Are you cheating--yourself?

RVing can be a springboard to limitless adventure-exploring new territory, enjoying new activities, meeting new people. Or it can be as passive an activity as viewing a movie on television.

Some people use their vehicles merely as an observation platform for watching the world roll by. Settle for this and you could be robbing yourself of many of the greatest pleasures that come with owning a trailer or a motorhome.

To make my point, let's take a trivial example: Vanilla ice cream made with real vanilla is nothing like vanilla ice cream made with the artificial stuff. Both are ice cream. Both are called "vanilla." But a vast difference exists between the two.

Using an RV to enhance and deepen your travel experiences is like using real vanilla. But when RVing becomes an end in itself, a comfortable shield from the outside, you get a fake flavor-a sense of the synthetic. That big, beautiful, throbbing world out there loses a lot when it's viewed only through a window.

Buying a trailer or a motorhome represents a good-size investment. The important question here: Are you getting the most from that investment? To help you decide, try answering this brief quiz.

How many times in recent memory have you:

1. Left the freeway to wander leisurely along some bucolic backroad?

2. Explored an area where you've never been before?

3. Used your RV as a take-off point for hiking, swimming, skiing? (Or any of the other dozens of activities for which RVs provide the perfect shelter?)

4. Tried wilderness or boondock camping-no hookups?

5. Risked getting lost with a spur-of-themoment decision to visit a special attraction?

6. Dined outside of your vehicle (despite flying insects)?

7. Cooked a trout (bass, steelhead, pike) caught only an hour earlier?

8. Carried your morning coffee to some high spot to see the sunrise?

9. Toasted your toes beside a crackling campfire?

10. Skipped television to count the stars?

If you answered "yes" to seven out of the 10 questions, you're probably making excellent use of your RV If you answered no to most of the questions, it could mean you're missing out on a lot of fun.

Each family is different, and there are countless reasons why we RVers do what we do-or don't do what we might do. Let's examine some of the most common causes that limit us from getting the full enjoyment that's possible from our rigs.

LONG-TIME HABIT

We know a couple with two children who have gone to the same campground for 15 years. Why? "I guess it's because we know what to expect,"John says. "No unpleasant surprises."

No pleasant surprises, either! They can predict exactly what they'll get: a quiet, level site; washing facilities; clean bathrooms. All commendable assets. Yet what could be missing are the countless possibilities for new delights-for variety, for adventure.

By contrast, we have a friend, dependent upon a cane to get about, who leaves herself open to all surpriseswhatever these may be. Each summer, she and her husband visit some new, often remote, but intriguing, place. Over the years they've covered much of the country. A few of their trips have been uncomfortable, even difficult for her. Still, their successful holidays far outnumber the rest. "You have to take a chance" she says. "That's what makes life interesting."

INERTIA

Modern RVs are seductive in the degree of comfort they offer Often, it simply takes less effort to remain inside a trailer or motorhome. On a warm day, it's tempting to sit back and turn on the air conditioner. When the weather's cold, flip the heater on. Insulated from physical involvement with the scene outside, we merely watch. Yet, what we miss!

Some years ago, when we were living on one of the Pacific islands, I remember walking through a hotel lobby early one evening and finding all the guests bent over card tables, oblivious to one of the most striking sunsets you can imagine. The grand drama in the sky-fiery reds fading to deep magenta-was lost to them. So, too, were the sounds of tree frogs and the soft stirrings of a tropical breeze. Opting for the comfort of an air-conditioned lobby, they let slip by some truly magical moments, never to be retrieved.

FEAR

Fear of the unknown is common to many people. I'll admit I used to be one of them. But, fortunately for me, my mate is an adventurous soul. Dragged off kicking and screaming many times on what I considered a "dangerous" trip, I've learned over the years that 90 percent of my fearful predictions never happen.

Yes, we've had a flat or two way out in the boonies. And once, after a violent rainstorm in Canada's Northwest Territories (where the silty soil, when wet, makes traction impossible), we slid into a ditch and couldn't be rescued for many hours. Canadian Mounties tried to be helpful; but they, too, were having trouble staying on the road. Finally, an Inuit from a nearby village brought a tractor to pull us out. Net loss: A few hours delay Net gain: A rare opportunity to visit a village and meet some of the fascinating Inuit people.

Security is a great concern for some RVers. But for 20 years we've camped in countless remote and lonely places-in the United States, Canada and Mexicowithout a single incident, and we don't carry a gun. Only twice have we felt it would be wise to move on: Once in Alaska when our campsite was invaded by prowling grizzlies, and again in a small Southern town when we discovered that our parking spot for the night was a favorite rendezvous of the local teen-age crowd, boomboxes and all.

WEIGHING THE RISK

Whenever I've been worried about a proposed trip, my intrepid mate has always said, "Let's consider what's the worst that can happen."

It works well to bring your fears up front and to look them over. Genuine concerns deserve respect. But with close inspection (when you weigh the possibilities of whatever you fear actually happening), misgivings usually fade away.

Statistically, as we all know, home is the most dangerous place to be. Two years ago, when we were traveling in Mexico's Yucatan, I climbed each pyramid we visited-hundreds of steps up, a dizzying descent down. We had only been home a few hours when-with my arms full of stuff that I'd unpacked from our RV-I fell down a flight of stairs and broke my leg.

Remember, you can take the risk factor and turn it around. Ask yourself: What's the risk of seeing something new and exciting? What's the risk of having a perfectly wonderful trip?

Obviously, there are many times when a predictably well-run, well-organized commercial campground is exactly what you need and want. Today's high-end campgrounds offer a myriad of enjoyable activities for the whole family.

But if you never venture out, never take a chance, you're denying yourself one of the biggest advantages of your hotel on wheels. A hotel that offers shelter wherever you want it-beside a mountain brook or beneath a desert palm.

Copyright T L Enterprises, Inc. May 1998
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved