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.

[TBammer]

downtheroad wrote:
Ya, and then try to explain the attraction of RV'ing when owning, maintaining, storing, insuring,.....an RV is twice expensive as just staying in a nice hotel.
Oh, then there is the fuel mileage.....

But you don't get any equity in that hotel room. Plus the trailer is like our own hotel room and we don't have to share it with any strangers. And, my wife has yet to run out of space with shoe storage and I don't have to worry about getting things pack and down to the car when we "check out".

[roadjunkie]

roadjunkie wrote:

jake2250 wrote:
Then we bought a trailer! Oh Yeah!! Sat TV,BBQ, Lounge chairs,Heater,A/C,awning. Set up time was less than 20 minutes and the wife,kids and I plus dog were happy!! So yeah,, basically we are in our back yard,,just the view changes all the time!

Great points, Jake. I just spent 2 weeks in Big Bend National Park and the views are stunning to say the least. I had no idea that the place was as raw and beautiful as they come and with very little traffic. I could drive for hours and not see another car. That was my backyard view!

I'm a professional photographer and wish they had a way to share images without them being on another site. I got some beautiful shots. Not sure if Facebook allows hot-linking but I'll give it a shot. If you can see it, it's a view of the Rio Grande with Mexico just on the other side. 😉

https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/17834110_1323077817779228_8802417078431855535_o.jpg?oh=288ee73ed35a177a6949d42ac89ab18d&oe=597B0451

[ams1130]

Try explaining your choice when you're a "weekend warrior"; we just don't get out as often as some folks do. Our holidays are sometimes earmarked for projects around home, and sometimes, believe it or not, we just don't feel like rving. But hey, the TT is paid for, and if it sits most of the year, not sure why that bothers some people.

[TexasChaps]

downtheroad wrote:
Ya, and then try to explain the attraction of RV'ing when owning, maintaining, storing, insuring,.....an RV is twice expensive as just staying in a nice hotel.
Oh, then there is the fuel mileage.....

possibly.. but last time I checked, there were no hotels in the valley of the gods..:B

[rbpru]

There is nothing to "get", It is simply a life style choice.

I do not know why folks spend $20,000.00 on a bass boat, a friend of mine had a cello made for just short of $30,000.00 in Europe. $5000.00 for a guitar, $50,000.00 for a fine English made side by side.

The list goes on and on. It is not a right or wrong issue, it is simply a life styles choice.

I have a TT because it fits the lifestyle I want to live. It certainly is not for everyone.

[jake2250]

kohai wrote:
Pre-RV days... About 10 years ago my wife wanted to go tent camping. We went to a campground in the mountains. While getting our camp setup, we watched a couple people pull into the campground with trailers and set them up. They took bikes out and the kids starting riding them around. They turned on music and setup chairs, started a fire, and sat around.

I was totally baffled that people did this. I wondered why they didn't just stay at home and hang out in their backyard.

Thats a funny observation!
I have always like to tent camp. (A back to nature thing). My wife and i camped allot before kids (Tents). Then the kids, and we went as much as possible (wasn't much).
Then as the kids started to grow we expanded our creature camp comforts.
Got to be it was taking me over an hour plus to get set up! The I wasn't in the mood to go play, Frustration set in!
Then the dread of breaking camp and driving home!
BUT we did it to show the kids the foundation of camping!
We rented a few pop ups,then we rented a few motor homes.
Decided to get off the ground and bought a PUP, Camping was so much nicer with greater comforts!

Then we bought a trailer! Oh Yeah!! Sat TV,BBQ, Lounge chairs,Heater,A/C,awning. Set up time was less than 20 minutes and the wife,kids and I plus dog were happy!!
So yeah,, basically we are in our back yard,,just the view changes all the time!

[roadjunkie]

Vintage465 wrote:
Most people have the misconception that the RV community thinks they are saving money by RV-ing. Or the only reason they would travel with an RV is to save money. This is certainly not the case. There is no money being save with an RV.

Sure there is money to be saved if you're traveling with an RV. Anyone can take things to the extreme and many people do. In American culture, we place too much importance on material things to impress others and if often becomes a burden, especially on the bank account. A large number of Americans want to have the very best, biggest, shiniest and most expensive "fill in the blank".

They want a shiny, new $65k truck and the longest, most lavishly equipped motorhomes or pull types that can run into the hundreds of thousands dollars when they could get by with a heavy-duty half ton and a smaller TT. I don't fault people if that's what they want to do but that's why it's so expensive; not because they can't but because they won't.

I'm slowly learning that life isn't about things. There's so much more to it when you simplify it and minimalize your "Stuff". 😉

[Searching_Ut]

No rules for me. Sometimes, you drive 800 plus miles in a day because the destination is what it's all about. Sometimes it's the journey. Why drive when you can ride a Bicycle? I once did a bicycle/camp trip from the tip of Scotland to Lands end in England. That trip was all about the Journey. We often have periods of time where many of our trips are about themes. Once it was to climb to the high point of every county in the state. For a couple years we sought out caves to explore. Sometimes it's about climbing the mountains rather than looking at them from below. How many folks invest in checking out the view from the top of the Grand Teton rather than just taking snapshots from the road below.

Of course there is a lot to be said for motel camping too, which we have just returned from this weekend. Sometimes it's just simpler and more convenient to stay in a motel for the adventures you have planned.

Finally, we tend to take cruises every now and then. Why drive the RV yourself when someone else can do the driving while providing rather nice amenities. In the end, the only thing to understand is that it's all about what sounds fun at the time.

[Vintage465]

I listen to many persons discuss traveling. There is definitely no common ground anywhere. Most people have the misconception that the RV community thinks they are saving money by RV-ing. Or the only reason they would travel with an RV is to save money. This is certainly not the case. There is no money being save with an RV. Some people only fly then rent a car. Some people drive non stop and then relax when they get where ever. I have to say I currently travel all different ways. I fly when I have too......and I hate flying, not 'cause I'm afraid of it, but it is a real pain to go through all the stuff to get on the plane, then get off the plane.............then you have to get on the plane again and get off the plane again......and meals at airports.....so fun! Sometimes we do a hotel trip and drive 12hrs a day to get somewhere. Looking forward to being done with flying and the red-eye express trips. My favorite is having 30 days to travel and really enjoy the ride with the trailer behind me. Our rig pulls so nice I can drive 8-12 hours without getting fatigued. In three years I should be able to retire and really look forward to touring the amazing United States!

[spoon059]

Rovito wrote:
People I talk to about this just don't seem to get it.

Perfect... less competition for sites at campgrounds. Stop trying to make it harder to find a spot!!!:B

[profdant139]

kohai, you ask why folks would hang out in the campground all day -- why not just stay home in your own backyard? (I agree with you -- we are generally hiking during the day.)

But I understand the desire to just chill and enjoy a non-urban setting. We live in suburban coastal Orange County, with a pretty nice backyard, and we do a fair amount of hanging out on the patio. But it is nothing like hanging out in a remote area -- we have constant freeway noise, gardening equipment, air traffic, sirens, etc. Not to mention the urban air quality -- even by the coast, the air is not really pure unless you are on the beach (and we can't afford to buy on the sand!)

And if you really want peace and silence, try boondocking in a national forest -- when the wind stops, it is so quiet that you can literally hear your heart beat (which can be a little unnerving when you have never heard it before).

[roadjunkie]

I view it as being about the journey and not the destination but it's not wrong for someone who views it differently. Who am I to think everyone should share my view?

[Gdetrailer]

fireman41 wrote:

Gdetrailer wrote:

Rovito 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.

So why not fly and get a hotel? That was more the point I was trying to make. People don't get it.

If you OWN a RV, why WOULD you "fly and get a hotel"?

I have been in some pretty dismal hotels, having a RV allows ME to control the temperature (hot or cold), I am not living out of suit cases (yeah, that was fun moving a family amount of suit cases in and out of hotels not to mention waiting on elevators..)

We make meals when ever we feel like it, we don't have to leave our RV like we did for room service to clean the rooms daily..

Have our COMFORTABLE beds with us (hotel beds are the pits for comfort).

Never have to listen to hotel doors slamming all hrs of the night..

Not worrying about money, wallets or other personal belongings growing feet and walking off by hotel staff cleaning the rooms.

Sure, driving a long distance to a destination takes time but having my home on wheels were ever I go is PRICELESS to me!

We travel 600 miles to get to our destination, drive 7 hrs, overnight then drive 7 hrs.. Then on the way home we will drive 5 hrs to my cousins and visit with them for a couple of days then drive 10 hrs back home.. Thats 2 days traveling one way, half day to my cousins and one day home.. Meanwhile spent 5 days at the beach and two days at my cousins..

Is it worth the hassle driving, you bet..

Just for the record I COULD if I wanted to FLY to my beach destination then FLY to my Cousins then FLY to my home..

If I did that I would spend most of my vacation on a plane and airport.

For the most I use my camper as a hotel room.I live out in the woods of Pa so sometimes when we go on vacation we say outside of cities to enjoy some of the stuff you can find in cities.

MANY "cities" have campgrounds "nearby", often within say 1/2hr- 1 hr drive.

Heck in PA, several large cities that have CASINOs (thanks to the stupidity of the voters) that most likely would allow you to even "camp" if you asked..

Even in PA, there ARE lots of "campgrounds" near cities not to mention any where you wish to visit..

Heck I live in a pretty rural area which is about 60 miles (one hr drive) from Pittsburgh and I can think of at least 20 different private campgrounds within a half hr of my home that I am aware of and most likely more that I do not know about.. Some as close as 10 miles away..

Sometimes you just have to open your eyes and look around..

[sdianel_-acct_c]

My Dad was a truck driver and we never even stopped for bathroom breaks! LOL. He couldn't stand it when people passed him. We always plan our trips so that we can take time and sightsee along the way. We also like to go to RV shows but have no plans to trade our 33' Class A that we love. Just like to see the new ones and meet other RVers. Another thing people don't get is that when we stop in campgrounds along the route we stay a few days and drive around the countryside to look at the scenery and the houses, lakes, rivers, waterfalls, points of interest. People just look at you like you're nuts when you tell them that. We always want to see what's over the next hill or around the next curve. Glad we're both adventuresome. Full timers for 7 years and counting!

[kohai]

Pre-RV days... About 10 years ago my wife wanted to go tent camping. We went to a campground in the mountains. While getting our camp setup, we watched a couple people pull into the campground with trailers and set them up. They took bikes out and the kids starting riding them around. They turned on music and setup chairs, started a fire, and sat around.

I was totally baffled that people did this. I wondered why they didn't just stay at home and hang out in their backyard.