Explaining RVs/campers to people who just don't get it!

[Rovito]

My Father in law lives in Florida and we live in Maine. I told him next time we go down to Florida we will take 3-5 days to make our way down. He looked at me like I'm insane taking that much time to drive down. He was a long haul trucker so I think his mindset when driving is to get from point A to point B as soon as possible. People don't get the idea of taking it slow and just enjoying the ride. Same with looking at other peoples rigs or looking RV sales places. My wife and I just like to see what is new and what mods people have done. People I talk to about this just don't seem to get it.

[Dennis_Smith]

I have lived both ways, no money get from point a to b as fast as possible, because we could not afford hotels on the way. Not fun but it's what we had to do. Now retired with a little bit of money and n I w we take our time. Last summer 5 monthe west of colorado. 22000 miles and we saw it all. We love our 22 foot camper and the life style it gives us.

[Lantley]

sch911 wrote:

fireman41 wrote:
I'm sorry but I work for a living. I don't get 3 months off I have at most 2 weeks to make my trip, usually only one week.

This year we are going to the Nashville area and it's a 671 mile trip. 1 day down 5 days there 1 day back.

I get what you're saying OP and like it, but I have to agree wit this poster. Most of us can't afford that kind of time!

I am a working stiff as well. It becomes more of a mindset to relax and take it easy vs. a marathon. I'm part of the rat race every day. Hurry here ,get there, stick to the schedule etc.
On vacation I prefer to slow down 671 miles is a 14 hour day why not cut it in 2 and stop for the night and chill out. Nashville will be there when you get there. You will be refreshed and relaxed vs. worn from the long drive.
Somewhere at the 350 mile point will be a nice spot,maybe with a pool that you can enjoy for the evening. Eat dinner at the CG and start out fresh.
I used to be a straight through marathon traveler, but eventually I realized that traveling continuously is too much like work.
I prefer 350 mile days and smelling the roses.
There is fun to be had along the way. The fun doesn't have to start in Nashville. There is fun to be had somewhere along the way.
Its more about your mindset vs. the amount of vacation time you have.

[gmw_photos]

yep, for sure, not everybody has the travel bug. I am retired, and a lot of the guys I used to work with are also now retired. Most of them do no traveling at all. All of them have ample financial resources to travel any way they might wish, yet they just stay home.

[NCWriter]

It's OK that my relatives don't get it - because I don't get why one of them would fly cross country to Yellowstone for a one-day tour and then leave.

These are retired people with no time, health or money constraints, who could check into the Old Faithful Inn for a week, drive all over on their own and really enjoy the place in depth. Or buy the most expensive, nicest of RVs with all the bells and whistles if they chose, and enjoy all of America's fabulous National Parks.

Or worse than that, I have friends with the same financial and time freedom who travel all over the world but have never BEEN to Yellowstone, or to Utah's NPs either. They don't know what they are missing.

But then again, neither one of my brothers or those friends can or will screw in a new lightbulb. I think if you are mechanically inclined, enjoy tinkering and know how to fix things you are more likely to enjoy owning an RV.

Different strokes.

[Hannibal]

We just like to go places. We took a cross country train ride about 7 years ago. Loved every minute of it. We fly out to see friends or relatives on occasion. I love to fly. We're booked for another cruise in September and can't wait! A train ride to NYC again is on my list of wants. I thought I'd hate the place. I was wrong. More small town charm at street level than any small town I've been to. We'll take the Prius to the Fl Panhandle on occasion to stay with family and shoot AK's and AR's on their 150 acres. We kill nothing but Tannerite and shaving cream. We take the TT to places we can fish, bicycle trail ride, go tubing, and partying as much as we can stand and afford. Our tiny house in the hood makes it possible because there's nothing cheap about any of it.

[tatest]

Doesn't have much to do with RVing, really. It is more about economics and time constraints.

When I was time-constrained, I would do a trip with 10-15 hours driving time in one day. Once I retired, that would be at least two days, or three, or four, exploring along the way. My nieces and nephews still do Michigan to Florida or Michigan to Outer Banks as a non-stop trip. If they want to visit California they fly.

Once retired and making seasonal moves, with months at the destination, the picture changes. My cousin has summer property in northern Michigan, winters in his RV in South Florida about six months. It is still 12-14 hours of driving, he will take a week or two to make the trip. When he was 30 and had to get back to his job, he would do it in one day.

You father-in-law is concerned about the economics of it, he got paid for miles, not for time. The kids have limited vacation time and want to maximize time at destination.

You need to stop worrying about what other people think about what your are doing. Different folks have different needs, which lead them to different uses of their time.

One more example, my wife and I, when she was still living, liked long days at sea, so we did a few positioning cruises, and round trips from the mainland to Pacific Islands. This means seven to ten "sea days" for one to two weeks at destination ports. If you have the time, this is nice, but if you have one week or two weeks for your vacation, you get to the destination as quickly as possible.

[BizmarksMom]

I describe my trailer as my own rolling studio apartment. The bed is just the way I like it. The fridge and cupboards are stocked with the food and drink I like. The bathroom is as clean as I decide to keep it. If I decide I want something to nibble at midnight, there's no hassle about getting dressed and finding a vending machine - I just get up, open the fridge, and snack. No worries about my dogs -- they're in their comfy spots.

I do still backpack when what I want to see is further in than a dayhike. I resign myself to not sleeping well and waking up with all sorts of stiff and achy spots. Otherwise, you'll find me happily parking my rolling apartment somewhere in the woods.

[RobertRyan]

mbutts wrote:
This reminds me of my late father-in-law. My mother-in-law convinced him to get a 32' class C and they would tow their Harley on a trailer to their winter home in AZ. However, he'd drive 75+ MPH (!) to get there as quickly as possible. They were both retired and had the time, but he just didn't understand why anyone would take the time to wander a bit.

In Australia RVers are known as " Grey Nomads" which sums up that relaxed lifestyle

[LenSatic]

profdant139 wrote:
It's about staying in your own clean place, going wherever you want, whenever, with your own good food and good beverages.

Exactly! When we visit friends or family they don't believe us when we say we don't want to stay in their house, we brought our own. Oh, and our's is better because it's not theirs! 😉

LS

[rbpru]

I understand those who want or need to drive 14 or 16 hours at 75 mph to get to their destination ASAP. I have often done it myself with limited vacation time.

I also understand those who feel that RVing is not the same as camping. I have spent a lot of time canoe and tent camping and it is a different world altogether.

Several of my friends simply do not want to drive 60 mph, 300 miles a day, get 10 mpg and do all the maintenance required. A hotel or a tent seems like a better option.

RVing is a mindset developed around your particular camping style. It can be a KOA or Yogi Bear with full amenities and kids stuff or boon docking in seclusion.

Like any hobby, RVing cannot and need not be justified. Like sky or scuba diving, it is just something you like to do.

[naturist]

amxpress wrote:
I have OCD, obsessive camping disorder.

May I suggest there is no disorder there? I'm sure you meant Obsessive Camping Desire.

[profdant139]

Until I was in my early 50s, I was one of those folks who did not get it -- camping? No way. Too cramped and effortful -- give me a nice hotel room.

And then, one day, we were walking through a campground near a trailhead, and this nicely dressed lady stepped out of her RV carrying a bottle of good wine and two pieces of stemware. We talked to her for a few minutes, and the lightbulb flashed on -- RVing is not about suffering at all! It's about staying in your own clean place, going wherever you want, whenever, with your own good food and good beverages.

That was twelve years ago, and we are seriously hooked. Best thing we ever did. Sorry we did not find out about this sooner, but we did not know anyone who had an RV or who went camping. (Other than my kids who backpack, but that is still not for me!)

[gmw_photos]

falconbrother wrote:
I would much rather stay in my RV than to stay in a hotel......

snip....

And THAT is what I say to non-RV'ing people, if I do carry on a conversation about it. I explain, I like to have my own bed that nobody but me has slept in, I like to have my dog with me, and I love being able to get up in the morning and make my own coffee just the way I like it.

[falconbrother]

I would much rather stay in my RV than to stay in a hotel. I retired, did a reasonable amount of motor-homing, then went back to work part time and that became full time. We like to take our pugs and they love RV-ing.

We started RV-ing, as such, in 1988-ish..it might have been 87. We started meeting full timers out on the road and found them to be laid back and friendly people. We eventually moved from a van, to a cab-over, to a travel trailer and loved camping right up next to the beach. We would camp in the early spring when the nights are cool so, we would open the windows, play some native American flute music, read books and listen to the ocean roll. We decided then that we were hooked for life to the RV lifestyle.

I don't have the time that I use to have to do a lot of RV-ing. That's one of the major reasons that we moved from a class A motorhome to a travel trailer. For the cost of an RV you could buy a lot of gas and a lot of nights in a hotel. Heck, campground fees now cost about the same as a night at an economical hotel. I just made reservations for the Wilmington NC KOA for this Christmas and it was $60.00 a night. With my membership card I saved a few bucks but, the point still stands.

There's something relaxed about RV-ing. I just prefer it and will do it for as long as I can or, until I get this thing paid off..LOL..

[gmw_photos]

I've been a camper and a motorcyclist all my life. In the world of motorcycles, we have a saying: "if I have to explain it to you, you wouldn't understand."

Applies nicely to RV'ing as well.