By Gail Marsh
Sitting around the campfire, we had a lively discussion about the different kinds of RV travelers. The conversation teeter-tottered between a humorous and semi-serious tone. Yes, broad generalizations were made. Very broad. Keep that in mind as you “listen in” on the conversation.
RV travelers on the road
The “make-good-time” RV travelers
This person has a lead foot on the gas pedal. Always. They like to brag about how quickly they can drive their rig from Point A to Point B. They revel in telling others how they were able to cut travel time by 30 minutes, simply by not stopping. Ever. The make-good-time RV traveler has an auxiliary fuel tank that eliminates time-consuming fuel stops.
They always pack a lunch because that, too, eliminates downtime. No liquid beverages are ever allowed inside the rig because that necessitates bathroom breaks. (Bathroom breaks, even when done very quickly, are never fast enough.) Yes, “make-good-time” RV travelers are the first to arrive at the campground. However, they usually end up waiting for check-in time.
The “stop-and-smell-every-single-flower” RV travelers
These people are carefree. They don’t use clocks, a watch, or any other time device. They’ve even used electrical tape to cover over the clock on the RV’s dashboard. Traveling with the stop-and-smell-every-single-flower RV traveler means you’ll read all of the roadside markers along your route. Yes, every one. You’ll also stop at least three times each hour for a “let’s stretch our legs a little” break. This RV traveler has never arrived at the campground before dark.
RV travelers at the campground
The “do-er”
These RV travelers arrive at the campground ready for action. They immediately greet the neighboring RVers and survey them about “everything there is to do around here.” Minutes after setting up the RV, they’re peering over the campground map. By the time a travel buddy has extended the RV slides, the “do-ers” have the afternoon and evening planned. There’ll be mini-golf, swimming, and bocce ball. And that’s all before three, when their golf round is scheduled to begin.
After golf, they have a reservation for an early meal in order to make it to the movie. Tomorrow is horseback riding, cave spelunking, and fishing. In the morning. The afternoon still has an open window of time between rock climbing and sky diving, but you can bet that the “open window” will be scheduled to close soon. This type of RV traveler comes home exhausted and can’t figure out why.
The “be-er”
Don’t read that as “beer.” It’s “be-er”—people who prefer to sit. All. Day. They have no interest in meeting the RV neighbors, but they smile at them, friendly-like. The “be-er” never wanders off their assigned RV site. When coerced into doing something (anything), they hesitate. Then come the questions: How long will this take? When will we be back? Will there be lots of other people? When will we be back? You get the picture. The “be-er” RV travelers arrive back home and, when asked, have nothing to say about their trip. Mostly because they’re a “be-er” and not a “do-er.”
Conclusion
As the fire died down, the RV traveler descriptions got sillier and sillier. There may also have been some finger-pointing along the way. We laughed as we recognized ourselves in some of the descriptions—even as outlandish as they became! We all enjoyed a good chuckle.
Laughs aside, everyone around the campfire agreed. Not all RV travelers are the same. In order to make things work, we need to compromise at times. We have to make communication a priority. We need to find good-natured humor in our differences, too.
What kind of RV traveler are you? How do you negotiate differences between you and travel buddies? Share ideas with us in the comments below.
##RVT1186
Sightseer: travel to see the sights along the way. Especially enjoy themed travel such as Lewis and Clark trail as there are related stops every day.
I couldn’t find one that described my style after thinking about it I slip in and out of several of the categories; with that said I think it would be very boring to be in one category only.
We normally have our agenda in place before we leave. As far as meeting and talking to other people, I wait to see if they acknowledge us after we set up, or walk through the campground.
Not to sound discriminatory, but since we have a bumper pull toy hauler, most large class A owners don’t seem to have time for us, or even return a wave.
We travel in a class A motorhome & enjoy meeting & talking with everyone. Strangers are friends we haven’t met yet. It matters not what kind of RV one travels in. We chose the one we have because it fits our needs as we use it year-round seeking relief from the heat of summer & the warmer winter weather on the CA coast. I often tell our neighbors that anytime our campfire is lit they are welcome to join us!
Sounds like you are a down to earth person. I would enjoy parking next to you.
Wish all were that way.
We have the opposite experience. We travel in a 40 ft Super C. Most travel trailers or 5th wheels will not give us the time of day. We try to be friendly, say hi upon arrival, but mostly receive a cold reception. They will talk among themselves, but totally ignore us. 🤷🏻♀️
That’s a shame. The only people I am cold to either cut me off on the road to get to check-in first, ran their motor for 45 minutes while setting up, or tied out a dog to bark for about the same time. If that’s not you, I hope you meet better neighbors on your next trip.
We often notice that there are many RV’ers who don’t socialize much, if any with others nearby. This is like greeting people as we are out walking saying hi, or hello & not getting any response. Bob, we look forward to seeing you someday, somewhere……
Many people are not like what America used to be…that said I avoid people as much as possible. Take that with a cracker.
Every day is a new day J B and will never be what used to be…It’s to be enjoyed not to be annoyed by it. I promise if you turn your frown upside down…you would see things differently…and the world would be smiling back. Sending you a smile and a hug!
We used to just show up whenever we got there. Now we plan where we are going, then we check how many miles it is then divide it up into days of 150 to 250 miles a day. then find a rpi, coast to coast, encore, thousand trails or good old koa. Then make reservations (exhausting). Less than 150 miles , 1 day stay and don’t unhook. 150 to 200 miles, stay 2 or 3 days depending if there is something to do or see. More than 250 miles we stay a minimum of 3 days. We make reservation for at least a week out. then pray something does not go wrong. We are in no hurry now days. It’s more fun now that we’re retired, not like the old days of get there fast, go go then hurry home, only to be worn out,
My wife and I don’t fit comfortably into any of the above categories. We like to make good time getting to our destination, yes, but we’re also limited in how fast we can actually safely travel due to vehicular limitations, and we DO make stops when necessary (we both get uncomfortable sitting in a car too long, and having to make a potty stop is a good excuse to stretch our legs!). Sometimes we’ll make an “unnecessary” stop to look at something interesting, but not every single thing there is to see on the route. I HATE arriving after dark so the earlier we can get on the road, the better. At camp, we do like to sit around the campfire and read or talk, but we also enjoy seeing-and-doing.
I had a laugh recognizing us while reading this. Husband is the ‘make good time’ guy. He doesn’t do it for any competitive reason, and never mention it to anyone, but he’s on a mission to get where we’re going. I’m the ‘stop and smell every flower’ gal. Needless to say, we’ve had to compromise a lot over our past 8 years of RV’ing. We both dislike arriving anywhere after dark, but it happens. Once we arrive at our destination, we’re both ‘do-ers’. Not in the way you’ve described -we don’t try to do everything or try to see every sight, but we are mountain bikers & golfers, so we start ‘doing’ asap
Tbank you, Gail. We have “traveled” with another couple, a cousin and her husband, once. I guess we miss every category offered pretty well. DW does tend to know what she wants to do when we travel somewhere. The activities tend to be brief, 3-4 hours, and in the afternoon. Mornings are so lazy that they often delay lunch because breakfast went long. Happy new year and safe travels! 🙂