Welcome to RVForums.com

  • Register now and join the discussion
  • Friendliest RV Community on the web
  • Modern site for PC's, Phones, Tablets - no 3rd party apps required
  • Ask questions, help others, review campgrounds
  • Get the most out of the RV Lifestyle
  • Invite everyone to RVForums.com and let's have fun
  • Commercial/Vendors welcome

Greetings from Maine

Welcome to RVForums.com

  • Register now and join the discussion
  • Modern secure site, no 3rd party apps required
  • Invite your friends and let's have fun
  • Commercial/Vendors welcome
  • Friendliest RV community on the web

amazer98

RVF Regular
Joined
Sep 22, 2020
Messages
8
Hi all,

My wife and I are on the bad side of 65, recently retired, and considering spending some or most of the winter on the road. We've never owned an RV or even rented one... but have booked a Winnebago Fuse (25 ft long on a Transit chassis) for a 4 day rental in mid-October. We plan to drive over to Vermont and spend a night at a state park boondocking and the other nights at Hipcamp sites (private homes and farms, some of which have hook-ups). If we like the RV experience (my SO is a bit wary of making such a commitment to the mobile lifestyle), my hope is to buy a used small MH (i.e., Sprinter or Transit-based) and head to the southwest for the winter months.

We live in a coastal town just 'downeast' of Portland, Maine, so spending a pandemic winter huddled in our condo isn't overly appealing to me. Don't feel safe going to restaurants or even the Y. But we both have some concerns about traveling across the country during this pandemic will be like, so I'll post a thread about this topic elsewhere on this forum. Thanks, and I'll look forward to reading what all you experienced RVers have to say!
 
Welcome to RVF, @amazer98; glad to have you join us here. I'm not sure which is the "bad side of 65." :ROFLMAO: I know which side I'm on, but trying to figure whether that is the good side or the bad side. ;)

As for the pandemic effects on RVing, my take is that we're far safer on the road in our own coach with personal space, bedding, towels, cooking utensils and all the rest. Not sure how I'd feel about a rental coach, however.

TJ
 
The beginning of the pandemic was tough, with campgrounds closed, but once they opened, all has been good. Some places are more locked down than others. A few restaurants open for in house dining. It seems as many are still only take-out. Many campgrounds are on no contact check in, by phone or pick up an envelope outside the office. Some campground stores are closed, some limit the number of people in the store or office. You just have to be flexible. I have been in 8 states this summer. Best of luck.
 
Thanks, @TJ&LadyDi and @AbdRahim for your comments! I posted a thread


in which I stated more specifically my concerns about traveling in an TV during the pandemic. I know we can stay safe by wearing masks and social distancing and using common sense— basically doing the exact opposite of what our president recommends— but my bigger concern is what would we face if Covid significantly exploded this winter?

Would the national parks and monuments shut down? Would interstate travel be prohibited? Would campgrounds close?

Am I being overwrought or are these sensible concerns? Maybe with BLM land there will always be nice places to stay and explore... or maybe this is just not the right time to drive a rig across the country and camp out...
 
While I can understand your concerns, living life based on what-ifs is pretty constraining. My thought is that we need to be flexible in the way we deal with the challenges of the pandemic. Being in the high-risk age category and having a wife with some health issues, we don't take Covid-19 lightly. And, we too, are disappointed in how our elected leaders have dealt with it.

That said, I can't imagine a scenario where everything would be shut down at the same time. And, the fact that an RV has wheels means we can move to a less-affected location. With much of our nation's commerce moving via highways in trucks, it is very doubtful that interstate travel would be shut down.

I think the basic decision you face is whether you would be comfortable in a RV. I doubt that one four-day trip will answer that question definitively. My recommendation is that if the first trip works out, you consider buying a clean, used Class C and spend some time traveling in it. If you decide RVing isn't for you, then sell it. In today's market, you may well recoup your purchase price. Renting a RV doesn't allow you to add personal touches that can make a big difference in the quality of your experience.

Good luck.

TJ
 
Thanks @TJ&LadyDi , I appreciate your comments. I agree with you that it’s virtually inconceivable that the country would be shut down so completely that an RV couldn’t travel anywhere. I also tend to agree that if one were always making decisions based on the worst-case what-if scenario, we’d have to resign ourselves to never leaving home and ordering all our food from Instacart.

I’m ok with taking calculated risks... but it’s difficult to calculate how much worse COvid could get this winter— experts are predicting significant outbreaks— and how a more responsible administration might address the pandemic based on an exotic discipline called science. In France and Italy for example, if you travelled outside your home, you needed to print out a pass for a valid reason (I.e., food shopping, doctor visit), which was valid for a limited, specific time. That was back in March and April, I think.

That probably wouldn’t fly here. But closing parks, monuments and campgrounds seems like a plausible eventuality... of course, possible only with a new administration. I guess we are all struggling with this dilemma.

Andy Mazer
Yarmouth, Me.
 
With the current administration, national and state parks, as well as many campgrounds were closed. So yes, that can happen. I had two reservations cancelled in May and June, as a result. Life is a gamble. We make the best educated guess and act accordingly. If parks and campgrounds close, head for home.
 
Welcome. I hope you leave politics at the door though as you have left me skeptical, not with the administration but this conversation.
 
Welcome @amazer98 - glad to have you join us.
 
Welcome aboard @amazer98! Never feel bad about getting older. It’s a privilege denied to many.

RVing in my (limited) experience has proven much safer than the traditional sticks and bricks setup could have ever been. We can easily pack up and move to get out of hard hit areas when things are beginning to go sideways - regardless of what it is that is hitting hard. Be it a pandemic, storm, wildfire, civil unrest or dare I say it, a pineapple pizza buffet.

As to dining and such, a well equipped RV can deliver a solid meals. We went full time this year and did the traditional thing we’d always done at home and there were no issues and the food was just as good as it ever was.

We also realized recently that wineries on harvest host are a great little gem for great food and drink in a serene, secluded spot. Think about it, many vineyards and wineries are used to hosting weddings, corporate events and the like and much of that business has dropped off for them. We recently stayed at Delmonico Winery in Tennessee and the food was delicious to say the least, the wine fantastic and the views amazing. Best of all, there was hardly anyone else there. Four other RVs doing the same as us and a few walk ins. Everyone was easily 50’ apart from each other when dining. A great experience that is much harder to achieve in a stationary home.
 
Last edited:

Latest resources

Back
Top