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| "Barbie Sisters Go Camping" Camper (shop.mattel.com) |
Not long ago, after I'd just pulled into a new campsite, unhitched my toad, and set up camp, a man not much older than me approached and said "Can I pay you a compliment?" Well, of course, that would be great! He then went on to say he and his wife had been watching me set up and just marveled at the fact that I could do it all by myself. "You're one gutsy lady!" he proudly exclaimed.
I politely thanked him and returned to my RV. The comments perplexed, amused, and infuriated me for hours afterwards. Why should it be such an odd sight to see a female traveling and enjoying nature on her own? If I don't happen to have a man or a few kids around to help me set up camp, am I supposed to just stay locked up at home reading magazines?!! For those fortunate women who are able to go RVing with a partner, why is it that they often delegate all the "outside the RV" tasks and driving to their spouses? What if he has a medical emergency one day and can't dump the tanks or hook up and drive the rig?
I've had the pleasure to meet other women RVers who love the lifestyle and, like me, have refused to let their RVs intimidate them. But, I've also met many other women who've confided of feeling just too overwhelmed to learn to do everything on their own and fear their only option will indeed be to stay home and miss out. For those sisters, this blog series, A Girl's Guide to RVing, is for you!!!
I certainly don't have all the answers (and never will!), but hope that as I learn new RVing systems and skills, I can share that information with others who might wish (or need to) solo RV one day.
Here are a few RVing topics to get started:
(click the titles below each picture to read the articles)
I really love your blog, and especially this section. I recently took our rv out for the first time solo (with my 3 kids, but without my hubby) and it was so awesome to know I could do it by myself. One of the reasons we chose our View was so either of us could take it out, and it's been wonderful. Thanks for all of the encouragement, and the wonderful step by step instructions. I'd love to link to your site on my blog post about this, as a resource to readers if you wouldn't mind? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteSuzie (www.californiafamilyrv.com)
So great to hear you did well on your first outing-- there'll be no stopping you now!
DeleteFeel free to link away. Hope the info will help others!
Lynne,
ReplyDeleteI see you are going to spend some time in Baja. What is RV camping like there, is it mainly boondocking or in campgrounds? Also, any safety concerns?
Thanks,
Randy
Crossing the border tomorrow, so I'll find out soon! From what I've researched so far, Baja has more boondocking opportunities, but also has regular campgrounds as well. A great site that shows all the CG locations is OnTheRoadIn.com (they also have excellent info on all the border crossing rules & travel tips). I'm expecting safety in Baja to be similar to mainland Mexico, but some others have said it's even safer-- either way, as long as you're going to typical RVing locations and not traveling at night or lingering at the border too long, Mexico can be much safer than many parts of the U.S!
DeleteBajaNomads is a great site, huge forum on lots of topics, including road conditions, recommended camps, recent trips, crossing border tips, etc.
ReplyDeleteAs you are well aware, there is no shortage of stereotypes..... over 6'4", "gotta be a basketball or volleyball player." Bald head and glasses, "this guy can fix my computer." Here's another stereotype... I've noticed that younger folks (45 and down) appear to be more aware of them and are less apt to fall into their (stereotype's) simple trap... especially when it comes to gender equality and racism. I hope I'm right.
ReplyDelete