What would we do without camping?

[koko]

I look forward to reading this forum each day to hear about your happy camping times as we dream about future adventures in our own trailer. Sometimes I wonder what we would be doing with ourselves as retirees without the anticipation of that "next trip". We have friends who take cruises, travel all over the world, go to their cabins, go to their timeshares...but I never "envy" their experiences. Yes, we could do those types of things, but what I really envy are what I read right here. Thank you for sharing, entertaining us, and giving us great ideas.

[Desert185]

When we go "camping" with the SRX, we actually get closer to civilization. Having just retired for good, we bought the trailer to see America from the ground instead of looking down on it. People actually come to my neighborhood to camp and get away from it all. While we have mixed feelings about leaving home, we still enjoy the added adventure of traveling in comfort (without hotelling) that it brings. I like sleeping in my own bed without noise coming from the room next door. Besides hotelling, it sure beats tenting and the cramped quarters of the popup camper in the pickup bed.

I remember when I first met my wife and the tent camping we did at Hana and downflow in the Haleakala crater on Maui. 10.5 miles in and 10.5 miles out with a significant elevation change over the rim and Ibuprofen for dinner and breakfast. The lodge at Kula was a welcome stop for "iced refreshments" on the way back to tourist country. Fun memories, but we're both getting too old for that (not the refreshments). One of life's transitions that we are content to experience at this point. "Camping", yeah. :)

[sourdough]

We own two vacation homes and a lot of timeshare:eek:. They are fun but they are what they are; a fixed house in a set location. The camper is a wonderful "house" on wheels that we can take anyplace; see anything; meet lots of nice folks. It lets you have experiences impossible to get in a fixed house. I get more excited and spend far more time trying to plan trips in our camper than I ever did going to one of our houses.

Like you, I look forward to reading the forum daily. It's nice to see new folks getting into the RV scene; their excitement gets me excited for them. Talk of camping experiences, places, resorts get me ready to go even when I can't....so, I end up spending hours searching out all the places on the internet dreaming of when I can get out and go there. And yes, I wonder what we would do as retirees if we didn't have forums such as this to learn from. I too would like to thank everyone that shares their story/experiences with us. I've learned a lot and had a lot of smiles doing it.

[GaryWT]

Without camping I would climb the walls year round instead of just in the winter...

We would most likely try to have a cottage on a lake or something if we did not camp. We talk about it from time to time but don't want to give up the camper.

We have cruised and love that and have had other vacations that we have enjoyed. If I was to ever move to FL it would be with the camper but close to a cruise port.

[Jim Dow]

On a recent trip to China, I checked into their camping arrangements.

First of all, you couldn't possibly pull a US-style camper trailer on the highway or through a city of any size - too much traffic, too little in the way of standardized road/lane traffic rules, too little consideration for other drivers.

Second, there are no campgrounds to speak of.

Third, the only camping experience opportunities are in a few campgrounds equipped with stationary camper trailers that are rented for the weekend.

Fourth, the Chineese people tend to bring the entire tribe - immediate family, in-laws, and grand parents. It's simply not worth it.

Enjoy camping in the US like it is and don't complain.

[Pull Toy]

I was thinking just yesterday about the joy and mobility of camping. My bro-in-law has a beautiful camp in Maine. But that's five hours away, and he has to worry about vermin, squatters, frozen pipes... etc ad infinitum.

My summer home sits in the back yard waiting to take me 30 miles, or 3000 miles on a moments notice, without all of the worry. I'll keep my 5'er!

[crash]

This would be us if there was no more camping..:D

[koko]

We're sitting at our campsite in Santa Fe, NM right now. We've been coming here for 20 years now, usually in the spring and again in the fall. One of our sons said to us, "Why don't you buy a little vacation place down there?" We say, "We have one. It's on wheels, we don't pay taxes on it, we don't have to worry about it when we're not there, and if someday we decide not to come back, we don't have to sell it." Furthermore, we can move our 'little vacation place' anywhere we want at any time. Paradise!

[Scttw]

I would be playing World Of Warcraft a LOT more ......

[GMcKenzie]

I'd fish a lot more, which would be fine for me but not for the DW. So with the trailer, we spend more time together than we would otherwise.

Which is good cuz I still love her.