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Travelogger

We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment.

Seven Tips for New RV Drivers

August 21, 2013 By David Glenn

RV LEGO

If you’ve ever wanted to be the captain of your very own boat, but the thought of riding the waves makes you a little nauseous, then an RV might be just right for you. Driving what essentially amounts to an apartment complex on wheels is a lot of fun and a great way to explore America’s highways. However, there are a few things you’re going to have to understand before you feel comfortable barreling down the freeway in 6+ tons of twinky-shaped steel. It would be a good idea to take a defensive driving course before hitting the road so you can learn a few of the basics. Here are seven additional safety tips to help you on your way.

    1. First things first. Although it might feel as light as a feather when you get it out on the open road, the truth is that your RV is incredibly heavy. That means that you’ll be needing some extra distance between you and whatever vehicle is in front of you. Play it safe and be sure to stay several car lengths back. Also, give yourself plenty of stopping distance for things like intersections and crosswalks.
    2. Wide vehicles can be difficult to keep in the center of a lane, especially for inexperienced drivers. A great way to get a feel for where your RV sits on the road is to make a small mark on the side of your windshield and then manoeuvre the vehicle so that the mark lines up with the fogline from your point of view in the driver’s seat. Exit the vehicle (make sure you do this on a deserted road so as not to inconvenience other drivers), and make a note of where this reference places the RV on the road. Adjust the mark and try again, until your RV is in the center of the lane. This may not seem like an important exercise when you’re enjoying wide lanes and empty roads, but as soon as you find yourself in construction zones or surrounded by cars in a traffic jam, you’ll be glad you took the time.clearance
    3. Know exactly how tall the RV is, and be sure to watch for any low clearance structures such as bridges, signs, or even some power lines. If you misjudge the height and get jammed up under an overpass… well, just watch the video.
    4. When you’re merging, be aware that other drivers might become impatient with your large vehicle, and that may lead them to make unwise decisions. Physics is pretty clear about what happens when a smaller body smacks into a large one while traveling at high speeds, but that doesn’t prevent some people from risking their lives to save a few minutes on their commute. So, be the better driver and keep your eyes constantly open. With practice, you’ll learn how to keep your attention on every direction at once.
    5. Making turns in your RV requires a lot more room then it would in a regular car. If you cut it too tight, you could find your back wheels clipping the curb, ripping out shrubbery, or even plowing over signs. The problem is the RV’s length, and the solution is pulling farther out into an intersection before beginning the turn. Be careful, because some smaller cars may not be familiar with the necessary turning radius for RVs, and might attempt to pass on the side while you’re turning.
    6. A large rig such as an RV requires a lot of energy to get up to speed. It also creates massive amounts of wind resistance. However, once you get up to speed, it becomes more difficult to slow down, and you’ll more easily pick up speed on downhill slopes. Take all of this into account, and be prepared to shell out some serious cash at the gas pumps.
    7. When it comes to parking, it’s better to find a few empty spaces farther from the entrance than to attempt to shoehorn your RV into a spot between two cars and then have to crawl out the window. Also, RVs are not emergency vehicles, so don’t park them along red painted curbs.

With just a little bit of time behind the wheel, you’ll get the hang of driving RVs. Just take it slow, pay attention, and above all, be safe. It would also be a good idea to plan out your trip in detail before hand. Here’s a list of 10 Road Trip Stops For Nashville Music Lovers you might want to check out if you’re a country music fan. Have fun!

Images via Bill Ward and Traffic Safety

The Top 5 European Wine Destinations

July 31, 2013 By David Glenn

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Connoisseurs of fine wines may feel the urge to plan a trip to Europe that complements their tastes. You should know the several great European destinations for people who love a sip (or more) of great wine.

Here are the best European vacation destinations for wine lovers. [Read more…]

10 Road Trip Stops for Nashville Music Lovers

June 18, 2013 By David Glenn

Roadtrip

There are so many different places that any Nashville music fan would love to see. So many different sites that are important to its artists and history.

It’s a natural thing to have the desire to physically go to these places and learn more about your favorite artists and genre of music. You may be so inspired that you seek out voice lessons at Takelessons.com

. The problem is, which sites should you see and which aren’t worth your time? Let the debate end here.

Here are the top ten road trip pit stops for fans of Nashville music: [Read more…]

5 Great Professions For The Digital Nomad?

February 13, 2013 By David Glenn

In our globalised world, more and more of us are choosing a lifestyle without wires, without offices and without permanent employers. As the economy is becoming more and more ideas based, it has opened up a gap in the market for talented individuals with unique skills they can offer over the internet. The best thing is that these individuals need only a laptop and a wireless internet connection. As such, they can live and work anywhere in the world. They call themselves digital nomads.

Amager Strandvej Copenhagen

Hopefully these five professions will give you an insight into what is possible and what people are up to as they continue to sever ties with the traditional economy and live the life they want. If you’re ready to take the plunge, remember to book your flights with a cheap airline comparison website. Below is a list of five professions that can give you this freedom.

Translation

As different cultures become more intertwined, good translators have become highly sought after. Translators are needed on freelance websites to translate business documents, contracts, press releases, product descriptions, terms and conditions, all manner of things. The good thing about choosing to be a translator is that your skill of knowing one or more foreign languages makes you highly employable if you don’t want to go down the freelance route completely. Translation is a truely global job and perfect for the digital nomad.

Graphic Design

In a century of brands, talented graphic designers are also in high demand to design anything from company logos to restaurant  menus. The economy of graphic design has digitalised an artistic profession that was once done with pen and paper. Nowadays, the digital nomad needs only the latest copy of Adobe Photoshop to be ready for work.

My Digital Travelling Lifestyle Tech Bag

Photography

There are many websites like IStock Photo, Shutter Stock and Alamy that offer buyers access to a huge library of royalty free photographs. The photographs are added to the library by photographers around the world who have captured something interesting and original with their cameras. Photographers receive a small commission any time someone buys their photo. If you capture the perfect photo, you could find yourself making hundreds of pounds from a single shot. There are some digital nomads that focus solely on photography, but many find it a good method of supplementing income next to running a blog.

Freelance Writing

If you are good with words, there are fantastic opportunities in the world of freelance writing. Recently there has been an increased demand of original and quality content to attract web users to websites. Freelance writers are fulfilling this need along with many other larger projects. Larger projects can include writing ebooks, ghost writing autobiographies and writing travel guides. While freelance writing requires a great deal of self-discipline, it builds a skill for the future if you want to get into fiction writing or blogging.

Blogging

This brings us onto our last digital nomad profession. Blogging. There are lots of digital nomads that have decided to fray all ties with employers by writing a blog, hosting it on their own website and making revenue from the advertisements. This is the most risky approach, but it has worked for many globetrotters and vagabonds who lead interesting lives, write about their travel experiences and share them with a curious internet community. For most digital nomads, having a blog that millions will read is the stuff that dreams are made of. So unless you are very confident about attracting this many readers, it is best to keep blogging as a hobby until it becomes a viable means of success.

Hopefully these five professions have given you an insight into what is possible and what people are up to as they continue to sever ties with the traditional economy and live the life they want. If your ready to take the plunge, remember to book your flights with a cheap airline comparison website.

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