking about them. They tend to swim under the surface in the tips, hacks, how-to or planning categories with titles like, 11 Ways to Get Teens Onboard for Your RV Travels ; Get the Most out of Your RV’s Closet with These Easy Organizational Hacks ; and 5 Tips for Visiting Overcrowded National Parks . If you're around RVing long enough you will undoubtedly hear about these, and better yet, you'll come up with your own. Seasoned RVers know how powerful the soft skills are and love to share insights. Marc and Julie Bennett of RV Love wrote a book containing over 400 of them (their book is actually a mix of both, but it is the most thorough compilation of soft skills I have seen). Using the above example articles, we generally put soft skills into three buckets: mindset, routine, and planning. These can be thought of like a scientific theory. You might not be able to prove the benefits of a good routine as cold hard fact, but the better ones get tested and proven so many times by RV veterans that they become a dominant paradigm. So it is worth taking the time to explore them, try them, and see which ones are a good fit for your lifestyle. While they don't get the same attention as hard skills, we promise that investing in soft skills early and often will reduce the learning curve and make your RV experience more efficient and rewarding. Don't Delay Soft Skills You don't need to wait for more experience to start focusing on soft skills. Yes, knowing how to empty the black tank is going to feel more important than forming better organizational routines. But what's the use in know how to empty the tank if you forgot to pack the d*&! hose? A brand-new RVer will benefit from a departure checklist just as much as a seasoned pro. For the newbie it means not forgetting the blank tank hose. For the pro it might help him or her do things faster or delegate tasks to someone else. A balanced set of hard skills and soft skills helps make RVing more efficient, reduces stress, increases safety, and helps improve the RV experience. When you're looking for ways to improve life on the road remember to pack both into your toolkit. ****** Enjoy the read? There's more for you at RV on Call - join our Community! We maintain an RV discussion forum and a library of premium digital products . Site membership is free, which provides access to the forum. Paid members also get discounts on RV parts and supplies. Explore membership benefits and sign up today ! You can also join our mailing list to receive future blog posts and service updates.

Cultivating the right mindset will help you get the most out of your RV trip. An RV adventure begins not at the destination, but the moment the planning and packing begin, and through the return trip home. Even the most well-prepared person will experience hiccups when Rving. And learning to cultivate the right mindset will help you and your companions enjoy the adventure and adapt to challenges that arise with the RV lifestyle. By incorporating the RV soft skills of a positive outlook, being flexible, and communicating well, you can maintain a healthy a nd realistic mindset that will make your RV experience the best possible. If you cultivate these mindset shifts during your next RV trip, you’ll have the best experience possible. A healthy and realistic mindset throughout the trip helps us cope with problems, maintain a positive attitude and maximize enjoyment. Contents Harness a Positive Outlook Be Flexible When in Doubt, Communicate Harness a Positive Outlook A positive outlook is the first key to preparing your mindset for your next RV adventure. Even a newer, well-maintained RV will have issues at some point. Things rumble loose on the highway inviting problems. If we anticipate that problems will inevitably happen, they are less likely to spoil our experience. There’s no such thing as a perfect RV trip. Embracing an adventurous spirit and a positive outlook and accepting that problems will occur helps everyone keep a calm and realistic perspective. Be Flexible Flexibility is vital for maintaining a healthy RV mindset. Unexpected issues will inevitably arise during your trip. From closed roads to inclement weather or unexpected vehicle problems, challenges will arise. Practice flexibility and you’ll be able to adapt better to overcome these issues. Flexibility can also help you stick to a budget while traveling so you can enjoy your adventure without spending a lot of money. When in Doubt, Communicate Ongoing communication is the key to making your RV experience the best for you and your loved ones. So often arguments and tensions arise due to a lack of communication or misunderstanding. Be open to discussing and communicating throughout your trip planning and travel process, and you will help everyone enjoy the trip more. Traveling is also a great opportunity to boost your interpersonal skills with those close to you as well as with new people you encounter during your trip. If you cultivate these mindset shifts during your next RV trip, you’ll have the best experience possible. Cultivating the right mindset will help you get the most out of your RV trip. An RV adventure begins not at the destination, but the moment the planning and packing begin, and through the return home and unpacking. A healthy and realistic mindset throughout the trip helps us cope with problems, maintain a positive attitude and maximize enjoyment. And you’ll enjoy the many benefits of a great trip , including more passion, confidence, and curiosity that carry over into the other areas of your life. Bon voyage! ****** Enjoy the read? There's more for you at RV on Call - join our Community! We maintain an RV discussion forum and a library of premium digital products . Site membership is free, which provides access to the forum. Paid members also get discounts on RV parts and supplies. Explore membership benefits and sign up today ! You can also join our mailing list to receive future blog posts and service updates.