My family thinks we've lost our minds

MotorPro wrote:
You have lost your mind........and isn't it great!!!

The old saying: Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most.

DW thought camping was slow room service. Then my sister and BIL stopped by on their way to Alaska. She saw their 5er and said, "I can do this". Now if we want to go somewhere and can't take the RV, we don't go. Family is happy we're enjoying the toys we've worked so hard to aquire.

charming wrote:
Not everyone's family is understanding and thinks this RV'ing thing is a great idea. My sister is one of those who think DH and I are to use technical terms - NUTS! (Personally, I think if we move up to a 5 wheel in a few years with more bells and whistles, she might have a change of mind.)

DH's kids, one of whom loves to camp and rough it, thinks its great for us. His sister at least pretends its a good thing.

How did your family react when you took the plunge, especially later in life like us?

We look at it this way. You can pick your friends but not your family. I do not tell them how to run their lives and I expect the same in return. The bottom line, we could care less what they think about our RV lifestyle.

A friend of mine works in Hospice. She once told me that while sitting and talking to patients with not long to live every single one of them says one of two things; "I'm glad I did...." or "I wish I would have....". I want to be in the "I'm glad I did" group when life' end is near.

We can't expect others to understand our decisions, but as long as we understand that is all that matters.

In our case, buying the Class C was the start of the avalanche...LOL! Almost all of our 7 adult kids now camp; and as kids come along, we're seeing a transition from tents to smaller RVs. So assuming our kids are as "nuts" as WE are - it's all good :-)

Veebyes wrote:
People are comfortable with what they are familiar with. They are more likely to be negative to what they know little about.

Here in Bermuda many people either own timeshares or even own a second home in the US. In a population of 65,000 I know of only a couple others who own RVs. Neither of them do the traveling like we do.

People talked to are either very envious or in awe that we strike out, with no reservations, to the great unknown beyond the last shopping center of a major city. They don't understand the concept of traveling without the security of having a rental vehicle with help a phone call away. The jaws drop when we talk about NPs rarely visited by Bermudians. Everyone has been to the Grand Canyon. Try explaining Dead Horse Point SP or Bryce Canyon NP. No clue. Try conveying the vastness of land across Kansas, Nebraska or the desert SW to people who cannot get any further away from the ocean than half a mile.

It is all so different. That is why we do it.

Maybe part of the RV appeal is being able to drive vast distances. I'm not sure how large Bermuda is, but St. John is 20 square miles. You can drive from one end to the most distant point in under an hour. You see the same scenery every drive. And except for the tourists, you see the same people when you leave the house. We love driving around the mainland, seeing new things and having new experiences, and are looking forward to doing more of it in our new-to-us campervan that we're keeping at relatives in the states.

Our son and his wife plan to move aboard a sailboat and cruise after retirement. They are fine with us taking off in the RV. I fact, they think we aimed too low on the Adventure Scale. My husband's mother hates it. We told her when she sold her house up north and decided to come to FL to be near us, instead of out west to be near her other son, exactly what we intended to do. Either she didn't believe us or she thought that her presence would force us to change our plans to conform to hers. I suspect the latter. Now, we are retired and are putting our house up for sale, and she not only thinks we are crazy, she is furious at being "abandoned."

noe-place wrote:
He died at 57 and never got his rv or even out of Kentucky.:B

As noe-place pointed out, the uncertainty of how much time me, or my family, have left on the meter, serves as motivation to live life to its fullest. Some people don't come to this realization until the final seconds are counting down, or when unexpected tragedy strikes. Since tomorrow may never come, do it today!

To me, life is about experiencing new and exciting places and seeing amazing sites here, there and everywhere. The beauty of an rv is it provides the resources (and freedom) to pursue this quest.

Although my parents find fulfillment by sinking every cent into their house, other family members (brother and cousins) share the desire to explore. Hopefully rv'ing continues to be viewed as crazy, otherwise it could make it difficult to get away from the crowds.

People are comfortable with what they are familiar with. They are more likely to be negative to what they know little about.

Here in Bermuda many people either own timeshares or even own a second home in the US. In a population of 65,000 I know of only a couple others who own RVs. Neither of them do the traveling like we do.

People talked to are either very envious or in awe that we strike out, with no reservations, to the great unknown beyond the last shopping center of a major city. They don't understand the concept of traveling without the security of having a rental vehicle with help a phone call away. The jaws drop when we talk about NPs rarely visited by Bermudians. Everyone has been to the Grand Canyon. Try explaining Dead Horse Point SP or Bryce Canyon NP. No clue. Try conveying the vastness of land across Kansas, Nebraska or the desert SW to people who cannot get any further away from the ocean than half a mile.

It is all so different. That is why we do it.

My parents always said that you "inherit" family, but you "choose" friends. Unless you owe them money, forget it.