What type of RV’er are you?

[Busskipper]

WHAT TYPE OF RV’er ARE YOU.................

In the RV’ing world there appears to be three distinct types of RV’ers, the Vacationer’s, the Traveler’s and the Adventurers/Explorers. (Not trying to leave out the Full Timer as a category but to think how they see themselves in one or more of the three classifications?)

First Question - do you think that the statement is close to correct?

Second Question – Which are you? Are you possibly more than one? Are you possibly all three?

For me this has been an evolution and I think I generally fall in to Third Category – Explorer. As a kid my Dad who was in the service (Navy - Submariner – Boomers) was always stationed near the Ocean/Navy Bases on one Coast of the other so we Traveled often from Coast to Coast – never using an RV but always visiting National Parks and Sights along the way as we went from Coast to Coast (Or an Island in the Pacific) – These trips planted the seeds of the Travel bug early. Part of it was the fact that Dad was normally on a Boat and seldom home so these trips were the best part of growing up, as we were all together – younger Brother, and older and younger Sisters – these three week trips from Coast to Coast were our Family time, actually the best time of my life growing up.

So fast forward – at 17 I got my first car – 49 Packard – pulled the back seat out added a bed threw a rack on the roof added water and an awning and traveled to the beach every weekend. That progressed to a PU Camper – and Coast to Coast with the DW – to a class C – then a Classic GMC Few family Vacation/Adventures/Explorers out West – then a gas Class A to the TS today. Was able to make more trips than most, considering I ran a business for 30 years and can say that we even used the Class A’s to Tailgate for 10 years – as my youngest was a pretty good athlete (Lacrosse) – so we were a fixture at many a game (Hundreds) and loved it all.

So back to the original Questions – we often used the Coach to Travel from Point A to B as we went up and down the East Coast – then son moved to Colorado and we became Traveler and Adventure/Explorers as we commuted to the West. Flash back – when the Kids were young we always had/have a Family reunion at the Beach for two Weeks every summer, so ultimately the Coach became my Vacation bedroom. So I guess that I’ve become all three in my RV life – The interesting part for me is the fact that I’ve done this RV’ing thing for over 50 years and Still love and look forward to it.

So think about it a bit – plenty of time to reflect with COVID-19 keeping most of us at home – and see if you can put yourself in a Category or two or three. Maybe tell us a little about how you got into this Rv’ing thing – I mean it is just too quiet on irv2.

Hoping to stir up some conversations,

[A32Deuce]

I would have to agree with all 3. Our 43 years of marriage has always been one kind or another road trip. Going somewhere and exploring during the trip. Same with the RV now!

[sbleiweiss]

We are travelers. DW hates airplanes and hotels (likes her own dirt and own bedbugs). So we use the MH to get from point A to B, and then to live in when there. Point B is usually the kids and grandkids, or friends back home in IL, or a reunion, wedding, etc.

[Agesilaus]

We are explorers, we base camp then explore the surrounding area including back country 4WD roads that aren't too extreme. I got into this since I was an Army brat and we traveled by road back and forth across the country often stopping to explore various places along the way. I recall visiting Mammoth Caves, probably back in the 1950's when they still had boat rides on the underground river. My mother complained for years about ruining her shoes in the mud on this tour. I also recall my sister demanding that we stop to see the "Giant Frog!!" exhibit that was advertized for miles, and being greatly underwhelmed when we saw the frog statue. I think that may have been the beginning of my disdain for tourist traps.
This is when I acquired my navigator skills since my mother would get lost in a phone booth. So I learned to read maps and plot routes at a very young age.

I continued exploration when I became an adult, spent over a month in DVNP and the same at Yosemite when I was stationed in Cali.

And when I got married I dragged my family along infecting my wife and kids in the process. Her family was anything but travelers. They only traveled to visit family members.
Thinking on that you need a fourth category: family visitors

[Conesus1]

We don't really fit any of these.
We are weekenders, cottagers or the likes.
In the upstate area of NY and I imagine elsewhere to, there are people who use there RV for weekend cottage type use.
No traveling, no adventures regularly, while some use them for there weeks off, its not the purpose of these.
We want to be on the lake, boating and such. Others like peaceful settings away from hustle and bustle etc.
Most affordable way for most to be where they want to be.

[Charming]

Originally Posted by Busskipper

WHAT TYPE OF RV’er ARE YOU.................

In the RV’ing world there appears to be three distinct types of RV’ers, the Vacationer’s, the Traveler’s and the Adventurers/Explorers.

I don't know, mostly Traveler and Adventurer/Explorer. When we head out we have a destination. We will have tickets to an event so we have a deadline to get there. We plan the trip around that destination and when we need to get back home.

So, I think we are primarily travelers. We use the motor home to travel to new areas of the country and explore what the cities or regions have to offer. We don't seem to fit vacationer though. We rarely go somewhere and hang out. It would be nice, but there is just too much to see and do.

[twinboat]

You left out snow birds.

Many folks only use their RV to move from home to the same CG year after year. Others leave the RV at the CG, either in storage or on site and only stay at it for a few months every winter.

We are a bit of a hybrid of that. Although we stay at a particular CG for about 3 months per year, we explore for over a month going to and coming from that CG.

Our home, up in central NY, is for summer use only and we spend about 4 months there.

[rlott2k]

Originally Posted by twinboat

You left out snow birds.

Many folks only use their RV to move from home to the same CG year after year. Others leave the RV at the CG, either in storage or on site and only stay at it for a few months every winter.

We are a bit of a hybrid of that. Although we stay at a particular CG for about 3 months per year, we explore for over a month going to and coming from that CG.

Our home, up in central NY, is for summer use only and we spend about 4 months there.

And we are 6 mos at home and 6 mos of exploring, with 1 or 2 -1month stays.

[ramn4ver]

You left out fulltimers. Some travel full time. Some stay in the same park. Some raise their families. It goes on and on.

[Waiter21]

We use our RV as a mobile studio apartment.

[TonyMac]

And then there are Tailgaters, who go to sporting events with the full intension of watching it on tv outside their motorhome with 1000 close friends in their rigs. They wander around sampling the horse dooffers offered by their fellow tailgaters.

[EJW]

Originally Posted by Waiter21

We use our RV as a mobile studio apartment.

Same. When our daughters say they wish they had a beach house like their friends, we my wife and I remind them we have a beach house and a mountain house and a forest house and a lake house and a...

We are explorers. There's a lot of awesome world to see.

[Cloud Dancer]

I've been all three. But now, the Dutch Star is parked. I'm 80 years old, and I'm too preoccupied with the pandemic,.... sheltered in a city that has lots of medical centers. I'm trying to make sense of something that's not based on science, knowing that there's no sense there.

[rickemo]

We came along late in life to RVing, purchasing our class C in 2016 when we were in our late 50s early 60s. Our vacations for many years were in the Outer Banks of NC in September and Rocky Point Mexico in April. We are definitely beach people. We always preferred to rent houses/condos as we always vacationed with other family members. So when we purchased our first motorhome we became “vacationers”. Then I retired last May we continued as “vacationers” but got a taste of the possibilities of “traveling” due to four different week long trips we took through 2019. We were limited to just four weeks due to my wife’s job. She will be retiring this coming May and that opens us up to becoming “travelers” as we hope to travel much more with our new found freedom called retirement. Also, knowing her retirement was coming, we traded the class C on a new class A FR3 in anticipation that our “traveling” years ahead will lead to a transition to “adventurers/explorers”.