What's the experience that makes you appreciate having your RV?

[bpaikman]

I was traveling with a friend through North Texas heading for Colorado to meet up with friends to go skiing (lonnnng ago), and developed a STRONG need to 'visit the facilities'.
It was snowing, we were driving through the night (swapping out drivers), and in north Texas, heading into NM, is a who,e lot of NOTHING. But we finally found a small diner in Clayton, NM. We decided to park outside and wait for it to open - it was about 6 am.
After about a half hourof agony, another car drove up and parked next to us. A customer got out, walked up to the door, opened it and went in - it was open the whole time!
We've passed that place many many times over the years (I don't think it's in business now), and every time we do, I look at it with mixed emotions.
My husband had a similar experience when we were between RVs. The restroom is the best feature in our RV. Very tiny, but it does the job.

 

[Fish]

Years prior it was having a place to live while working out of town without having to stay in filthy motels. Now it's staying the cold half of the year in Florida at a reasonable cost.

 

[Neal]

Your bathroom scenario certainly is a nice one. When going to Virginia Beach there may be a long wait to get through the tunnel. In the past prior to my RV life I didn't take that turn off prior to the tunnel to take care of business and suffered immensely, whew, made it, but never again.

But the experience having my RV is obviously getting to see all you can and I still have a lot more to see of course. I really missed the travels of my Air Force days and as a pilot I was fortunate to travel often as we often could take the planes on weekends to go "cross country" as we called it as long as we did training. After the Air Force I didn't travel much, hotels, dogs, etc. all made it more complicated. I've seen more in the past 5 years than the last 20.

I use my RV for various reasons such as researching areas for where I may want to live to also doing the tourist thing and exploring National Parks and great destinations and also meet up with friends I've met on RV forums.

 

[sanda]

I like the remoteness. We can camp, fish, and atv far from civilization. The few neighbors we do have are always friendly. No congestion but we keep these locations to ourselves to keep them from being overrun by the crowds we encounter in other areas.

 

[bpaikman]

we're doing the same: researching places we'd like to live. And visiting friends, and seeing new .places. And my husband especially enjoys having our own bed and never having to worry about bedbugs, not that we've ever encountered any.

 

[sheridany]

I got into owning an RV a few years ago because I was traveling a lot to compete at skeet shooting tournaments and a lot of the gun clubs were not in very nice places with decent hotel/motel but most of them had RV hookups. Ironically, that is how I met the famous TJ and Lady DI (known by a few of us here on RVF) at the US Open in Stockton, CA. That was the beginning, and then when the DW and I started traveling not far from home to try different locations not related to shooting competitions, we really enjoyed it. We plan to travel more in 2023. Nothing like having the comforts of home and sleeping in your bed.

 

[JRS]

It's a great way to visit family, friends and see North America

 

[AbdRahim]

Just love the idea of being at home where ever I want to go.

 

[Jim]

It satisfies the "Fort Gene".

I suspect that rooted deep in the subconscious mind of every man, there exists genetic material we can refer to as a “Fort Gene”. Probably a relative of the “hunter/gatherer” gene. The FG is what pushes young boys to gather branches, boxes, large rocks, basically anything they can find that can be used to build a fort, and then protect that space with imagined swords and sling shots. These forts were constant maintenance as they were always threatened by high winds and rain storms, but we always seemed to keep them stuck together.

As we grew older, our FG grew as well, and the primitive forts built from the equivalent of todays Amazon boxes is replaced with complex aluminum shells rolling around on wheels and powered by monster engines. They are still threatened by high winds and rain, but our experience has grown as well, and allows us to keep them operational.

Or is it just me?

 

[bpaikman]

It satisfies the "Fort Gene".

I suspect that rooted deep in the subconscious mind of every man, there exists genetic material we can refer to as a “Fort Gene”. Probably a relative of the “hunter/gatherer” gene. The FG is what pushes young boys to gather branches, boxes, large rocks, basically anything they can find that can be used to build a fort, and then protect that space with imagined swords and sling shots. These forts were constant maintenance as they were always threatened by high winds and rain storms, but we always seemed to keep them stuck together.

As we grew older, our FG grew as well, and the primitive forts built from the equivalent of todays Amazon boxes is replaced with complex aluminum shells rolling around on wheels and powered by monster engines. They are still threatened by high winds and rain, but our experience has grown as well, and allows us to keep them operational.

Or is it just me?

HaHa excellent!

 

[bpaikman]

we had a different kind of experience with staying in Palo Duro canyon one year. Some teens (scouts?) were pitching tents nearby. We ate a lovely supper at our dinng table, watching them struggle to set up tents and get fires going (fortunately the wind was going away from us).
Well, a fairly strong storm blew into the canyon during the night - we drifted off to sleep in our cosy bed while listening to the pouring rain.
We woke up to a clean, gorgeous blue-sky day and hustled up a scrumptious breakfast while planning the day's activity. When we sat down to enjoy eggs, ham, coffee, toast...we looked out the window and remembered the scout?troop.
What a mess! They were spreading stuff out to dry, and re-propping up their tents, had a fire going again to cook breakfast.. I guess they were staying.
Bob is a former Scout himself, but is glad to enjoy glamping in weather like this.

 

[Scooterfan]

Reading fiction while away from home, often with nature all around while the fire invites a BBQ; then retiring to a comfy memory foam mattress and awaking to do it again are enough for me to try and "get away" one weekend per month.

 

[J&JD]

Just love the idea of being at home where ever I want to go.

Exactly! Judy D

 

[DennisT]

Grew up camping in tents then later a pop up.

Always enjoyed being in campgrounds and the overall lifestyle.

Of course no way we are going back to a tent now but just the overall of having home wherever we park it, being around others that enjoy the same things, and the overall pace of the life is wonderful.

Now that we retired as of 1/1 it is even more enjoyable.

 

[GypsyR]

I keep my class A plugged in at the house year round. About every other weekend you'll find me just hanging out in it. Watching TV, using the table for a jigsaw, little maintenance things. I just like being in it in general to start with. Actually going somewhere in it is just one of the things I like best these days. Using it, driving it, anything, I just like it.
Wife wasn't totally onboard at the start but now she's gotten spoiled a bit and when we go somewhere by car she sometimes misses not having her own personal bathroom and backup wardrobe in the back.

Maybe at some point I will get tired of this version of camping where you go somewhere and take your whole vacation home with you but so far it tickles me no end.

 

[bpaikman]

I like the

I keep my class A plugged in at the house year round. About every other weekend you'll find me just hanging out in it. Watching TV, using the table for a jigsaw, little maintenance things. I just like being in it in general to start with. Actually going somewhere in it is just one of the things I like best these days. Using it, driving it, anything, I just like it.
Wife wasn't totally onboard at the start but now she's gotten spoiled a bit and when we go somewhere by car she sometimes misses not having her own personal bathroom and backup wardrobe in the back.

Maybe at some point I will get tired of this version of camping where you go somewhere and take your whole vacation home with you but so far it tickles me no end.

same here. I really wish we could park the RV at our house cause we could use it as an extra little getaway.

 

[Jim]

I really wish we could park the RV at our house cause we could use it as an extra little getaway.

I'm telling ya, it's the fort gene.

 

[bpaikman]

I'm telling ya, it's the fort gene.

agree - built 'em when I was a kid, ...love having a 'fort' to escape with in various emergencies too - natural disaster, home remodeling, etc.

 

[sanda]

My rv doubles as my dog house. It sure beats that old riggety one I had to cobble together years ago.

 

[A-Texan]

Not having to carry our luggage in and out of hotels every few days when we are doing a major road trip to site see with the family, and getting to be in close proximity of the kiddos for those great humorous conversations they love striking up.