Making Lifelong Friends on the Road

Isn’t it lonely?

It can be. But doesn’t have to be. A big question people ask is having a social life when you take to the road full-time. You can have a social life while living on the road. It just looks different.

People who travel have a different mindset. They are not stressed out, and cranky like your average neighbor. I say, average neighbor, because I lived next door to someone for almost 20 years and never spoke one word to them. Not by my choice. There was not a huge distance between our homes and yards. If they happened to be outside the same time as me, they would simply turn their head and did not EVER acknowledge me. Ever. That’s dumb.

In RV life, it’s a whole different type of person. Always a “Good Morning”, “How ya doing?”, “Where’s home for you?”, “How do you like your rig?” The conversation starters are endless.

You can be the keep-to-yourself type of person, but you’ll still get a wave and smile when you’re out. People who live on the road are not judgmental. Of course, some are, don’t get me wrong, or think all who wander are friendly. You get their vibe right away. And that’s okay, you don’t have to be a social butterfly. Or you can be.

Social events in RV Life: Not always a senior thing

Did you watch the Super Bowl? Did you see the Budweiser Ad? That eagle launching off the horse makes me cry every flipping time. I read it took 42 takes for the eagle to spread his wings and fly at just the right time. The topper of the moment for me was to the tune of Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynrd, love that song. Brilliant work from the Budweiser marketing team.

Speaking of the Super Bowl –

In the Snowbird RV life here at the campground, we have a Super Bowl party at the clubhouse. I decided this year to attend. In the past, Wolf wasn’t interested and didn’t really like American Football. Being a former Rugby player, he thought the pads were well, not how men play football. Anywho, I had a great time visiting with friends and ate lots of food. The campground supplies pizzas, and everyone brings a dish. The one camper who made her homemade egg rolls! YUM!! So good.

My neighbor Sibyl is an artist, and she gave us all painted Seahawks rocks. Isn’t it adorable? I love it. The turtle is a gift from my friend Pat. The lantern is mine. A dollar store find from many years ago. I love solar lights.

Yard ornaments. I only display them during my winter spot. They get boxed up and stored during the summer travel season.

The next social event of the season

The annual Valentine’s Day ice cream social. No agenda or matchmaking, just a gathering of friends enjoying a bite (or more) of ice cream.

Seasonal friendships

This is what I mean by different types of friendships. We are from all over the US and Canada, and every winter we all gather in the same place for 5 or 6 months. We have cook-outs and attend campground social events. There might be a game of corn hole with a lot of smack talk. But most of all, laughter and community. We have the social circle at 3:00 pm chats. One camper usually hosts the gathering. We all bring a chair and a drink, form a circle, and chat about family, travels, food, exchange ideas, what works, what doesn’t, what’s next, just whatever comes up. Thankfully, one rule in any circle I have sat at – NO Politics. It’s not a place for it.

Always a helping hand

During one of our chats, I was having a conversation about my annual driver window falling on BOTH my motorhome and my van. Seriously, like every year at the same time. It’s weird. Wolf always took care of it. But now on my own, I have to fix it myself or hire someone to do it. My friend Dave overheard this and said, “You need a window fixed?” It was the motorhome driver’s window. It would go down but not up. At the time when this happened in the summer of 2024, Wolf was sick, so he couldn’t tackle it. I left it. I did buy the part, and I have been hauling it around for a year now. One reason I haven’t ventured to national parks is that I couldn’t roll the window down. Some might say, open the door. Those entrance lanes are tight. Sometimes there is no room to do this. And added issue – I have Sasha. My over-involved, FOMO GSD. It could get messy. I avoid that.

Dave said he would fix the window for me. We set a date, and the window is now done. I had the part. Which turns out I didn’t need, I’m keeping it anyway. You know for future use.🙄. I guess it was getting caught on something and was very dry. Dave fixed it, and now, I can travel as planned to a couple of National Parks and actually roll my window down. Woohooo!

Takes me back about 20 years ago when my oldest son and I were at a BMX event. We had an old tent trailer back then. A dust devil (desert tornado) came through at about 60 miles an hour and shifted the top section of the trailer and it came apart from the frame. My sixteen-year-old son was trying to put it back together and neither of us having a clue what to do. Our neighbor came out and saw what happened. The shifting broke the screw and we didn’t have any extras. The man said, “I have an idea.” he came back with a Shish kabob skewer. He secured it so we could roll it back down when we left and get it fixed when we got home. By the way, I always carry a pack of skewers- many uses.

So don’t fret about no one there to help. RV people are different. They help if they can.

You never know who you might meet

During one of my summer trips, I met a couple during one of my dog walks. They commented on my rig. A Lazy Daze class C. I do get a lot of compliments on this old gal.

We started chatting daily during their stay. In our conversations, they asked about where I go during the year. I mentioned my winter spot. Well, they happen to be from this very area. Ha! We exchanged information, and plans were made for a meet-up at some point while I’m here.

In Closing

The road life doesn’t mean you have to give up having friends. It allows you to make new friends while still keeping ties to current friendships. Like the Budweiser Super Bowl ad – Spread your wings and fly.