RV Reluctant Partner

What if he/she/they doesn't want to go on an RV Ramble with me?

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Obviously, we all have the perfect partner and soul mate, who completes us – however, sometimes we want to ramble, and they are (justly) worried about the bathrooms and living with us in a small space for months on end.

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That can kind of suck. Because The road is calling you! But you can't quite get your partner on board. And as noted, their concerns are not without merit, you grudgingly admit.

 

Ramble On is here to help. We want to set your soul free without wrecking your marriage/partnership/living-in-sin arrangement. Here are some gentle suggestions, from folks who have been out there, to (gently) suggest to your better half for consideration.

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Concerns or Rigorously Held Beliefs:

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• I could never live with (you) in such a small space. Probably true, at first glance. I don't think I could live with Mother Theresa in the shape of a Playboy Bunny in that small of a space, if it was a prison cell. Luckily, your trailer, RV, or camper is not a cell. Life on the road happens outside. The inside of your RV, or even your modified van, is where you sleep, keep your stuff, and occasionally cook when it's raining. We've spent several years of our life living out of Stanley, who is a mere 22' Airstream trailer and thus quite tiny, and we've only been trapped inside for a total of perhaps 5 days total (rainstorm in LA, a sandstorm in UT, Mosquitos in CO, respectively). It happens, but not too often. Your kitchen is the picnic table, your living room is the great outdoors.

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• I need a clean bathroom. So good news and bad news here. The good news is that there are lots of clean bathrooms out there, most notably, in your RV (and this is a reason to choose that option over say a Sprinter Van). And by all means put the person who insisted on this quixotic adventure in charge of keeping it that way. The other clean bathrooms are in some of the better private RV parks and some state parks. Less reliable are those found in National Parks (outside the visitor centers that is) and those in National Forest campgrounds which might just be a vault toilet cleaned once a day. Other very nice bathrooms are the cute diner you have breakfast or dinner at that day. Grocery stores are fine too. Gas stations if you pick wisely. So if you've got Jerry Seinfeld level OCD about such things and it's got to be your place, then perhaps the camping life isn't for you. But if you're even a little bit adventurous in this respect (like you might poop in your friend's bathroom if the situation was dire), then it's probably better out there than you think.

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• I would miss my house and my friends too much. Maybe, and maybe not. It's a pretty fun and stimulating life. And you might even discover that your partner is a tiny bit cooler than you were recently giving him/her/they credit for. Plus, it's not forever. Whether your trip is a month or a year. It goes by quick. It's like life that way. Last but not least, you will reconnect with friends and family who don't live in your town because you will drop by in your RV whilst passing through. We have seen way more of our network of peeps since we got the RV than would ever have been possible before.

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• What about the dog? Bring em. Everybody else does. It will cut down a little on some of the things you can do and your flexibility, but if it keeps you from missing home as much, then do it. Cats are tougher. There are plenty of them out there actually, but they probably do feel a little cooped up. We leave our kitty at home with our renters each summer. We miss her, but think she's probably a bit happier with that arrangement.

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• I don't really like the outdoors. Well, again, if you can't imagine life more than a mile from your apartment in Murray Hill, then this really isn't for you. But you don't have to be a mushroom collector or tree bather to enjoy travel. Lots of avowed "city people" just go from one interesting city or town to the next, museum hopping, etc. There's a lot out there besides trees, rocks and hiking trails.

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• I'm worried about my/our (but mostly my) safety. This might be the most common one we hear. I've even heard it from people who grew up in New York City and are afraid to go to, I don't know, Utah? And look, I'm not here to say that nothing bad can happen out there. Of course it can. What I will say though is that there is a better than even chance that "out there" is safer than "right here." Unless you live in a gated community in a small town and never leave, you have (statistically) just as many creeps and psychos in your town as I have in mine. But thankfully, as a percentage, they are outnumbered by good, safe trustworthy folks. And that's who you will meet out on the road. Lose that horror film induced idea of the creepy campground. It's mostly populated with retired vets and rock climbers. And no, you don't need a firearm, unless you are compensating for something.

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So You're Saying I Should Just Try It?

I am, yes. Partly, just because we should all do things we're uncomfortable doing in life. And because, unless your partner isn't a good person (and long-suffering like mine), then you should do it to make them happy. Nothing is better for making yourself happy than trying to make someone you love happy (with the possible exception of ice cream).

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Give it a 3-week trial and see how it goes.

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