When you’re living the nomadic RV lifestyle, it can be challenging to find friends and form connections on the road. It’s important to fall back on a community of folks with similar interests, whether it’s for camaraderie, advice, or both. This is why Wholesale Warranties has reached out to our proud affiliates for tips on connecting with other RVers. These seasoned travelers share their own experiences regarding reaching out to others and keeping in touch.
Friends in New Places
Sometimes you get to meet people in unexpected locations. So, if you tend to travel off the beaten path, don’t worry! Mark and Emily Fagan are Roads Less Traveled. Together, they’ve been seeking adventure in their RV—and sailboat!—since 2007. They have plenty of experience with full-time travel. Here’s how Mark and Emily have made connections.
Mark and Emily Fagan, Roads Less Traveled:
“Since we don’t stay at campgrounds or RV parks, we tend to meet RVers at RV dump stations and laundromats or in the boondocks when we’re out exploring in our side-by-side, if you can imagine!! We’ve made some lasting friendships that started that way.
We are also not shy about stopping by someone’s rig to introduce ourselves if they’re outside, chat with them and learn about them and their travels. We’ve met many wonderful people that way. It’s also a great way to get tips about places to take our RV, things to do once we’re there, and get their opinion on the pros and cons of their particular RV and/or truck (we’re always researching those!). We stay in touch via email as that is our primary means of communication with all of our friends and family.”
RV Meetups
With the Virtual Campground, Debra and Barry Benton focus on building a sense of community. Together they provide RV resources and updates on industry news. Having spent nearly five years on the road full-time, these two have some tips on community involvement both virtually and in person.
Debra and Barry Benton, The Virtual Campground:
“We figured out early in our RV life that we missed our built-in community so we deliberately set out to build it and help others find their community. At one of our first RV conferences, we found a small group who became our “people.” We have added to this group at other meetups and through each other and now make deliberate plans to meet on the road. By keeping in touch base through text and calls, we find our paths often cross or certainly can since we live in a house with wheels. And now, we try to help others do the same through The Virtual Campground (TVC) and Camp Carpe Diem to encourage RVers in finding their road community. TVC also gives us a great way to meet new people when folks who follow TVC reach out to meet in person. It certainly helps to make the road less lonely!”
Classic Campground Encounters
Tom Davidock of Outdoor Miles is no stranger to RVing and camping adventures. In addition to his exploration of the outdoor world, he seeks worldly knowledge that he has found within a solid community of RVers. Through his extensive experience, Tom shares how he has discovered the value of community.
Tom Davidock, Outdoor Miles:
“In the age of social media, it is sometimes hard to meet people, whether you live next door or in the same small town. However, camping provides a unique opportunity to go back to the days before computers, phones, and online communities. When you get to the campground, your camping neighbors can regularly be found sitting outside. Simply take a walk over, say hello, and talk about something you already have in common: camping. I have met some dear friends with a simple hello or by asking an RV-related question.”
Community Living: Sharing is Caring
When you’re traveling with kids, seeking companionship can get a little complicated. However, Heath and Alyssa Padgett have made it work through bonding over shared spaces.
Heath and Alyssa Padgett, Heath & Alyssa:
“Lately we’ve been taking advantage of the public spaces in campgrounds to meet other young families. We’re currently RVing in New Zealand where every campground has a huge shared kitchen with multiple burners and sinks. While Heath cooked dinner with the other dads, all the moms and babies chased each other around the lounge.
Meeting other families with little kids can be tough while traveling. We’re usually all busy trying to keep our kids from running into the road. But getting out at the campground and all cooking together was an unexpectedly nice way to connect. And bonus, we walked home to a clean RV after dinner since we didn’t cook or eat in it!”
There are many different approaches to discovering community while traveling full-time in your home-on-wheels. Even if you’re out in the boonies, technology provides us unparalleled access to online communities. If you know where to look, there is something for every type of traveler.
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