Claire appeared
to share a common attitude toward us, that we are “trailer trash” whose way of
life is inferior to that of other travelers. When RVers are shown in movies or
on TV, they nearly always are clueless about driving their vehicles,
unsophisticated about life in general, or actually trashy. If they are wealthy, they are the dreaded
Ugly American type rather than genteel, well-educated travelers.
In reality, RVers
are a cross section of America—no better or worse than others. We do tend to be
a bit older than other travelers, because more of us are retired and can spend long
periods on the road. And we look more casual, because we don’t need to dress up
for staying in expensive hotels. (On the other hand, have you seen some of the people staying in motels
or eating in restaurants?) Some of us can afford to stay anywhere, including
high-priced resorts, and buy RVs that are as expensive and obscene as any
McMansion. A few of us are a bit grubby looking. Most of us tend to look and
act like the vanishing middle class.
What we have in
common is our love of RV travel. Staying in an RV, even a very modest one,
seems better than staying in most hotels
or motels. In the last few years, bedbugs have been a problem all over the
country. Who wants to sleep with bedbugs and perhaps carry them home? Or to
stay in a room reeking of smoke and not be able to open a window? As to Europe—note
this, Claire—the worst hotel room I have ever stayed in was in Madrid. Any RV
would be preferable to it. If touring Europe is what you want, that’s possible in
a rented RV. You don’t have to be hauled around on buses at the crack of dawn,
or to stay in bad hotels.
Many of the RVers
we have talked to have emphasized the freedom of RV life. We never have to lock
ourselves in to bus tours or tight schedules. Instead, we can decide where to
go on the spur of the moment. We can visit museums (except on Mondays,
unfortunately), shopping districts, and entertainment venues whenever we wish,
preferably at times when they are not crowded with other visitors.
When the national
parks were being developed, and railroad barons wanted to encourage Eastern travelers
to visit the West instead of Europe, the “See America First” slogan was used as
an inducement. Seeing America first wasn’t a bad idea, then or now. Being a world traveler is wonderful, but
anyone who is able to travel should see this beautiful country as well as
others. And for modern families, traveling in an RV is one of the best ways to
see it.
