The end of the journey

[Jammer]

After ten seasons and 194 nights, I'm selling my Airstream. I'm taking it to the RV auction this morning after breakfast. This is my last post as an Airstream owner.

At airforums, as with elsewhere on the internet, active posters disappear after a while leaving those left behind to wonder what happened. (How did things work out for PBearSailor? What ever happened to Andy at Inland RV Center? etc.) I don't like to do that, so you get the rest of the story. And here it is.

Five years in I wrote a retrospective which covered many of the successes and a few frustrations. That part is pretty much unchanged.

So, what happened? Well....

My kids are growing up. The youngest starting her junior year in high school, the rest out on their own. The original use case of finding a reasonable way for a young family of 5 (plus a dog) to travel no longer applies.

We've been to the best RV-friendly destinations that are within a reasonable distance for a 7 to 10 day trip. I'm in the Minneapolis area, so that means: the Black Hills, the north shore of Lake Superior, some of the canoeing and kayaking destinations around Minnesota and Wisconsin, and the Chicago area.

We are finding that our travel interests have evolved and broadened to include destinations and activities that are unworkable for an RV because of distance, lack of campsites, or where some other form of lodging is part of the experience. Florida, New York City, the Caribbean, Europe. We'd like to take some boat trips on the Rideau Canal and elsewhere. As we have jobs and therefore a limited amount of vacation time we have found we travel in the Airstream less as the years go by.

Campsite availability has deteriorated over the last ten years for short, weekend trips. Two private campgrounds nearby have closed completely in that time and one other has been converted to seasonal only. I'm aware of no new campgrounds that have opened (except seasonal-only ones that operate on a condo-like model where you purchase a site). At desirable locations the holiday weekends get booked in January, and the non-holiday summer weekends get booked a few weeks in advance.

At the same time, the advent of AirBnB and vrbo have opened up non-RV travel options that simply didn't exist 10 years ago.

We lost our storage. I had a shed at my old house where I could park the trailer inside, plug into power, and leave the truck hitched up if desired. We moved but hung onto the old place as a rental for a few years, and now it's gone. I'm paying for outside storage now, further away, with no electricity and no room for the truck, which has eroded much of the convenience of RV travel.

Extended family has never embraced the RV style of travel. We're never going to be the kind of family that agrees on a destination and then book a bunch of adjacent sites for everyone's rigs.

We're acutely aware of the cost of a tow vehicle. This is the only real surprise in 10 years of ownership, and it's a biggie, with the maintenance and depreciation on the tow vehicle being more than the maintenance and depreciation on the trailer itself. Two years ago the transfer case failed on our older 3/4 ton Suburban, which had already been costing us more than $300 a month in repairs. We bought a new Ford pickup, which works great but costs us more than $300 a month in depreciation.

And so it's time to move on.



People contemplating the RV lifestyle always wonder how the finances work out in the long run. After major trips I sometimes figure out the cost. We think in terms of dollars per person, per day, including everyting except groceries. We're right around $150 with the Airstream trips, including all the depreciation on the trailer and tow vehicle, and storage, as well as the campsite fees, overpriced firewood, parking stickers, and admission fees for whatever activities we're doing.

This compares favorably to other forms of travel. For trips where we fly, rent a car, and stay in an airbnb we've spent $150-$200 per person per day. Cruise lines e.g. Carnival have worked out to a little more, around $225. Some unusually expensive big-city destinations have been more expensive.

I have no regrets. 194 nights, maybe a few more that I forgot to write in the log. I'm calling it 20 nights a year, which was what I used in the original planning back in 2009 before I bought it.

The photos are from some of the best travels. A stone's throw away from the Whitewater River. On the harbor at Lake Superior. In the shadow of a peak in the Black Hills. Scenic State Park. The tunnels and vistas of Norbeck Scenic Highway.


Fair winds, and peace upon all your wanderings.

[xrvr]

Peace. Enjoy yourself.

[SteveSueMac]

Be well Jammer. Enjoyed your posts and thanks for this one to leave the mystery out of it. Have fun with whatever’s next!

[OTRA15]

Happy Trails!


Peter

[coasttocoast]

Well done, sir.

[lsbrodsky]

Fair winds and following seas!
Larry

[Manning G]

Thanks for all the sharing. Have fun.

[moosetags]

Thank you for your very comprehensive post. Have a great time at whatever you decide to do. Thank you for spending the last ten years with us.

Brian

[cazual6]

Why leave the forum? Be an active member and provide wisdom. Just because you no longer have it, doesn't mean you can't stay.

[SJKunnath]

Good luck to you! I'm just starting my adventures (kinda late) with my wife and kids. I like reading everyone's perspectives and adventure stories.
Be good and maybe we will pass on the road.

[Fly at Night]

Everything slips away eventually.

Cherish the memory.

[369goose]

Originally Posted by Jammer

After ten seasons and 194 nights, I'm selling my Airstream. I'm taking it to the RV auction this morning after breakfast. This is my last post as an Airstream owner.

At airforums, as with elsewhere on the internet, active posters disappear after a while leaving those left behind to wonder what happened. (How did things work out for PBearSailor? What ever happened to Andy at Inland RV Center? etc.) I don't like to do that, so you get the rest of the story. And here it is.

Five years in I wrote a retrospective which covered many of the successes and a few frustrations. That part is pretty much unchanged.

So, what happened? Well....

My kids are growing up. The youngest starting her junior year in high school, the rest out on their own. The original use case of finding a reasonable way for a young family of 5 (plus a dog) to travel no longer applies.

We've been to the best RV-friendly destinations that are within a reasonable distance for a 7 to 10 day trip. I'm in the Minneapolis area, so that means: the Black Hills, the north shore of Lake Superior, some of the canoeing and kayaking destinations around Minnesota and Wisconsin, and the Chicago area.

We are finding that our travel interests have evolved and broadened to include destinations and activities that are unworkable for an RV because of distance, lack of campsites, or where some other form of lodging is part of the experience. Florida, New York City, the Caribbean, Europe. We'd like to take some boat trips on the Rideau Canal and elsewhere. As we have jobs and therefore a limited amount of vacation time we have found we travel in the Airstream less as the years go by.

Campsite availability has deteriorated over the last ten years for short, weekend trips. Two private campgrounds nearby have closed completely in that time and one other has been converted to seasonal only. I'm aware of no new campgrounds that have opened (except seasonal-only ones that operate on a condo-like model where you purchase a site). At desirable locations the holiday weekends get booked in January, and the non-holiday summer weekends get booked a few weeks in advance.

At the same time, the advent of AirBnB and vrbo have opened up non-RV travel options that simply didn't exist 10 years ago.

We lost our storage. I had a shed at my old house where I could park the trailer inside, plug into power, and leave the truck hitched up if desired. We moved but hung onto the old place as a rental for a few years, and now it's gone. I'm paying for outside storage now, further away, with no electricity and no room for the truck, which has eroded much of the convenience of RV travel.

Extended family has never embraced the RV style of travel. We're never going to be the kind of family that agrees on a destination and then book a bunch of adjacent sites for everyone's rigs.

We're acutely aware of the cost of a tow vehicle. This is the only real surprise in 10 years of ownership, and it's a biggie, with the maintenance and depreciation on the tow vehicle being more than the maintenance and depreciation on the trailer itself. Two years ago the transfer case failed on our older 3/4 ton Suburban, which had already been costing us more than $300 a month in repairs. We bought a new Ford pickup, which works great but costs us more than $300 a month in depreciation.

And so it's time to move on.



People contemplating the RV lifestyle always wonder how the finances work out in the long run. After major trips I sometimes figure out the cost. We think in terms of dollars per person, per day, including everyting except groceries. We're right around $150 with the Airstream trips, including all the depreciation on the trailer and tow vehicle, and storage, as well as the campsite fees, overpriced firewood, parking stickers, and admission fees for whatever activities we're doing.

This compares favorably to other forms of travel. For trips where we fly, rent a car, and stay in an airbnb we've spent $150-$200 per person per day. Cruise lines e.g. Carnival have worked out to a little more, around $225. Some unusually expensive big-city destinations have been more expensive.

I have no regrets. 194 nights, maybe a few more that I forgot to write in the log. I'm calling it 20 nights a year, which was what I used in the original planning back in 2009 before I bought it.

The photos are from some of the best travels. A stone's throw away from the Whitewater River. On the harbor at Lake Superior. In the shadow of a peak in the Black Hills. Scenic State Park. The tunnels and vistas of Norbeck Scenic Highway.


Fair winds, and peace upon all your wanderings.

No worries, no regrets!

[jcanavera]

I remember back in 2001 my wife and I went up to pick up our new 27' Safari from our local dealership. I was 18 years younger 53, and excited on finally getting for us, our ultimate dream trailer. While waiting in the dealership we watch an elderly couple walk in the front door. I would guess that they probably were in their mid to late 70's. I was told that they were coming in to deliver their Airstream which they sold to the dealer. They no longer were up to physically travel anymore and decided their best course was to sell their beloved Airstream back to who they bought it from. A lot of sadness in their eyes and maybe I think I saw some tears. Gave me a lump in the throat at the time. Personally I really couldn't imagine at the time us being in that position in the future.

Well 19 years has gone by. The Safari was traded in for my Classic three years later and things have changed in my life. I'm now retired and was widowed just over a year ago. It's not "us" in our Airstream anymore, it's just me. There are still lots of places to go and the last year has gotten me back on the road again, both with the trailer and without it. I'll do 6 Airstream trips in the course of a year. Some to new places and some back to places that "we" used to go to. Your story sort of brought back a lot of happy thoughts regarding these last 19 years, and the reality of that old couple had to face that we saw so long ago.

The day eventually will come for me when I'll make that same decision that old couple was forced to do. In the meantime I'll cherish those memories from the past while I continue my journey.

My best to you Jammer as you make your new memories.

Jack

[ROBERT CROSS]

"You don't know where you've been until you leave"...safe travels & be happy. 👍

Bob
🇺🇸

[Nelson428]

Keep in touch and thanks for all your contributions I enjoyed your post.

“I truly believe that everything that we do and everyone that we meet is put in our path for a purpose. There are no accidents; we're all teachers - if we're willing to pay attention to the lessons we learn, trust our positive instincts and not be afraid to take risks or wait for some miracle to come knocking at our door.”

[TurkeyRun]

The kids growing up is probably the hardest thing (well, and best too.) Their interests begin to diverge, they don't like sharing the big front dinette/bed anymore, the excitement of new campgrounds wears off after we visit again and again... (From Miami, you have to go a LONG way to get out of Florida. And the Reserve America website is completely hacked for Florida campgrounds even if you try to book 11.4999999 months in advance. Shouldn't Florida State Parks save A FEW sites for late booking by Florida residents who pay for the parks? But I digress...}
So it comes down to a question of whether you can hold onto the AS long enough to get at least one kid off to college or wherever, and start enjoying longer sojourns with your honey. The Overlander is pretty sweet for 2-3 people. Jury still out here. Maybe sell and buy another in 5 years. We will wait and see this season and revisit next year.

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by jcanavera

I remember back in 2001 my wife and I went up to pick up our new 27' Safari from our local dealership. I was 18 years younger 53, and excited on finally getting for us, our ultimate dream trailer. While waiting in the dealership we watch an elderly couple walk in the front door. I would guess that they probably were in their mid to late 70's. I was told that they were coming in to deliver their Airstream which they sold to the dealer. They no longer were up to physically travel anymore and decided their best course was to sell their beloved Airstream back to who they bought it from. A lot of sadness in their eyes and maybe I think I saw some tears. Gave me a lump in the throat at the time. Personally I really couldn't imagine at the time us being in that position in the future.

Well 19 years has gone by. The Safari was traded in for my Classic three years later and things have changed in my life. I'm now retired and was widowed just over a year ago. It's not "us" in our Airstream anymore, it's just me. There are still lots of places to go and the last year has gotten me back on the road again, both with the trailer and without it. I'll do 6 Airstream trips in the course of a year. Some to new places and some back to places that "we" used to go to. Your story sort of brought back a lot of happy thoughts regarding these last 19 years, and the reality of that old couple had to face that we saw so long ago.

The day eventually will come for me when I'll make that same decision that old couple was forced to do. In the meantime I'll cherish those memories from the past while I continue my journey.

My best to you Jammer as you make your new memories.

Jack

Touching story. We just started last year (ages 62 & 64) so we could "do it while we could". But I don't think I could travel alone.

[Bauerg]

As they say, it is the journey, not the destination that matters. You, my friend, have just synthesized and bottled the essence of travel, aging and life's transitions. You and I have won the lottery of life. I just hit 70 and my wife and I are about to set out on our first Airstream adventure. We will be traversing the south from California to Florida from October 1st till April 1st. This may be great, it may end up being our first and last journey in the silver bullet. In any event, it is good to keep testing oneself in my opinion to do new and better things as we grow old together. I hope to blog as we conduct ourselves on this journey and we will see how it goes. Good luck to you and your family. You sound like someone I would like to know better.

[DC Bruce]

Congratulations on your tenure here. Your experience is, I think, not uncommon. As we age, our needs, wants and limitations evolve. At various times, my wife and I have owned a 30-foot sailboat, a 36-foot sailboat, a vacation home in the mountains and, now, an Airstream, which we bought in anticipation of my retirement at age 66. We have taken 2 cross-country trips in the past 4 years, full-timed for 8 months in the West and have taken numerous shorter trips to New England, the Smokies and the Blue Ridge. We’ll probably take another cross-country trip next spring. When you’ve exhausted the options within a drive of a day or two and you’re working full time, an Airstream may not make much sense. In our case, the Airstream provided a radical life change after working for over 40 years and raising 3 children. Future adventures await you, maybe in an Airstream, once you are beyond a 5-day a week job! Good luck!

[GOUSC]

I wish you all the best in your new choices. Adventure is where you find it and it doesn't always have to be in an Airstream. I would consider not leaving Airforums as it seems like you have met some nice acquaintances here that would love to hear about your new adventures.