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Rec vehicles are good choice for affordable travel

by Janet Groene

Now that her daughter is a university environmental sciences major in college and her son is in junior high school, Jessica D. needed an affordable way to travel so her children could learn about natural history.

Her own mother, divorced and on a tight budget, had tent-camped with her five kids but Jessica couldn’t see herself sleeping on the ground and fanning a smoky campfire. Instead, for less than $8,000 she bought a nearly new, 20-foot travel trailer that tows behind her sport-ute. On every available weekend the family takes off complete with beds, stove and even the kitchen sink.

Is this the year you’ll learn the ABCs of RVs? <

According to recreation vehicle industry sources, RV owners are getting younger and travelling more. The average RV family camps eight weekends a year and travels 3,516 kilometres.

They go to fairs, festivals, flea markets and dog shows, and visit family and caravan with friends. They’re blissfully free of airline schedules, road food, and motels that don’t allow pets. Back home, their RV serves as a guest cottage for overnight visitors.

"At home we often don’t sit down and eat together," says Christine Loomis, author of Fodor’s Family Adventures. "However, when we travel in an RV, we eat and talk together every day."

RV owners surveyed by Robert Hitlin Associates said RV-ing brings families closer together. Of adults who had camped as children, 95 per cent said it had a positive effect on their adult lives.

Today’s campers have the convenience and added safety of instant communications thanks to smart phones and GPS, plus all the entertainment options from video games to satellite TV. Still, favourite activities for RVers continue to be old-fashioned sightseeing, swimming, fishing, hiking, boating, biking or "just resting."

Choosing your RV

First, decide if you want an RV with its own engine, or one to tow. It’s expensive to buy and maintain a powered RV with all its complex systems, but on the highway it’s nice to have one unit that is your vehicle, hotel and restaurant.

A towable RV costs less to buy and maintain, and you can leave it in the campground while you make side trips in your car. On the minus side, many people find it a royal pain to tow, back up, maneuver, and park a trailer. Towing means extra gas dollars and extra axles can mean higher tolls.

After deciding towable versus drive-able look at how many the RV will accommodate, not just sleep. Campers also have to stow their gear, move around, and stay inside on rainy days.

"Sleeps six" could mean three double beds in a space eight feet wide and 15 or 20 feet long. Look at how much space you’ll have for playing cards, watching TV and eating indoors. You also need a seat, with seat belt, for each passenger.

Now you’re ready to decide on other features: layout, colour scheme, optional equipment, living space versus stowage room, and how independent you want to be. Unless you’re fully self-contained ,you’ll be using campground bathrooms, water and electricity.

The term RV includes:

Fifth Wheel - a kind of travel trailer towed with a pickup truck. Motorhome - a camper and vehicle all in one. Large models, the most expensive RVs, are Type A. Campers that are attached to a truck chassis are Type C.

Pop-up or fold-down camper - this collapses into a light, towable package. Until it’s set up in a campground, you won’t have access to living-dining features, but its low profile makes it easier to tow.

Travel trailer - a towable RV trailer.

Truck camper - a camper package that rides in the bed of a pickup truck and can be removed between camping trips.

Van conversion - a van with beds, some provision for cooking, perhaps toilet and a shower wand. It’s also called a Class B.

To help you decide what you want, visit RV dealers and shows. You can also rent various RVs for trips to try before you buy. Visit. Don’t be rushed into buying before you know the lingo, pluses and pitfalls. For further information go to www.gorving.ca or www.rvcanada.com .

Janet Groene is a professional travelwriter and veteran RVer whose books include Living Aboard Your RV, Cooking Aboard Your RV, and Great Eastern RV Trips. Contact her at www.SoloWomanRV.blogspot.com .

RV problems and solutions

Problem: We just can’t afford it.

Solution: RVs are more affordable and finance-able than you think. Ask your banker about loans. Then shop for a great buy in a new or used RV with good terms. Keep fuel costs down by discovering campgrounds close to home.

Problem: My teenagers don’t want to travel with me anymore.

Solution: Join a camping club with other parents of teens. Then plan group outings at campgrounds that have plenty of activities for young people.

Problem: The baby is too young for travel.

Solution: With an RV you have room to carry the playpen, stroller, and everything babies need. Stop and feed them anywhere, anytime, with familiar foods brought from home. Change the baby in your own RV, not in grotty public places.

Problem: I couldn’t manage a big rig.

Solution: At the wheel of a big motorhome, you’re sitting high above the traffic. With power assists, a great view and a little practice, you have more control than you expect. If you tow a trailer, get the advice of a good mechanic to make sure your car is ready, then consult a hitch expert who can marry the right hitch to your car and trailer. Practise, practise, practise. Start with trips close to home and reserve a campsite with pull-through sites that don’t require backing up.

Problem: Camping seems to be a couple’s thing, and I’m a single parent.

Solution: You’ll be surprised at how friendly and helpful campers are. Don’t be afraid to ask for help and advice.