Читать книгу RVs & Campers For Dummies - Christopher Hodapp - Страница 14

There’s no denying that a substantial number of RVers on the road are seniors 55 and up. They make up about half of all RV owners in the United States. Like migrating birds, seniors have been fleeing from wintertime weather since the dawn of time, or at least since the founding of Miami Beach and the invention of the umbrella drink. These snowbirds, as they’re commonly called, flee their chilly, snowy, northern states to Florida, Alabama, Texas, and the other Gulf states east of the Rockies, or Arizona, New Mexico, and Nevada in the West. In fact, a big swath of Canadian snowbirds cross the border every year in their RVs to head for the very same places. That’s why you hear a lot of ehs in Tucson every January.

The explosive sales of RVs has helped make warm-weather chasing a truly mass, mobile movement. But unlike the snowbirds of old who bought timeshares or vacation homes, RVs give them the ability to go wherever they like. Retirees like waking up to a new view out the front door every day, too, and RVs represent freedom of mobility and travel that airplanes and timeshare contracts can’t offer. And retirement generally means there’s more discretionary time and money than an average family has.

Throughout the warm-weather states, there has been a growing clamor for elaborate and huge luxury RV resorts. They often have hundreds of RV parking spaces to accommodate the largest motorhomes, fifth wheels, and other rigs, with full hookups. The best ones have pools, shops, restaurants, social rooms, laundry facilities, and much more. Prices are high, but most offer monthly rates for extended stays. And if you get sick of being in your RV after a while, many also offer small one-bedroom cabins or villas for rent or purchase.