I’m exhausted! My husband and I spent almost two hours washing our fifth wheel RV. It’s a job we used to complete in an hour. It makes me wonder, “Are we getting too old for this?”
A good run
We’ve been RVing for more than ten years. I still get excited when we start out on a new adventure. Packing for that new adventure doesn’t bring the thrill like it used to, however. In fact, the thought of packing and unpacking the RV makes me tired. It also makes me think, “Are we getting too old for this?”
Securing campsites
Since the COVID emergency passed, it’s much easier to find RV parks. We travel mainly in the middle of the country and venture south once a year to escape the cold winter. Our trip south is routine now. In fact, my husband says he could drive the route in his sleep. If we don’t adjust our route to shorter days, that’s exactly what I worry we’ll do: sleep-drive! Again, I muse, “Are we getting too old for this?”
Traffic
It’s probably just me, but most drivers seem in a hurry nowadays. (Nowadays?! When did I start talking like my grandpa?! Let me rephrase.) Today’s drivers drive fast! At least, they sure seem to speed down the highway, weaving around other vehicles like there’s a fire! It didn’t used to upset me. Now it does. My husband reacts either by pushing the accelerator down in an effort to keep up, or else he moves to the shoulder to let others pass. It’s not always easy to move the fifth wheel completely off the highway, let me tell you! I just close my eyes and pray for the best. You tell me, are we getting too old for this?
Campgrounds
When the grandkids come camping with us, I love the resort-type campgrounds. Mini-golf, swimming time, jump pads, and organized activities keep all of us busy and happy. When it’s just the two of us, I have to admit, my preference changes.
A quiet, no-frills campground has become my go-to favorite. We’ll still join others at a campfire, but most of the time we are content to ride our bikes, take walks, or simply marvel at the nature surrounding us. I hate to ask again, but are we getting too old for this?
Attitude adjustment
In the not-so-distant past, when one of our three children fell into a “frump,” I’d suggest an attitude adjustment. Often, I’d say, “Is there a different way to look at your situation?” Or “What can you do to make things better?” Perhaps I should take my own advice.
If washing the RV has become too big a job for us, maybe we need to ask for help. Some of our grandchildren are old enough to assist, and I’ll bet the smaller ones would love to suds up the wheels. If that isn’t an option, we could hire the neighbor to do the job for us. It’s worth a try, right?
When packing and unpacking seem overwhelming, I need to heed my own advice. Pack less. Pack smarter. We have an onboard washer and dryer. Do I really need so many changes of clothes? Probably not. Paring down what goes into the rig could save time, right along with my sanity.
Nothing says we have to stick with our well-known, escape-the-winter route. It may take a day or two longer, but shorter drives each day would help prevent drowsy driving. Safer is better.
Traffic on interstate highways has always been somewhat crazy. What if we take state roads instead? It may allow us to travel at a better speed and provide an opportunity to see out-of-the-way places that we’d otherwise miss.
And campgrounds? There’s nothing wrong with craving a little quiet sometimes, right? Many of the smaller campgrounds often charge less because they offer less. In our case, that “less” means more: more relaxation, more quiet talks, and more appreciation of God’s handiwork.
Are we getting too old for this? Not yet. I’m not so foolish as to think that we’ll drive our RV forever. But I still enjoy too much about this lifestyle to give it up. A little attitude adjustment and creative thinking may keep us on the road longer.
Do you sometimes feel too old for RVing? How might you adjust to make it easier?
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RVT1237
Thanks for the article. I know there will be a time when RVing isn’t fun or exciting. When it becomes a burden, that is when it is time to quit.
We have only been part time RVing since Oct 2024. Hubby and I are in our mid to upper 60’s. I want to RV much more than he does. I also have health issues that stop me from doing some of the things needed, such as RV maintenance. I am wondering when will I be too old or too disabled to enjoy the RV life. God be willing I will still have many more years.
Adaptive cruise control is a blessing. Blue highways and see the Real America.
Think less stuff.
Tom, we took the blue highways on our last trip and loved it!
We travel in a 32’ class c motorhome. after a semi took my drivers side mirror out last summer on I-35 North of Dallas they were going too fast to make the lane change due to concrete barriers, we have started traveling blue roads and avoiding interstates. so what if it takes an extra day to get there.
Question please Blue Roads? Is it what I’ve been 🤔 well anyway that’s ok too happy travels everyone 😊
For us, Blue Roads equals Blue Skies. Interstate America just ain’t America.
The worst part is making reservations a year in advance for FL. We’ve given up on FL State Parks. It was difficult before they changed the rules; we don’t even try now. We are staying in more resort-like places, which are easier to book because they cost a lot more. They aren’t my cup of tea, but that’s the compromise to get out of the snow and into warm weather. Once I’m down south, everything is worth it.
Agree, we loved visiting Florida State Parks for a couple weeks in the winter for many years. Booking when everyone had equal opportunity was tough, but worth the effort. And you’re right. It is impossible now for us hated Snowbirds to book in demand, coastal State Parks ahead of time. Occasionally, we’re able to catch a couple days cancellation after we’re in the area. We have a Class B campervan though, so it is easier for us to bounce around the state chasing cancellations than it is for owners of the big rigs.
What a great reminder to think differently! And not just about RVing. Thanks for the wonderful article.
I sometimes think I’m “getting” too old but not quite there yet. I’ve been RVing for 52 years. I don’t bounce down the steps, or up the steps, like I used to. I sympathize with John Pinette. If you haven’t heard of this wonderful comedian go to You Tube and search him out. He died in his mid-50s. Probably from obesity. Anyway, I’m like him now. For me not fat, just restricted. I don’t do “ups”. No push ups, sit ups, chin ups. Just downs. Sit down, lay down, fall down, etc. I can change a tire but it hurts, big time. And for travelling south. We went late in the fall so there is big hurry to get out of the cold. One year we got as far south as St. George, Utah before we ran out.. (cont’d)
of snow. I have a CDL and pass my driver’s medical every year, but soon I need to evaluate whether I’m a road hazard. I don’t have the focus when driving that I used to have. I don’t drive at night if possible. My reaction time is not what it used to be. I think I’m almost “too old”. Maybe next year I’ll look for an alternative.
Or the next or the next. I only make shorter trips now because I ain’t dead yet.
Spot on Gail! For a good laugh, I suggest a listen to Hank Williams, Jr.’s humorous song called “Attitude Adjustment”. 😉
I just turned 77…I take 5 days to head south rather than 3 or 4…I’m retired, so who cares? And, I usually just am staying 1 short night, so need no amenities…I’ll sell the RV and hang it up in a few years, but not today!!
I was the same way. Driving 500 miles a day. That’s at least 8-9 hours with stops.
Now it’s around 350 miles max. The last over night stop is around 200 miles from our destination. That way we don’t have to rush to set up.
Yes, getting too old. Time for some adjustments. Biggest issue is the level of maintenance on our big stationary TT. The park welcomes RV Tiny Homes (aka park model). Residential construction yet titled as an RV. We are deep into the research phase, likely pull the trigger in 2026. We travel with a MUCH smaller TT (think self-contained rolling hotel room without suitcases and few restaurants), typically for a week or less at a time. Same kind of maintenance as a big TT, but less of it.
Great article, and timely. All you snowbirds who race at a 600-mile-a-day pace to roll south, think it over. Find some fun or serene stops that are sort-of on the way, ease your away around the country 250 miles at a time, or less. SEE the country in the off-season, don’t just lurch exhausted from home base to winter base. And be a much safer driver on the road.
Someday we’ll be too old, but not yet. Someday we’ll decide there’s no place we haven’t been that excites us enough to go, but not yet. As full timers, we explore in summer and settle at a resort for winter. The resort has lots of exercise classes (mental and physical), Far Horizons in Tucson. And we’re temporarily achy remembering muscles we forgot about, but that’s a good thing. For now, it’s a good life. I take a week or two even washing the rig exterior (lots of breaks). We take a full month, if not two, traveling from the north to Arizona. There’s still so much to see in this country!
This year, we explored western NM, Pike’s Peak in Colorado (where my late parents honeymooned), did a Riverboat cruise on the Mississippi at La Crosse, Wisconsin, boondocked on the Wall at Wall, SD by the Badlands, visited that NW corner of Nebraska (Chimney Rock), did the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta and saw Tombstone and Bisbee Az. We still haven’t been to western Oklahoma. Have you been to the boot of Missouri? This is a great country!
We spent 20 yrs FT, traveling N.America. Started when I was 55. I found through observation that 80 yrs old seemed to be a breaking point with the ability to RV competently. If one’s mind doesn’t start to fade, their body does. DW’s health took us off the road before I could witness my own decline.
My husband and I bought our first RV in January of 2020 just as Covid was hitting everywhere. We were 75 years old. We had never RV’d before in our lives, but we loved our little coach. It was a 24-foot Class C Dynamax Isata 3. From the beginning, we always chose state parks or small campgrounds, and we joined Harvest Host to stay in breweries and wineries.
Two years ago we traded up for a Jayco Class C 29MV. We need the additional space since we travel with 3 Shelties and a Mini Aussie. This summer we spent 6 months living in our RV while up in Michigan and did fine. We both will turn 80 this spring. John does the driving and maintenance. Hope we can continue a while yet!
This is a topic that will gain strength as many of us are starting to feel our age. I wonder what the median age of the readership is here? I expect well past 50. Being just over a year before turning 80, I am 1) astounded I’ve made it this far, and 2) starting to feel the frailties of strength, reaction, and stamina. I will continue to enjoy trip planning, loading, and setting up my trailer for my photography missions and Great Lakes Rallies. However, it’s just me, and with no one to share the workload, it’s a larger burden. Shopping, cleaning, cooking, laundry was much easier when there were two of us. But, the mission is what I live for, so on I go… until I can’t.
We’re in our early 70s, been camping/RVing for 38 years–we’re addicted. Our weekend get aways turned into 6-month trips once we retired. No looking back! Packing up is tough, unloading and returning to the brick and mortar to take care of lots–yep, tough. But we recover with a night’s sleep. God is faithful! Rarely will we pull a 7 to 8 hr drive in one day. We pay attention to new limitations. We hire out washing/waxing/maintenance. Impatient drivers can be rude. It’s the nature of a slower vehicle. Blow them kisses. This year reservations have been easier (OK, CO, UT, NV, NM, AZ, CA). We can take our 2 dogs. We prefer our underwear in a stationary drawer as opposed to suitcases. ONWARD!
We bought our first RV when I retired 6 years ago. We have camped in over 50 different locations and many of those multiple times. The last two years we haven’t camped at a lot of new places due to changes in our families and seeing them more. We don’t see us slowing down our RV travels anytime soon. We really like to take the back roads and the long way around when pulling our travel trailer. That sometimes gets us into tight spots but so far so good.
There is a TIME when everyone gets too OLD to do a lot of things and passions.
Welcome to the 4th Quarter of THE GAME OF LIFE!
I think I am now in an overtime period – at 89 the darn clock keeps ticking with no time outs allowed! However, I feel great, still no glasses or hearing aids (getting close tho) and no brain fog – just memory lapses – like my name! Ha!
God bless you.
My older brother and his wife would leave Florida in their 46 foot Class A Phaeton every summer and hit the road…thousands of safe and enjoyable miles over the years. Then one day when he was about to turn 80 he said he was downsizing to a 35 foot Class A as the Phaeton was getting to be a little much for him to handle…smart move I thought. A couple months later he told me he sold the 35 footer! I asked why and he said …”Tom, it wasn’t the motor home…”. I got the picture and decided right then and there that I would bail out at 80…I never made it. Sold my rig at 78 after 40 years of RVing, and never looked back.
After 35-seasons we hung up our keys and sold The Banana Boat III. We both have health issues, nothing major but enough to make setting up and breaking camp tiring and that took a lot of the fun and enjoyment out of the experience.
My wife and I full time worked and traveled in a RV, first started in 2003 and finally ended in 2020. First let me tell you about my brother who played football in college for 3 years. One day after practice starting his 4th year he just packed up and came home. He said it was not fun anymore. We sold our motorhome in 2020 and quit RVing because it was just not fun anymore.
Everyone is different…we f/t for 8 years, camped in all the lower 48 and most of Canada, then when hubby hit 80, he decided it was time to “slow it down” so we bought our stick ‘n bricks and started part-timing it. Now we take shorter and shorter trips with longer times in-between them – but, we are still enjoying it, and that’s what matters! Each year we ask ourselves if we are ready to sell the motorhome, and have yet to answer “yes”, so on to another we go… 😉
All I know is that I am too old to be feeling this old. RVing is very short trips now, BUT BUT, the RV Trippin’ that we did do created memories that I relive any time I wish. It was worth every minute of it. Just the other day the daughter told me, do not sell the RV, my hubby and I want it when you are done. So nice to know I can sit in it and dream my trips all over again.
We fulltimed for ten years in a Mobile Suites and pulled it with an F350. We are 78 & 79. Our “too old” decision was made when we found a great retirement community in a town with excellent medical services and three colleges. It was important to us to begin a new lifestyle when we were able to fully participate. And we wanted to make the decision ourselves. Seems too many RVers focus on what is perceived to be lost instead of what is to be gained! We miss RV living but appreciate a newfound joy in once again living a different lifestyle.
It sounds like to me that you are overly particular, a perfectionist. Usually there are clothing items, all the kitchen equipment, and other items that can remain in the RV. The RV does not have to be packed to travel in one fell swoop. After our last trip to eastern states, I said no more travel east of the Mississippi. Toll roads, narrow twisty roads, bad roads, unpleasantly aggressive and nasty drivers, and never ever will I venture again into Florida. I am not saying that we don’t have some bad roads and bad drivers in the western states, but I find them to be easier to drive. After we got married in 1961, we started with a pup tent, and at 92 I am driving a 34-foot diesel pusher.
Just turned 80 and we are sitting in a beautiful RV resort in Coachella, CA. It was built on an old golf course, so has palm trees, green grass surrounding small lakes, and a miniature golf course. New individual shower rooms next to a laundry with all-working machines, clubhouse with a bar, arcade, pool, and jacuzzi, some sites with casitas, a few park models with lofts, FHU gravel back-in and pull-thru sites, and all paved streets. When I get tired of a place like this, I’ll let you know!
Great article that apparently has many thinking! We (77&76) have wintered 4 months in Florida for 12 years in a 30 foot tag-a-long that was purchased when it was a couple years old. We leave it in storage for the remainder of the year and pay to have it moved. Preparing to leave home and setting up is becoming a chore we do not look forward to. This year I wondered out loud how long we can continue and my better half was shocked. Once settled in I stopped thinking about it, but wonder at what age people that HAVE stopped snow birding did so? Some say 80. What say you?
We are 75 & 81 and have been RVing for over 25 years with TT’s. Here is a list of our challenges. Hitching & Unhitching, dumping tanks, Climbing the steps inside & outside, Washing the RV, Keeping up with maintenance, Wife can’t sit in truck for more than 4 hours per day so only travel to RV Parks within 200 miles. I occasionally get Vertigo and wife had a mini stroke a few months ago while camping, Loading and unloading RV is very exhausting. We will move on to a Park Model or Manufactured home for a summer getaway. With the cost of RVing going up it’s time. So yes, this will be our last year of RVing.
I’m old but not too old. I don’t go thousands of miles, never did. I have a very small trailer. I don’t understand all the packing because mine is always ready to go except for food. I don’t take piles of stuff and don’t unload a bunch of stuff. I take back roads when possible. I don’t like a hassle no matter what age. I don’t think a person needs to make it so difficult unless you want to. When I was a kid, I camped with a small skillet, cheap mess kit, hatchet, pocket knife, dog, and sleeping bag. Even though I take more now, probably wouldn’t have to. Less is more. Setup takes two or three minutes.
As we age, we subscribe as follows:
Shorter travel days and longer stays in places we love.
Ample research, planning, and reservations make the journey go smoother.
Pull-thru sites only, unless I know the park and the site accessibility conditions.
Don’t get caught up in everyone else’s need for speed. Pull out when its safe, otherwise don’t let the tailgaters live in your head rent-free!
My secret sauce: Canada
The best cure for a dirty RV is Blue Beacon and a few dollars!