Skip to main content

Verizon Wireless for an RV Camping Lifestyle?

The only expense and chore remaining is to start up a wireless data plan with Verizon. I already have a MiFi gadget to use, thanks to the generosity of an RV friend.

In Chapter 1 of my RV lifestyle the Verizon plan worked quite well. Trying to get by on free WiFi would have been false economy since it entails extra driving and temptation to buy expensive coffee and food at the "free" WiFi spot.

Actually I made a game out of spotting cell towers and then camping in the forest or on BLM land where the topography gave me coverage. Nevertheless, getting wireless coverage did restrict my camping locations quite a bit. It is easy to resent that.

It's natural to want Chapter 2 to be better or at least different from Chapter 1. Won't starting up a Verizon plan inevitably pull my camping lifestyle in the same direction as before? The satellite alternative doesn't appeal to me because of equipment cost, set up, and maintenance.

And yet I have 18 hours per day to fill. A full time RV lifestyle is a reality, not a brief romance.


Anonymous said…
Avid reader that you are, perhaps the new Barnes and Noble Simple Touch Nook might fill the entertainment void. To get free books, find a library where you can have a membership. You can use your computer to download the free books,and then transfer them to your nook. A weekly trip to McDonalds,(their coffee isn't too bad and free wifi) to shop for fresh material should do the trick. If Magazines are your thing, then a kindle with 3g would be my choice, so long as you can get ATT cell coverage.

Tom in Orlando
Anonymous said…
Maybe keep the data plan but not be tethered to it?

I have a Nook Color and can check out, download, or buy books, use it as a browser, buy magazines or newspapers, also download pdf documents.

WiFi can often be snagged without having to go into an establishment or buy anything. VOIP could be an option to keep costs down. I use MagicJack but will soon be checking out Google Voice.

Wandrin said…
" A full time RV lifestyle is a reality, not a brief romance." That is definitely quotable -- under the right circumstances. You will get credit!
I agree that your "tether" to cell towers kept you out of some pretty nice boondocking last time around. Think of all you missed... you don't need to be connected every day. Go have an extended adventure, do some critical non internet affected thinking and report back when you feel like it. Your readers will wait and wonder what the hell you're up to. Computers are just another form of television... only more addictive. Stow it and get out there without regard for towers of babel. Maybe our paths will cross in the WiFi less outback.
Ted said…
The cellular tether is definitely a negative. I envy those who can go for days or weeks without connectivity. Unfortunately I'm not yet retired. My modest freelance internet business allows me flexible hours, but I still need to be able to respond quickly to a client's needs.

I've had to turn around and leave some nice places because of weak or nonexistent Verizon signal. Until I truly retire I probably won't be able to experience many of the great boondocking areas.
Boonie said…
Thanks for the comments, guys. You're right about renouncing the habit of daily internet usage. As long as I'm enslaved to the Coverage Map, the next chapter of my RV life will be constrained and not allowed to roam free range.

A weekly trip into town would be a great habit.

E-readers are an interesting option for mobile people. But mostly, I read classics whose copyrights have expired, so internet access to gutenberg dot-org is all I need. Still, eReaders would help with the newer books.
Anonymous said…
As you are now configured, you can read ebooks wherever your computer is... and sometimes it might not be convenient to lug even a netbook, but an ereader, with their extraordinary battery life and weighing just a few ounces, legible in bright outdoor light have some advantages in portability that are not to be sneezed at.

Tom in Orlando
Anonymous said…
Comfort factor was the main reason I picked up an e-reader. You can sit under a tree or lounge in a recliner with your whole library. It wasn't quite the same with the laptop which was too heavy, had shorter battery life, didn't handle well, and has a million things plugged into it.

Anonymous said…
Box Canyon is right. I-net usage is just another kind of Television addiction.

Christopher Lasch: The Culture of Narcissim is still topical today.
Bon voyage.
Boonie said…
Thanks m, I have read the book you mentioned and liked it, but it's been a long time. Maybe I should give it a second try.