I have a confession to make. Actually seven of them. Seven confessions about our lifestyle as a snowbird. Seven confessions about how I view my snowbird lifestyle and the things I enjoy doing.
This is not a how-to article, nor does it contain wisdom pertaining to snowbirding and the RV lifestyle. You won’t find bits of advice on sharing a condo-on-wheels with your spouse, successfully dumping your black tank without gagging, or backing into a campsite that is clearly too small for your RV.
What you will find are my heartfelt confessions that stem from 23+ years of snowbird living and traveling in a variety of RVs including a smallish fifth wheel trailer to our present 38-foot diesel pusher.
1. This is Not Camping
Our version of snowbirding is not camping—it’s living. In other words, we don’t consider our snowbird lifestyle to be one big camping trip. We don’t eat s’mores every night, nor do we sit around the campfire or the picnic table playing board games by lantern. (Although now that I think about it, s’mores every night does sound good).
Yes, we live in a campground, but not the same one for six months, and for the most part we are not camping.
2. We Find Weekends, Especially Holiday Weekends, a Drag
As anyone who has ever visited a campground on a weekend and especially on a holiday weekend knows, this is prime camping time. Which makes it a complete drag for those of us who rely on campgrounds as a place to live for a month or more.
While I’m pleased to see so many families enjoying nature and each other’s company, an overflowing campground jam-packed with kids on bikes and billows of campfire smoke floating in my windows is not my idea of a fun time.
3. We Always Prefer Our Condo-On-Wheels Over Your Guest Bedroom
When we park in your driveway (which is really appreciated), we will say thanks but no thanks when you offer up your guest room. You see, the thing is that our motorhome with our cozy bed has everything we need within reach.
We travel in an RV because we enjoy the convenience of always having our motorhome with us. So it’s not that we don’t appreciate the offer, but we really would prefer to sleep in our own bed.
4. This is Not a Permanent Vacation
This is a hard one for non-snowbirds to grasp. So you live in an RV and you get to travel to any warm place you want, yet you don’t consider yourself to be on vacation? No, not even a little bit.
We don’t consider this a vacation because we are retired and maintain a regular routine. For us, snowbirding in an RV is a lifestyle choice, not a vacation.
5. I Sometimes Forget That I’m Not “Normal”
I sometimes forget that our chosen lifestyle is considered out of the ordinary. Especially when spending months at a time in the Sunbelt with other snowbirds who view living in a tiny house on wheels as commonplace. It usually takes an encounter with the “normal” folks to remind me that how we live is fascinating and envy-worthy.
6. We Have No Idea When We’ll “Be Done” Snowbirding
Why would we willingly choose an end a lifestyle that brings us joy and happiness and takes us away from a frigid and snowy northern winter? Why would I want to be done with all that?
7. We Will Never See Everything
We could travel round and round the country for a lifetime and still not see everything. There is always more to see.
And we love that! We love discovering more things to do, to see, and to explore than we could possibly hope to accomplish in any amount of time. We love that America is incredibly diverse and filled with such an array of landscapes, communities, and people that even if we traveled for many more decades could never see, do, or explore it all.
Seven Confessions…
So there you have it. Seven confessions of a snowbird living and enjoying the RV lifestyle! Agree or disagree, these are the realities of our life. A life that we love and couldn’t imagine changing in any way!
Worth Pondering…
What a life. Today, it’s New Mexico, yesterday it was Utah, and shortly before that we were in South Carolina. Soon it will be Georgia.