We were exactly in the same situation as you were now in -- we had never towed anything, we had never even camped, the kids were grown, and we like the outdoors. Tired of staying in motels and eating at overpriced restaurants with bad food.
Once we had decided to try RVing, we tried to figure out what to get -- truck camper? (Too cramped for us, although truck campers can go anywhere.) Motor home or Class C? Comfortable, but kind of big, and you have to pack up your stuff every time you want to go somewhere, unless you bring a towed vehicle (in which case you are dealing with two motor vehicles, with all of the maintenance and expense).
So, just as an experiment, we tried a small trailer, thinking we would upgrade if it worked out ok. Our goal was to use the trailer as a mobile motel room/base camp, using the tow vehicle as our ticket to daily adventures (hiking, shopping, or whatever).
The experiment succeeded beyond our wildest expectations. We really love a small trailer -- properly outfitted, it can (slowly) go almost anywhere a truck camper can go, when towed by a 4 wheel drive vehicle. Instead of staying at RV parks or campgrounds (which was our original plan), we stay way out in the boonies whenever possible. Towing was not hard to learn, as long as you have the proper tow vehicle, mirrors, and anti-sway equipment. (We use a friction bar because our trailer is so small, but many people use weight distribution hitches.) Backing up took me longer to learn, but it is a learnable and necessary skill.
My emphatic advice is "do it." I only wish we had started earlier, when the kids were younger. We camp from 50 to 80 nights every year, and we can't get enough of it. Please feel free to click the blog links in my signature for descriptions of the kinds of places we have seen, and the things we have done to our trailer.
Most crucially, ask questions on this forum -- all of us were newbies at one time, and we are happy to help. Be patient with yourselves -- there is a learning curve, but that is part of the fun!
