Ah, the life of the open road: the sense
of complete freedom, just meandering down the back roads of
our great country, moving from one beautiful scene to the
next-no plans, no cares, no responsibilities, no neighbors,
nobody to talk to but each other (IF you are traveling with
a partner). For some people, the independence is a delightful
change from their old life. But for most of us, we begin to
miss the networks we built during our "stick house"
years. We seek companionship and some structure as we wander.
The solution: membership clubs. In addition
to providing a social organization, the clubs can provide
technical assistance, emergency services, mail and message
services, campground discounts, and prodigious amounts of
information. There are multipurpose clubs, clubs for owners
of specific RV brands, and special interest groups to join.
Membership fees are low compared to services offered.
 MAJOR
MULTIPURPOSE CLUBS (in alphabetical order)
Escapees
RV Club offers a magazine, private campground discounts,
a system of Escapees parks, two national rallies, mail service,
extensive Web site, special interest groups, local chapters,
partnerships with various service providers, political action
preserving RVers' rights, and a day-care facility for ailing
members. Originally designed as a support group for full-timers,
the Escapees RV Club has grown into a full-fledged "family"
on the road meeting the principles of Support, Knowledge,
and Parking. The letters S, K, P stand for the sound you hear
when you say "Escapee."
FMCA
(Family Motor Coach Association) offers many of the
above benefits but does not have its own parks or a day-care
facility. Before the widespread use of the cell phone, FMCA's
message service was invaluable for a low cost solution to
phone communication for the traveler. Members tell me they
particularly enjoy the smaller chapter or regional rallies
for information-sharing and socializing with old friends.
The large rallies provide excellent seminars, multiple vendors,
and displays of new rigs.
Membership in FMCA is limited to motorhome owners.
Most trailer owners don't care, but one of my favorite fifth
wheel correspondents is Janet Wilder, whose own rig is no
slouch and must be hauled by a medium-duty truck. She tells
me that she has a flock of flamingos she puts out when she
is parked for a few days. Whenever a motorhome with the FMCA
logo (known as an "egg") parks next to her, she
warns the owners that her "trailer trash" flamingos'
favorite food is FMCA eggs.
The
Good Sam Club began in 1966 when a group of RV owners
put Good Samaritan bumper stickers on their rigs so fellow
members would know they could get help on the road. Now, with
a membership of one million family members, the goal remains
the same as from those days: to make RVing safer and more
enjoyable, and save members money through Club-endorsed benefits
and services. As with Escapees and FMCA, Good Sam has a monthly
magazine, rallies, local chapters, and offers campground and
service providers' discounts.
Life
on Wheels, although not technically a club, has developed
an excellent reputation for its seminars on all aspects of
the RV life. People return year after year and as a result
have formed friendships with other attendees.
CLUBS FOR OWNERS OF SPECIFIC BRANDS
OF RVS
In addition to the general interest clubs,
many RVers join clubs based on the brand of RV they own to
gain information specific to their needs. At the rallies,
they receive technical advice as well as repairs from company
technicians and experts. Vendors provide products specific
to them. Newer models are often displayed so it is easy to
trade up. Embroidered throughout is another opportunity for
socializing, dining together, and sightseeing. Many have newsletters
and local chapters to keep the information flowing all year
long. Some sponsor caravans to travel together for extensive
sightseeing. An excellent site for information on almost every
manufacturer's club is RV
Net Linx.
SPECIAL INTEREST CLUBS
Special interest clubs round out the list
of clubs one can join: including motorcycle clubs, Canadian
clubs, freight chassis owners' clubs, singles clubs, African-American
RV club, pop-up campers' club, etc. Links to more than 75
clubs can be found here.
Most of the national travel clubs, AAA, Better World, etc.
also provide special services to the RVer as part of the club
membership.
Finally, some RVers keep their memberships
in non-RV organizations to help maintain their interests as
they travel: Audubon Society for the birder; American Volksport
Association, for the walker, publishes a book of walks one
can do all over the United States.
You never have to be lonely on the road.
My very favorite example is an RVer I met in South Texas who
is also a tuba player. Wherever he is every Christmas, he
checks the Tuba
Christmas site to find out where tuba players are
gathering in the area so he can put on his Santa hat, schlep
his tuba, and join the local tuba community. Yes, Virginia,
there is a club for EVERYBODY!
Alice
Zyetz
7/11/04
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Alice
Zyetz and Jaimie Hall have
been RVing fulltime with their husbands
for more than ten years each. Together
they have published two books on the
RV Lifestyle: