On the Set of Designing Spaces (In Our RV)

We were lucky enough to be on the TV show Designing Spaces for our RV. The show will air August 14 and September 19. We went to Rancho Oso RV Park in Santa Barbara. It’s a cool little spot hidden up in the mountains above Santa Barbara just 15 min
from the beach and 10 from the city. We mis-judged the gas guzzler and the light came on just as we were charging up the mountain. We made it and just before the 11 pm cutoff where they lock the gates and don’t allow people in after hours. We got a spot with a great view of the mountains.
We woke up and got right to work. We still hadn’t set up our Wifi in the RV yet so to make things easy we went to the Adult Lodge to use their wifi. We were nervous at first cause we had no cell phone reception and we rely on ATT and Verizon networks to be plugged in. Luckily at the lodge they have boosters so we were able to get both providers. I make calls on ATT’s network but we have Verizon for our internet provider. This was our office for the day.
In the evening we biked around the property and checked everything out. We hit the hot tub at night and were the only ones in the pool area which was nice. Most of the thousand trails RV resorts have heated pools and many other great amentities which makes the experience of having an RV a lot better.
The next day we decided to upgrade our office and set up the wifi in the RV. We went with a company called Millenicom who uses the Verizon network because they have the most coverage in the USA, ATT is a close second and where we can’t get Verizon we can tether from our phones on the ATT network which really gives us great coverage. Millenicom is
absolutely the best company out there for mobile internet and the service is only $89.95 per month for 20 gigs. I looked extensively into getting a Satellite for the RV but after much research realized that it’s outdated technology and would be a pain in my rear to set up at each location. We also use a Wilson cell phone booster in the RV to get service where we normally wouldn’t have any. I had no ATT service but once I installed the wilson I had 2 bars on 4g! Now that we’re all set up we can work with a view!
The next day they had something going on at the Park. It was Designing Spaces on the Lifetime Channel doing a show. They put on a Bucking Bull show along with other events like a hay ride, wine tasting and supper. During the ice cream social they were shooting us and we had to sign the waiver to be on the show. I started talking to the lady and the next thing I know they wanted to stop by our RV later to put us on the show! WOOHOO! It’s going to air in August and then again in September.
In all we stayed 4 days and absolutely loved this place.
Hi Eric
We are also full time RVers, young and living/working from the road. Currently in CA (Cloverdale) and heading south the rest of this year. We are keen to visit Rancho Oso but were concerned about cell coverage. We also have Verizon/Millenicom with a Wilson 4g booster. We absolutely need 4G/LTE coverage to be able to work. With the setup we just described , do you think we would be ok for sufficient coverage? Would appreciate feedback you have on any other CA TT campgrounds re Verizon coverage if you have experience with them (Pio Pico, Oakzanita springs, wilderness lakes). Thanks a million and hope to connect on the road sometime. Maybe our pups can meet 🙂 your Pomeranian is adorable.
Hi Marc & Julie,
Thanks for reaching out! It’s always great to hear from other like minded travelers. We are also reliant on cell phone coverage. We use AT&T for our iphones and Verizon with our Millenicom. Rancho Oso was very beautiful and the hot tub was nice haha. Make sure you plug in your directions in your phone GPS before you charge up the mountain because you will lose reception on the way up. I’ve read different reviews online about the cell phone coverage at Rancho Oso so I was nervous heading there; however we had AT&T service with the help of the Wilson and we had consistent Verizon coverage without any assistance with Millenicom. You should have no issues getting reception. One thing I’ve found is when we arrive at a new area to drive around and not only pick your spot based on scenery, but also based on cell phone coverage. As far as other TT campgrounds, if you see one on our blog we’ve been to it. We haven’t been to any that aren’t on our blog with two exceptions (Palm Springs and Wilderness Lakes). We had great reception at both of these campgrounds. We’ve been traveling and exploring extensively the past couple of weeks and have been behind on some tasks. One of them is that we got the notice about Millenicom but haven’t reached out yet. Have you found a solution for this yet? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks and let us know if you’re ever in the same area, we will do the same. Cheers!