We were featured in the New York Times!
On May 1st, 2020, an article titled, Sheltering in Place in an R.V. Is Not as Fun as It Sounds, was published on NYtimes.com. The article was printed in the Sunday Edition of the paper on May 3rd!
The author of the article interviewed us and our road buddies Michelle & Justin Russell (@restless_russells) to find out how full time RVer’s were being affected by the Shelter In Place orders and overall shutdown.
You can check out our featured snippet below or check out the full article here.
For other R.V. families, enduring the crisis has remained a communal activity. Lauren and Aaron Grijalva, who traded their home in Atlanta for a 42-foot Coachman “fifth wheel” trailer 18 months ago, were parked at a campsite in Hardee County, Fla., preparing to join a crew of mobile friends in the Florida Keys when the state shut down its southern archipelago in March. They stayed in the park with their two children and two other families, and awaited their friends’ return.
The reunited group, totaling five families, is now set up in an isolated spot along a river, creating a self-contained community away from other campers. Together they number 21 adults and children, including Michelle and Justin Russell, who have two children in a 35-foot motor home.
Ms. Russell said they have made rules about congregating in small groups. Designated people make trips to the grocery store or a local egg farm so that most of the group stays put. “We’re used to having a big campfire and our kids in and out of each other’s rigs, and we love that,” she said. “But it’s just a different time right now. We feel safe and we know that each one of us is respecting the other’s space and we’re all on the same page.”
Ms. Grijalva, 39, and her husband, who blog as The Wanderpreneurs, have an aggregate following of 42,000 on their social media platforms. “We are concerned how it will go over that we didn’t distance ourselves from our neighbors during this time,” she said. “Everyone knows that we ‘river people’ are hanging out together, and it’s even raised some eyebrows in the campground. Some people don’t like it and have said we should be kicked out.”
The manager at their park did not respond to calls seeking comment, but other camping veterans acknowledged that groups are continuing to convene. Mr. Loring, whose club owns eight R.V. parks in seven states, has tried to find a balance between campers’ needs and pandemic protocol.
“The threat of contagion does go down when you have confidence in the people you’re camping with and who have been traveling with you,” he said. “The threats go down when you’re in an isolated community. But they’re not eliminated. We have adopted procedures for safety and health, and are advocating other campgrounds do the same.”
Ms. Grijalva said her group feels safer together. “I’d rather be here with our community figuring this out together than at my parents’ and feeling displaced,” she said.