Support the Journey.
You Want To Support My Work?!?!
Honestly, I’m grateful you’re even thinking about it.
Everything here — the guides, itineraries, trip reports, and videos — is free to read and watch. That’s intentional. My goal has always been to build something genuinely useful for people who are trying to figure out RV life, travel planning, and mountain biking without the hype or the nonsense.
If this site or the videos have saved you time, money, or a few rookie mistakes, there are a few ways you can help support the work and keep everything moving forward.
I appreciate it more than you probably realize.
Subscribe on YouTube
Subscribing and watching videos helps the channel grow and lets me keep making more long-form, honest content instead of chasing trends or clickbait.
Share an article or guide
If something here helped you plan a trip, understand memberships, or avoid a mistake, sharing it with another RVer or traveler helps more people find it.
Mention Us on Socials
A lot of readers find this site through word of mouth in Facebook groups and online communities. Linking to/recommending our content helps!
Direct Support
Creating guides, testing gear, traveling to locations, and keeping everything updated takes a surprising amount of time and fuel — sometimes literally.
“Buy Me a Coffee” is just a fun way of saying support the work. Whether it’s coffee, diesel, campground nights, or website hosting, it all helps keep the wheels turning and the content coming.
If you’ve found the site or videos helpful and want to support the journey directly, you can do that here.
No pressure. Just appreciated.
Work With Ty
The other way to support the work is to put it to work for you. These are the paid services — flat prices, posted up front, never a commission.
Thinking about buying? 50 minutes on which tier actually fits how you travel, new vs. used, and what the numbers look like once dues and the transfer fee are in. Ty earns either way, so he does not care which one you buy.
Book the buyer consult →What is your membership actually worth right now, what should you list it at, and how long should it take to move? A broker who wants your listing has every reason to overquote you. Ty does not get paid to guess.
Book the call first. Decide later to have Ty run the sale, and the full $89 comes off the $150 to start.
Book the seller consult →Ty reads your Thousand Trails paperwork and writes it up: what you actually own, what conveys, and the red flags. One contract per review, and a written PDF you can hand any buyer.
Get the review →Hand the whole thing over. Paperwork reviewed, a write-up, a Featured listing, marketing on the Exchange and through Ty’s network, and the transfer and funds handled at closing.
Start for $150 →Things I Use on the Road
One of the easiest ways to support the site is to use the services and gear I already use in my own travels. If you decide to use any of the companies below, using my links helps support the work I do here at no extra cost to you.
I only recommend things I actually use and would confidently recommend to a friend. If something stops being useful, it doesn’t stay on this list.
Thousand Trails
Thousand Trails is one of the biggest factors in making long-term RV travel financially sustainable for me. Being able to stay for extended periods without paying nightly campground rates dramatically reduces travel costs. If you’re curious how the memberships work or whether it makes sense for your style of travel, you can schedule a call with a membership specialist to learn more. Using my exclusive referral link can often unlock hundreds in savings from the Thousand Trails website price!
Arvie
Arvie is a campground search and booking tool that helps find availability in high-demand parks and automatically monitors cancellations. It takes a lot of the stress out of planning and makes it much easier to get into places that normally book out months in advance. Click here to visit the Arvie Website and start your first sold out scan!
Good Day Optics
Good Day Optics makes high-quality riding and outdoor eyewear that I personally use on the trail. They’re comfortable, durable, and designed for active use rather than just casual wear. I love my Good Day Optics — because I can tell they were designed by people who actually do the sport they were designed for! With the best return policy in the biz, you can try them risk free! If you decide to try them, you can use my link to receive 20% off your order.
Passport America
Passport America offers discounted nightly rates at participating campgrounds and can be a great supplement to other memberships, especially when traveling between longer stays or passing through new areas. It’s one of those tools that doesn’t replace other options — but pairs really well with them. It’s cheap and has some unique and interesting Campgrounds. I’ve used it several times and always been satisfied!
Why Shifting Gears Exists
There’s no shortage of RV and travel content online. Most of it focuses on the highlights — the scenic views, the perfect campsites, and the freedom of life on the road.
That’s part of the story, but it’s not the whole story.
Shifting Gears exists to share the practical side of this lifestyle — the planning, the logistics, the real costs, the mistakes, and the systems that make long-term travel actually work. My goal has never been to sell a fantasy version of van life or RV travel. It’s to give people honest, useful information so they can make better decisions and enjoy the experience more when they hit the road themselves.
Everything here is built around what actually works in the real world, not what looks good in a thumbnail.
What I Bring
I take a more analytical, data-driven approach to travel and RV life than most creators in this space.
Instead of focusing on hype or highlight reels, I focus on:
- how things actually work,
- what they really cost,
- what breaks or goes wrong;
- and what I would do differently next time.
Or, check out my Destinations and Itinerary Page by clicking here to see where I’ve been and where I’m going as well as checking out my state to state guides.
The goal isn’t to impress people. It’s to help them. Thank you again for stopping by and supporting my work. Until next time, friends.
Go Well. Travel Well. Do Well.
~Ty & Odie.