Filed under: Entertaining Kids at Camp, Gadget Reviews, Technology & Camping, Uncategorized

Technology while RVing – iPad edition

Since my husband gave me an iPad about two years ago, I have seen changes in how I pack for a trip. How so? Let’s just say that the iPad has saved us from arguing on what to bring with us (you know the never ending dilemma of being careful with the weight when you have a travel trailer…).

Books

The main issue before was the number of books I would bring with me. I will admit that I am a bookworm. I love reading and for me having a variety of books is essential when travelling. So I always brought a certain number of them. Well like it or not, books take some space and it adds up when you bring a certain number of them. So having an iPad has resolved this problem because now I can have large quantities of options to read without having to find a place for them in the RV or worrying about the weight. I have found some websites that announce the free books on a regular basis and I take advantage of these when they are available. My favorite places to check are Inspired Reads and Gospel E-Books .  I also regularly keep an eye open on the amazon.com Kindle site to see what other free book I could download.

You can also get numerous books for children as well. I particularly like the cite Moms With Apps which has a freebie Friday every week. It’s perfect to get free books for kids but also free educational apps.

Board Games

Here’s another item that would cause tension in our packing. Board Games are something I want to pack when we travel for extended period of times. It allows us to have fun when we have a rainy day. But packing too many of them can be a problem. So we stick to travel versions of some games. But with the iPad you can now have a diversity of board games for all ages – Monopoly, Game of Life, Battleship, Blokus, and many more.

The iPad also have the flexibility to have fun games as well. I’m thinking Angry Birds (with their multiple versions), Lego games, Cut the Rope, Perry, Rush Hour, Pictureka, or the brand new Angry Birds Star Wars – to name only a few. You can also have strategy game like checkers, word games like Scrabble, and many more options of gaming for all ages.

Learning on the Road

As homeschoolers we learn anytime we can. Last spring/summer we had to pack most of our curriculum while we were away from our home. But usually, I tend to rely on apps to supplement the learning of math, language arts, geography, history and science. But for the identification of everything that we can encounter while RVing and exploring new places, I rely on the Audubon apps which help us to identify birds, animals, flowers, trees, mushrooms, insects, butterflies, fish and reptiles/amphibians. You can find their apps at the Audubon Field Guides website.

Movies

Finally, the iPad allows you to have some movies which the kids can watch while you travel long distance. We have found an overhead dock mount for the truck which was specially designed to hold the iPad while travelling. This fabulous item would allow you to insert your iPad containing videos and the kids will have the opportunity to watch either a fun cartoons or something educational if you need to travel long distances.

Our family would love to have the opportunity to review such an item. Once purchased, you need to find someone to install it.

We are keeping the information about this overhead dock mount in hopes that one day we can get one installed in our Suburban. It would improve the long distance trips and keep the kids quiet for a while. Though I suspect that their dad would love to go sit with them just to watch the show as well… *grin*

Keeping in touch with family and friends

Another great way to use you iPad would be to stay in touch with the people you love.   Thanks to email, facebook, twitter, skype and other social media tools, it is easy to let others know what you have done on your travels.   The only thing you would need is an internet connection which nowadays most campgrounds offer either for free or for a small amount of money.

In conclusion, the iPad have definitively change the way people travel.    It is portable and easy to bring along without taking too much place.  I strongly suggest that you consider purchasing a tablet of some sort. There are various ones out there on the market and not everyone would go for the iPad. But if you do, keep in mind that you don’t have to purchase the latest version on the market. You will find that the first generation of iPads are more than okay to do what you want it to do while travelling. Besides, with the latest releases of iPad, the first generation is generally quite affordable on site like Kijiji.

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