James Wheelock is a nomadic van dweller, RVer, and fellow YouTube creator where he goes by the name Wanderlust Estate. He’s also on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
RV Classes
We discuss the pros and cons about the types of RV he’s driven. The Class A was comfortable inside but he hated having a toad. His current campervan is nimble and stealth but not totally self contained. I think we agreed that for both of us the best compromise would be a wide body Class B for him, and for me even a small Class C.
Favorite part of RV travel
Having the feeling of coming home every time, that you don’t get if you stay at a hotel.
Least favorite part about RV travel
The persistent stigma about full time RVers in society. Also the fact that there is always something breaking no matter the age of you RV.
Workamping and other work on the road
There are plenty of jobs, just not plenty of good paying jobs. One of the best choices for James had been a ultra temp service.
I know, I have been neglecting the blog a little bit, but here I have a brand new shiny post. If only the content was so brand new.
#TBT
Hashtag TBT stands for Throw Back Thursdays, and for a while now I have been toying with the idea of posting an old videos you’ve probably never seen on Thursdays. I started last week, with the first video of our European Vacation of 2006, freshly edited.
European Vacation 2006 Part 1
This was a fabulous vacation we took back in 2006. Flew to Madrid, Spain, where we rented a car and for 10 days drove way too much and saw way too little, but we certainly covered a lot of ground. Madrid, Paris, the French Riviera, and Barcelona are just a few of the points of interest that we saw.
The Loire Valley
Today I published the second part of our European Vacation 2006. In this installment we crossed the border with France and had lunch at the medieval town of Saint-Emilion. This is in the famous Bordeaux wine producing region. From there we continued towards the Loire Valley, where we visited several of the famous Chateaux.
Promoted content
I am now an affiliate with RV Share. RV share lets RV owners rent their RVs, and that is also a great choice for people who want to try before they buy.
They are now somewhere in the Caribbean, sailing the blue waters, but not long ago they were here in South Florida and we got to meet them. I am, of course talking about Nikky and Jason “The Wynns” Former RVers and now sailors, they have one of the most successful YouTube travel channels. I’ll admit I could relate to the much more back in their RVing days, but it is still very entertaining watching sail around the world particularly the learning process.
The Meetup
I made a quick video about the meetup they had at the Lauder-ale Brewery, and here’s a video of that.
When we talk about visiting places far from Florida, our only options up to now have been one of the major RV rental companies. There is, however, a new option. RV share lets RV owners rent their RVs, and that is a great choice for people who want to try before they buy.
Full disclosure: I am an affiliate, but that only means I get a commission if you decide to use RV share by following one of the links below. To rent an RV To offer your RV for rent
Trailer Towing
I talk about my own experiences, but for the definitive guide I will differ to the definitive article on Living the RV Dream
The Great American Eclipse 2017
Here’s a link to the article I mentioned that lists some of the best places to experience the eclipse.
Off-Road Campers
Here’s a link to the article about expedition vehicles.
Well, as I hinted before, I no longer have my “day job”. I am going to dedicate 100% of my time to the podcast and my YouTube Channel. I will definitely be taking a pay cut, but I’ll be able to grow my media business at a much faster pace. As I leaned from John Huggins, the secret is multiple sources of revenue. I have the YouTube channel, which has been a hobby for almost a decade, and only about 3 years ago, it started showing promise. Then came the podcast, and I am eternally grateful to John Huggins for thinking of me when he decided to retire from it.
Then, I also have my music. As you probably know I compose the music for all my YouTube videos. Most of that music is for sale everywhere music is sold or streamed. While I’m not getting rich any time soon, it does make a little money. I also have physical CDs for sale, a double CD set with 30 tunes for $12.99. I also sell stickers for $5, and a CD/sticker combo for 15.99. FreeinmyRV.com is the place to get those. So the idea is to increase the number of videos per week, the length of the podcast, and maybe start offering more valuable content by having guests regularly. We’ll keep you posted on our progress.
Lion Country Safari
I am also going to talk about our recent trip to West Palm Beach. We stayed at the West Palm Beach / Lion Country Safari KOA. Very well maintained campground right next to the Lion Country Safari. Sometimes you could hear the Lions’ road from the campground. If you are not familiar Lion Country Safari is basically a zoo, but with the peculiarity that the animals roam free as you drive through the park. The do insist that you keep the car windows closed as some wildlife like the ostriches and the rhinoceros can be dangerous. The lions are behind a fence just in case. Very cool park, lots of animals to be seen especially if you arrive when they open at 9:30am, when it is not too hot yet.
Peanut Island
We also visited West Palm Beach. Many viewers and listeners had recommended we visit Peanut Island, just north of Palm Beach, at Riviera Beach. Besides the beach, the camping, snorkeling and many more things to do, the island was the site of a cold war era bunker for John F. Kennedy. It was built during the Cuban missile crisis during the course of two weeks, to take the president to safety during a nuclear attack. The even tried to build a tunnel from Kennedy’s estate to the island but it collapsed, so they had to settle for speedboat or helicopter. The place is totally cool as is the tour of the historic Coast Guard Station. Visit before November, because after that date the maritime museum will relinquish the site to Palm Beach county and nobody really knows what’s going to happen to the place.
John F. Kennedy Bunker, Peanut Island
West Palm Beach
We also visited downtown West Palm Beach and had lunch a very trendy place called Avocado Grill. They had very loud house music with a conga player and a trombone player playing over it. The food and the beer selection were very good.
Palm Beach
We also visited the historic and iconic The Breakers Hotel, which is practically a symbol of Palm Beach. The hotel was founded by Henry Flagler himself in 1896, although the original structure burned to the ground twice. The current palatial building dates back to 1926. We also drove around the exclusive oceanfront residential neighborhoods. As the day came to an end we drove by the famous Mar-a-Lago Club, where President Trump stays often. There were two demonstrations, one in favor, one against Trump. Check out the video of this trip this coming Sunday at YouTube.com/TravelingRobert
Who is James Wheelock?
In this week’s installment, I reveal the news that I no longer have a “day job” and I talk about our recent RV trip to West Palm Beach.