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 Certainly the "excitement" about upcoming trips is gone and has been replaced by moderate interest or a concern about what we would do in place of it.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.

[winnietrey]

Seems to me, the older I get the more work it seems to be to do "stuff" Be it rving or anything else.

But what I fear most is that old easy chair, too easy to just sit there and watch TV.

So at times it does seem like a big hassle to do stuff, but we still do it. Seen to many grumpy old folks whose life consists of watching TV and complaining about just about everything.

Does not have to be rving, but we all need something to do in my opinion

[FlatBroke]

70, wife's 12 years younger. We use to do lots of camping ATV trips. Wife lost interest and sold hers, so that's out. Trailer set all summer. We take it to AZ for the winter and I said if we are not going to use it next summer I'm going to leave it there and store it. Not pulling the dam thing back and forth just to store it. Would love to make the trip without the hassle of pulling in the winter.

[rockhillmanor]

Homer wrote:
The last time I attempted to join a Good Sam Club in Ohio. I wrote to the Wagon master (so to speak). In return I

received a letter advising me they were a young club

and every one is expected to be a baby setter. Maybe I should visit a time or two to be sure I and my wife would fit in. That cinched it for me, I and my wife, both in our 60's at the time and just retired, had no desire to become some ones baby sitter. We have plenty of grand kids for that activity. The only other G/S Club was many miles away in Indiana. So we traveled on our own and I must say enjoyed the life style very much. I did not realize the G/S club was a baby sitting venture.

WHAT?
Discrimination because of your age, and babysitting?????

I'd be calling GS headquarters and my lawyer on that one.
AND providing the proof with that letter. Can't believe they were that stupid enough to put that statement in writing.

Just unbelievable. :R

[Homer1]

The last time I attempted to join a Good Sam Club in Ohio. I wrote to the Wagon master (so to speak). In return I received a letter advising me they were a young club and every one is expected to be a baby setter. Maybe I should visit a time or two to be sure I and my wife would fit in. That cinched it for me, I and my wife, both in our 60's at the time and just retired, had no desire to become some ones baby sitter. We have plenty of grand kids for that activity. The only other G/S Club was many miles away in Indiana. So we traveled on our own and I must say enjoyed the life style very much. I did not realize the G/S club was a baby sitting venture.

[mdcamping]

goducks10 wrote:

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.

We have participated in 3 different rallies in the past 5 yrs, one stopped 3 yrs ago and the other 2 have severely declined and I'm not sure if they will continue for next year.

As mentioned before, the problem is no one new is coming in replacing the people who have decided to move onto other things. And as mentioned earlier the electronic age, face book, and how newer rvers communicate have played a major part in the demise/decline of some of these rallies.

We always enjoy the rallies because we felt no pressure to hang around the campground, where as some folks did and some did not. Most everyone did the pot lucks and there was always a chair available for the evening campfires.

Respectfully saying, this site needs to be changed/updated to fit the expectations of the newer rvers, that I believe will help bring new folks on board.

Mike

[Durhamcutter]

My wife and I are about the same age I am 74 and I can't put her age in here I will have to pay the price, but I too feel sometimes that we should stop camping I understand about the excitement but it has become part of our social life, we don't do a lot of the things we use to do so it is an outlet for us. The hard part for us is the packing to go and the unpacking when we get home. We travel a lot and still feel it is the best way for us to travel,don't feel like you are the only one that feels like you do, I think it comes with age. Happy Camping

[Homer1]

Completely understandable.

[Jayco-noslide]

Appreciate all of the responses and good suggestions. Just as an interesting addition; just today we picked up our motor home from the shop and dropped another $2,000; although, insurance helped by covering the damage to our tow bar(long story). This included water heater repair, new water pump and adding an awning to bedroom window. I'm really not upset about this bill and it doesn't add to my doubt about continuing; however, if another unexpected bill this big came along soon; well one of the factors that nudges one toward quitting? The MH is paid for and would consider just parking it for awhile but I'm not one to keep stuff around that I don't use.

[Skid_Row_Joe]

rockhillmanor wrote:
You know when you know.

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

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. 😞

Wow!

RVing has been a blast ever since I took my first trip in my Class A diesel - that was 29 years ago! I'm going strong logging months and months out and thousands of mile a year in my updated diesel rig. I'll likely hire a younger driver for my Prevost when I can no longer drive or handle the hooking up on the road. She'll be much younger, of course. LOL! 🙂

[Jim_Shoe]

My interest is still strong. But at 70 Y.O. and having been through 47 of the fifty states and several provinces of Canada, inertia has set in. If I do decide to go someplace new or someplace I've visited and really enjoyed, the 'C' and the Jeep toad are ready, as they're both paid for and stored in a heated building that I own. But inertia has set in. I just can't get fired up to go anymore. One thing is taken care of though. At my age, it sure is nice to have on board bathroom facilities, and I know who used them last. That alone, puts it way ahead of hotels/motels and public restrooms. I have a couple of friends near Naples, FL. that I haven't seen for awhile. Maybe this spring...

[Veebyes]

I get ammused at those who consider getting out of RVing because it is too much 'work'. They complain about the loading & unloading before & after the weekend. The RV is in their driveway or at the very furthest, in front of their house.

Try this for a boating weekend.

Load the car with 3 55qt coolers plus everything else needed, mostly towels & linens. At marina unload stuff carrying it down a flight of stairs & a 100' walk to 14' skiff where you load it. Run the skiff out to where the 'big' boat is kept on a mooring. Unload the skiff into the big boat cockpit. Finally move it for the last time to wherever it is stored.

Time taken from starting to load car to time turning the key of the big boat, over 2 hours. This with the help of 2 children who did move more than their personal stuff.

At the end of the weekend the movement of all that stuff in reverse.

RVing!!!! PUHHH! Easy. Go to the market. Park the cart right outside the RV. Load right there.

[Uually]

We are both 78years young and just traded for a new camper. Not ready to quit yet.

[Homer1]

The tick problem could happen in your RV. Any thing is subject to that. Now bed bugs that is another story.

[ncrowley]

I really like my own bed and cooking my own meals. It is healthier to cook your own meals rather than eating out all the time. And we find eating out all the time gets old. We came back from dropping the coach off and drove back in the car staying in hotels. That got old pretty quick. I have had some bad experiences in VERY nice hotels. I was in an upscale hotel (business trip) and I was attacked by over 100 baby ticks that were obviously born that night and I was their first meal. I had a terrible allergic reaction to all the bites and had to be hospitalized. No hotel is immune to these types of problems.