By Chuck Woodbury
EDITOR
I visited with my aunt in central California recently. She lives on a small ranch surrounded by orange groves. Her home is filled with collectible items she and my late uncle gathered through the years. For some of that time they traveled with a motorhome, towing a trailer to bring home what they acquired.
Their purpose in traveling around the country was, at least in part, to search for, and sometimes buy, antiques and collectibles. They built a 3,000-square-foot (my estimate) warehouse on their property where they kept everything. At one time, it was so packed it was difficult to even walk through.
My own purpose for RVing through the years has been to look for stories to write about. Finding a story probably provided me with the same pleasure my aunt and uncle got from coming across a rare or fascinating item. I have also always loved visiting local museums, where I can soak up history, always on the lookout for an item that is especially interesting, unique or weird (like the world’s largest cat hairball I found in Arizona). I also collect funny photos by the road. Here’s one I took on my way home earlier this month in Rice Hill, Oregon. I have no idea what it’s about, but it made me laugh.
Through the years I have heard from a hundred RVers about why they travel. Some build homes for Habitat for Humanity. Others sell at flea markets, often items they make. Others travel to visit their families spread across the country. Others go from one RV rally to another to work as vendors or visit with friends. Some are photographers, looking for yet another great picture. Still others travel from campground to campground to work as camp hosts; they might make a little money, but they enjoy keeping busy and visiting with the many people they meet.
So what is it that you do that gives your travels meaning? Or is merely getting away enough?
Please take a few minutes to write about what it is that makes your RV travels interesting and meaningful. Leave a comment if your message is short or email it to editor@rvtravel.com . We’ll share as many of your stories as we can.
We have many purposes when it comes to traveling. Top of the list is to spend time and make wonderful memories with our children and their families. We like to explore various parts of the country and our state, discover local points of interest and chat with folks we meet along the way. We are curious about places where significant events happened. Our focus is to go out and play, enjoy the experiences and hold dear the memories.
For us, it’s the journey as much as the destination. It’s spending time away from all the chores at home to be with family, getting to meet fellow travelers, seeing this beautiful country of ours and helping others when possible. Building relationships and creating good memories. Our motorhome “Miles” is just the very nice tool that allows us to get out there.
40 years ago, just out of college, my buddies w/wives bought boats, docked at the local reservoir. They invited other couples, myself included. We loaded the coolers, skied to the cove. Tied up and lay in the sun. Ski to the marina and drive home. We enjoyed it… for 2 or 3 trips. It soon became monotonous.
Instead I bought a used 31′ gasser I enjoyed concerts with my wife, tailgates at the alma mater, took my buddies to different NASCAR tracks, and took my kids rafting down local rivers.
When the kids got older I upgraded to a 40′ DP. In grade school they invited friends to amusement park trips. In High School – Outside music festivals. In College – We were tailgate central.
Today the kids are grown, married with kids of their own. This month we all will do tubing at a state park, Plans include a cook out after a T-ball game. Tour Kentucky’s Bourbon Trail with other couples. The coach will be the “green room” at local music festival…
Circle of (RV) life !
The RV trip is all about the destination, however, once that is determined, we set out on routes and stops that take in all that’s interesting along the way.
We look at every RV trip, no matter how near or far, as an adventure. The getting there including way stops where we see new things and meet new people. We learn about their adventures and the places they have been.
The destination is just the longest stop in the journey. What we see and do there adds to our forever bank of experiences. Again, the people we meet add to that.
The trip home gives us a chance to try new routes and campgrounds or to revisit those we have previously enjoyed.
As always, short visits with people we know from our past is always a treat. If we are passing by, we will call friends and relatives and see if we can meet for lunch. It is always a treat to catch up with those that have shared our lives.
Through all of this is the RV experience itself. The peaceful feeling of lying in your own bed at night and treasuring the feeling that you are traveling in a way that brings you peace and shares your joy with others. And I feel staying healthier and saving cash.
What a wonderful and positive message for RVers and potential RVers, Dennis. We wish you and yours many more happy years and miles of RVing. Take care, and stay healthy. 😀 —Diane at RVtravel.com
We RV to get disconnect. We camp on weekends and travel south to the Gulf of Mexico 1 to 2 times a year. We love the time together and the experience on the road getting there. We hope to travel more when i retire but my wife has MBC and we cherish each day together. RV’ing is our get away from life for awhile.
Dog Trials- only Jack Russell Terriers- the original breed.
First, to escape the deep snow on this 3000 foot north Idaho mountain. To the coast and slowly crawl down south, “snow worms” rather than snow birds.
Second, to meet those we know and those we meet in the travel route.
Third, to have time to read, sleep, walk with our dog, rather than be home and asked to be on committees, go to meetings, etc.
We love to travel. We don’t make reservations far in advance. We had a great time when we traveled to Alaska. We did not make a straight line there. We traveled all over the Montana, Washington, Oregon, South Dakota, California and other places before going to Canada and Alaska.
It was Great no plans no worries. Just go as we please. We had a Great Adventure.
My husband and I planned to travel in an RV once we were retired. Retirement happened, the RV purchased and our 1st trip was touring the SW for 2 months. I was hooked! Him, not so much. He’d rather stay home and garden. So I have been a solo traveler for 10 years and am thankful for every mile of road and all the wonders of nature/culture I have visited. My purpose is to see as much of my America as I can. Of course I would like my husband to come with but I won’t give up traveling until I have to. I average about 8 mo/yr on the road, not all at one time.
We have an RV to “travel”, not “camp.” We take our home with us to see and experience new places, people, food, events, etc. We stay in public campgrounds, RV parks, dispersed areas, and even an occasional rest area, Walmart, or Flying J for a brief overnight on the way to someplace else. Only rarely do we spend more than 3 nights in one spot.
We’ve always enjoyed traveling, even before we had an RV. Once we retired we knew RVing would happen. We love the RV so much more than staying in hotels, eating out every meal, etc. While there are things we want to see and visit in cities, we prefer the less traveled areas where life is slower (I suppose that comes from living in small towns ourselves). If we are near family or friends we always make an effort to visit with them. We enjoy the out of doors most, but also interesting towns to visit, including historical stops,museums, things to do that sound interesting or have been suggested by friends.
The magic of the natural world draws my wife & me to age appropriate adventures. (We also flew the heat/humidity of our home in St. Louis for dry weather in the west.) Chance encounters with marvelous people along the way provide added incentive.
To experience life, and create memories.
Oh, and I forgot to mention that we love seeking out the places no one else knows about – small towns with fun things to know and do, memorials no one else reads, etc.
I love being outdoors more than when I’m at home. I’m somewhat crippled now and can’t do the walking I used to, but it’s still fun to watch other folks walk by. We love nature and enjoy the animals and birds we see. We also like to hit thrift stores and have fun looking at flea markets also.
It’s funny how many things I came up with when I started thinking about why we hitch up. Visiting family, weddings, seeing nature and landmarks around the country, (escape) time away from work, (quality) time WITH kids/wife, used to be a some business on the road… Ultimately, I came up with “life” as the grand summary. At home base, it’s work-a-day treadmill… almost every memory I truly value happened somewhere else, while RVing… Not sure if that’s sad or amazing.
Nature. Not standing in line at National parks to see Great Sights, but quiet little discoveries everywhere. Finding a mineral I’ve only seen in books. Having my first orange Oriole flit past my campsite. Long glorious sunsets. Hearing a gator growl. Noticing the different scents of woods in different locales. Driving slow enough to see a fox or quail cross my path. Seeing the Milky Way’s jillion individual lights through binocs in a truly dark sky.
I like to find small villages near where we’re staying, and visit them, getting to see what they’re like, and to a small extent, finding the unique characteristics.
I travel to experience new places, different cultures, people and foods. I love to see beautiful vistas. Natural beauty like those found in state and national parks. Enjoy taking pictures to remember these experiences. To me it’s the journey, not necessarily the destination.