Choosing the Globetrotter

[jameskuzman]

We are not yet Airstream owners, and as I shared in another thread in the Flying Cloud forum awhile back, we're still in the early stages of this journey.

Since that first post, we've at least managed to actually visit a dealership and walk through the limited models they had available, but there is still much more in-person discernment ahead of us.

In the meantime, as I look at the different floorpans and model families virtually, I've at least realized that I'm not a big fan of the International decor. I do like the Flying Cloud though, and was pretty much sold... until I saw a Globetrotter.

Because budget is a consideration, and the Globetrotter version of any given floorpan that's also offered as a Flying Cloud seems to be roughly 15% - 20% more expensive, I actually find myself wondering if, for similar money, I would appreciate the extra room (and still lovely decor) offered by an equivalent Flying Cloud more, or whether I might enjoy the Globetrotter decor and features enough to consider a smaller floorpan.

Part of me thinks that no matter how pretty the interior is, if a smaller trailer is too small or has too many compromises, I'll regret that choice and the appeal of the Globetrotter will be short-lived. On the other hand, looking at the GT's finishes and colors might make me forget all about an extra couple of feet or a bit more storage.

So my question then is, how did you decide the Globetrotter was right for you? And if you had to make compromises in order to make it work financially, do you have any regrets?

Jim

[Joe15601]

My wife and I had a difficult time deciding on the model that best suited us. I made a spreadsheet with every category that was a consideration. They included items such as Towability, price, features, style, storage, Galley, Bath, etc.. We had 10 categories and some were more important than others, so the more important categories were on a scale of 10 and the less important ones to 5. Then we narrowed down to 6 models we liked. My wife and I each completed the spreadsheet on our own, ranking each model in every category trying not to think about the other models. We then added both of our scores together for each model and bought the one with the highest score. For us it was the Globetrotter 27 FBQ.

You need to decide if it is important enough to buy local or from a distant dealer. There are advantages to each. If you are from Ohio the factory is nearby for warranty work. I work next to a former Airstream dealer and for stuff I don't want to do myself, but not worth towing for authorized warranty work, I pay out of pocket for them to do. They have decades of experience and can handle anything. If it was a large warranty repair I would take it to Jackson Center.

It's best just to get the one you want now. Avoid the two-foot itis and trailer envy.

[GettinAway]

I posted on your other thread. We love the interior layout and looks of our GT. We had a FC before and loved it also. We find the 25FBTwin large enough for two of us. Easily. But we had adjusted to a 23FC FB. The twin makes a huge difference, and not having the bath in the rear of the trailer also seems to add a lot of interior space.
Thinking this over, if my choices were a 23GT or a 25FC, I’d go with the FC. The space is more important. Also, it depends on the type of camping you do. If your longest trip is a week, and it’s to a nice temperate climate you’ll be outside anyway. The 23 is great. We had ours for 8 yrs. Only with retirement and four week trips did the interior space seem so important.
Good luck on your decision. Also, I posted on the other thread. Don’t be afraid to buy used. If you do decide to change later, it won’t be as costly.

[aftermath]

Love the Globetrotters. They are beautiful. We looked at one last year and there was one thing that surprised me a bit. When I opened the hall closet is was full of seat cushions. They told me that if you wanted to take advantage of the extra sleeping available around the table, you would have to use these! We don't usually have guests with us but we do have a few grandkids and they have stayed with us on occasion.



If you do this kind of thing often, you might want to ask. Perhaps they have changed this for the 2020 models.

[GettinAway]

I just noticed a used 2020 Globetrotter 25FB in the classifieds.

[Jimingram55]

We spent 100 days in our 2016 25' FC RT. Twins make possible another 3 cubbies that queens don't provide AND the bathroom is one of the largest with an outside window.

We did tire of having to reach over to make each twin and if you are sleeping in cold Temps, you will wake up if you touch the trailer skin. We used blankets and pillows to insulate us from that experience.

We saw our 1st 27' GT queen at a rally in Marion NC about a year ago and purchased a used 2018 in October. We miss the 3 cubbies and the larger bathroom and window but for us, the extra 2 ft and the interior finishes were worth it.

Hope this helps.