Perhaps this topic has come up in your campground conversations: “So, how did you get into RVing?” FMCAers share their story with answers to this month’s question:
What is your main motivation for motorhome travel?
After a 40-plus-year career as a pilot, 30 as a corporate pilot, mostly in the Western states, I now get to see “the world down there.” It’s always interesting and sometimes not what I imagined from overhead. My wife, Judy, a private pilot, likes to go to the coast and Lake Tahoe or places we haven’t yet been to, traveling in an “Aerbus” motorhome. Our two Dalmatians don’t care where we go; they just want to go.
Dan & Judy Fregin, F389328
Chico, California
In 2000 we bought a Type C, because with four adults and three children, comfort stops were longer than our time on the road. Visitors to our stationary home stayed in the coach and enjoyed their own space. As our kids grew older, we got involved in high school sports and began traveling to different schools. After a difficult comfort station incident at our first outdoor sporting event, I noticed that my coach was as high as a bus, as wide as a bus, and not as long as a bus. I discovered that a few bus drivers did not mind being followed by a motorhome. That started a seven-year, two-season tradition, with a one-year gap between our children’s high school years. At our first game this season, a few parents said, “Thank God you are back. You have no idea how many of us have gone to the wrong school or field because the motorhome was missing.”
Richard & Phyllis Cicchetti, F387705
Plymouth, Massachusetts
2003: Took a 10-week cross-country car trip, staying in motels. Began noticing RVs; they looked like fun.
2008: Diagnosed with multiple myeloma at age 59. Realized life is unpredictable, and can be short! Remembered those RVs we saw.
2009: Bought a 19-foot 2002 Roadtrek motorhome. Experienced a short but eventful learning curve as new RVers. We were hooked!
2015: Leaving for a 10-week trip south from New England, with bikes, kayaks, snorkeling stuff, and dog, the latest and longest of many trips in our Roadtrek. We love the freedom to explore, the people we’ve met, and the fun we have. Whether visiting friends or national parks, we have our “condo on wheels” wherever we go, making memories along the way!
Bev Baccelli, F412429
Mattapoisett, Massachusetts
It all started around 1973 with a small pop-up camper that we used mostly to explore state parks and take winter trips to the Sunshine State with our children. We graduated to a Type A motorhome in the early 1990s. Retired for more than 15 years, we’re now exploring the United States in Coach #5. We have enjoyed motorhoming most of our adult life, logging about 250,000 miles in 25-plus years, from the Cape Cod beaches to the majestic Grand Canyon to the great Texas Alamo. It takes a lifetime to see all that our country has to offer, and this is accomplished only by owning an RV. We drive our coach up the East Coast to see our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Yes, it takes longer, and sometimes it costs more to drive than to fly. However, we never lose our luggage, we never sleep in airports because of weather delays, and we never have to sleep in motel beds.
Ron & Steffi Molway, F175530
Port Charlotte, Florida
Our main motivation for motorhome travel is to see the country. It’s hard to get a good view of the countryside two feet up from the ground in a car, and it’s even more difficult from 35,000 feet. Motorhome travel frequently gives us the opportunity to stay right at the places we want to see, such as national and state parks. Other motivations are to not have to drag our bags in and out of motels; to not have to check under the mattress for bedbugs; the ability to stay in our own bedroom while camping in friends’ driveways; being able to pull over and eat wherever we want; saving money and time not having to eat most meals in restaurants; escaping the heat and humidity of Florida summers; attending rallies and chapter meetings with like-minded motorhome enthusiasts; and meeting great people while camping.
Chris & Jean Christensen, F420774
Fort Myers Beach, Florida
Future questions:
1. How do you practice the custom of leaving a campsite, campground, or other place you visit better than when you arrived?
2. What’s the best time of the day when traveling in your motorhome – sunrise, sunset, when you hit the road, when you stop to set up camp, etc.?