Showing posts with label RVers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label RVers. Show all posts

Saturday, February 15, 2014

THE TRAILER PARK FALLACY

“Modern Family” is just about my favorite current TV program. The characters are just close enough to typical Americans to be believable, just different enough to be entertaining. (Who can forget Mitchell and Cameron sobbing, “Snorkels!”?) But I felt upset by a recent episode, when Phil and Claire argued about possible retirement options. While Phil wanted to buy an RV and tour the country, Claire was dismayed by the idea. Not only did she prefer going to Europe, but she made it clear she didn’t want to spend her retirement leaving her lovely home and moving from one trailer park to another.

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.