Mari Kondo meet Luigi the Travato!

I've got to be out of my mind!  We've been downsizing our house and have 'stuff' piled everywhere--stuff from the attic, guest room closets, Tom's office, my craft room, and don't even get me started about the garage or shed...!  Piles for family, piles for a yard sale, piles for the ReStore,  Good Will, the free pile out at the road, recycling, and more! So why in the midst of all this upheaval do I decide it's time to hoe out our RV?

Well...we bring different stuff in our RV for summer travel than we do for other seasons.  We don't need our little screen house for winter camping on Cape Cod, and definitely won't use winter comforters in South Dakota this summer. Just like our sticks and bricks house,  over time things accumulate in our tiny home on wheels. So with all our downsizing, it just made sense to downsize in Luigi too.

As fans of Marie Kondo's book and her Netflix series,  The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up,  we followed her advice and removed everything from Luigi.

So the result is that This Happened in our living room!  Not pictured are the mattresses just out of the photo and bedding which was in the washer. But everything else from the van including the cab is in this photo.

It was a mess, but oh, did it feel SO good to take everything out and give Luigi a good cleaning.  If you decide to do the same, don't forget to clean the chassis AC filters, the overhead fans, and if you have a Travato K model, carefully remove the glass guard over the galley cooktop to clean it --the 4 stainless steel bolts unscrew.

Then according to Marie Kondo, only return those items that 'spark joy.'  Here are a few 'after' pictures:

So if I'm honest the broom doesn't spark quite as much joy as the corkscrew does, but clean floors at sandy campsites do!  What did we remove?  Well, a ton a paper surprisingly--lots of maps and tourist brochures from places we've been; a few knitting patterns I'd been missing.  Some sea glass, and pebbles that had been precious at one time. Cluttery things!  In addition some fairly large items like one of the table legs--we use the table all the time to make up the big bed, but never use it as a table.  We kept just one table leg to use with our small table.  We also removed the convection oven wire rack--used it just once for a frozen pizza,  the lid to the dish pan, and the cutting board that sat on top of it, and various other kitchen and junk draw items that wormed their way into the rig but were never used. For a small investment of a rainy Saturday afternoon, we were thrilled with the results.

If you decide to Konmari your RV, what you keep and discard will most likely be totally different than our experience--just do what sparks joy!

Newfoundland Meal Prep -- Sloppy Joe Sliders & Salad

Sloppy Joe Sliders & Salad

On long driving days when we're focused on getting from Point A to Point B, we aren't usually very hungry at dinner time--probably because we didn't get enough exercise!  Sloppy Joe Sliders & Salad is a perfect small meal that satisfies with a taste of comfort food, but keeps it healthy with a fresh salad.  It's also a great meal for rainy or windy nights since it easily heats up in an RV galley.

This is another recipe that isn't really a recipe.  Everyone has a favorite Sloppy Joe recipe so go ahead and cook up a batch, divide into bags, and pop in the freezer.  When you're on the road, just defrost and heat in a skillet or microwave.

The Sloppy Joe recipe I've been making for decades is from my friend, Sharon.  On rainy days at her lake house, Sharon make a double batch of Sloppy Joes and it's always a hit with her large extended family.

Make Ahead Ingredients

2 lbs lean ground beef (or turkey)
1 onion, peeled and diced
1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons vinegar
1/4 teaspoon of dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tablespoon of hot sauce (or more to taste)
salt & pepper to taste

In a large preheated skillet, brown diced onion with meat in two batches to not crowd the pan, pour off any grease.  Combine the other ingredients in a small bowl.  Add all the cooked meat mixture back to the skillet and stir in the sauce. Simmer for 15 minutes.  Cool mixture, fill freezer bags removing as much air as possible, and place flat in the freezer.

Notes: Like green peppers, chopped celery, chopped carrot?  Garlic?  Sloppy Joes are a great way to use up veggies in your fridge.  Just chop and add when you add the onions.  Vegetarian?  Use Beyond Meat Crumbles to replace the beef or turkey.

2. Since we make small sliders with this recipe, we fill at least 4 freezer bags with the 2 lbs of beef.  If you want full size Sloppy Joes, just divide among fewer bags.

3. Adding crushed tomatoes to the sauce will make them 'extra' sloppy for easy reheating.

4. Serve on small toasted dinner rolls (those Hawaiian ones are a guilty pleasure) with a side salad.

Rosie's Pet Friendly Tip:  Make sure some of the Sloppy Joes 'accidentally' slide off your plate!

Newfoundland Meal Prep--TexMex Chicken Bowls

Why all the meal prep for long RV trips?  We have three reasons: 1) eating healthy, keeping an eye on our expenses, and preparing quick meals, so we don't cut into adventuring time.  I mention the quick meals because we take shortcuts! At home I cook with dried beans--on the road--canned. I also don't do much any baking on the road.  I find myself watching the timer and thinking about what I'm missing while I'm waiting.

Maybe when we retire the timer won't have as much power over us, but for now, it's about quick meals so we can catch a sunset or a ranger program.

One of my shortcuts (don't judge me!) is 'boil-in-bag' type grains to make bowl meals.  There are several different brands of these available in local grocery stores. Trader Joe's has some great options too.  I usually get "Success" brand--it's non-GMO (thank you Vermont for being first in the nation to ban GMO products) and available in several varieties of white rice, brown rice, and quinoa.  In 10 minutes we have brown rice, and a pot that doesn't need to be cleaned! That totally works in our little RV galley.

Oh and did I mention, one box of Success Boil-in-Bag brown rice contains four 2-serving bags. Think Mexican, Chinese, Indian, Thai...

Here's a TexMex Chicken Bowl I prepped for our trip.

TexMex Chicken Prep

3 chicken breasts
3 small cans of tomato sauce (no sugar added)
3 Tablespoons taco seasoning
Hot sauce (optional)

Heat a medium sized skillet with a tsp of olive oil.  Brown chicken breasts (about 4 minutes per side).  Add 3 cans of tomato sauce and taco seasoning.  Simmer until chicken is heated through (about 20 minutes).  Remove from heat, cool, and shred chicken.  Divide chicken into three freezer ziplock bags to prep for three meals, and place flat in freezer.

Note: You can make this with chicken and a jar of salsa, but the day I made it, I only had tomato sauce in the house. A can of Rotel tomatoes and peppers would work well too.  Vegetarian?  Black beans heated with a can of Rotel and some taco seasoning is yummy.

TexMex Bowl

Ingredients
1 bag of defrosted TexMex Chicken
1 bag of 'boil-in-bag' brown rice
cilantro, 5 or 6 sprigs of fresh
1 lime, cut in quarters
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
Other toppings--avocado, tomatoes, corn, sour cream, broken corn chips

Prep The Meal
1.  Boil the rice, split between 2 bowls and stir in a little chopped cilantro for flavor.
2.  Reheat chicken adding a little water in a foil lined small skillet.
3.  While chicken is heating, make chimichurri in a small bowl by combining minced jalapeno,  a tablespoon olive oil,  the rest of the chopped cilantro, and juice from half a lime. Set aside.
4.  Add chimichurri on top of rice, then the warm chicken, top with whatever else you have--Monterrey Jack or cotija cheese, avocado slices, tomato... have any sour cream or corn--toss that in too...and squeeze remaining lime over the top.

Rosie would honestly rather have a restaurant doggie bag, because there are usually more leftovers.  But a little chicken and rice to top off her kibble is always a good thing.

Newfoundland Meal Prep--Pork Roasts Were BOGO!

Pork roasts were Buy One Get One Free at the grocery store, so meal prep for our Newfoundland trip is Pork Carnitas! The recipe I use is modified from iheartkitchen.com which uses leftover cooked pork roast.  I changed up the spices a bit, and substituted orange juice and juice from a lime--I didn't have a lemon.

Here's my version.  I think the lemon would have made this a little bitter, so I'm glad I didn't have one.  I also increased the amount of onion and only used garlic powder.

Pork Carnitas

In a heavy dutch oven, combine the following and simmer about an hour until liquid is reduced by half.

Carnitas Ingredients to make ahead and freeze:

4 cups of cooked pork roast, trimmed of fat and cut in 1 inch pieces
2 1/4 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 medium onions, diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
1/4 cup orange juice
1 lime, juiced
1 tablespoon cumin
1 1/4  teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon coriander
3/4 teaspoon salt
cayenne pepper (optional if you like more of a kick)

After liquid is reduced by half, shred the pork with a fork.  Cool, and divide between freezer bags (I filled 3 quart bags and each bag serves two.

Making Dinner: 

Remove pork from freezer and defrost the day you plan to eat. You'll need these additional ingredients to make dinner:  small soft tacos, a bag of coleslaw mix, 1 jalapeno, cilantro (fresh or dried), sour cream (or mayonnaise), 1 lime including zest, and any toppings you might want--tomato, cheese....

In a small bowl, combine a quarter to a third of a bag of coleslaw mix with 2 tablespoons sour cream, lime zest, lime juice, minced jalapeno (remove seeds), cilantro, salt, and pepper to taste.  Chop tomato, grate cheese.

In a nonstick skillet, add a teaspoon of olive oil and reheat the pork on high to crisp it up a bit.  Remove pork to bowl, wipe out pan and heat tortillas in the same pan.

In warm tortillas, add pork, coleslaw, and garnish with chopped tomato and cheese.

So Tom is probably shocked, that I prepped three dinners using pork, his favorite,  since I usually eat pork a just three times a year!  But between the 'buy one, get one deal, ' and this flavorful recipe, I won't have any trouble eating carnitas 3 times in 6 weeks with just a tiny taste leftover for Rosie.

If you're keeping track, I've got 9 dinners prepped so far!

Newfoundand Meal Prep--Pizza, Pizza!

Naan Grilled Pizza

This is so simple it doesn't even count as a recipe, you can totally customize, and there's next to no prep!  Perfect for camping.

We grill our pizza on a small Coleman Fold n Go Grill that fits easily under the bed in our Travato- K model, but a campground grill would work too as long as you're using a pre-cooked flatbread type crust. The one trick to successful pizza grilling is coating the grill with a little olive oil to prevent sticking.  Boondocking and no grill?  You can cook this in a cast iron skillet on your RV's stovetop.

Pre-planning Prep
We use whole grain naan for our pizza crust, but any flatbread will work.  Then we pack a jar of prepared pizza sauce and a few other toppings which can easily be re-used in salads or pasta dishes. We usually go vegetarian with pizza and our favorite toppings are artichoke hearts, sun dried tomatoes, olives, and walnuts for some protein.  Once we're in Newfoundland, we'll look for mozzarella and parmesan, but goat cheese and feta are yummy too.


Grilling the Pizza

Prep the grill with a little olive oil and preheat.  Spread a think layer of pizza sauce on the naan and top with mozzarella and parmesan.  Add toppings of your choice and sprinkle a little oregano or Italian seasoning and pepper on top. Place naan on hot grill. Part way through grilling I cover with foil so the cheese melts.  Check bottom of Naan often to make sure it doesn't burn.  When heated through, remove from grill and serve with salad!


Ingredients for 2 individual pizzas

Whole wheat Naan (package of 2)
4 oz mozzarella
1 oz parmesan
sliced olives
1/4 can of quartered artichokes, drained
2 Tbl julienned sun dried tomatoes
1/4 C walnut pieces
pinch each of oregano and pepper

Leftover cheese and toppings can be saved for pizza night next week or use them in pasta dishes or salads.

Rosie definitely likes leftover pizza even if it's vegetarian!

Newfoundland Meal Prep Korean Beef Tacos

WooHoo! It's prep time for our epic bucket list trip in our Travato camper van to Newfoundland!

We love these long 6-week trips with time to get to know an area and the people, but travel can be expensive. One of our secret weapons for cutting costs is cooking most of our meals.  An added benefit is that we usually eat much healthier, have better portion control, and can eat when and where we are hungry! To make this work, I food prep, pack some staples, carefully choose recipes that are camping friendly, and repeat meals to keep it simple.

For this 6-week trip I'm selecting 12 recipes that I'll prep 3 times each for 36 dinners and for the rest of the time we'll be enjoying fresh local Newfoundland seafood!  Our breakfasts are simple -- coffee, cereal or oatmeal, fresh fruit, and occasionally egg burritos or a smoothie.  Lunch is usually cold cuts, tuna, or hummus in a salad bowl or a pita.

So really the only cooking I do is for dinner.  Anything I can pre-prep goes in the small freezer in our Travato K.  It's narrow, but deep, so anything I freeze, I freeze flat in ziplock bags.  Don't forget to label the contents of those freezer bags!

Here's the recipe I'm prepping today--Korean Beef Tacos.  I'll make three portions of the beef (each portion feeds two people).  After it cools, it gets divided into 3 ziplock bags.

Korean Beef Tacos

Prep Ingredients: 
12 oz    Thin sliced ribeye steak (you could sub lean ground beef)
1/2       Onion, diced small
4 oz.    Teriyaki marinade (we love the brand        pictured--it's organic and not too sweet)
1 tsp     Olive oil
couple dashes of tabasco (we like a little kick)

Prep Method:
Add a tsp of olive oil to hot skillet.  Toss in minced onion and beef.  Cook 5-6 minutes or until browned. Add Teriyaki marinade and dash of tabasco (optional).  Cool and add to a quart size ziplock freezer bag.  Label bag's contents and lay flat in freezer.

Dinner Ingredients:

Defrosted, prepared beef
6 small whole wheat soft tacos
1 cucumber
4 oz of a package of coleslaw mix
1 lime, cut into wedges
1 Tbl Mayonaise
Sriracha

Dinner Method:
Defrost the beef in the morning--I usually put the freezer bag on a plate in the sink before we head out for the day).  At dinner time, warm up defrosted beef in the microwave or a skillet with a little added water.  Wash and peel skin from cucumber.  Peel cumber lengthwise in long peels until you reach the inner seeded part which you can discard.  Add cucumber peels to small bowl with 1 tbl of lime juice 1 tbl water, and a little salt. Toss and set aside.  In another small bowl, add coleslaw mix, 1 tbl mayo, 1 tsp lime juice, and sriracha to taste, mix and set aside.  Warm the soft tacos, and to each taco pile on beef, slaw mix, and cucumber, squirt a wedge of lime over the top.  Yum!

The fresh ingredients--coleslaw mix, cucumber, soft tacos, and lime should be easy to find in a local grocery store.  As far as prep goes--I keep is simple with paper bowls for mixing veggies, and just one skillet to warm the meat (if you line it with aluminum foil, you can remove the meat in the foil to a plate and heat the soft tacos in the same skillet.

Korean Beef Tacos is a nice change from burgers on the grill and easy to prepare indoors if it's raining! The whole wheat tacos add healthy carbs, and of course there are lots of flavorful veggies.

Rosie said to be sure to let you know she approves of this recipe and that there's enough beef left over to top off her dry dog food!

                                                                                                                                    

Finding Campsites & Overnight Parking

How do you find campgrounds or overnight parking when you're on the road?  Back in our tenting days we travelled with a well worn Woodall's camping directory that was about 4 inches thick.  Fast forward to our favorite campground apps!

AllStays ($) --  This app is at the top of our list to check, but sadly only available for Apple iOS. It's $9.99, but money well spent.  With over 60,000 locations, you can filter by--Cracker Barrels, Cabelas, Walmarts, casinos, municipal, state, and national parks; as well as dispersed sites in forests, BLM land, and Corp of Engineers.  It's super comprehensive!  Why would you want any other app?  Well...read on.




Campendium (free) --Use Campendium if you're looking for detailed reviews by other campers. One reason I like Campendium is because the reviews often include information about cell service and/or WiFi access.  It's available for iOS or you can search the website in your browser.


RV Parky (free) -- is a great choice for iOS or Android and like AllStays it includes a wide variety of options--private, public,  casinos, Walmarts, Cabelas's, Cracker Barrels, truck stops, rest areas, and more. It even provides warnings for low clearance roads.  I like the filters for amenities like laundry, pool, pet friendly, wifi, and more.



Recreation.gov (free) --  Yay! The update to this National Parks reservation app has been long overdue.  If used the clunky old Recreation.gov you know exactly what I'm talking about.  I love how you can now see availability IN REAL TIME(!) at 12 participating partners including National Parks, Seashores, Forests; BLM, Army Corps of Engineers, Tennessee Valley Authority, and more. It is SO much easier to see what sites are available and to reserve them.  Ditch the old app on your phone and download this one.  Note: this brand new update is currently available for iOS only, but an Android version is expected soon.

Harvest Hosts (app is free, annual membership required) -- We're big fans of Harvest Hosts.  Why stay at a noisy truck stop or crowded Walmart, when you can stay at a scenic winery, rural farm, or fascinating museum?  For an annual membership fee, Harvest Hosts provides over 700 locations in the U.S. and Canada, where all it takes is a quick phone call to ask if they have room for overnight parking.  You can thank the owners with a purchase of a bottle of wine, some farm fresh produce, or a museum ticket while you're there.  We love getting off the beaten path and supporting local businesses.

RV Parks and Campgrounds (free) -- Another popular app that includes a variety of campgrounds (over 40,000) including private, public, RV friendly stores, truck stops, and more.

Here are a few other options that we don't use, but other folks have recommended: KOA, Passport America, Overnight RV Parking, Ultimate U.S. Military Campgrounds, and iOverlander.

And I saved my favorite for last! I love using the website, freecampsites.net. Hard to believe, but we found free overnight parking on Cape Cod with this website! Unfortunately there's no app, but use it in your browser to locate free places to overnight.

What other apps and websites do you use?  Please share them in the comments!

Stopping Along the Way

How do you decide where to stop along the way and find fun things to see and do?  For our style of traveling, it's just as much about the journey as it is the destination.  We are 'ramblers' just like the name of our blog.  Rambling has us constantly searching out interesting stops.  Often the best ideas come from talking to 'locals,' but we also rely on some smart phone travel apps.

I've listed eleven of them here and although there's a bit of overlap between some of them, I can honestly say there are enough differences in what they do that I use them all!

Take a look and see if your favorite apps are listed, if not be sure to add them in the comments below!  I'll follow up with another post about apps we use to find campgrounds and overnight parking.  These are more about finding things to see and do; and finding services like gas, restaurants, pet stores, etc.

Google Maps (free) -- is our go-to app for finding stops along the way.  The trick is to put 'near me' in the search box.  So 'pizza near me,' 'gas stations near me' 'rv repair near me,' 'dog parks near me' 'grocery stores near me.'  You get the idea!



Trip Advisor --  (free)  This is a great app to use for planning trips vs. using on the road.  It features the just the most popular things to see and do, restaurants, and lodging which you can filter for campgrounds,  but it's not going to list all of the state or provincial parks--just private ones. Definitely us this for planning, but keep reading if you're looking for some off the beaten path stops.

Roadside America -- ($) There's a fee for this app, but it is TOTALLY worth it if you're into quirky, fun stops! After visiting southern Maine for decades, we didn't discover this "Big Easy Chair" in Kittery Maine until we started using Roadside America--it never disappoints!

 Around Me (free) and iExit (free) -- are both free apps that work well for finding services along the way.  Around Me is super for finding restaurants, banks,  movie theaters, pubs, pharmacies, and more in your general area.

iExit is THE app for Interstate travel.  It identifies gas stations, restaurants, attractions, and more.  iExit finds the Interstate nearest your location.  Simply add the direction you're traveling (for example, North) and iExit lists what's available at the next few exits.  There's some overlap between these two apps, but you really want both!

Google Field Trip (free)  has been around for a few years but I feel it's a best kept secret!  Again we use this one all the time to find interesting stops along the way (maybe some overlap with Roadside America), but Field Trip is super for historical, architectural, and unusual stops.  I don't think Google has updated it recently, but it's still worth a download. Roadtripping Tip:  Go into "select your interests" and delete  the European and Asian sources so it will work faster.

BringFido (free) -- is a MUST for anyone who travels with a furry friend.  Even though the main purpose of this app may seem to be finding pet friendly hotels, we use it all the time to find pet friendly restaurants (usually outdoor seating), activities like dog parks, dog beaches, dog friendly parks and trails.  The app also identifies local dog services like kennels, vets, and pet stores.

AllTrails (free or subscription with ability to download maps) -- We use the free version of this app and love it for identifying hikes to take.  With filters like difficulty level, distance, elevation gain, suitability (dogs friendly, stroller, wheelchair accessible, paved, kid friendly, etc.), it is super simple to find a hike that will work for you.  AllTrails also includes comments and photos from other hikers. 

Roadtrippers (free) -- can be used for both planning and spontaneous stops.  Since Google Maps is our go-to app for planning,  the 'nearby' option is the only feature I've used.  A search of Montpelier Vermont retrieves several restaurants, museums, state forests, theaters, parks, and more.

GasBuddy (free) -- This crowd-sourced app is our go-to app for finding the cheapest gas in a location.  You can filter by type of gas (regular, premium, diesel, E85, etc.).  The app plots the gas stations on a map and lists the most recent price reported.  The map icons also identify the brand of gas, so if you have a Shall credit card, you can easily find that station.

Yelp (free) -- If you're having a yen for Thai food Yelp will help!  It's a great app to identify restaurants that might be a little further off the beaten path than just the fast food restaurants at the exit.  I like that you can filter by cuisine type (Mexican, Chinese, Vegetarian, etc), open hours, outdoor seating, full bar, even good for kids.  There's usually a menu linked or photograph.

Enjoy (and be sure to share you're favorites below)!  And if you haven't already guessed, BringFido is Rosie's favorite app!  Next post--camping apps.

Is Your Phone Ready To Go Camping?

Is your phone ready to go camping?  Most of us clean the cobwebs out of our RVs, top off the propane, and check the tire pressure, but our phones can use a little TLC too—software updates, adding some new apps, and freeing up space for more photos.  I still use an iPhone 6S, but these tips work for Android and newer iPhones too.

My phone is just as important as my trusty Swiss Army knife on camping trips!  Even out of cell service range, there's still so much I can do. It’s my flashlight, my camera, my map, and tour guide.  But it's also my music, cookbook, library and audio books, and of course games and TV shows to binge watch on rainy days.  So here are a few tips to get your phone road trip ready and stay tuned for a post about some favorite road worthy apps!

Tip 1:  Keep it Charged
It's probably silly to even mention, but when you're driving down the road your phone should absolutely be plugged in and charging.  Period. Don't ask me how I know!

Tip 2: Know Your Data Plan
How much data do you have? Do you know how to find out how much you have left for the month?  Do you know when your plan's turnover date is?  Before I upgraded to an unlimited plan, keeping track of these issues was a major pain.  One of my favorite apps--Google Photos can automatically upload photos to the cloud and free up storage space for more photos, but without an unlimited plan, you have to wait for WiFi access to upload.   Set your app and software updates to manual and wait for prime updating conditions when you're on the road -- strong cell signal on an unlimited plan or strong, secure wifi.  On a limited plan? Be sure to turn off individual apps so they aren't pinging towers and depleting your battery. And set your location dependent apps to 'use location information only when using’—your battery will thank you.

Tip 3: Update Software
You wouldn't hit the road without a first aid kit, so before you leave on an extended trip, give your phone a little first aid and keep it safe with the most current software (iOS or Android) to guard against viruses and hacks.

Tip 4:  Storage Space
I like to leave an empty storage bin in our RV for some souvenirs and it's the same with my phone--I make sure there's storage space on my phone for lots of travel photos. Check your settings for storage space. Are you almost maxed out? Delete those blurry photos, accidental videos, old emails, and apps you don't use.  If you haven't already, consider switching to Google Photos with unlimited free cloud storage--it will free up tons of storage on your phone. Check out my post here about Google photos.

Tip 5:  Organization

How do you organize your phone? Alphabetical order? Similar apps on each screen? Or folders like me? The trick is to organize your phone so it works for you! I'm a folder fangirl and a news junkie.  When I'm checking the news I want all my news apps in one place:  CNN,  New York Times, Huffington Post, Google News, and our local Vermont news apps.

What about websites that don't have apps? There are some websites I check everyday.  Bookmarking them works, but they're a little clunky on small screens.  I love creating  website shortcuts that look just like apps. In my News folder, the icon that says Times Argus, our local newspaper, is just a shortcut since they don't have an app.  Here's a how-to link.

 Does every app need to be in a folder?  No. Pin your frequently used apps to the tray on the bottom of your home screen and just leave other important apps 'folderless.'

Tip 6:  Find My Friends (and Phone)
Here's another safety/security option.  On iPhones 'Find My Friends' allows you to share your location with a friend or family member.  I have this set up with a family member who can always see where we are.  Here's a link to similar apps for Android. 'Find iPhone' is another important app for travelers to help retrieve a lost device. Here's the Android equivalent.

Tip 7:  Phone Accessories 

                                                     Phone Grip
There are a bunch of different styles of phone grips, but a grip is useful if you take a lot of photos.  (Selfie sticks are handy too.)

Phone Case
Definitely a personal choice--if you're a kayaker, you want a waterproof one!  Lately I've been using this one by Vofolen. I can stash a gas credit card and my ID right in my phone case.

Travel Phone Chargers 
Travel phone chargers also come in handy on long hikes or off grid situations.  This one by Jackery charges two phones at the same time!

Hope this was useful and please share your phone tips in the comments below.

Stay tuned for some favorite travel and camping apps including Rosie's favorite—BringFido!

Off-Season on Delmarva

For travellers based on the east coast, the Delmarva Peninsula (includes Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia), is a super off-season destination.  It's accessible in a day's drive and if approaching from the north, the 80 minute trip on the Cape May, NJ - Lewes DE Ferry  makes you really feel like you've gotten away!

We've visited Delmarva several times during February, March, and April over the past few years and enjoyed deserted beaches, wildlife refuges teaming with birds, uncrowded nature trails, open campgrounds, great restaurants, and even a little outlet shopping. Here's a few of our favorites stops.

Cape Henlopen State Park

Cape Henlopen State Park, just a couple miles from the ferry in Lewes DE is a wonderful off-season campground that is open year round with electric hookups, dump station, and heated bathhouses.  Some of the sites are small, so it probably has a more crowded vibe in the summer, but off-season this state park with beaches, dunes, hiking/biking trails, historic WWII Fort Miles, gorgeous sunsets, and proximity to Lewes (the 'first city in the first state') is a super choice.

Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge

Nectar Cafe and Juice Bar in downtown Lewes is our new favorite restaurant with breakfast available all day, and healthy soup, salad, and sandwiches for lunch and later.  Try the Nectar Punch and you add some protein or yogurt. Hopkins Farm Creamery is the place to go for ice cream right at a working dairy farm on the outskirts of town.

Just a short ride north of Lewes is Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Milton where you can see bald eagles in flight, and diverse bird populations who winter here.  The trails are dog friendly.

After Prime Hook, stop at the Dogfish Head Brewery for a tour and some samples. And the tasting room is dog friendly!

Continuing south from Lewes to Rehoboth you can walk the boardwalk or beach both of which are dog friendly in off-season) and shop at the Tanger Outlet stores.

Assateague Island National Seashore is about an hour south of Lewes over the state line in Maryland.  Camping at the National Seashore opens on April 15 and you'll want to reserve a site even during the off-season.  There are no electric hookups but who needs them when you wake up to Assateague's famous wild ponies grazing in your campsite!  One of the campground loops allows limited generator use. We stocked up at a grocercy store and cooked our meals at Assateague--we didn't want to miss a moment in this beautiful place of salt air, tall dunes, ocean waves, and wild ponies.

Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia with more wild ponies is about an hour south of Assateague but sadly no dogs are allowed on the island. Wallops Flight Facility is just south of Chincoteague so be sure to check for any missions taking off.

Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel

Another hour south takes you to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel Observation Area.  The visitor's center allows 48 hours of free overnight parking.

OBX Capground

Then it was on to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, where we we found a water front campsite that was open in February.

Rosie enjoyed walking the grounds of the dog friendly Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills, but stay on the hiking paths--there are some spiky plants that could damage paws.

Off season in Delmarva is delightful. The beaches were open for dog walking.  The temps were low 60s in February and upper 60s, low 70s in April.  No mosquitos, no crowds, and a surprising number of open campgrounds and restaurants. Our kind of vacation!

Wallydocking Quesadillas

One of our go-to dinners when we're on the road is a simple, quick, and relatively healthy meal that is Rosie-approved! We call it Wallydocking Quesadillas since boondocking at Walmart is usually when we make it!

Here's your Walmart shopping list:

• a rotisserie chicken
• package of whole wheat burritos
• jar of salsa
• can of of black beans
• Monterrey Jack cheese

You can of course dress this up with other ingredients--black olives, jalapenos, hot sauce, and of course sour cream would be yummy--this is just the basic version.  And if you'll be boondocking at multiple Walmarts along the way,  have quesadillas the first night and taco salads the next night (which will use up the extra beans, salsa, and cheese)--just change it up a bit with bagged lettuce, cherry tomatoes, and corn chips.

Still have leftover ingredients?  Add eggs to your Walmart shopping list, and make breakfast burritos the next morning with scrambled eggs, leftover salsa, cheese, and anything else you have in your fridge--like baby spinach, cherry tomatoes...

I usually warm up a non-stick frying pan on the stove while Tom takes the chicken off the bone. Rosie supervises the chicken de-boning process with laser-like focus.

Place a burrito in the warm pan, spread a thin layer of black beans (mash them with a fork so the'll warm up quickly), followed by salsa, then add the shredded chicken,  grate a little cheese, and top it off with another burrito.  When the quesadilla starts to brown on the bottom, flip it to the other side for a few more minutes.  Cut into wedges and serve.

Rosie is always very happy to score any leftover chicken, but if you're traveling with a furry friend be safe and dispose of the bones in a Walmart garbage can right after dinner.

Rosie says 'bone appetit!'

Planned Flexibility

Even though we do get on the road for winter camping in New England, it's usually for short

weekend trips--Cape Cod, Maine, Connecticut, with a 10-day trip in February--some place warmer. So for these New England travelers, winter is more about dreaming and planning for a 5-week summer trip.  This summer will be our 4th long trip and we're excited to announce it will be.....Newfoundland! Living in Vermont, Atlantic Canada has long been a camping destination for us, but we can't wait to visit Newfoundland.  But back to planning....

Each year we get a little better with planning--our first summer, we literally just pointed our van in the direction of Iowa for the Grand National Rally and plugged in Forest City to the GPS. It was so much fun, but we knew there were missed opportunities with our lack of planning.  Let me state right up front--we are not organized people (I know a disorganized librarian...) with color coded binders, bags of travel books, and detailed hour by hour itineraries--that would drive us crazy if we were even capable of it!  But we needed some planning strategies that moved us beyond 'we have 3 weeks to get to Forest City Iowa.' We're pretty happy with the balance we've created between planning and flexibility.

Here's how we roll for our long trips.  Our planning consists of three steps:  1) Map it--we're both very visual, so seeing everything on a map helps prevent wasted backtracking time or missed opportunities; 2) Create a 'playlist of favorites'-- museums, parks, farmer's markets, dog friendly beaches, restaurants, etc and 3) Find Overnighting Locations--identify multiple options that will work with our playlist locations.

First we create a custom map using Google My Maps so we have a base map for the entire trip. Here's the beginnings of our Newfoundland trip map which is still a work in progress and will have several layers when it's done:  favorites, overnight, and dog friendly layers.  For Michigan last year we had restaurant and shopping layers, but didn't use them much--so this year we're just trying a 'favorites playlist' layer.

Next  we collect information for our 'favorites playlist'.  We pick up the AAA tour books and maps. Then we start googling keywords like 'Newfoundland itinerary,' 'Newfoundland pet friendly' 'Newfoundland RV,' 'Newfoundland hikes,' and of course 'Newfoundland tourism.'  We also email the official tourism bureau to request their guide.

We add the resource links to a planning document.  Here are a few of the kinds of links we found about Newfoundland--Adventure Caravans, Canadream's itinerary, Frommer's Newfoundland intinerary.

On those sub-zero winter nights, we create our 'favorites playlist'--no particular order--just a list of places we'd like to see or things to do--it can include everything from National Parks, to dog friendly beaches, to yarn stores.  Then we plot the pins on our custom map.  Sometimes we attach website links to the pins--to easily find more information later.  Most of the pins get added over the winter, but sometimes we're still adding pins from the road when other travelers or locals share their 'favorites.'

 We keep it flexible, but the map gives us a visual reality check on how much we can see and do with the time we have. We can also see clusters of favorites which help with scheduling.

The last stage of our trip planning is always about where to stay.  That may seem backwards to some folks who reserve a campground spot first and then head out to see what's in the area, but here's where Travato traveling shines! The big difference is that we can be 'travelers' in our Travato and not just campers. As travelers, what we want to see and do always comes first!  There are definitely times we do the camper thing and hang out at a Vermont State Park with the screen tent, a floor mat, and a clothesline--that's just a different kind of vacation from our long trip.

Here's how we locate overnight stays.  We usually begin with Harvest Hosts since that's our first preference. We add the HH pins to our custom map.  From the AllStays app, we pin state or provincial parks--another favorite option.  We also add boondocking spots like dispersed camping areas, rest areas, Walmarts, Cabelas, etc.  As the map shapes up we use it to decide how many days in each area we'll need to see our favorites, and we may edit here if we've been over ambitious. We'll also pin a few private campgrounds with laundry or town laundromats.

After several years of planning we now build in 'flex days' to our itinerary so we have discovery and wandering time. Thee flex days ensure we don't miss those 'favorite' stops toward the end of the trip and we rarely say 'oh we never got there because we ran out of time.'

Here's the simple template we use to organize a written itinerary to go along with our map.  We have columns for Day and Date mostly because we aren't sure exactly when we'll be leaving. The Stay column usually has a couple options for overnighting in the area--a Harvest Host, a boondock site, a state park.... Last summer in Michigan we were fortunate to have state park options with 30 amp listed since we were in an unusual heat wave.

How many flex days? Where to schedule them?  It varies depending on weekends, driving distances, weather, etc.  But honestly it doesn't matter.  We might not use them where we scheduled them, or might use two flex days in a row, because the point is we know we have them available!   Since the itinerary is on a Google Doc, we just share it with our daughter so she knows where we'll be when.  It's easy to update with the Google Doc app on a phone or tablet.

We've also been known to make a few reservations especially around the busy 4th of July weekend (on U.S. trips).  Reservations also come in handy if you want to meet up with friends who are also traveling in the area.

So on those chilly winter evenings when Rosie is cozied up to Linda and jealous of the the attention the laptop is getting, little does she know Linda is in search of dog friendly beaches, outdoor cafes with doggie water bowls, and some off-leash, off the beaten track places to visit.

Early Winter

So this is what fall looked like at our house a couple weeks BEFORE Thanksgiving.  Even by Vermont standards this is an early winter.  The snow made it hard for me to find the bone I buried, but with a little persistence, I found it.

And here's what it looked like just down the road...

Luigi took us on day trips to Burlington.   While Linda was teaching on Saturdays at UVM, Tom and I walked around campus looking for squirrels. When I found them, I made sure Linda's grad students up on the 4th floor of Lafayette could hear me barking at them.

Although we missed weekend adventuring this fall, we did spend quality time (and money!) with Luigi prepping him for some winter treks. Winterized--check;  snow tires on--check; new house batteries installed--check;  cozy flannel sheets and comforters on the beds-- check;  Christmas lights up inside--check.  Today Linda and I went in & out and in & out and in & out with presents to deliver to Connecticut.

Between the presents, the Vermont beer and cider, and food for Mary & Ash's Christmas Lighting party, there better still be room for me in Luigi.

And since we just happen to drive through Northhampton Mass. the way to Mary's house, there will definitely be a stop at Webs--American's Greatest Yarn Store.  Linda needs to stock up on sock yarn for knitting projects on the road.