About Us
Airstreaming. Open roads. Endless Adventures. Freedom. Romantic and exciting.
Pause. Hmmm, sounds great, but also…
With adventure comes flat tires, broken wheel bearings and leaks.
We bought our 19ft Airstream Bambi International in 2004. We are currently towing it with a 2005 Dodge 2500 Ram Truck. We love Airstreaming. We traveled across the country, once spending an entire summer galavanting from Florida to Oregon with multiple stops along the way.
Recently we spend our time more as weekend warriors, traveling mostly in Florida with longer trips to Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. We’ve also started working remotely from our airstream, from time to time and have key tips to share.
We still make mistakes, forget things and have some serious maintenance and repair situations. We still love Airstreaming. We want you to love it too so we are going to share the fun and the trials of life in a camper.
Airstreaming Roadtrip Preparation
Here’s the prep for a three week trip from Florida to GA-SC-NC in mid September.
We were on a tight schedule and didn’t prep as much as hoped in advance but we got the job done. Here’s Day 2 of Airstream Prep.
Airstream Kitchen Utensils
The cast iron pans are one of our heaviest items but we use them so frequently that they get put on the “essentials” list.
Airstreaming and Harvest Hosts
This year we joined Harvest Hosts, an inexpensive overnight camping membership. Once you join you get access to an app that allows you to book free one night overnight parking at various locations in exchange for patronizing the business with a suggested spend of at least $20.
Just because we like it doesn’t mean it’s for everyone, read about the downsides first. For those that embrace the Airstream spirit of adventure, freedom and community, it’s a solid option in our opinion.
If you decide to join, check out some of our favorite Harvest Host locations.
Working Remotely while Airstreaming
Staying connected can be a challenge. For me to work remotely I must have a secure and strong internet connection. And it uses a lot of bandwidth. Most of my day is spent is doing telehealth consultations requiring both audio and video technology.
On our recent trip I tracked usage and average 2.5 gigabytes of data per day. This is work related usage only and does not include social media posting, perusing the internet or watching movies.
We use the Travlfi Mobile Hotspot and have a hotspot on our phone (AT&T via Cricket). On a recent trip to NC we had service about 75% of the time.
We’ve broken this down by location in our Travlfi Review and Best Tips for Working Remotely article.
Back up power for your phone and mobile hotspot is critical.
We had issues with our generator on a recent trip.
Thank goodness we have these battery packs from 4 Patriots.
They are rechargeable via electric or solar.
Breaking Down on the Road
From tires and wheel bearings to appliances, floods and axle damage. If can break down, it has. On our most recent trip we damaged a wheel bearing on I-95, just south of Jacksonville, two miles before Bucee’s, our favorite travel stop. Here’s a few things you should know.
Busted wheel bearings
- Our Airstream have one axle- if the wheel bearing is damaged it must be repaired roadside or towed with a flatbed trailer.
- You can’t move it and it is not safe to sleep in overnight, especially if you are stranded on the side of the road.
- Parts may or may not be available if you break down in the evening.
- The sound of the hazard lights clicking all night will drive you mad.
- You can’t go to sleep because you have to start the truck engine every 40 minutes or so in order to keep the battery charged.
- AAA only covers vehicle issues and does not provide any sort of roadside work. They just tow (vehicles not campers, change a flat or bring you gas or help with key lockouts).
This was probably one of our worst mechanical issues but served to remind us that even when you are an experienced Airstreamer you are going to be bound to have some mishaps. Key Learnings:
- Buy an RV specific roadside plan.
- Have an LED emergency lightening system with you. Otherwise you will hear clicking noises for days and days…
- Map out your route and make a list of 24 hour roadside assistance providers.
- Learn how to change a wheel bearing yourself and bring an emergency repair kit with you.
- Know how to and practice changing a flat tire. Even better, practice in the rain. That’s when they usually go flat.
Roadside Resources:
Good Sam Roadside Assistance Program. They will tow via a flatbed if needed but just like AAA, they don’t perform roadside repairs.
National Tire & Truck Repair (Florida East Coast)- Phone: (888) 465-8600 or (321-639-3464). Provides 24 hour roadside assistance. Not cheap but got the job done.
General Tips
- Keep your owner’s manual in the Airstream and in good condition. You are going to need to refer to it for parts and maintenance.
- Don’t assume that parts are ever going to readily available, most are special orders.
- Repairs will always take longer than expected. We once had interior water damage and we were without our Airstream for six months.
Airstreamers Community
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