5 Ways To Create Community & Friendships On The Road

 

Friends on the road. Polly poses with Matt & Bree's pooches on a hike in Eugene, OR

It’s been another busy week. Besides the RV repair (which is still ongoing) we’ve met-up with some awesome folks, done some fabulous hikes, even rescued a dog (found lost and wandering the streets AND safely returned to owners -> one gold star of good karma for me I reckon). But for today’s post I wanted to focus on the folks part.

Many people contemplating the full-time RV lifestyle worry about a loss of community. I’ve always been a natural-born nomad so this isn’t generally a concern for me, but I’ve met many who’ve brought it up as an issue and it definitely got my old noggin’ thinking.

Getting silly at our get-together with Bree, Matt, Sally, Ayo and Yair in Eugene, OR

Our own experience on the road has been very social, in fact extremely so. I’m the curious sort and so will often pick-up strange friends in campgrounds, but we’ve also met people online (through RV forums) and from blogs. This week we had an impromptu meet-up of 3 travelling young, cool RVers including Bree & Matt from Operation Tally-Ho, Ayo and Yair from Our Take On Freedom and us (bloggers artistic license allows me to very generously include ourselves in said category), and this week-end we’re off to meet our now well-established friends Alex and Ellen up in Portland. We’ve got even more meets planned down SW for winter. These connections provide a strong sense of community despite all the moving.

I’ve many blogger friends who’ve written about this phenomenon (technomadia did a particularly in-depth post), but I wanted to add-in a few of my own experiences for creating community on the road:

1/ Use Online Resources

We met Christy and Kali in New Orleans through their blog Technosyncratic

There are many great on-line resources for RVers including RV-specific forums that are incredibly active as well as RV bloggers. Not only do they provide tips and technical support, but they’re often a source of meetups too. We’ve met several people from both sources incl. a couple in Florida, some folks in Texas, meetings in Louisiana, Oregon and more.

2/ Attend Rallies, Events and Groups Meetings

There are hundreds of RV meetups happening all around the US every month. Communities such as Escapees have BOF (Birds of a Feather) groups that interact and meet. The online forums offer local meetups, and large national rallies are hosted by clubs such as Good Sam or Family Motor Coach Association (FMCA). There are even alternative, hip events such as SXSW (for the techno-minded) and Burning Man (for a completely different experience). These events offer social interaction, lifestyle seminars, crafts and learning.

3/ Be Social In Camp

We met Marilyn, Jim and lovely Chester at a campground in Utah last year

This may sound kinda corny, but you can create great bonds by simply introducing yourself to your neighbour in camp. RVers tend to be a very open lot and often all it’ll take is a “hello, where are you guys headed?” and off you go. We’ve created many long-lasting connections from folks we met in camp on the road.

4/ Create a Winter (or Summer) Base

We’ve met many full-time or part-time couples who enjoy the change of “settling down” in one spot for several months either in winter or summer. Some go boondocking in popular winter spots like Quartzite, some will chose a particular RV park that they like while others might have a semi-permanent base such as an RV pad or flat/house. Either way, by going back to the same spot each year they re-connect with a community of people for several months before setting off again.

5/ Volunteer or Work On The Road

A very happy Nina w/ puppies at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, UT

Volunteering can be a great way to get involved in a community cause. Last year we spent a week at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Utah (a very tight community), but there are also RV groups that organize mobile volunteering such as RV Care-A-Vanners (RVers who work with Habitat For Humanity), DOVE (an Escapees BOF group that assist with various Red Cross projects) and NOMADS (an outreach ministry of the United Methodist Church). Workamping, camp-hosting or volunteering on public land can be another great way to get social with purpose. Good links are USDA Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Volunteer.gov. Many of these will also provide a free camping spot in return for your time.

So with a thanks to Ayo for the inspiration to write the post, here’s hoping we meet up on the road. Don’t be shy now!

30 Years and a Few Hairs Later….

Paul & Freddie...two peas in a pod

One of the things I love about RVing is the ability to go off and reconnect with old friends. In fact, RVing is all about community in my mind whether it’s the cool people you meet on the road, the connections you make in the campgrounds or the friends and family you hook up with along the way.

Well, the last few weeks it’s been Paul’s turn. Imagine if you will, two Cuban boys growing up in Miami (where else) and making mischief as boys do.  There’s a whole book of stories in there and when they meet up 30 years later, all that really separates los hermanos is a couple of wrinkles and a few less hairs. Other than that it’s really just like old times.

Julie & Lucky hanging at Dog Beach in Fort de Soto

In an odd turn of events both boys married tall white women, left Florida and travelled around. There’s a few differences and surprises of course….Paul now speaks French and Freddie had 2 beautiful girls and became a Deacon no less, but old memories are strong stuff they re-bonded happily like two old pigs in mud.

So, we’ve spent a great few weeks hanging with Freddie and Julie, getting to know the girls, playing with the dogs and frying up steaks on the grill. It just goes to show that whether you’re apart for just a few years or a few decades, good friend are a lifelong gift. And all that despite a few less hairs on the head. So, cherish those you love,  and may we meet again soon!

Looking back on Phoenix, AZ

 As we get ready to head to colder elevations, I thought I’d do a quick post looking back at the 2 weeks we spent in Phoenix. In a city where the April weather-game is “when do we hit 100°F (38 °C)”, people actually spend a surprising amount of time outdoors, albeit usually early in the morning or late in the day. It’s a great mix of city-life, youth (ASU is apparently a bit of a party school), and nature sprawled out for many miles in the desert.

For us the stop-over was for old friends, running errands and getting in that one game of baseball. As to old friends I caught up with a buddy from my previous life, Patrick and his family. Paul, in turn, caught up with a college friend, Juan, that he hadn’t seen in 20 years. I’m happy to report all of us aging like fine wines and still like spring chickens in the rough. We also enjoyed some great hikes w/ the dog, veeery early morning mind you, in Thunderbird Park and Lake Pleasant. And yes, we did indeed get in that one game of baseball where we saw 3 back-to-back home runs and a very usual inside-the-park-homer (and the fact that I can make that statement, my friends, is a testament to the amount of hours I’ve been forced to watch baseball over the years).

Enjoy the pics…

Prickly Pear Cactus Bloom

Hiking near Lake Pleasant

Polly Playing Fetch near the RV park

Foxtail Grass

With Patrick's Family in Chandler

Juan and Paul...two peas in a pod

A very happy Paul at Chase Field for the ballgame