Declining interest in RVing?

[Jayco-noslide]

Wonder if anyone else experiences this from time to time. I am 73, still healthy and active and we have RV'd 1 way or the other for 44 years; now in a 30 ft. Class C. Like the RV just fine but I find myself a little bit questionning how interested I am now in continuing. Certainly the "excitement" about upcoming trips is gone and has been replaced by moderate interest or a concern about what we would do in place of it. We will leave mid-Jan to snowbird for 2 months. Part of the issue is how much more money we would have to go without RV maintenance and going to 1 vehicle. Also, a simpler life. Quitting would be a pretty big decision because I don't see us ever spending the money to get back in at our age. But, so far, most trips turn out pretty good so I guess we will just go on trip by trip, season by season. Just venting a little.

[spoon059]

At the end of the day, do what you want to do. My parents camped on and off my entire life. We had a pop-up when I was a kid. They bought a 26' bunkhouse for a cross country trip that we used for a couple years. When we went off to college they bought a class C to go to Florida every winter. They decided they didn't enjoy camping as much anymore and sold the camper about 10 years ago. They still go to Florida every February, but now rent a house and don't have to worry about maintenance.

Find whatever you love and do that. If its camping, enjoy it. If its sitting by the lake, enjoy it. Enjoy your time on the earth. I am a police officer, one of my brothers was hit by a drunk driver last week. We were just notified this afternoon that he is being taken off life support tomorrow. 24 years old. 2 years on the job. Life is short, you are promised nothing on this earth. Find what gives you peace and comfort and enjoy it.

For me and my young family, we still very much enjoy camping. I hope that we continue to camp throughout our lives. We have plans for traveling across the country when I retire... just taking 3 months and exploring the country and determining what areas we want to go back and spend more time.

Good luck with your decision and don't worry what anybody else thinks. Worry about yourself, do what you want.

[Homer1]

I think you both have valid points, there seems to be an elitist mentality taking the place of just good old fashioned camaraderie between strangers. They know they can always talk to their friends back home, or their kids from any where. They seem to be overly involved in their family, (which is fine), but have less interest in branching out and just be friendly.

[2oldman]

goducks10 wrote:
I don't think it's the electronic age. I'm 62 almost 63 and am fairly electronic. But that has nothing to do with not wanting to go to rallies... Way too much sitting around for us. I think the newer old people are more inclined to want some form of physical activities. I don't mean horseshoes either.

Wholeheartedly agree.

My dad was a Kiwanian, took me to a few dinners, but never in my life did I consider doing that. Never been to a rally.. but the sitting and the drinking and the talking would drive me nuts. And that seems to be what most 70+ people do. Eat, drink, and talk. They even stand around in the swim pools and talk. If you want to do any actual swimming, there's a special pool for that, and even then you have to shoo them out of the way because they're talking.

Horseshoes, bocce ball, pool, shuffleboard, playing cards.. yuck, it's all "get fat" activity.

[goducks10]

Dick A wrote:
The RV scene has not decreased but has changed substantially; the younger folks are much different than we old folks. As an example, about 2004 we started rally section to this forum. Initially we had great response and many rallies were started with good attendance. At the time most attendees generally were forty and up. We traveled to several across the country, some more than once, We had a grand time at all the rallies and met so many wonderful people, some of which we still stay in touch with.

Currently, rallies have very substantially diminished and most small local rallies groups had no longer exist. Why? the younger folks are not joiners or organization inclined. There are a multitude of reasons but generally I call it the "electronic age".

Alost all service and charity clubs are having a difficult time finding and retaining new members. As an example, I have been an Elk for over 47 years. At that time clubs were packed with members. Now our downtown lodge is closed and merged with our valley club and we are down to under 400 members with average member age at 73.

This "electronic age" has radically changed our society including the RV scene we have all loved.

I don't think it's the electronic age. I'm 62 almost 63 and am fairly electronic. But that has nothing to do with not wanting to go to rallies. I just don't like the energy level at them. We've seen a few rallies going on at some RV parks. Way too much sitting around for us. I think the newer old people are more inclined to want some form of physical activities. I don't mean horseshoes either. There's an exercise movement going on now. Lots of middle agers going to the gym, riding bikes, hiking and kayaking. Golfing as well. Most of the people at the rallies that have been held coincidently at RV parks we pulled into were not of the exercise type. I'm not saying they aren't doing anything. It's just my observation of what I've seen. I suppose it could be different at rallies I haven't had the opportunity to witness.
I also understand it's a social event and it's hard to socialize if every ones out walking or riding a bike. So maybe I got it all wrong.
I guess there could be some electronic age thing to it. But IMO it's more of a stay active thing. I think older folks are trying to stay active more.
I'm amazed at how many older people the DW and I see out hiking and bike riding. I think it's more of a fitness trend myself.

[rockhillmanor]

You know when you know.

I thought I would RV forever. After several years on the road it got old.

The RV scene has not decreased but has changed substantially; the younger folks are much different than we old folks. As an example, about 2004 we started rally section to this forum. Initially we had great response and many rallies were started with good attendance. At the time most attendees generally were forty and up. We traveled to several across the country, some more than once, We had a grand time at all the rallies and met so many wonderful people, some of which we still stay in touch with.

Currently, rallies have very substantially diminished and most small local rallies groups had no longer exist. Why? the younger folks are not joiners or organization inclined. There are a multitude of reasons but generally I call it the "electronic age".

X2

Gotta tell ya though some of my decision WAS based on the newer 'type' of younger generations in the CG's.

I love people of all ages but eventually over the last few years the stops at CG's that were once a very rewarding experience meeting and talking with new people increasing became an absolutely zip and zero
pleasant experience.

The new 'all about me' generation, and their huge 'disrespect for anyone older than them' generation is surely not a friendly bunch. 😞

[Ivylog]

Why are you waiting to mid Jan to head south? We usually leave Christmas day. Why just two months... it's still cold in MI in March. I agree going someplace different for the winter may help. As long as the kids do not take the keys I plan on going and then they can drive me there. We are happy being half timers and are disappointed when something decreases that and we've been RV for 40+ years.

I hope to go to the Tetons and Yellowstone another six times. Granted my roll model is a couple I meet 12 years ago at a Beaver MH Rally in OR. They had made it from South Carolina in four days. That's over 600 miles/day and pretty impressive, but there is more to this story. He was 85 and she was 86 and they had just bought a new Beaver 40' DP. She was limping having broken a leg snow skiing the previous winter. Only 15 more years until I can match that minus the new MH.

I've always said ATTITUDE is everything so my question is: What are you going to do with your time if you stop RVing? Whatever that is, why can it not be done while RVing? At 71 I'm not ready to throw in the towel on much of anything.

[2gypsies1]

Are you going to the same places or same states? Pick a new state or two and explore it thoroughly and then move on.

[tatest]

Like Homer, I found that I lost interest after my wife died, it was one of the things we did together. We traveled a lot as a couple, and for seven years went out a few days each month with a RV club.

The club membership was dying off, and after my wife died, most of the people just kind of stopped camping (though the survivors meet for breakfast once a month). I tried joining another group after my wife was gone, had difficulty connecting with some of the people in that group, and they didn't much get along with each other, so eventually that group just dissolved.

I still road trip, but not in the RV, it is a lot less expensive for one person to use hotels, and it is a lot less work. My van gets around a lot better than my 30 foot class C.

I tried two seasons of going out to the lake alone, at busy times and quiet times, and while I still liked being there, I didn't feel much like I was camping, alone in a big motorhome. I've also tent camped (something my wife no longer enjoyed after age 60) a couple of times in the cooler weather of late fall, and while that was a better experience than sitting in the RV, I learned it is a lot more struggle getting up off the ground at 70 than it was in my 20s and 30s.

I'm looking at tent trailers and smaller campers, for the camping experience, conversion of my van (or buying a B) for travel in the U.S.

We had been doing a lot of travel in addition to the RV: cruises, escorted tours, flying to another continent and renting a place for a month while we explored the city or country. While I haven't gotten back into cruising since being alone, except for a couple river cruises on a line that accommodates singles (the industry is not generally good about this), I've started taking more escorted tours with a seniors travel club.

I still have the motorhome, long ago paid for, as there is potential to use it with my kids and grandkids if we can get everybody settled within a few hundred miles of each other. Or, it might be traded on something more suitable to my traveling alone, or camping alone.

I suggest if the RV is paid for, keep it and take care of it, for the times you might want to use it. The big costs are financing and depreciation, and you aren't really going to get much back by selling it, if more than 7-10 years old. If you have other things you want to do, don't worry too much about the RV sitting unused for a while.

[Dick_A]

The RV scene has not decreased but has changed substantially; the younger folks are much different than we old folks. As an example, about 2004 we started rally section to this forum. Initially we had great response and many rallies were started with good attendance. At the time most attendees generally were forty and up. We traveled to several across the country, some more than once, We had a grand time at all the rallies and met so many wonderful people, some of which we still stay in touch with.

Currently, rallies have very substantially diminished and most small local rallies groups had no longer exist. Why? the younger folks are not joiners or organization inclined. There are a multitude of reasons but generally I call it the "electronic age".

Alost all service and charity clubs are having a difficult time finding and retaining new members. As an example, I have been an Elk for over 47 years. At that time clubs were packed with members. Now our downtown lodge is closed and merged with our valley club and we are down to under 400 members with average member age at 73.

This "electronic age" has radically changed our society including the RV scene we have all loved.

[long_hauler]

If you do decide to keep with RVing (which I believe you & everyone else should), there are many ways to make your expenses cheaper such as http://www.demcotowbars.com/blog/ways-to-save-money-while-rving/ OR
http://roadsidechronicles.blogspot.com/p/50-ways-to-save-money-whilefor-rving.html. My parents were able to save money while being a full time RVers by making small changes in their everyday life such as where they buy gas to where they end up parking. There are many discounts out there for seniors like yourself, http://www.nps.gov/findapark/passes.htm.
Hope these links help!

[goducks10]

JAXFL wrote:
The excitement goes away as it does with most things in life. Once you have done them 100's of times. I think sometimes that it would be fun just to go cruising and not camping...but then after a few dozen cruises and seeing the "New" same old places again that also got old, playing golf everyday for 3 years was great at first then one morning you get up and realize you are in a rut with that...and the excitement is gone.

I suggest you just find something new to do for awhile and then come back to camping and it might be NEW again.

Couldn't of said it better. Did the same thing with motorcycle riding for 12 years. At 1st I would hop on the MC to go anywhere. Then after years of riding the same roads I thought, why? BTDT. That's when we sold the Goldwing and got into RV/camping. How long will it last? Haven't got a clue. Still have a full bucket list. But like MC riding, when I'm done I won't do it again. DW and I will find something else to do.

[bsinmich]

I just turned 77 and we started RVing in 1969. I sold the 38' Mountain Aire after my wife of 55 years passed away and got the Roadtrek from my neighbor. Last summer I found the GMC in Detroit area and bought that also. That is at the G

[bsinmich]

I just turned 77 and we started RVing in 1969. I sold the 38' Mountain Aire after my wife of 55 years passed away and got the Roadtrek from my neighbor. Last summer I found the GMC in Detroit area and bought that also. That is at the G

[Tripalot]

We love to travel - have been doing it for 50 years in one form or another.
We found that it was getting stressful driving the M.H. and towing a car, especially in heavy traffic and going through cities. We decided to downsize and see if that would help. Well it did. We are very happy with our 24 ft. Regency with a full bathroom and a Murphy bed. Depending on the trip and our plans, we do not always tow a car. I love planning trips and always having something to look forward to. DH not so much but he does appreciate having arrangements and ideas for sightseeing in place. We do finalize our plans together so he knows where we are going.

My advice is do not make a decision you might regret. If in doubt - wait.
As others have suggested, new destinations might help. We try not to go to the same places over and over, although we do return to places we know we enjoy.
Every trip has new experiences for us.

[bsinmich]

I just turned 77 and we started RVing in 1969. I sold the 38' Mountain Aire after my wife of 55 years passed away and got the Roadtrek from my neighbor. Last summer I found the GMC in Detroit area and bought that also. That is at the GMC Coop in Orlando, FL getting refurbished right now. My daughter asked which one I was going to keep and I told her both. The Roadtrek is great when alone and the GMC will have more room for taking others along. I am still planning on being gone most of the summer.