By Jim Twamley
Most RVers I meet are enthusiastic about RVing. We come from all walks of life and have one thing in common… we love RVing. Some outsiders would classify us as “RV hobbyists” but what they don’t know is RVing is a lifestyle and spills over the boundaries of hobby-land. In 1940 Ernie Pyle wrote, “A hobby has a way of running out. You play it for a long time, and then its power to beguile you begins to fade, and finally you have to pretend to play, so as not to be ashamed of the thing to which you once threw your passions.”
Veteran RVers don’t look at their RV and say, “That’s my hobby.” Rather, they see their RV as a magic carpet taking them to new destinations, a mother ship providing opportunities to visit and explore diverse landscapes, a time machine opening a window on the vistas of history. You can’t do that staying in the neighborhood, where life demands a more predictable routine.
In the RV lifestyle every day is an opportunity to visit a place previously unknown, a chance to witness things yet unseen, to embrace the adventure around the next corner. Along the way you make new friends and create an encyclopedia of memories.
Vivian Grybko is a widow from Kansas who began traveling as a full-time RVer after her husband died. I asked her how many close friends she has in the RV community and she said, “More than I ever had when I was living in one place for many years.”
It never ceases to amaze me when RVers pull into a campground they have an instant kinship that allows them to get to know each other right away. Throughout our years of RVing my wife and I have made many wonderful friends who share our enjoyment of travel. Whether you RV two weeks a year or all year long, you know RVing is much more than a hobby, it’s an ongoing life enhancing experience.