Part of the joy of RV camping is sharing your stories with
loved ones back home. But when you're on the road as a full-timer, keeping in
touch with friends and family can be more than a little challenging, even with the
advances in cell phone technology and Internet services.
While most RV parks have pay phones and high speed
connections, how do you make the most of them without breaking the budget?
ET (Eternal Traveler) Phone Home
Keep the costs of maintaining the long distance feeling
under control can be tricky. The phone option that works best for you will
depend largely on where you travel and how often you wish to call home.
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Pay phones:
These are becoming increasingly rare, although you should be able to find them
at RV camp offices and truck stops. To keep the costs in line, be sure you have
a long-distance calling card or pre-paid phone card. This way you'll never run
out of change half way through your story of the black bear encounter.
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Cell phones:
While these are great in an emergency, they can be expensive. While family
plans will keep the costs under control, incoming calls from those not on your
plan can skyrocket the phone bill. They also aren't 100 percent reliable. If
you boondock in remote areas, you might not get reliable coverage. If you
decide that a cell phone is for you, a camera feature can make sending photos
home a breeze.
Navigating Cyberspace
Many RV camps have WiFi or high speed Internet connections,
making laptops worthwhile. If you're camping in the mountains or in a remote
area where the World Wide Web isn't so wide, you can always access your email
at Internet cafes, public libraries and truck stops such as The Flying J.
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Email: If
you already have an established email address you should be able to access it
remotely. If you're not sure how, ask your Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
for details. Otherwise, Yahoo, Gmail and Hotmail provide free accounts so you
can send and receive emails from any computer with web access.
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Blogs: If
you find yourself drowning in email, a blog can be a fast and inexpensive way
to keep family and friends regaled with stories and pictures (from cell phones
or digital cameras). Blogger offers free blog space and is easy to use. All you
need is Internet access. If you want readers to be able to post comments, but
be sure to set some automatic restriction on the comments; otherwise you can
end up with obscene amounts of spam.
Read our other great RV
Camping Posts
Charmian Christie,
Outdoor Adventure Expert
