As Barney and I were approaching retirement, the discussion, of course, was about how we wanted to spend our time. While Barney had been working, he’d have group meetings with representatives from the member companies and I would go with him to some interesting places in the U.S. While he was in meetings, I would explore on my own. Before or after the meetings, we’d add some vacation days and go exploring together. These times of exploring were wonderful for us.
So when it was time to plan for retirement, we decided we wanted to go exploring, looking for those out-of-the-way spots that we loved finding and that taught us so much.
so where to stay as we travel?
So then the question was whether we wanted to drive or fly, stay in hotels or camp? I told Barney that the only way I’d camp was if I didn’t have to sleep on the ground, if I could stay warm, and if I could have a good cup of coffee in the morning.
Since the places we wanted to visit weren’t close to airports or cities large enough for hotels or motels, an RV or motor home seemed to be the best option.
but what kind of trailer?
When Barney was young, his family traveled with a pull-behind trailer, so he was used to the idea of hooking to a vehicle and pulling a trailer. My experience, on the other hand, was tent camping in the northern national parks (mom’s choice) and northern Minnesota (dad’s choice so he could fish). While this was never my first choice for family vacations, as the youngest, I didn’t have a vote. Since I was always uncomfortable and cold, you can understand my requirements for traveling.
We liked the idea of pulling an RV since we’d still have a vehicle for exploring. Motor homes are convenient, but we’d have to pull an extra car behind it so we could do the exploring we love to do. Plus motor homes are so much more expensive since they include the engine, transmission, etc. And if repairs were needed, both our home and our means of transportation would have to be in the shop.
So we decided on a pull-behind trailer.
what’s the best size for us?
The next decision we had to make was how long an RV did we want. In the national parks, often length is an issue for campgrounds, so a smaller RV was more attractive to us. We’re not fancy people, but do like our creature comforts.
next step?
Our next step was to see what was available in the world of trailers, so time to go to the next post.
