Community Forums

kayla44 · 03-20-2015, 11:28 AM

What are the things you do to prepare for a trip of 1month or longer? That's in your MH as well as your house.

**TonyDi** · 03-20-2015, 12:44 PM

With my home. I have the newpapers stopped and mail held. Adjust thermostats so I'm not wasting a lot of energy. Let neighbors know I'll be away, as well as the local police dept.

My MH. I have doubles of almost all the things I use in my house so I don't have to wortry about forgetting something. I do make sure to carry parts, that on the road may be hard to find. Wiper blades, serpentine belts etc. Clothes for hot and cold weather. You never know what you may face.

I'm sure there are going to be a ton of things other people will recommend, but this is a good start.

Good luck and Happy Trails!!

dabrooks · 03-20-2015, 12:46 PM

If I am going to be gone for a month I turn the water off and shut the hot water breaker off.

Melmoses · 03-20-2015, 07:40 PM

On the house: shut water off, turn temps up or down on heat pumps, let police know we are gone, have kids pick up mail. Since I pay most bills online I just keep doing that. Empty fridge off anything that would spoil, add milk cartons of water so it doesn't run a lot. Kids check house every day since they have to come feed horses and barn cats.

On the coach: have doubles in mh so all I load is food from fridge, my dog, and us. I load the air compressor in the basement otherwise I have parts, tools, etc that are always there. Oh, I do have DH's cpap to load. A few months before we leave I order the States' tourism books where we will pass thru and put them in the mh. We usually just head out and figure out daily where to stop. Love to just go!

kalynzoo · 03-21-2015, 03:10 PM

I wish I would follow my own advice, but I don't, but I think about it every time.
We always have a family member move into our house when we travel, but the neighbor went away and did not turn off the water to the washing machine. The rubber hose burst and flooded the house to the top of the molding...what a mess.
As for the motorhome, I take everything I can think of. Extra toilet paper, water, food...but then when we park at night low and behold, there are grocery stores nearby. Who knew! Probably the most import is extra medication, prescription medication can be extremely difficult and costly to replace. We also travel with a copy of the "shot" record for our dog, just in case there is an issue.
Recently, the credit card companies have made travel a bit more complicated while trying to block credit card fraud. I understand, but still a hassle. Last week, traveling to Las Vegas, after a few purchases my card was blocked until I called their security and confirmed by location. It is probably advisable to call your credit card companies and have them note your dates of travel and regions, it might save you some time and aggravation. Happy Trails

granto · 03-21-2015, 05:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kayla44

What are the things you do to prepare for a trip of 1month or longer? That's in your MH as well as your house.

Go over to rv.net/forum and the Alaska Section. There is a sticky there called "helpful ideas" which has great tips. We used this when we did Alaska last summer. RV.Net Open Roads Forum: Helpful Ideas for Alaskan Travels

Jamie65 · 03-22-2015, 06:54 PM

Things to bring or do list
Maps, compass, GPS, magnifying glass, Stamps, labels, envelopes
Endust and rags, Flashlights, batteries
Dog leash, collars, comb, Dog Clippers,
Dog vaccination’s certificates, All Dog Medicines
RV Books, Passports, Seat Belt shoulder strap
Coffee, Wine, Liquor, Food
Hair clippers me
Password book, Laptop, Checkbooks
Phone book, Fly swatter, Stapler, Sheets
Dishes, plates, bowls, silverware, cooking forks, Bar B’que Grill and Stand
Spare lead erasers for pencils
Back packs, walking sticks, Hiking hats, Binoculars
Tool bag, 18 VDC drill, drill bits, socket set, assorted tools, battery charger
Compression socks, hiking socks
Jackets, clothes, shoes, etc.
Ice chest bag, Dry bag, Hatchet
Hooks to hang jackets
Clock for kitchen
To do before leaving
Oil in toilets, Set ac, Hot tub, Inside Cameras
Power down well, Drain water pressure, turn off ice maker & empty,
Turn off hot water heaters, computer, unplug TV, microwave, washer, dryer
Stop clock, Trickle charger on truck, wipers on truck
　

kayla44 · 03-23-2015, 10:48 AM

Sounds like you have done this before! Pretty complete list. I'm a little confused about the oil in the toilet. Can you explain?
Steve

2009 32' open road
2006 PT Cruiser

Mr_D · 03-23-2015, 10:55 AM

Don't know, have never been able to get away for that long due to wife's job, my job and the grandson still in school. Now the wife is off work for medical reasons and has been for three years now. Grandson is still in school and I'm still working but do hope to get away more this summer if Cummins ever decides on fixing the engine that is.

Jamie65 · 03-23-2015, 05:45 PM

I started a list as I don't trust my memory, it gets expanded continuously and I do a printout before we leave to make sure nothing is left out.
Someone told me about olive oil in the toilets so the water does not evaporate and leave a dry bowl, which may have an odor problem. This is helpful when on long trips.

kayla44 · 03-23-2015, 07:25 PM

Thanks. I always turn off the water to the toilets, even if just for a day. I will give the olive oil a try next time. Couldn't hurt, right?
Steve
My sister-in-law lives in a two story home. They were gone for the better part of a day, when they returned something with-in the toilet had broken (?) and the water flooded everything, draining down into the lower floor. After going around with the insurance and over $40k everything is almost back to normal!!

2009 32' open road
2006 PT Cruiser

srh · 03-23-2015, 08:04 PM

If you are going for a couple of weeks just wrapping the toilet in a garbage bag with toilet cover down of course to keep the water from evaporating would work, but probably not for months.

Jamie65 · 03-24-2015, 08:13 AM

If we leave for more than a day, we shut off water to the entire house and drain the pressure, also turn off the hot water heaters especially if electric. Several people we know have had their house flooded by either washing machine hoses or valves, ice maker hose or valve or toilet issues, or hot water heater failure. Yes the hot water heater has a drain pan, but that will only contain a small leak not a ruptured tank.

xctraveler · 03-25-2015, 09:55 PM

Make sure everything we need for normal living is in the motorhome. Sell the House! Solves a whole lot of problems

Meds are no issue pick a national chain WalMart, CVS Walgreen, setup all your prescriptions with them so you can refill as you go - their promise - they lie! works if you stay in the same state. Cross a state lline and plan on calling your doc to have him/her authorize the script by phone/fax/email don't even think about doing that with Sched 1 drugs, need a handwritten original script.

Always have current passport with you. It is far better ID than anything else you can carry (if you are not in the service).

Get a mail service such as Escapees to handle the receipt and forwarding of you mail, take a burden off the kids/neighbors etc. All our mail goes there and they send it out wherever we are whenever we order it anyway we want to pay for, USPS, UPS, FedEx. We mostly use USPS Priority Mail.