Dear Dr. R.V. Shrink:
I want to start living on the road for extended periods of time but my wife is afraid she will give up community. She likes our social life and is afraid she will not know anyone if we are moving all the time.
We spend the winter in three different RV parks and have many friends. I am trying to convince her we will meet people in a travel mode, but she says it won't be the same.
Can you shed some light on this subject, so we can expand our horizons?
--Community Centered in Carbondale
Dear CCC:
Community comes in all forms. It sounds like you two are very outgoing, so finding friends will be no problem whatever you decide to do. Community does not have to be local, such as an RV park or home and city.
As you are out doing things you enjoy, you will meet people who like the same things. You can connect with these same people year after year. With all the social media available today it is so easy to keep in touch with people you meet on the road.
You will make life-long friends while doing something as simple as a ranger walk. Every time you move to a different location you will end up with new neighbors. You will have ample opportunity to meet like-minded people whatever mode of travel you choose.
My advice is to expand your base and raise your peak. The world is your oyster and you will find it full of pearls if you open yourself to meeting new friends as you travel.
The only downside could turn out to be your wife not wanting to ever come home again.
--Keep Smilin', Dr. R.V. Shrink
4 comments:
I'm reminded of the song by Barbra that `people who need people are the luckiest people in the world'. It sounds like the wife is one of the lucky ones.
So many ways to look at this dilemma! Is Mrs. CCC really shy, and -- having carved out some friendships over time where she is -- is reluctant to leave them only to be in a spot where she has to forge those relationships all over again? In that case, Mr. CCC needs to reassure her that he'll help lead the way. My husband does that for me :)
But my guess is that there's something else going on -- does she dread being in the smaller space of an RV compared to a house? Does she worry about getting lost? Would she rather avoid the extra work traveling in an RV entails?
Seems to me Mr. CCC dropped a bomb with the idea of "living on the road for extended periods of time" rather than suggesting maybe "a longer trip this year".... approaching their lifestyle change in smaller steps might bring her around by giving her a chance to experience those longer trips one at a time, rather than imagining them (and who could?) all at once, as a big but vague future.
I'd suggest he back off a bit, compromise with the idea of a longer trip to start with, see how it goes, and decide from there.
These folks need to get online with RVillage. All worries about a lack of friends/community will disappear the more they use it.
First of all, YAY! that you have the time and resources to be out from the S&B for "extended periods of time."
There are several avenues to take here. Choose one or all; whichever might fit your situation...
Excapees/Escapers is a wonderful way to connect with like-minded folks... Especially with their "BoF" [Birds of a Feather] groups. Their Escapades and Convergences bring a LOT of RVing knowledge to the table, too!
If you're "of age," there are many "55-Plus" campgrounds available. It's a lot easier to connect with those of like-mind when there aren't a bunch of youngsters running around.
Finally, the online RV Universe is wide open! Scope out RVParking.com, RVParkReviews.com, and the Woodall's/Good Sam Forums and IRV2.com forums. You'll discover easy routes, good CGs, great repair/service centers, etc. You might even connect with a couple or four couples with whom you would consider caravanning. It doesn't have to be anything "formal" in the strictest sense of the word; just decide that you'll meet the other(s) at "Point 'B'" in a couple of days... If you'd rather stop along the way for a bit longer ["Point 'A½'"], a quick text will let your compadres know what you're up to. That's also a two-way street... If *they* wanna stop of somewhere for a bit longer, allow them the leeway.
A little thought, a LOT of understanding AND discussion will lend itself to some happy trails down the road! Keep it 'tweeeeeeeeen th' ditches, Y'all!
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