Where can I get a brief introduction of RV?

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liyi601

New member
Joined
Dec 9, 2006
Posts
2
I am a newcomer to the united states , I am a housewife.
I know RVing is a lifestyle of American,but i just want to know a lot more about it.
Where can I get a brief informaiton about RV lifestyle,about its history,nowadays etc.
I serched the internet as google,yahoo,but i still can't get the general information about RV.
I will be appreciated if someone could give me some links or the information.

Best Wishes for all the people here! :)
liyi
 
Liyi,
Welcome to the United States and to the RV Forum! :) You've come to the right place to learn about RV'ing, and I suggest you visit our library (click on the "Library" button above), and browse through the many articles about RV life. It takes on many sizes and shapes, ranging from a weekend trip in a small, pop-up tent camper, to living full time in a large Class A or 5th wheel; sometimes jokingly referred to as a land yacht. I guess the one common thread among all RVers is the desire to see all the wonderful places our country has to offer, and build friendships with some of the nicest people you will ever meet. Your travels can take you to snow-capped mountains, to the seashores of both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, to the deserts of the Southwest - From Maine to Mexico, from Florida to Alaska; there's something for everyone. I'm sure others here will have some reading recommendations for you.

Enjoy our country as much as you can and as much as we do!
 
Liyi,

Welcome to the forum. As Karl said check our library for lots of info. Ask questions here on the forum. There are many people here willing to help. Check out Camping World at . They have many books and may have one that will be of interest to you. You can check it out here: http://www.campingworld.com/search/index.cfm?action=search&tcode=11&keywords=books&x=18&y=12
 
The RVIA (RV Industry Association) has a website called Go RVing that is intended to help introduce people to RVing, though the motivation is strictly to increase sales. They also have CDs and DVd to illustrate Rving - see the "Hit the Road" portion of the Go Rving site.

There are actually 2-3 different RVing styles and probably as many variations of those as there are people doing them.

One style is usually called "Weekends and vacations", or sometimes just "camping". Basically an individual or family just "gets away" from home and work for a few days here and there and maybe one or two vacations yearly. The short term nature makes any inconvenience due to limited space, storage, amenities, etc. of little concern and "roughing it" is part of the fun for many people. Campers head for remote locations, usually try to enjoy the outdoors to the max (hiking, fishing, outdoor activities, camp fires, etc.), and don't need to be concerned about conducting their life from an RV cause they will be back home or in the office on Monday anyway.

Another style we usually call part-timing, of which a major sub-culture is "snow birds".  Part timers take extended trips and stay in their RV for several weeks to several months at a time. The livability of an RV becomes a major factor and part timers tend to want larger RVs with more amenities. Snow birds are part timers who generally travel only twice a year, spending summers in the cooler northern regions and migrating a warmer climate when the snows come to the north.  They typically live in a "stick house" (site built home) for half the year and the RV for the other half. Part timers spend enough time in their RV that they have to deal with life's daily needs, e.g. banking, health care, family and hobbies, while "on the road" and this need introduces a set of needs ranging from communications (mail, phone, fax and internet) to storage (sports gear, hobbies, health and financial records, etc) that vacationers never have to deal with.

Fulltiming is the third major RV lifestyle. Fulltimers live in their RV year around and typically have no other home. They may migrate (ala snow birds) or they may be frequent travelers, but in any case they carry pretty much everything in their lives with them and deal with life's daily events and problems solely from their RV and its temporary location. "Home is where you park it" is their motto and pretty well sums up the life style.
 
Welcome to the RV Forum.  Karl, Jim, And Gary have already given you some good information.  You can learn a lot just looking around this forum and asking questions.  Thanks for joining us.
 
Thank you ,Thank you so much for all your help !
I have another 2 questions to ask.
1st:
If a family go for a  RV for several weeks or months, such as snow birds, what about their work?
they did not have to worry about that?
2nd:
As a novice, what kind of RV should I buy,the motorized or towable one,and any other critical things i have to pay attentions to?

I can imagine how cool and funny the RVing is, and I am wondering why there is not such interesting lifestyle in my hometown~
I will check the feasibility and ask my husbend for it beforehead.
Thank you so much again!

liyi

 
If a family go for a  RV for several weeks or months, such as snow birds, what about their work?
they did not have to worry about that?

Snowbirds tend to be retirees or seasonal workers or business owners, so a job in a fixed location is not a problem for them.  Some are also self employed and work out of their RV, e.g. consultants, writers, artists, computer software engineers, etc.


As a novice, what kind of RV should I buy,the motorized or towable one,and any other critical things i have to pay attentions to?
There is no simple answer to that - your needs, budget and current situation will probably dictate the answer.  Motorhomes are probably the most convenient but also the most expensive to buy and to maintain. Towables are great if you already have an adequate tow vehicle (but most people do not) or for occasional use, e.g. weekends and vacations. Unless money is no object, it doesn't make a lot of sense to have a motorized vehicle sitting around waiting to be used only a few weeks a year.  But there are a lot of excellent used RVs available, so you can find one for every taste and budget.

 
As a novice, what kind of RV should I buy,the motorized or towable one,and any other critical things i have to pay attentions to?

What Gary said.  You might also browse our library by clicking on the LIBRARY button on the bar above the message screen.  We have a number of articles in there that cover the ground.

For a foreigner in the USA or Canada for a touring vacation, renting a small Class C motorhome seems the way to go.  There are national vendors like Cruise America, El Monte Rents, and Motorius that rent such and are very experienced in the handling of foreign rentals.  I am most familiiar with El Monte Rents, and they have a reliable service from all my discussions with their customers across the West.
 
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