Good article about a first time RV experience..

[rikkis_playpen Diamond Club Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close rikkis_playpen]

RV ownership is again on the rise, as gas prices remain steady and RV dealerships continue to slash sales prices. I found a funny article in a Tampa paper about the author's first time on a RV vacation.

http://www.tampabay.com/features/tra...gas-to/1074015

[longtimer Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close longtimer]

The story brought back memories for me. When I was young, my family went camping everywhere. After a few years of having to pitch and take down the tent -often in the rain - my mom had enough and they bought a pop-up camper. This is great for newbies. It's easy to haul and most of your everyday things can be stored inside when not in use. It even had a small stove for cooking. But it lacked a toilet and shower, so after a few more years, we graduated to a long (I believe it was about 20 feet) pull-along trailer. This was great. We had all the accomodations we needed. But my dad became concerned about hauling such a large trailer and it was quite a strain on the car's engine (We were pulling it with a station wagon). Our final step-up was an all-in-one RV. It could be driven like a car (even had automatic transmission) and was much easier to maneuver. I had just gotten my driver's license when we took it cross country and my dad let me drive it part way across the desert (guess he figured I couldn't do too much damage if I ran off the road!). We had many wonderful vacations in that RV. The best thing is that we could go anywhere on the spur of the moment. All we needed to do was bring some clothing and food. We even brought our 2 dogs along on most of our trips. They loved camping as much as we did.
Thanks so much for the reminder of my childhood camping trips!

[tonyg Goomba & Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tonyg]

Of course there is always the film "RV" with Robin Williams.

[desertgal Member Find all posts View Profile Close desertgal]

Thanks, I really enjoyed that! My hubby and I have always wanted to try RVing... maybe we'll rent one this summer.

[Denise Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Denise]

We rented, then bought one!

We rented a 24 foot RV in 2007, then a 29 foot RV in 2009. Took a 14-day trip to Yellowstone in the rental in 2009 and survived, kids loved it, DH was convinced he wanted one. I don't like doing dishes, but...

I had actually been actively looking since 2007 for the "perfect used RV at the perfect price," had made offers on a few, deposits, flown to see some...ended up with exactly what we wanted two years later (long long search). My DH loves it, it has been his dream since he was 12 or 13. Go figure! Found a great repo dealer and price, and could probably sell it for at least what we paid and break even right now.

It is hard to use our timeshares and plan two-week driving vacations, though. I am bummed out about that.

[rikkis_playpen Diamond Club Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close rikkis_playpen]

There is a significant blending of RV and timeshare ownership that occurs with several brands, Bluegreen and Silverleaf are probably the most prominent of these. Both programs have been developed with "drive to" destinations as well as more popular tourist spots.

I've talked to many owners who plan RV trips around their timeshare weeks, spending a week or two on the road between timeshare stays. I'm sure it takes an awful lot of planning- but seems like a nice way to have the best of both worlds!