Episode 103: Protecting your house while away on RV trips

This week we offer tips and suggestions on what do about your sticks and bricks house when you are off traveling in your RV. We share the ways Jennifer and Mike make sure things are safe and secure back home while they’re out traveling. We also offer a very detailed report about going to and coming back from Canada -what you need to know, what you can and cannot bring into each country and what to expect when you travel between the two countries. Plus info on the best way to level and stabilize your RV at the campground, tech tips, RV news and lots of audience questions and comments. Click the player to Listen Now or scroll down through the show note details and resources and click the player below to start listening. When you see a time code hyperlink, you can click it to jump directly to that segment of the podcast. [spp-player] Complete shownotes for Episode 103: We talk at length at our experiences of going back and forth between the U.S. in Canada all the time. [spp-timestamp time="4:25"] Among other things, we cover: Why you need to remove your sunglasses at the border check point What questions to expect Will they search or enter your RV? What food can you bring in? Can you take pets? Resources mentioned: Traveling into Canada from the U.S. in your RV Coming back to the U.S. from Canada When returning to the U.S. from Canada, all travelers are required to declare at customs any items purchased or acquired during their stay. Food that can be brought into the U.S. from Canada – Detailed info This part of the podcast brought to you by RadPower Bikes (www.RadPowerBikes.com_… an electric bike manufacturer offering direct to consumer pricing on powerful premium electric bikes. JENNIFER'S TIP OF THE WEEK Most RVers are not fulltimers and thus, when you hit the road, you have a sticks and bricks home to worry about. Mike and I travel about half the year, often for weeks at a time, so we’ve learned by experience how to make sure everything will be just fine at home when we return. [spp-timestamp time="26:35"] So here’s a list of the things we do: First, we have a home alarm system. The one we use is SimpliSafe. It’s a do-it-yourself system, You buy the various sensors, attach them to the walls and it’s done. There are no holes to drill and the system is all wireless. It is extremely reliable and for $14.95 a month, we have 24 x 7 monitoring with it. Mike installed the system himself and we couldn’t be happier. We have an app that lets us control the whole system from wherever we are. But whatever system you do choose, we do recommend you have an alarm system and monitoring. Okay, here’s what we do before leaving? Stop mail delivery – You can do it online or stop by the post office and get a supply of their yellow hold mail cards. They need three days notice but we fill out ours with the date we’re going to be away and they hold it until our return. On the day we return, they deliver it to our door. Alert neighbors or a friend that you will be gone – We have friends who periodically stop by to check the house. The friend water my plants, makes sure everything is okay inside and does a check of the property. We deactivate the alarm by our app for the time they visit and then remotely reactivate it after they leave. Have the lawn cut – We use a lawn service and they cut our lawn weekly. In the winter we use a snow removal company. Nothing indicates a home is empty more than unkempt landscaping or snow covered driveways. There are lots of other things you can do. Some experts recommend unplugging television sets, major appliances, turning off water and that sort of stuff. We have an automatic whole house generator so we don’t worry about power interruptions but in cold climates you want to make sure your furnace is always working so if travel is going to take you away a lot in the winter, the idea of an automatic generator may be worth the investment. The tip of the week is brought to you by Good Sam, the world's most popular RV organization, now celebrating its 50th year. LISTENER QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK: Catrien asks about a list of RV dump sites. Mike refers him to the allstays.com website and app. It’s the best, most detailed list of dump sites available anywhere. [spp-timestamp time="31:09"] James asks about how to find a replacement parts for the Fantastic Vent on his RV. [spp-timestamp time="33:45"] We send him to the company itself at fantasticvent.com or call them at 800-521-0298. They welcome calls. Pamela inherited a 2000 190 Roadtrek Popular and has questions. [spp-timestamp time="33:25"]We refer her to the Facebook Roadtreking group and someone near her will surely help. We suggest she talk to https://rvinspection.com/ Bill is planning an RV trip to Florida next winter. He wants to know how to handle fresh water needs when traveling in sub freezing weather. [spp-timestamp time="38:47"] Sponsoring this part of the podcast is Van City RV in St. Louis, and their Part