Spring Debut

Welcome
First let me introduce this blog and myself. I'm an avid camper and journalist, who has written about the RV industry for the past decade. This blog seeks to reach out to the RVers and campers, to inform them and learn from them. Since campgrounds are filled with people who may not otherwise meet, but for their interest in the great outdoors - RVing or tenting - and find themselves visiting with their "neighbors," this blog will serve as our campground.

During the 30-plus years that I have been a camper - since I was a kid camping with my parents, sister and brother, to camping today with my husband, son and daughter - I have found that not every park I've stayed in has been perfect, but I've never had a bad time camping. When the weather is bad, it's still fun inside the camper - and I've been in tents during the rain, too - a little soggier, but still a good time. When the weather is great, there's swimming, hay rides, miniature golf, jogging through the park, roasting marshmallows over a fire, or any of the other activities that can be found at a campground.

When you see commercials about RVing or camping, many of them show people in the middle of nowhere, nature at its finest. For the most part, that isn?t the way most of us use our RVs, campers, or tents. Instead, we find our way to a campground or RV park - a different and very interesting world.

My family loves to camp, and we often find ourselves going with my parents and my sister's family. My dad is the typical RVer. He stops and talks to everyone, looks their units over, discusses amenities, weather, and even where they're headed. He's sometimes gone for hours. My daughter takes after my dad; she loves to visit with our "neighbors."

I think that's what I love about RVing or camping, whichever you may call it. Everyone is relaxed, happy to be where he or she is, and eager to give a helping hand if the need should arise.
Would your neighbor - at home - come over to help get a stubborn grill going? Your neighbor in a park will.

RV Travel
Last year saw travelers overall staying closer to home due to high gas prices. RV park operators and directors of state associations affiliated with the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds (ARVC) reported increases in reservations, but visitors were generally local residents. With an RV, a trip 15 minutes from home is still a vacation.

This summer could be similar, with RVers staying close to home due to rising gas prices. In March, the average price for regular unleaded gas was 20 cents higher than the previous year. On March 12, AAA reported the average price for regular unleaded gasoline was $2.54, up from $2.36 the year before. On April 2, the average price for regular unleaded gas was $2.696, up from $2.582 the same time last year.

I wonder if the changes in travel are really only about gas prices. While the higher gas prices do impact travel, travel trends may be just a reflection of society today. We usually camp near home ? within our own state and the handful of surrounding states, with a few long-distance trips thrown in. With kids in sports and numerous other activities, we have precious few days we can do anything between practices, games, meetings and events. This year, however, we?re planning an early summer cross-country trip to the Grand Canyon, so gas is just something we?ll deal with.

Travel destinations likely depend on where you are in your life - young, middle-aged, seniors; single or married; with children or no children; empty nesters or retired. When our kids were younger, we had more flexibility to plan bigger trips. Now that they are teenagers, they are more involved in activities, leaving us less time to travel. And as they leave the nest, we'll again have more flexibility.

I still remember my very first camping trip when I was about 10. I had been at my grandparents' farm for a week in the summer and when I returned home I found that my parents had bought a camper, and had even taken their first camping trip - without me!

My parents bought a used Apache popup camper. I got to sleep in it in the driveway, but before I got to experience camping in a campground, they were already on to something new. My dad and mom traded the used Apache for a new Starcraft Swinger 6. This was in the mid-'70s and this popup camper was beautiful. The kitchen - the sink and stove - could be unlocked and pulled outside, opening like a door and "swinging" out. It gave us more room inside and my mom cooked everything outside.

That was the camper in which I had my first camping experience. We went to a campground only an hour or so away and set up our unit next to my cousins' trailer. We kids couldn't get our swimming suits on fast enough and get down to the lake. This was heaven, practically living outside and a lake in the backyard - camping is a child's fantasy come true!

After swimming, our parents let us go up to the camp store and get some candy. To this day I love those red jellyfish and small jawbreakers in the box.

My kids have been storing away similar memories since we've been camping with them since they were born. Like many campers, we began with a tent and all of the camping equipment you could possibly need - a camping stove, lanterns, hotdog sticks, and yes an extension cord for my husband?s TV!

We moved on to a popup camper - actually three, two used ones and a new one. Now, we?re in the process of buying a travel trailer. My husband likes the amenities of home when he?s ready to leave the campfire.

Buying a Camper or RV
Buying a camper is like buying a car and a house - you'll move it around like a car, but you'll live in it part time, just like home. So, all of the same issues apply: Do your research; know your needs and wants; determine what you can afford; compare products, prices and interest rates if you are financing. All of this will help you to avoid buyer's remorse and biting off more than you can chew.

Newrver.com gives this advice when it comes to buying an RV. Set the dollar amount and stick to it; take your time to shop, don?t rush into a purchase; define your needs - sleeping requirements, storgae, etc.; whether to buy new or used, explaining that buyers generally get more for their money by buying a gently used RV, but older RVs may be in uncertain condition, so if you do buy a used RV, it's better to buy from a RV dealer.

So, roll out the canopy, light the campfire - or turn on the stove - and relax. It?s time again for summer RVing and camping!

And, if you'd like to visit new locations, weekend trips or long destinations, the GoCampingAmerica website can help you plan your trip, give you RV tips, and find a campground or campgrounds for your trip. Go to www.gocampingaremica.com and get started.