Select Mini-Sessions for Women's RTR

[Suanne]

If you plan to attend the 2018 Women's RTR (1/22-24) after the main RTR (1/11-21), then please let us know your top three selections for 20-minute mini-sessions.

During the Women's RTR, we won't repeat any sessions offered during the main RTR, including Info about Quartzsite, Solar, Boondocking/Finding a Campsite, WorkCamping, Cooking, Residency/Mail/Drivers License, and Arts & Crafts (RTArtCamp).  If you want to know that information, please attend the main RTR.  The calendar with the dates and times will be posted shortly.

Since we only have 3 days together, and the requested number of topics to discuss is more than we have time for, we must pick and choose our topics.  So, I've set up this poll for those who plan to attend the 2018 Women's RTR.  Select the three topics that are most important to you.  Once we have our top selections, we'll work to find women with experience in those topics to give a 20-minute presentation (three times).

The current plan is that we'll have multiple 20-minute mini-sessions going on at the same time from which you may choose from.  Each mini-session will be repeated three times.  Each non-presenting participant will be able to attend three different mini-sessions during that afternoon.

I've gone through the "A Women's RTR!" thread and pulled out the various ideas.  If I've missed something, or if you have another topic you think is important to include, please post to this thread to let me know and I'll get the poll edited to include more options.  So, after you vote, check back to see if more options have been added.  You can change your three votes until the poll is closed on 11/12/17.  These are in no particular order:

• Pitching a tent properly for privacy or sleeping,
• Setting a budget,
• Paying down debts,
• Tire maintenance -- checking pressure and airing up,
• Checking the oil and other fluids,
• Cheap meal planning for one,
• Safe food storage with little or no refrigeration,
• Finding places for laundry, water, trash, ice, etc.,
• Map reading to find places to camp,
• Useful smartphone mapping apps,
• Using basic power tools,
• Short-cuts/How-tos on hair cuts, care and color (Shift Chick), or
• Starting your own radio blog (Shift Chick).

Your 3 votes are anonymous (except for the moderators). To see current results, click here https://vanlivingforum.com/polls.php?action=showresults&pid=70

Note: Another afternoon will be devoted to helping newbies connect with experienced vandwelling women to schedule coaching and mentoring times.

 

[Suanne]

Another selection was added today: Safety practices for over-nighting in town

 

[GypsySpirit]

So excited to see this! I'll be there!

 

[Cancan]

will tire pressure segment include changing flat?  i think that would be very useful information
thanks for this , looking forward to it all

 

[Bev on the Road]

Hi Suzanne. I am very excited about attending the RTR. This will be my first time as I just bought my RV last August. What really put the icing on the cake was this Women's RTR to follow. I have so much to learn traveling alone with just my dog and cat onboard. It will be nice to meet other like-minded women. I was surprised my kids are all for me traveling like this. My motto is "What are you waiting for? Follow your dreams now while you still can." I'll be 70 my next birthday. 
Looking forward to meeting all of you.

 

[Suanne]

Just a reminder for those who will be attending the Women's RTR, the poll to pick your 3 favorite mini-session topics will close tomorrow.

 

[ChaCha]

Hello Suanne, thank you for all your time & effort to monitor this forum. How exiting that there will be a special Women's RTR; I'm looking forward to attending RTR for the first time in Jan. As a newbie, I'm naturally interested in learning all that I possibly can. That said, I'm 62yo, & do have camping experience. What i would like to say, is that as a trained cosmetologist, I would be happy to conduct a session on hair care, if that is voted as a winning class.

 

[yo rockie]

Hi there, I suppose it's too late to entertain another topic.  But something I'm interested in knowing more about is Workcamping as a solo woman.  I don't find anything online that's specific to women. I'm going to need to find a way to support this lifestyle and imagine that being a woman alone may limit my prospects.  Perhaps there are other women in the same boat?

 

[Almost There]

Rockie, Workkamping is covered under the regular topics for the main RTR. The schedule hasn't been released yet but it's on the schedule every year.  Also the RTR is planned so that the last Saturday of it coincides with the opening in Quartzite of the big RV show. Each year a good  number of the booths at the RV show are used by companies like California Land Management etc, to recruit new workers for the coming summer. You can spend a couple of hours at the show and put in your applications with at least a half dozen companies that way. I think that everyone who wanted a job found one through that.

Finding workamping as a solo woman is not much different than as a solo man. Some of the privately owned campgrounds will only take couples, some will only take you if you've got a Class A...sigh! State and National park operators mostly don't have those restrictions and if you're willing to go further out in the boonies than those with the big rigs can even get to, they need you there too. Some people work camp out of tents

 

[Bohemian scout]

1-Radio blog? I'd like to start a you tube video blog or online blog but what's a radio blog?

• Map reading to find places to camp,
• Useful smartphone mapping apps,

 

[Suanne]

Thank you!

You have definitely provided exactly what I needed to know as I begin to recruit our presenters.  I've started with the most voted-on topic and am working my way down the list.

Note:  Since the two topics on mapping got the most votes, I want to make sure that you attend Carolyn's Boondocking Seminar on the first Sunday of the RTR.  You will find the information she shares very useful.

If you are experienced in the vandwelling lifestyle and would like to share your knowledge on a topic listed above (and have not already contacted me), please consider volunteering.   Write to [email protected]

You must be able to be succinct, presenting your information within 20 minutes.  You will not be able to attend any of the other mini-sessions as they will be going on concurrently.  Each presenter will give the exact same information 3 times in a row, 20 minutes each.  Consider ending your presentation with a handout or verbal information that can be easily written down so attendees know where to go to get more information on your topic.  20 minutes can only provide enough time for the most basic of information.

Thanks again!