How to convince the other half about RV's?

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Ian

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Adelaide, South Australia
The current thread about Ladies encouraging other ladies to drive their RV's gives me great encouragement that enjoying an RV is a shared pursuit that is equally available to either partner.

SWMBO (She Who Must Be Obeyed) wont even look at pictures of RVs on the web. Nope. Not a speck of interest. Her idea of a holiday is driving from one motel to another. She has repeated to me many times, "If I go on a holiday I don't want to touch the stove, change a sheet, handle any laundry detergent. If I have to do any of those things then I can do them just as easily at home and sleep in my own bed at no extra cost."

1. I bet this line isn't all that new to a number of you here. How did you convince your significant other to come out and hit the road with you?

2. For the ladies out there. Are the above chores the same thing when travelling in your RV as doing them at home? What makes it different for you? If you were a reluctant convert to RV'ing, what helped make up your mind to give it a try?

Heck, even if all I succeed at is getting her to look at a picture of nice RV that will be a big step and maybe the rest will follow along later. I can hope and dream for the RV, it isn't too much more of a stretch to hope she might grow to like the idea too.
 
Threaten to buy a tent and she'll change her mind in a hurry.

If I go on a holiday I don't want to touch the stove

Park at WalMart and Cracker Barrel; Most WMs have Macdonalds and Cracker Barrel serves OK food. Other restaurant chains might permit you to park in their lot if you ask.
 
2. For the ladies out there. Are the above chores the same thing when travelling in your RV as doing them at home? What makes it different for you? If you were a reluctant convert to RV'ing, what helped make up your mind to give it a try?

I'm no lady, but I do some cooking and help with the cleaning & such and in my opinion routine household chores are a bit more difficult in an RV, mostly since galley workspace & storage are typically less than enjoyed in a fixed site home. Ditto for laundry facilities and various other things. That's the downside. And if you are talking about occasional short trips rather than several weeks or more, then the burden of stocking the RV for a trip (and unpacking later) is an additional chore that typically falls heavily on the ladies.

The upside is subjective:  First of all you have to like to travel and "see the world". From there, the positives are things like traveling with your own closet instead of a suitcase, awakening in your own bed, sipping your morning coffee without having to go out to a coffee shop, etc. Some people may prefer preparing their own meals too, though there may be as many who like to "make reservations" for dinner.

On longer trips, staying in hotels and motels can get pretty old, though if you spend the equivalent of the monthly payments on a large RV you can use some pretty upscale places. Changing motels every few days can be a chore too, though if your vacation is spent mostly in  one or two places, the moving in/out of rooms is minimized.

I think the onus is on the guys to make sure the ladies are not bogged down in a sea of household chores in the RV and have as much opportunity for fun as anyone else. If she likes to dine out, take her out. If a laundromat visit is needed, go with her and help, even if it's just moral support. And make an extra effort to not leave behind a trail or dirty dishes and clothes, as some guys do unconciously.  It takes cooperation for two to live in a small space.
 
Very good points Gary.

I spent a career living out of a suitcase and have no desire to continue that in retirement. When Chris started travelling internationally with her prior job she told me "I now understand what you've been going through all these years".

I help out with on-board chores, although all too often I'll realize I haven't been entirely doing my share. But Chris is quick to let folks know "Tom does dishes".

If a laundromat visit is needed, go with her and help, even if it's just moral support.

We rarely use a laundomat but, when Chris made a recent rare visit to one, I went along for moral support. It was very much appreciated. Hope I don't get to alone next time though.
 
Well, There are differences between a RV and a Hotel when traveling, I'll list a few

What's under the bed?  Hotel, good question,  RV whatever Wife or I put there

Cost of meals    Hotel high... RV you decide, cook in it's low, or eat out, same as hotel

Laundry:        Now this has to be done, sooner or later, for a short trip you can do it when you get home, for a long trip you either have a laundry in your rv or you do it on the road... HOTEL, exactly the same.

NOTE: in many hotels you can get laundry or valet service,  Believe it or not many laundromats offer to do your laundry for you, and there are professional cleaners who will do it as well.

Uninvited "Guests" in the room (Micro-guests, ie: Insectes, rodents, and the like) you control the population of your RV, management the hotel

Sleep in your own bed... Well,  The bed in the RV *IS* my own bed and it's a heck of a lot newer than the one in my house (which is worn out)

Now, in your line of work... You can often park "on the job" for days at a time as it were,  Just park along the outside edge of the mall where you are ho-ho-ho-ing and getting to work just became a walk instead of a drive, though from time to time you will have to drive to a dump & refill station.

There is a lot more... The hotel does provide towles, and bedding.  The RV you bring your own. but most everything else a hotel offers can be found in, or near, RV parks, some of the RV parks I've been to are "Attached" (Legally) to a hotel in fact and guests at the park can use hotel facilities.

And to be honest, Sometimes I just don't feel like going out to dinner
 
Ian said:
She has repeated to me many times, "If I go on a holiday I don't want to touch the stove, change a sheet, handle any laundry detergent. If I have to do any of those things then I can do them just as easily at home and sleep in my own bed at no extra cost."

It took me two years to talk my wife into the idea of just renting a MH for a vacation, much less buying one. I heard a lot of the same stuff, but figured out these and every other objection could be translated in plain English as "it's too expensive." I finally convinced her when I showed her that we could spend two weeks touring the wonders of the west for less than what it would cost us to fly the family to Orlando for a four day weekend.

On the other hand, if the problem really is that she doesn't want to touch the stove, the bedding, or the laundry while on vacation, then the simple solution is to offer to cook, clean, and wash in the RV. If you can't cook, you can eat out just like you would if traveling by car.
 
How to convince your better half, the merits of sleeping in your own bed instead of a hotel/motel ?

Show her this article :-[

Caution; graphic picture of a persons back after sleeping in a rented bed !

http://www.shoutwire.com/viewstory/8241/Blood_Sucking_Bed_Bugs_Could_Make_You_Rich
 
Well, so far this thread looks like it's an all male one....so, here I go.

Ian, I'm in a little different situation than you. ?My husband loves to travel in the motor home for a maximum of 4 weeks or so; but not ready to full-time. ?I'm ready to full-time; but have a home base to check in to from time to time..... so we have a different situation than you, but we can't quite reach a compromise at the moment.

These are the things I love about the motor home. ?

1. ?It's smaller and easier to keep clean. ? (I have a 3,000 ft house and 3 acre piece of property now.)
2. ?I make simplier meals than I do at home and we eat out more.
3. ?Some here won't agree with me; but I like going to the laundramat. ?I can get 4 loads of laundry done in one afternoon, whereas at home it takes me 3 days because I keep starting something else and get distracted.
4. ?I love meeting people.
5. ?I love visiting new places and seeing new things.
6. ?Personally I hate hotels and eating out all the time. ?I don't like dragging my suitcase all around and having to reacquaint myself with the new hotel or location.

However, I do need a homebase where I can "go home". ?

I think there are some people that don't have the "wanderlust" personality. ?Whatever you can do to make it easier on your wife to get her to try it out with you, is probably what you need to do. ?Offer to do everything, all of it, if she will go with you. ?If she won't give it a try....well, you're stuck. ?This is an awlful suggestion, but if you want to go that badly, you might think about going on a trip by yourself just to say you did it.

Marsha~

 
Kenneth said:
How to convince your better half, the merits of sleeping in your own bed instead of a hotel/motel ?

Show her this article :-[

Caution; graphic picture of a persons back after sleeping in a rented bed !

http://www.shoutwire.com/viewstory/8241/Blood_Sucking_Bed_Bugs_Could_Make_You_Rich

Like I said, you don't know what is under the bed,, it appears you also don't know what is IN the bed.

Again, if they had slept in an RV it is likely they would not have had that problem.  Though I do admit we had a flea infestation in ours shortly after we took possession (I suspect the K-9 at the tow yard where I took it while car was being modified for towing)

Of course, a couple of bug bombs were major overkill for those fleas which, post bomb, quickly "Dearly departed"
 
Hi Ian,

I had no problem convincing my wife about RVing. It encompasses many different avenues. One very nice off shoot is the fact you can visit your kids and have your own home each night when grandkids get too rambunctious. Whenever you travel you are taking all of your own facilities including your bed. There's nothing like sleeping in your own bed each night no matter where you parked it!

When was the last time you walked down the hallway of a hotel/motel and had folks actually look you in the eye and say "good morning"? It happens everyday in a campground. How comfortable can you be in a motel room with stiff furniture and no way of getting that snack at night you really crave without getting dressed and driving to some store or restaurant? How many times have your neighbors kept you up with loud TV or other activities that created a disturbance to you?

RVing is a whole different world but one must immerse themselves for a bit to really understand it. Renting is a good option as it doesn't cost a large fortune and it provides an opportunity to see what the lifestyle is all about.

The part I like is there's no better way to see our country, or yours!!!
 
The responce I get from SWMBO is, "I want to sleep in my own bed and eat off my own dishes. You never know who has been here before us". She doesn't want to travel unless we take everything we need with us, including the bed. But then again, I have the problem that our daughter, SIL and two grandsons live next door and must be seen, visited and fussed over every day<<GGG>>. So our traveling is not a frequent as I like, but there's hope--it's not much longer until we will have teenage grandsons and then, perhaps they will be normal and want nothing to do with us for a few years.

Chet18013
 
Ian:

I don't often read or respond, but decided to do so.

In our case, it was me (Daisy) convincing Fred to at least look inside an RV.  He just couldn't believe how compact and put together they were.  You'll have to ask him some time to give you the low down on how I used my feminine wiles to lure him into the RVing life-style. 


Daisy
 
Chet18013 said:
The responce I get from SWMBO is, "I want to sleep in my own bed and eat off my own dishes. You never know who has been here before us". She doesn't want to travel unless we take everything we need with us, including the bed. But then again, I have the problem that our daughter, SIL and two grandsons live next door and must be seen, visited and fussed over every day<<GGG>>. So our traveling is not a frequent as I like, but there's hope--it's not much longer until we will have teenage grandsons and then, perhaps they will be normal and want nothing to do with us for a few years.

Chet18013

Weeeell shoot, Chet.  That is why we are all here.  Cindy and I travel all over the states, or at least the western 11 of them, sleeping on our own bed, eating off our own plates, dragging along our own dawg, and eating our own food -- at least when we want to eat our own food.    That is the neat thing about RVs you drag your own home, or at least 2nd own home, along with you.    You do not even have to put up with gas station plumbing.  To top it off, the IRS lets you take the mortgage interest off your taxes.
 
For us, the number one thing that has turned my wife on to RVing was to get her to the Quartzite Rally.  She discovered some wonderful friends and human beings there, and also found out that drycamping in a motorhome on the desert was a delightful marriage of luxury and primitive beauty.

Also, having an annual spot in a resort RV park (which we use during the winter months but can leave a shed year round) was another step in converting her.

And mentioned above, the chance to see ALL of her friends and relatives in the US once a year was a major factor.

Finally, freeing herself from a life filled with things rather than experiences was a big revelation.

Of course, the trick is to get the first RV in order to get started.  5 years of steady bedtime prayer did that for me.  :D
 
Years ago while we were on our first m/h  (with kids) we parked beside another young family with three kids in tents in the Colorado Rockies during several days of rain. Sue watched the mother trying to dry sleeping b ags and clothes each day and said "I'll go camping as long as you don'y expect me to do it in tents!)

The rest is history. ;D ;D
 
Ian,

When you've owned RVs as long as we have (35 years or so) and are forced by circumstances to do the "motel thing" you quickly realize how lucky you are to have your own bed, food (some towns have only one restaurant and it's awful), potty always available when needed, water, variety of clothing, and whatever.  Not only that, you have a LOT more flexibility.  If we want to change our minds and change directions 90 degrees, we don't have to cancel reservations - we just do it!  I can't imagine what life would be like without a motorhome.  Gee, we a had a period of a couple of months between motorhomes and I felt downright "nekkid."  :) 

Unlike some of the other folks in the forum, I like having a stick house to come home to, but we like longer trips so we can enjoy seeing everything at a leisurely pace determined by how we feel that day.  Can you imagine traveling for three or four months and doing it all by motel?  That's not my cup of tea!  We had to do the motel thing when we were working and it was okay for that but not now when we're free to go where we want to go and when.  Also, I absolutely detest packing and unpacking suitcases - what a drag!  Having someone else wash my linens isn't worth the downsides.

And, personally, I LOVE driving the motorhome.  I'd probably do all the driving but Jerry pouts too much so I let him have the wheel occasionally.  ;)

I hope you're able to convince your wife about the joys of RVing.  It's a wonderful lifestyle and very rewarding.  She doesn't know what she's missing, both in terms of the camaraderie and the freedom.

ArdraF

P.S.  I grew up tent camping, but the last time we "roughed" it was when we had a VW poptop camper in the '60s.  One night we were at the Colorado River and I decided to sleep outside on the beach.  In the middle of the night I heard Jerry calling my name very softly.  When he finally got my attention, he told me a skunk was right beside my head and it would be a good idea not to move.  Luckily I didn't get sprayed but as you can guess I spent the remainder of that night in the VW and never again had the desire to sleep outside!  ;D
 
Thanks Ardra and everybody else. You have shared some great ideas to try to get her to at least think about the lifestyle.
You've all stirred up the wanderlust in me and now I just wanna go. OF course we are going to need a few things like money and more money and perhaps we will need to take some money. Umm, maybe I need to get hold of some of that folding stuff before thinking about when and where and how to go.

Again, everybody, thanks for the stories and information. It is really appreciated.
 
Ian,

The rewards of RVing vs motels for me are:

- Taking a cup of coffee outside in the morning and watching the sun rise.
- Sitting out in the afternoon/evening with a cocktail and watching the sun set.
- Watching nature - currently we are in Arizona and in the morning I have seen jack rabbits and in the afternoon I have seen roadrunners (new sights for me living in Virginia).
- If the park has a pond, you can get in a little fishing or watch the geese and ducks.
- Seeing the different birds in the areas we travel.
- Being able to get a snack or beverage any time I want it.
- We eat out often; however, we also do eat in - we have the choice.  We like to grill and eat outside.  We try to keep it simple.
- I know who slept in our bed last night.

These are some of the reasons I love RVing and prefer it to staying in motels.

D2




 

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