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DutchmenSport's avatar
DutchmenSport
Explorer
Dec 30, 2013

Where's everyone going?

Returned home Saturday and Sunday (Dec 28 and 29) from Florida to Indiana.

Left Panama City location and headed North on 231 all the way to Montgomery, Alabama.

Wow! Lots and a lots of RV's heading South along that route. I lost count several times.

From Montgomery to Louisville, Kentucky, it was another armada of RV's heading South.

I think on an average, we saw an RV heading South every 45 seconds, the entire route.

Seems in Florida and Southern Alabama, the largest number of RV's were motor homes. From Montgomery to Louisville, it was a 50/50 mix of motor homes and 5ers. I've never seen so many 5ers, one after another!

By the way Montana 5er was the most popular on that 2 day trek.

Travel Trailers were scarce, until we got North of Bowling Green, Kentucky, and then, maybe, ... 1 in 50 were Travel Trailers. Once we crossed into Indiana, it was almost all Travel Trailers, but looked like almost everything in Indiana were being "transported" heading South. You can spot transports a mile away.

So I kept asking the wife, "Where are they all going?" And why now? ... the end of December.

I'm not kidding when I say we must have passed over 500 RV's heading South in those 2 days? So, if you were on Florida-Alabama 231 and I-65 Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, would you all mind telling where you were heading and why at the end of December (of all times).

The armada was awesome! Unfortunately, I had to return back to work Monday (Today).
Roads and Routes

8 Replies

  • tatest's avatar
    tatest
    Explorer II
    Dec 30, 2013
    Peak of the RV snowbird migration east of the Mississippi is btween Christmas and first week of January, to Gulf Coast and Florida destinations. Permanent home snowbirds in Florida (by far the majority) tend to move earlier. My brother goes to his Florida house end of August.

    But most RV snowbird destinations in Florida are still too hot for outdoor life much before October.

    There's a different trend for the Texas and Arizona RV snowbird destinations. To Texas, particularly, the move is gradual, following the autumn weather through the southern part of the Plains. A lot of people will be in the Arkansas River basin September-October, move to central Texas or Hill Country and San Antonio, moving down to the RGV when Texas gets colder January and February.
  • USARMYCW's avatar
    USARMYCW
    Explorer
    Dec 30, 2013
    Saw a bumper sticker "I owe I owe I owe. Its off to work I go".
  • Richert's avatar
    Richert
    Explorer
    Dec 30, 2013
    W--K, can't say that word here! Everyone headed for Sunshine and warmth, we have arrived and there are people coming into CG everyday. By Jan 5 it will probably be full. Staying until sometime in April and will take the warmth back north.
  • Dog_Folks's avatar
    Dog_Folks
    Explorer
    Dec 30, 2013
    Work is a four letter word. I feel for you. I had to do it in another life.
  • DutchmenSport's avatar
    DutchmenSport
    Explorer
    Dec 30, 2013
    haydoracin wrote:
    A lot of snowbirds wait until after Christmas to head south. People heading to bowl games?


    We took the week of Christmas and went to Falling Waters State Park in Florida.

    Last year we did a Carnival Cruise over Christmas week. On Christmas Day, a year ago, we "swam with the dolphins" in the British Virgin Islands.

    We purchased our new Outback in September. Rather than doing another "cruise" we decided to head to Florida over Christmas this year with the new camper and REALLY get it broke in! Unfortunately, there's this little thing that compelled us back to Indiana .... it's called 'work!" It's very hard returning to snow!
  • Dog_Folks's avatar
    Dog_Folks
    Explorer
    Dec 30, 2013
    The real question is: Why were you heading NORTH out of the sunshine state and into the brunt of winter?
  • haydoracin's avatar
    haydoracin
    Explorer
    Dec 30, 2013
    A lot of snowbirds wait until after Christmas to head south. People heading to bowl games?
  • LynnandCarol's avatar
    LynnandCarol
    Explorer
    Dec 30, 2013
    Most snowbirds/winter texans wait until after the Christmas holidays to move south. The window is usually Christmas day till 12/30.

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