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You Are Here: From Cape Cod To Boondocking Basics - RV LIFE 161

• RV LIFE • Episode 161

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From Cape Cod beaches and bike trails to practical boondocking wisdom, an independent film tour by RV, and camping trends shaped by younger travelers, this episode celebrates freedom, flexibility, and the people who make RV life meaningful.

  • Discover why Cape Cod is more than summer crowds, with beaches, bike trails, whale watching, seafood, and shoulder season camping. 
  •  Learn practical RV advice from Gone With John on safety, budgeting, boondocking, and starting before everything feels perfect. 
  •  Hear how Jack and Claire Kennedy are taking their independent film You Are Here on tour with their family in an RV. 
  •  Understand how younger campers, glamping, events, and device-free connection are shaping the future of campgrounds. 

Discover RV travel on the Cape with Liz Di Giralamo from the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce – from seafood and beaches to bike trails, whale watching, and shoulder season stays.

John Kaufman from Gone With John provides practical advice from more than 40 years of RV travel, including safety routines, budgeting, boondocking, and why new RVers should not wait for perfection.

Jack and Claire Kennedy discuss their independent film You Are Here and how they're taking it on a 25-city RV tour with kids, dogs, and a whole lot of creative hustle.

Plus,  campground consultant Sandy Ellison shares trends in younger campers, glamping, themed weekends, and the growing desire to disconnect from devices and reconnect in person.

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Teasers On Tide And Presence

SPEAKER_02

The kid is that the tide goes way, way, way, way, way, way out, and it gives us so much beat.

SPEAKER_00

So we are absolutely saying a lot of that where people want to lay down their devices.

SPEAKER_05

This life's not about being perfect, you know, it it's about being flexible.

SPEAKER_12

Stepping into who you are is realizing that wherever you go, there you are.

SPEAKER_04

RV life, RV life, RV life, RV life, RV life, RV life i app.

JIM

You know what I love most about RV life? And not just the app, but this lifestyle.

RENE

Oh boy, I don't know if we have time for all that.

JIM

The people. We've met so many different RVers who remind us of why the RV life is so special.

RENE

That's really true. And this episode is packed with those people. Travelers, storytellers, entrepreneurs, campground experts, and RVers who've spent decades learning what really matters on the road.

Why RV People Matter Most

RENE

Welcome back to the RV Life podcast.

JIM

I'm Jim at RV Life.

RENE

And I'm Renee. Today we're talking about everything from Cape Cod beaches and bike trails to independent filmmaking from an RV, plus practical advice from a lifelong boondocker and a look at new camping trends shaping the future of RV travel.

JIM

First, we'll head to the Northeast, where John kicks things off in Cape Cod with Liz DiGirolamo from the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce. And if you think Cape Cod is just lobster rolls and summer crowds, this conversation may surprise you.

RENE

Then Jim and I talk with John Kaufman from Gone with John. He's been RVing for more than 40 years and shares some incredibly practical advice for RVers, especially people getting started later in life.

JIM

Rose and Glenn then sit down with RV entrepreneurs Jack and Claire Kennedy, the creators of the independent film You Are Here. They're taking their movie on tour while traveling across the country in an RV with their kids and dogs.

RENE

And Bob wraps things up with RV industry consultant Sandy Ellington, talking about where camping trends are headed, including younger campers glamping, and why people are craving real connection again.

Cape Cod Beyond Summer Crowds

JIM

So let's head to New England and one of America's most iconic RV destinations, Cape Cod. Cape Cod is one of those places most people think they already know. Right. You got your seafood shacks, crowded beaches, summer traffic.

RENE

But this conversation really shows how much more is going on in Cape Cod. Bike trails, whale watching, off-road beach camping, little villages, hidden restaurants, and shoulder season travel that sounds pretty amazing.

JIM

Liz also talks about something all RVers appreciate: flexibility. There are campgrounds all down the Cape offering very different experiences depending on what type of trip you want.

RENE

Here's John with Liz DiGirolamo from the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce.

SPEAKER_01

Hey everybody, and thank you so much for joining us for the RV Life Podcast. My name is John DePetro, and we talk about interesting destinations that you can take your RV to throughout the United States. And today we are venturing to New England, to old Cape Cod as well as New Cape Cod. And our special guest is, I gotta make sure I get this right, Liz DiGirolamo. Did I get it right, Liz?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, perfect.

SPEAKER_01

Okay, perfect. And she's the director of tourism marketing and outreach at the Cape Cod Chamber. And Liz, there's so much going on at the Cape. People think the Cape is Memorial Day to Labor Day, but it's really a year-round destination. And there's so much for R Vers to do here from the big park right at the Bourne Rotary at the canal to parks all the way up in into Provincetown. Talk about why RVers should consider the Cape Cod for their next vacation.

SPEAKER_02

Well, um, thanks for the opportunity to talk a little bit about this. Um so I, you know, i I've done a lot of thinking about it since you reached out. Um and the Cape has anywhere from 25 to 30 um loc locations. Um they're all a little different, but it's roughly 25 to 30 campgrounds total that spread, as you said, from Bourne all the way to P Town. And I wouldn't say the Cape is exactly undiscovered for RVers. I don't know if that's even the right way to to to put to put the demographic, but it is surprisingly underutilized, I think, compared to what it could be. And as as you kind of touched upon, I think the gap comes down to a mix of like perception and logistics and you know how we have how the region of the Cape for the last 100 years has historically positioned itself as a as a tourist destination. Um so it might feel uh a little bit untapped. I think that's kind of what what you were saying. Am I hitting that on the head?

Fresh Seafood And Hidden Food Gems

SPEAKER_01

Exactly. So, you know, effectively when people think of Cape Cod, one of the first words that comes to mind is food. And there's food that you're gonna get at the Cape that really or they say you're gonna get it at other parts of the country, but you can be at a restaurant on Cape Cod and the fish or lobster that you're gonna be consuming got off the boat an hour ago.

SPEAKER_02

Easily. I think, you know, obviously we are known for our seafood, correct? So, you know, I think that you're not going to find anything that's more fresh. You know, a lot of our local restaurants um even have their own l oyster grants. So they're harvesting their own oysters fresh every week to bring into the offering. There's a di there's definitely a diversity that has spread across the culinary world on the cape and that's steering clear of what you would imagine is your standard, you know, cream and cone-ish, you know, fried seafood, soft serve, ice cream, french fries, clam strips, steamers, what have you. Um, so there really is something for everyone. The Cape is vast. So, you know, what's interesting and sets us apart, I think, than a lot of other destinations. It's obviously, as you, as you are familiar with, you know, Falmouth to Provincetown takes an hour and a half plus to drive, right? It's actually faster sometimes for you to get from Boston to Peattown on a ferry than it's across cake. So I think that, you know, because of the year-round culture and because of, you know, the cultural diversity as well, we've got everything from traditional Jamaican restaurants to Caribbean restaurants to Italian to various culinary trends. Um, and you can find something in every individual town. So, you know, if you've got your own little favorite corner of the Cape, you know, we could we could talk a little bit about what what there is to offer. And it and it isn't all expensive.

SPEAKER_10

No.

SPEAKER_02

And you know, I think it's a common misconception that, you know, when people are coming to a destination for vacation that the food um is going to be pricey. I think that is true, you know, to for for many of the restaurants, and obviously market value and market price on on seafood um varies. But there are some really great hidden gems um as well.

SPEAKER_01

Little the little local hole in the walls. I mean, even even on Main Street Hyanas, for sure. Some hole in the walls that might not be right on the street, but might be down a little alley, and you can find food there that um probably won't find in uh in other parts of the country because we've got so many different ethnic groups that have come to the Cape that live in the area for the past hundred years or so that really give you a diversity.

Beaches Flats And Off-Road Camping

SPEAKER_01

So food is one thing. Another thing that people talk about with Cape Cod, and I want you to discuss this a little bit further, is the beaches. And there's again, the little town beach that is secluded to Mayflower Beach or to Craigville Beach, which are open to the public and um, you know, are huge beaches.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, I mean, obviously we are surrounded by an extraordinarily high mileage of coastline, right, on both sides. So there is, you know, there's five hundred and fifty-nine hundred miles of coastline. I believe that don't you know, don't hold me exactly, but it's over five hundred and fifty miles. Um and, you know, we're known for some of the finest beaches in the world, particularly uh along the national seashore, right? Which is like a 40 mile stretch of like untouched beach on the outer cape. Um and that coastline is obviously constantly evolving and changing. Every storm it changes. Right. Um, but there is something that kind of pinsuits everybody's like vibe, right? Or everybody's taste. So you had mentioned Mayflower Beach, right? So you've got the bayside where um we call those the flats. So that's where the tide goes way, way, way, way, way, way out, depending on the time of day, and it leaves warm little tidal pools and they're great for families, and it gives us so much beach. Um, you know, so that might be what somebody's ideal beach day is. And then you've got um, you know, places where you can take part in sports because of how the how the wind shifts around the coastline. So you've got like you know, Harding's Beach and Calamus Beach in Hyenis, um, where windsurfing. Windsurfing, right? You know what I'm talking about. And then this is something that is gonna fall in line with with our discussion is you know, you've got your off-roading trails. So you've got your sandy neck at Atlantic Ocean Fates and Beaches like Nosset, um New Orleans, and this is where, you know, people enjoy bringing their RV vehicles out to camp and overnight. And then you know, I think our wildlife as well. Everybody kind of knows, you know, they've heard the stories and and for a while shark tourism was a thing. But, you know, there is some really healthy marine life. You know, you can go to Chatham Fishpier and and see the seals. And if you are at Nossett Beach, chances are you will see a seal head bobbing, you know, you know, a few yards from the shore. So there there is some adventure to be had as well.

SPEAKER_01

Yep. Yeah. And

Whale Watching And Marine Wildlife

SPEAKER_01

you know, I forgot this, I've put it down, but there are very few parts in the country that you can go whale watching, but this is a premier place going out of Barnesville Harbor or Provincetown and seeing these, you know what? You can't imagine how big they are until they till they're right next to you in the boat, right?

SPEAKER_02

Well it's pretty wild. Yeah, I think you're talking about Stellwagon, right? So is is one of the world's um largest whale feeding grounds, which is located off of Cape Gone Bay. So yeah, it's it's pretty extraordinary. If you get out there, and it is, you'd be gonna be ready for a long haul, right? It's about a four hour from, you know, if you go out of Barstacle Harbor, it's you're you're getting way out there. Um, so you have to be ready to spend some time. Um when you do get out there, there for example, Hyanis Wellwater has a naturalist on board where they're able to give you information above and beyond what you're witnessing. And you're right, when you are out there and you are seeing these enormous, beautiful whales breaching, and um you can hear them and you can actually feel it, you know, depending on the day, you uh are oftentimes accompanied by somebody who knows the name of the whale, how old that whale is, how long it's been in the area, what its habits are, its likes and dislikes. It's really, it's really an interesting experience, and everyone should definitely do it at least once.

Bike Trails Through Small Towns

SPEAKER_01

And our last thing that we have time for today is for those RVers, you I think I see 50% of the RVs on the highway today are carrying bicycles. And there's probably no better place to be off the road and enjoy a bike path than Cape Cod.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. I mean, I think there's over 300 miles of um terrain, you know, for cyclists.

SPEAKER_01

Yep.

SPEAKER_02

Um and the best way to do that, you know, is is to I would say rail trail. The rail trail. So we've got bike paths here. So there's the Cape Cod Rail Trail Trail, which is 25 as a tongue tire to 25 mile off-road paved path. Um, and then you've got the old colony rail trail, and that's approximately eight miles running from Harwich to Chatham. And then of course the canal bike path. So that's about 14 miles paved. Um and that gives you off-road and access to paved on the Sagamore. And then of course the Shining Sea bikeway, which tends to be a l a favorite of a lot of locals. It's about 10 miles of paved road trails.

SPEAKER_01

Right down Yeah. And the interesting part that I find about the bike trails is that each of them takes you through some amazing little villages. It's not just out in the woods, but some of them go through little s little towns that you can stop and, you know, get a pastry or or or seafood roll or some lobster roll or something like that.

SPEAKER_02

You can stop along the way, that's right.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Liz, how about a um place online that our uh folks can go to get more information about the great opportunities at Cape Cod, either with their RV or without their RV.

SPEAKER_02

Yes, of course. So you can visit our website, which is Capecodchamber.org. I mean, another thing I would encourage your listeners to do is follow um Visit Cape Cod on social media. So we do have Facebook, Instagram, um, TikTok, and YouTube. So it's at Visit Cape Cod. And there's often opportunities for, you know, folks to participate in giveaways. We just launched a spring getaway giveaway. So anybody who'd like to um enter for that, um, you can find that on our social media platforms, link in bio. Um, but that's a really nice way. I think that Instagram, you know, and Facebook allow us to paint a picture through images as well. And that can be really, you know, images resonate, right? And I think that's a nice way to see what life is like year-round here. We spend a lot of time talking about what we call our shoulder seasons. And I do think that that would be a really great time. May, June, um, September. It's a it's kind of perfect. Through crowds, you know, rates can be a little bit better. You can still get everywhere and see everything that makes Cape Cod special. Like you said, the bike trails or your coastal drives or get your fresh seafood and things are still open and the campgrounds um that are actually close to the water, you know, um, space, you know, which is probably rare in our busier season.

SPEAKER_01

So So for food, beaches, biking, entertainment, and a good time, it's all about Cape Cod. And Liz, we want to thank you so much for taking time from your busy day to be with us here on the RV Life Podcast.

SPEAKER_02

Of course, it was fun. And I um I'm happy to be here. Thanks for the chance to talk, let us talk about the Cape and why we love it and why you should come.

SPEAKER_01

We want to send our listeners to come see us. Thanks so much. Have a great day.

SPEAKER_02

Thank you.

JIM

You know, I didn't realize there are so many different ways to enjoy RVing, camping on Cape Cod. Me neither.

RENE

And honestly, the biking alone sold me. Any destination where you can bike into little towns and stop for seafood sounds pretty near perfect.

JIM

I liked her point about that shoulder season travel. September on the Cape sounds a lot less stressful than RVing with peak summer crowds.

RENE

Oh yeah. Now,

Meet A Lifelong Boondocker

RENE

our next guest has a very different RVing perspective. John Kaufman is the John from Gone with John. He's been RVing everywhere for more than four decades, and he's learned a lot along the way.

JIM

That includes mistakes, breakdowns, oversized rigs, boondocking, budgeting, and figuring out things as he goes.

RENE

And honestly, some of his advice could really help new RVers relax just a little bit.

JIM

Here's our conversation with John Kaufman from God with John. John, thanks so much for joining us. It's great to meet you. Good to meet you, and thanks so much. Looking forward to it.

RENE

John, I us too. I mean, I remember when I saw your YouTube channel and I thought, we need to talk to him because you have the kind of experience that people can learn a lot from, especially RVers who are of a certain age, let's just say. But we'll get into that in a bit.

JIM

Yeah, you've clearly been RVing for uh uh ever. But maybe you could just give us kind of the short backstory of when you first started RVing and then why you started to start documenting everything on YouTube, which uh I I realize is fairly recently.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah.

JIM

Well, you asked for it.

SPEAKER_05

I got the travel bug back when I was 12 years old in 1964. I'm gonna be 74 this year. My cousin and I did a cross-country camping trip through a summer travel camp, and we rode in the back of an old army truck all across the country, and those experiences stayed with me. It was amazing. And we went everywhere. And then uh when I got older and made some money, started RVing in a van, not really an RV, but in a van back in 1982, and I did it up the best we could in those old Fort Cano lines, nothing like today's. But I did go around the country four, I circled around four times in that old van. In 19 that uh and then uh I in about 1988, 87, 88, I moved to a 40, I bought a 40-foot travel trailer and a Dodge Come in Turbo Diesel Deoley. And uh it was it was amazing, but I learned really quickly that big doesn't it can also mean like limited. It was too hard for boondocking, couldn't go places, couldn't turn around on streets, couldn't get into national parks. It got old very, very fast. So then I tried, I bought a 36-foot for travel uh diesel pusher class A, and I ran it from LA to North Carolina up to Tennessee and back to LA. And honestly, it still felt oversized for me for the way I would like to travel. I mean, the van was a lot more convenient for me. In uh 1990, I downsized, I bought a 29-foot holiday Rambler Class C, kept it for about 20 years, it got to be a beater, and uh in 2010, I bought my uh 30-foot Monaco uh class A, which I still have today, and it's an amazing coach. I love it. Uh so I decided to start documenting my youth uh on YouTube in July 2025 after I had uh got diagnosed with prostate cancer and I had prostate cancer surgery. Um my daughters encouraged me to share what I've learned over the years and to have something so I the grandkids could see it, they could see it if I you know I didn't know if I was gonna be around. Yeah. So I didn't, and the the whole concept was really to help other RVers avoid the same mistakes that I I made and I learned from.

JIM

And you've clearly experienced quite a different, quite a variety of RVing, and over a lot of time, a lot of experience.

RENE

A lot of different types of RVs. You were the original van lifer, John.

SPEAKER_05

I was, but believe it or not, I'm hoping to get sponsored by uh-uh the company that makes vans and go do it again because it's tough to be. Well, maybe we can help with that. It's tough to go where I really want to go now in a motorhome. I'd like to get a four by four, big uh a big van where I can have slide-outs and do what I want to do and get up to the the high mountains and stuff. So you can't do it in this country.

RENE

Yeah, you oh yeah, oh no, no. You're you're a boondocker from what I understand. We were just talking about that.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah.

RENE

Yeah, yeah. That's a sure is a nice way to camp. Well, that's that's just one way of of camping, and and there's all sorts of ways.

Start Messy Stay Flexible

RENE

But um, there's also a lot of myths about RV camping out there. And I would like you to explain in your experience, what is the biggest? I don't want to say lie, but myth that people fall for, that they hear out there on social media and they think, oh, this is the way RV life is going to be. What give them a reality?

SPEAKER_05

I always I always tell people that are, you know, when they're about to get into it or whatever, just start. Don't worry about things. The biggest misconception, especially for seniors, is thinking you have to do everything before you figured it out. You you know, you just figure it out as you go. You know, you learn, you know, by experience and uh and you learn how to set things up, the gear that actually matters, what apps and memberships will save you money, how to handle the little surprises that pop up when you're, you know, you're traveling. And uh, you meet a ton of m like-minded people. You get invited to various campfire conversations, swap tips, laundry at the laundromat. You suddenly have friends all over the country. And you you know what, you'll see places that you you'd never bothered flying to. I mean, though you wake up to scenery that feels unreal, you pick up new skills. I didn't know anything about basic RV maintenance motors or anything. Not that I do a lot of it now. You know, I could I could handle things. And uh then you get used to the the little stuff like cooking in in a tiny kitchen. But you know, again, nothing's about here. This life's not about being perfect, you know, it it's about being flexible. You start small, you stay curious, and you figure stuff out along the way, and you have a good time.

RENE

I love that approach. You know, I think the first year that we were on the road was just nothing but learning. And I think that if you stick it out long enough, you feel comfortable enough to go, yeah, I think this is pretty cool. I think I can do this. Just don't give up too soon and know that nothing's perfect. I I liked how you said in one video there there is no such thing as perfect. No, not at all.

SPEAKER_05

I I see people just this doesn't really pertain to the question, but to what you're saying. I see people buy these new privos and these $400,000 coaches. They take them out the first couple of days they take them out, boom, ding them, crack them up. Oh, they're on the side of the road in the back of the, you know. I don't care what you have, nothing's perfect. You learn as you go and have a good time.

JIM

And John, I bet when you first started full time, you were of the mindset of just go and do it and see how it went. Is that how it went?

SPEAKER_05

That that's uh I wanted to get back to where I was when I was 12, just going all around and seeing all these things. I it was yeah, uh just do it. Don't don't care about all the the little, the small stuff. Just go, go, go. Don't worry about one of my friends and my daughters and everybody. But my you know, I had so much flack when I when I when I did it, uh, but not anymore. It hasn't been that way.

JIM

So tell us Tell us how that went for you. If you could go back and speak to your younger self back then, when we were just getting into your first rig, what might you have said? Don't sweat the smoke. Stuff.

SPEAKER_05

Enjoy the ride. You know, when you first start, everybody thinks it's every little issue is going to be a big deal. And it's it's and they're not cut out for it, but they are cut out. I was cut out for it. Things are going to break, plans change, weather always throws curveballs at you. And you're still going to be fine. You learn how to, you know, I learned very easily how to troubleshoot, improvise, and handle these problems. And most of the time I had no choice anyway. And, you know, every hiccup becomes a skill that you keep forever. And I tell people, you gotta keep it simple. Focus on safety, realistic budget, having a basic backup plan. Don't chase the perfect spot, the perfect setup, the perfect cat. Don't do any of that. You figure things out as you, you know, what actually matters as you go, and you'll enjoy the people, most of the people you meet on the road anyway. RVers are kind, they share tools, advice, and knowledge. And you know, it's very easy to go up to somebody and say, hey, I have got some questions. Maybe you can you can help me with this. And they do all the time. And you know those little everyday moments end up being the memories that I was happy and I still am happiest with. For sure.

RENE

Yeah, and I think uh a lot of times we tend to overthink things and we overthink decisions. What do they they call it analysis paralysis? So we can't let that happen when we want to uh take a leap into this lifestyle. Now, you mentioned uh a key word back there.

The 90 Second Safety Check

RENE

You mentioned safety, and I know that you have a really good video about it, but I got a few. Let's yeah, let's talk about safety. I want to know what your experience has been, Arvine. Um, a lot of people these days, you know, they're putting up security cameras and floodlights and things like that. What has been your experience with safety on the road? And then I also want to know what is the one habit that you've developed when you go to a new location? How do you keep yourself safe?

SPEAKER_05

Great points. Great questions. I haven't had that much trouble. I'm six foot three and I'm pretty, you know, astute, and I've been doing this a long time. And uh I don't put myself in situations that can be risky. And you know, the one habit that I never skip, and I call it my 90 second, as I talk about in a video, my 90 second don't commit yet arrival routine. I do it religiously. I stop uh, you know, short of my the where I'm gonna stay. I can't say in a campground, but let's say if it was even a campground, because not all campgrounds are great either. I want to stay mobile till I know I can get out of that spot, in and out clean. If I'm towing, which I always tow my car behind me, I keep the wheel straight, I stay hitched, my phone always stays on and with me. I check my exit. I want to know if there's low if there's any low branches, tight pulse, soft shoulders, ditches, blind turns, because all that decides on how I'm gonna spend that night. If I'm gonna, you know, if I'm gonna be okay. If I can't pull out of, you know, if I can't pull out clean and fast, I switch to a pull-through at another spot, or I do a different site before I back in and commit to any spot. Only after I I do all that, I will I'll do another routine, which I have a video about called you know locks, lights, locks, and location. And I say it every time in that order when I stop uh when I park or go to a fuel stop or just settle in. The lights, can I be seen or can I see or be seen? I don't use a uh I use a flashlight, not my not my phone when I go outside to see if you know what's around me. Locks. I want to know my rig and my tow vehicle is secure with a key that I could grab fast. And location. I I have to have clear sight lines and two ways out. If any answer to those is no, I'm out of there. I also, one of the things I also want to confirm I have a I have a signal. And if I don't, I have a Garmin inreach, it's always charged, and I stage it right by the door. And uh I also have a uh I do a quick weather check with radar and and satellites and stuff. And that that's that's my go-to routine wherever I go. Because I again, as we mentioned, I'm boondocking. It could be in an urban area, it could be it could be out in the sticks where nobody is. At the same time, I do the same thing wherever

Budgeting Without Gadget Overload

SPEAKER_05

I go.

JIM

Those are all good points there, John. And you mentioned something else earlier about seeing folks taking off in their brand new rigs and dinging them up. So let's talk about the money and the budgeting for a minute. Maybe you've seen those people leaving the lot in their Brinkley, and who knows what they have a kind of mortgage or not they have on it. But what do you see is the most common budgeting mistake that people might be making out there when they get their first RVs or even later in life on the road?

SPEAKER_05

I can't really say what their mistake is, but maybe they can learn from some of them, you know, what I've done. For me, my smartest budgeting decision is that uh I stay needs-based, especially with gear. I I I only buy what I actually use. I skip RV gadgets that look smart in the store on Amazon, uh, and I stop wasting money and space. Space is very valuable to me, and what I carry as far as weight is very valuable. Every item has to earn a spot. If it doesn't, it's gone. Second for me is my food routine, which saves me a ton. And I've been on a plant-based diet for over 20 years. I shop smarter, I go to farmers markets, I do better grocery stores instead of convenience stops, and I cook and prep most every meal. That one habit, you know, protects me and my my budget because travel food is where the money disappears fast, and you can get really unhealthy very quickly eating that crap on the road. As I said, the most common budgeting mistake I do I do see is people buy their way into comfort. As I kind of mentioned before, tons of gear, the expensive RV, upgrades just in case stuff uh, you know, they never before they even know how to they can travel tow anything, they buy the wrong tow hitches. You know, I see people with travel trailers that don't have the uh weight balancers in the back, the sway bars, and they're all over the road.

RENE

I mean, um, you know, that's really the You know, I I I have to agree with so much of what you said. I mean, it you you budget for the things that are necessary, and then everything after that is icing on the cake, but don't buy your way into the creature comforts because I think that's where things can go wrong really fast, especially if you're not prepared for a type of roadside emergency or a new set of tires. I mean, we it's it's not a free lifestyle. People think that it's low cost, but you know, your your money just shifts where you spend it. My biggest cost is gasoline.

SPEAKER_05

And other than that, uh it's not much. I know how to get water pretty much anywhere. I have a composting toilet, so I don't worry about going to dump. I have got over 16 kilowatts of lithium batteries, I've got 2.5 kilowatts of solar on the roof, I've got foldable portable panels as well. I mean, uh, I don't really need to be in parks. I don't have to, you know, spend those my budget's a lot different than the average person.

RENE

Yeah, and that shows a super high level of commitment to this lifestyle. And that's what I especially love because it you're sharing so much good experience that's so useful, whether or not somebody is strictly into boondocking or RV parks or maybe a little of both, but what keeps you committed to the type of R Ving that you like to do? Because we used to boondock a lot more than we do now. And I think we got a little lazy. You're really adventuring out there, John. I'm really in awe of your solar setup and how you travel. What keeps you committed to it?

Freedom Mindset And Renting First

SPEAKER_05

Thank you. Well, what keeps me committed committed is freedom. It's really the freedom. Being able to wake up in a remote place, wake up at the beach or in the mountains, meet new people, and having new experiences, which goes back to when I was 12. I'm just not built to stay in one spot. I do own a house free and clear in a great area. One of my daughters lives there. I I go back once or twice a year. That's about it. The best part of this for me is there's no calendar to follow. There's no deadline that forces me to come back Monday morning. You know, uh, if a campsite, I can't say campground because I try not to ever stay in one, but if a campsite feels peaceful to me, I might stay there an extra week, an extra day. If it doesn't, I move on. Um, I chase the seasons, beaches, mountains in the summer, and um I I aim for sunny, warm weather, and when uh and in the in the winter, even in the summer, I like you're here in California, you know. This is fantastic. The that familiar familiarity calms me way down than hotels could ever do it. I have my bed, my kitchen, my animals. So my motivation has not really changed over time. If anything, it's just gotten better building my travel around what feels good for me.

JIM

You know, you said the magic word there, John, freedom. That's the whole, you know, when people say, Oh, it's the one word, you're doing the reason you're doing what you're doing. And it comes down to freedom for me. And so many people live in the default life. They are seeking that freedom and they want to retire and buy an RV and hit the road. For those people out there that, you know, are planning the trip and and you know, they're gonna retire and hit the road, or they're just, you know, at a certain age and they want to start RVing. What's the first step they should take? Do this the right way so they do enjoy it.

SPEAKER_05

First, I will let I left one thing out also before. When I am camping, sometimes like I am today, um I'm outside of Los Angeles, and I get comments about you can't stealth camp, you can't boondock in a city. Let me tell you, I have boondocked in New York, I have boondocked in Los Angeles. You know, you do it right, and I have videos about it, but they still don't believe a lot of I get comments, oh, you can't do that. I talk about the knock on the door and all that, how you avoid it. It's a realistic lifestyle, and you can do it. So to answer your question, rent a rig for a week or a weekend. Okay, or you know, better for a full week or two weeks. Treat it like it's a full-time lifestyle rehearsal, not a vacation. You're just not testing the RV, you're testing the routine and the lifestyle. You know, you're gonna live normal days in this thing, you're gonna cook every meal in it, you're not going out to the restaurant, make your coffee this, you know, shower, use the bathroom at night, spend time inside, go where it's windy, cold, and raining. You need to experience that. Are the aisles too thin? Do you have problems? Do you want to slide out? You don't. You'll learn about camping spots if they feel good or you know, whatever. And uh so you basically it's a dry run and it's gonna let you know real quick if you like this lifestyle. Don't go out and spend it. It's a great idea, dollars on a motorhome. Don't do that. Don't get a you know, yeah, $30,000 trail. Try it first. There's chances on the first is a great idea.

RENE

Yeah, I love that there are so many options now to rent RVs. I mean, we those weren't around even 10 years ago. You know, you didn't have the private uh person-to-person rentals going on. Right. And they weren't around at all.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, yeah. Well, I try to talk on the channel about my experiences and what I've learned and the some shortcuts out there. I've got four videos coming out today and tomorrow, which I think people are gonna really like as well. So uh a little pack.

JIM

So tell everyone listening, John, what is that channel? Where can they learn more? Gone with John.

RENE

And it's J O H N. Yes.

JIM

Check it out on YouTube, folks.

RENE

Thank you so much, John. It's been a pleasure having you here.

SPEAKER_05

Nice talking to you. Great to see you. Maybe we'll run across each other somewhere. I hope so. I loved that conversation.

JIM

Me too. John has that calm confidence that only comes from rolling with this lifestyle for a really long time.

RENE

And I think a lot of people need to hear what he said about not waiting until everything feels perfect before getting started.

JIM

There's no such thing as perfect. The RV life is basically one long learning experience. If you wait until you think you know everything, you're never gonna leave the driveway.

RENE

I also like his safety routine. The whole lights, locks, and location system is practical and simple.

JIM

And realistic. He's clearly thought through how to stay flexible and prepared without living in fear.

Filmmaking Family Tour On Wheels

RENE

And speaking of flexible, let's shift from RV freedom to storytelling on the road.

JIM

Right. Speaking of stories, Rose and Glenn had a chat with Jack and Claire Kennedy about their independent film, You Are Here, and how RV Travel is playing a lead role in their nationwide film tour. See what I did there. Ugh.

RENE

This RV entrepreneur segment is such a unique mix of filmmaking, entrepreneurship, family travel, and RV life.

JIM

Leading role. Where were we? You are here with Rosen Glenn and the creators, Jack and Claire Kennedy.

SPEAKER_13

Welcome, Jack and Claire. Thank you so much for joining us today.

SPEAKER_04

Thank you for having us.

SPEAKER_13

We love being here. This is gonna be good. Okay, Jack, you're an actor, you're a writer and producer, and Claire, you are a writer and producer. You both just recently produced an independent film called You Are Here, and it's based on a life experience that you, Jack, you had. Yes. Which which you ended up living in a 68 Winnebago, is that correct?

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, a broken down 68 Winnebago out behind the mechanic's shop for nine and a half days while he's trying to fix my car.

SPEAKER_13

Yeah, we can't wait to hear the rest of that story. And your plans to promote this film on the road with your family, your two dogs in an RV. In that RV, right?

SPEAKER_04

Yes, exactly. Well, not not the yes, the one that's in the movie, not the old 60 one, but R. Okay.

SPEAKER_03

Yes, that's right. Yeah. Nice. So can you guys give us some insight into what you are here is about and how an RV really ties into the entire theme?

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, absolutely. Ani, do you want to speak to the you are here? You're more philosophical than I am. Oh my goodness.

SPEAKER_12

Wow, pressure, pressure. Okay. Um, well, actually, I think I see the you are here film slightly differently than he does, which is fine. He's the writer, I'm the director, but he's the star. I don't know who gets more credibility, I'm not sure. But I like to think of it um as a really sort of hopeful story about a couple different things. Um,

You Are Here Themes And Presence

SPEAKER_12

one of which is that it's never too late to become who you want to be, basically, I think is a really big theme of the of the film. And part of stepping into who you are is realizing that wherever you go, there you are. Um so, you know, whether it's, you know, the back of a mechanic shop where you're stranded, or you know, Los Angeles where you started out, or New York where you're trying to get to, um, it's gonna be the same you every which way until you decide to to make the change and be who you're gonna be.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, and it's about being in the present moment, you know, dealing with anything you have in the present moment. And our experience in R Ving is you are always dealing with the present moment. And you, if you are not, you're gonna miss out because there's so many awesome things to see and so many little places you can pull off to and just go visit that you would never know about if you weren't, you know, riding around the RV. And I think that's important. If you're R Ving across the country, you you know, be present and where you are and enjoy the heck out of it.

SPEAKER_03

You're right. Because that that resonates so well with with every one of our RV listeners who either live full-time or just take part-time trips that you are so in the present. And it is, you know, wherever that RV is, is where you are. That's your home. You embrace the culture, you learn the everything that the people have to offer. It's it's yeah, it ties in.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, and if you if you take the chance to dive in with locals and meet the people, it becomes a much more rewarding experience, right?

SPEAKER_03

It just becomes from black and white to full color, absolutely. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_13

And as our beers, especially in the beginning, we tend to rush and go, go, go, and I want to see this and that. And but then you learn after a while that, okay, that'll burn you up real quick. You need to slow down and like you said, enjoy and and be in the present.

SPEAKER_10

So yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_13

Yeah, so let's talk a little bit more about this film. When does this premiere?

SPEAKER_04

Basically, our world premiere is gonna be in Las Vegas on May 26th at the Beverly, uh, at the Beverly there. And you you were taking this on a 25 city screen tour. So um, I I guess officially every city is gonna have its own premiere of you are here throughout the summer.

SPEAKER_13

That is awesome. And so explain a little bit more how this uh you're taking it on the road. You're using in an RV, you're promoting it.

SPEAKER_04

Yes, yes.

RV As Film Distribution Strategy

SPEAKER_04

So, you know, we we you know have this 2019 mini winny. This is Winnebago, and uh we've had it for a few years, and we used it. The the Winnebago is a main character in the film, and that's because when I was stuck there in real life, that's what really made me say, I wanna it inspired me, the great American road trip, just being in an RV. And the mechanic Ray, who I play in the movie, but he was a real guy, and it was his dream. He had bought this RV to get out of the city and go to see the America, but he never left, it was just sitting in the weeds. Um, so the fact that our RV was in this plate of character, it's we just said, hey, let's take this on the road and distribute it because you can the sign hanging behind us. Uh well, your viewers can't see it, but that banner will hang on the back of our RV. So it's great. You can't hang that on a car. Um, but yeah, it just seemed like a no-brainer to jump in, travel around the country, bring this film to wherever we can, and you know, kind of rally people around it, hopefully. Uh, and it doesn't hurt that it's also 200 the 250th birthday of America. So I was gonna mention that, yes. It'll be incredible. Like, I want to show our, we're gonna be in Philadelphia, you know. I want to show our kids you know the Liberty Bell and teach them some of that uh the culture about America that they have no idea about.

SPEAKER_03

There's a lot to learn and there's a lot to discover about that culture. I didn't even see that tie-in. That's pretty cool.

SPEAKER_13

Did you guys film any scenes in the RV, or is it just outside? Like, how did that go? I'm sure there's a lot of logistical things with filming like that too.

SPEAKER_12

Um, yeah, no, we shot both um inside and outside of the Winnebago and also on top of the Winnepago, which was um a challenge. But uh no, it was great. Um, she looked fantastic in every weather. Um, we did have an unfortunate awning incident. The awning did fall in the middle of a take, so that was a little awkward, but um, but it all worked out. It all worked out, no injuries. So no, it's I think that she looks fantastic. I mean, Jack likes to call it Larry, so I'm sorry, I'm mischievous, but I call her her.

SPEAKER_04

So I think the VRB name. Okay.

SPEAKER_12

I think the Winnie, I think she looks pretty good, um, especially for her age.

SPEAKER_03

If it's very inappropriate for me to say it was it filming inside of Larry, was was kind of because we get the lighting correct. It was a little awkward.

SPEAKER_12

Um, actually, it was great. I mean, it was a little tricky with our sound people.

SPEAKER_04

You're sort of like, you know, sort of tight space.

SPEAKER_12

A little tight space. But uh, but it worked out well.

SPEAKER_04

And also, it did double duty as like a holding area for for actors and anyone who needed to do, you know, just work because it was on set every day with us, whether we're using or not. So it uh yeah, double duty was fantastic.

SPEAKER_03

That's true. Can we can we back up to how you're gonna promote and travel the entire country? How do you get the word out so that people find you?

SPEAKER_04

Well, first of all, I'm open to ideas. It's it's it's things like this. Every little just touch helps. Um and it's a lot of social media marketing, and and frankly, the backbone of this, what makes it possible, is I I am very blessed to have lived all around the country, north, south, midwest, you know, the west coast. And I and I uh graduated from West Point. So a lot of my friends are really good friends, and they live all around the country. Um, and so in every place we're going, I have one of these or a few of these people I can call and say, hey, help me gather people, you know, go promote for me. And without, you know, without me being blessed with these really great friends, this would probably not work, but uh that's what we're relying on. Okay. Kind of, you know, our networks.

SPEAKER_03

Impressive background, by the way. West Point. Congratulations. It's very important. Appreciate it.

SPEAKER_13

I want to know how long this film took to produce. I

Fifteen Years To Make The Movie

SPEAKER_13

mean, as an independent filmmaker, was this your first film? And then, like, how long did this take?

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, it's my my first film. I uh I had the final version of the script. I mean, we changed it for a set, but uh like I finished it in 2012 and I was gonna film in Shamrock, Texas on Route 66. I was I had a bunch of stuff planned. I did an Indiegogo campaign, raised some money. I got you know a few people attached, and it all fell through. And I attached Judd Nelson to this script uh in 2015. So he was hanging on for 10 years while I kept trying to maybe get money. And then COVID happened. We were almost, I think I was getting ready for COVID. We did a great stage reading and it went off well. Some producers came to me, said, Hey, let's make this, then the business shut down. So basically, it's been a good almost 15-year journey just to get this shot.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, that's amazing. Yeah, what's involved for you know handling all the production yourself? Okay, I know that's a really big question.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

You have to do everything. And you what you realize is movies, you know, there you know when, especially on a Marvel movie and you get the end, you roll the credits, and it's about five minutes of credits because that's how many people worked on it. You know, we're gonna have about 20 seconds of credits. And so we we you don't have the people, so you have to learn everything. And if you don't know how to do it, you gotta figure it out. That's the toughest part.

SPEAKER_12

But I will say that we were incredibly lucky to have some pretty amazing people come and join us on this adventure. And the people who came and stuck it out with us were really spectacular, and we there's no way we could have done it without them. So whilst it does feel like you're doing an awful lot yourself, you are, it's impossible to make a movie by yourself. It is the most collaborative art form, um, and it's better because of it. And that's all of the energy that they bring um is what makes it what it is.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah. I and I did learn that the most important people in the set are not the actors for sure. Oh, new slash, actor, learn something new, actor, not center of the universe. Oh my god.

SPEAKER_10

I should say we're the center of the universe.

SPEAKER_04

But uh it is I mean you can't do this stuff without the crew. The people you don't you can't I mean I know it's stupid, but yes, you cannot do it. I I admit it, you can't do anything without this crew. All right. Yes. Oh you guys, welcome to the party now.

SPEAKER_12

We're just glad you made it. Glad to catch up.

SPEAKER_10

I'm awake.

SPEAKER_12

I'm awake.

Business Systems Inside A Small Space

SPEAKER_03

Oh, I love this. Are there any business systems that because we always talk about business systems that the the solopreneur, the entrepreneur that they run while they're on the road? I realize we aren't on the road at the time filming this, but are there any systems that you use that are so you know, so powerful that they keep everything in line to run your business?

SPEAKER_04

Here's some here's a moment for some pure pure honesty. It's it's absolute chaos. And the problem is we don't have systems. Give us a second, we'll come up with one though. Go ahead, you talk, I'll think. You know, I don't, and you guys probably know this. When your kids were younger, and the kids, you know, our kids are eight, six, and four, and we used our house as the base camp for this shoot in particular, and our RV is the base camp while we travel and we're living there. And so you're doing your business and you're living in the same spaces, and I, you know, we just we can only deal with the kids, you know, it's just like we got to keep them afloat and let the business try to work itself out and you know, cross our fingers.

SPEAKER_12

Well, I mean, I think I don't know if this helps at all, but I think it's sort of a little bit what I was saying before that um what's nice about the RV when it comes to the business is the sort of um like the latitude that it gives us, because it gives us a certain amount of flexibility that we couldn't otherwise have. You know, it's like I was saying before that we could never the distribution model that we are um sort of pioneering uh this time around is is only possible because of the RV. So because we can bring our entire family and our dogs, and as I was saying before, we're creating a sort of little traveling exhibit to like accompany the red carpet for these premiere events. That's only possible because we have the RV. And so I think um, you know, in terms of a business system, it's it's the flexibility, in fact, that we sort of unfortunately, for better or worse, embrace regardless. Um, but in this particular instance, it's just a massive benefit because otherwise it would just would not be possible at all.

SPEAKER_04

That's that's true. So the Winnebago is our business system.

SPEAKER_12

Yes, there you go.

SPEAKER_03

There you go.

SPEAKER_12

Winnebago is strategy.

SPEAKER_03

Common theme that we hear that a lot from other RV entrepreneurs that the flexibility that the RV gives them and for you to promote is is huge. So,

Social Media Promotion And The Tour Route

SPEAKER_03

but as you promote, you guys are sitting on like a total social media goal mine to promote this. Are you tapping into every aspect of social media? We're trying to.

SPEAKER_12

I have to be honest, I have been social media free for the past 10 years. So dipping back in is Jack's like, you have to. I'm like, eh. Um, but so I I am re-engaging. But it is, I think what's what's interesting for me is sort of on the outside, you know, getting reacquainted by social media is all of those different touch points that we do sort of hit, which is, you know, like um movies, but also all the things that tie into that movies, but also, you know, RVs, but also kids, but also traveling with pets. Like there's just a lot of different slices that we kind of touch on. And so we are hoping that we can um, you know, speak to all of those different communities and and hopefully give them.

SPEAKER_03

That's what I mean. Yeah, that's what I mean by goal mind. There are so many touch points. Jack, do you have a social media presence? Yes?

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, I've been using it more and more LinkedIn actually for this. But LinkedIn and Facebook I use a lot, and then uh uh I'm Instagram, I don't know. I have a lot of problems with that. Not because it's bad, but because it just doesn't let me do what I want to do. Um take one of two, you're right. Yeah, yeah. But we did so uh a production assistant, Joelle, on our our film has jumped in. She's gonna she's helping us with you know the website and social media stuff. So she's uh you know, young, much younger USC grad. And to add some chaos to our trip, she's gonna join us for part of it. She's going with us for like uh probably hopefully like a month-long stick to help us on this tour. Um, so you know, throw her in the mix and we'll we'll see what happens.

SPEAKER_12

But she's amazing, and we there's no way we could do this without her.

SPEAKER_04

So yes, we could not.

SPEAKER_13

Um that's helpful. You guys will need that as tight as it may be.

SPEAKER_03

You're really gonna be but you you guys seriously, Jack, focus on everything. Craziness with the kids, craziness with the dogs, you know, not just promoting the film because people want to see the reality of of you and of what yeah.

SPEAKER_04

We we would like to make a little documentary about the trip. It you know, not really focused on the film, but on this trip. Well, you know, the fact, yeah, we're doing this. But we were with our first trip, we were in Charlotte a few years ago, and I I wrote a children's book called The Cow or Lost or Moo, and Claire went into this little bookstore, independent bookstore, and got them to buy some copies. And they're like, Hey, we want the book about you guys traveling around the country with the dogs and the kids. So you're right. I mean, people want to hear that story. So hopefully we can tell that one this time as well.

SPEAKER_13

And you can vlog it, you can just do like I saw a couple things on your LinkedIn. You were starting about the you are here film and and how it came to be and choosing actors and like all that. That's great. Keep going with that.

SPEAKER_03

Claire, I assume that you travel with uh a bunch of camera gear.

SPEAKER_12

Um, I'm actually more of a writer, to be honest with you. So I'll probably be writing. But Jack actually um he should send you the link. The the Cow Who Lost Tramu has a blog that I confess is pretty funny. It's pretty funny. Um, just the general exploits of the children and him, the other child, the big one.

SPEAKER_03

The big child. Yeah, the big child. I think I have that you spent that on the link, correct? Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_13

Yes, yep. Okay, yeah, we'll add that to the show notes. Yes. So quick, let's get into the route. Like, how did you choose this route to promote it? This film.

SPEAKER_04

Uh-huh. Well, we knew our endpoints. I'm just kidding. We knew we wanted to go from here all the way up to Maine. And we knew we wanted to get down to Florida and then across the south. So we just had to, it was really choosing do we go through like Texas first or do we go north and go through like Illinois and all that first? So we chose the northern route. And then just picking cities. You know, I moved here from Chicago. So we're doing, you know, Chicago's gonna be one of the first ones in Milwaukee, and then three cities in Ohio. We're just gonna keep going east all the way up to Bar Harbor, Maine, and then work our way down the coast and be right in the heart of DC, Philly, all that cool stuff for the 4th of July, which I think will be that's gonna be a great area to be at that time. Yeah, yeah. So that played a part of it too. I wanted to be in the heart of you know, the early America for the kids when we, you know, hit the 4th of July weekend.

SPEAKER_13

That's great. And the the northerly route is perfect for the summer, too.

SPEAKER_03

You don't want to be south in the heat. So perfect. When this film comes out, you are here. How are our listeners able to find it?

SPEAKER_04

It will be for sale on our website, you are herethemovie.com. Um, and then the other factors are us getting into more theaters. So as we travel around, we're gonna talk to theater owners and say, because normally you have someone go through it and they do all the deals, but we're gonna talk to theater owners and say, hey, will you, you know, will you run this for a week or two? So hopefully we'll get a lot of the independent theaters around the country doing it. Um, and then after that, it's going to be either streaming or we find a distribution company that will get it onto a screen. But more than likely, the business where how the business works these days is gonna be on a streamer, and you know, for a while you'll be able to buy on Amazon or Apple, and then hopefully a network, you know, Netflix or someone picks it up and and runs it. Uh there's just so many avenues you can go with it. And we hope that uh we hope our hustle on this tour and what we can do will actually lead to something much bigger than we even are even dreaming of right now. I hope it does. I hope so too. I can't do it.

SPEAKER_13

Is there any other website or anything else you would like to include for people to find you guys and what you're doing?

SPEAKER_04

Uh yes, yes. Uh the cowwho lost her moo.com. And that's where you do my uh you can find my blog and the children's book about a cow who loses her moo. It's a uh supposed to be a metaphor for your happiness as your moo. And sometimes we lose our moo for no reason. It's just part of life, and we don't have to go looking for it anywhere else except right inside of us.

SPEAKER_03

That's nice, not to be confused with Mojo, but yes.

SPEAKER_13

Jack and Claire, this has been so much fun. I I thank you so much for taking the time coming on today, sharing your story and how you're promoting this film. It's been really cool listening to this.

SPEAKER_03

Thank you for having us. Before we close this, is there anything else that you would like to add or that you think our listeners would like to hear about you? You are here, anything.

SPEAKER_04

For me, yes, I you know, I would like people to know that this is about this is kind of a story about America. The idea, you know, the background is the the great American road trip in that dream. And I think if you are in an R V right now and you're listening to this because you're an R V or you are you're you are definitely living the dream. And also just the independent film is so important and it's becoming really hard to do. Studio, we it's hard to do in Hollywood. You need to go outside, and then more, you can't get distribution for them. They're not putting them in theaters. So, you know, you supporting indie independent film, and this, if you see us on the tour, is gonna go a long way to helping indie film, you know, get back in track and find its place in the world. Well said.

SPEAKER_13

Well said. I'm glad you added that. Thank you.

SPEAKER_04

Thank you. Claire, Jack, thank you both for coming on today. Oh, you guys are lovely. You're awesome. Thank you so much.

unknown

Thank you.

JIM

That has to be one of the most creative RV entrepreneur stories we've had on the show.

RENE

Oh, yeah. Using an RV as their traveling film tour headquarters, it's such a cool idea.

JIM

And it really fits the theme of their movie, too. Being present, slowing down, connecting with people and places along the way.

RENE

I also loved how honest they were about independent filmmaking. It's a messy, exhausting, collaborative thing. Definitely not as some people might think it is.

JIM

Kind of like RV life, right? Oh, yeah. And speaking of how RV travel habits tend to change, our final conversation looks at what's happening across the camping industry right now.

Camping Trends And Gen Z Connection

RENE

Bob talks with Campground and RV industry consultant Sandy Ellingston about newer campers, social trends, glamping, and why younger travelers are looking for real-world connection again.

JIM

Here's Bob with Sandy Ellingston.

BOB

All right, today we are talking to Sandy Ellingston, RV consultant, campground consultant known throughout the country. Sandy, welcome to the new RV Life Podcast.

SPEAKER_00

Hi, Bob. I'm so happy to be here. I feel honored that you asked me to come on.

BOB

Oh, happy. You know, it's coming, coming around to camping season now, so we should look at maybe some of the new camping trends and uh maybe some forecasting for what we think, given all the uh issues in society today and the world. What what's camping season going to look like to you when you talk to your campgrounds?

SPEAKER_00

Well, it's really interesting. We've we've done some new research, and so we're gonna be giving some great advice at some of the conferences to our campgrounds. But one of the things that we're finding is that those people who are committed to camping are still planning on camping. They're not, you know, even though gas prices are up and certain things are uncertain, being able to get out, you know, in God's beautiful country and camp is a still a benefit to them. And so they're gonna be camping, they'll just be going closer to home, not necessarily traveling as far. So we are expecting those committed campers to still camp. We're starting to see a little bit of interest more in the Gen Z generation, and some of our parks are learning more about how to reach this generation. And so I think you're gonna see a lot of event or themed type opportunities happening inside parks. Um, we've been doing some already in some of the places that have already been warm. And what's really interesting is uh we had a part that literally did a weekend call on how to build a campfire. And they had 90% occupancy, and it was of that 90%, probably 65% were under the age of 30. Um and these are people that you know they didn't necessarily grow up camping, nor did they grow up where they were out building campfires. And so it was of great interest to them. Many of them travel there by themselves, and so they were interested in connecting once they got there, but they weren't afraid to travel by themselves. And so all of these are new trends, things that are different that we need to learn about and we need to know as a campground. But I think also I started out as an RV or in a camper. And so I want to know who do I want to bring into my camping community? Because I want to see this grow and thrive. And so I can now recognize, hey, that person might be traveling by themselves. Let me make sure I go and take that extra effort to go invite them over to coffee or to invite them around the campfire. So those are some of the cool things we're seeing.

BOB

Don't you think that when we look at society today, there is a trend that Gen Zs and others are trying to find a way to get off their devices and get get into nature. Get get somewhere else where they can communicate with people. They've been doing it with phones and tablets and computers, and you don't have that human interaction. And certainly camping is a spot where that's ideal for them.

SPEAKER_00

Right. Yeah, and I think that some of that comes actually out of COVID because it's funny how sometimes you don't realize how important something is until it's gone. And so I think a lot of the younger generation grew up with their devices in the back of their heads, they were still thinking, I can go over to my friend's house if I want to and see them face to face. They just didn't. And then suddenly in COVID, when we couldn't do that, it was like, wait a minute, I don't think I've paid enough attention or have forgotten how important that face-to-face was.

No Device Zones And Real Community

SPEAKER_00

So we are absolutely seeing a lot of that where people want to lay down their devices. In fact, we actually have one park who is testing what they call the no device zone. And when you come into this building at on in their park, you have to put your device in a box. And so they go in and then when they leave, they can get it out. But what was funny was they're treating there's you know, they're treating people as if they're addicts, when in honesty, we all are. I mean, have you ever felt your phone vibrate on your hip and it wasn't there? I find myself, you know, wearing a wearing my phone in my pocket. And there are days when I feel like my hip is vibrating and I reach for my phone and it's not there. And I'm like, my body is reacting to a phone that's not there, right? That that's definitely a problem. So I wonder if that's not something we need to all really focus on and get away from.

BOB

That hasn't that hasn't happened yet.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, but Bob, you're not using your device enough.

BOB

Yeah.

Glamping Versus Repeat Campground Culture

BOB

With respect to uh camping trends, is glamping still very popular and growing? Who's who's what's the demographics of it?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, well, I think it depends on who you're talking to. So I think that that tourism as a whole has is down a little bit. And but I think that people have so many opportunities, sometimes that can create that all by itself because you've got to make a decision about what to do, and sometimes that's overwhelming. I do think, especially moving forward with younger generations, they're gonna look at am I going to Airbnb? Am I gonna go to a campground? When I go to the campground, am I taking my RV or am I gonna stay in a tiny house, right? Or am I gonna backpack and just tent camp? I mean, there's so many options out there that we're now fragmenting a group of people who are travelers. And I've even started retraining myself where I don't even try to refer to myself as a camper anymore. I try to refer to myself as a traveler because even I'm as much as committed as I am to camping and RVing, I realize I'm truly a camper. I like the idea of glamping, but the thing about glamping is for me, it's more of that one-time experience. You like to go and experience the tree house, you know, and then you might go experience another kind of tree house in another location, but you don't necessarily go back to the tree house over and over again versus a campground, you form community in a campground. And so a lot of people will go back to the same campground over and over again because of the community. So I think that's something that's different about glamping versus camping. And I do think that the term glamping, when I started glamping, was when you were going camping in an RV. And so I think there's a glamping has almost gotten caught up in the same kind of problems that that the camping industry did, in that they kind of appropriated that term, but it's really not clearly defined. And so we we really need in this industry to kind of go back and revamp and talk about the language that we use, especially as we bring younger people into the entire ecosystem.

BOB

It's interesting because our youngest daughter does clamping up at Terramore up in Maine, and right she goes back every year, typically the same week. Okay. It's kind of a celebration. I think it's near their anniversary, but they they they wouldn't miss it. They love it.

SPEAKER_00

Well, and I think Terramore is more like camping since it's a KOA property, because it's it's a lot of units in one place, and you can form that sense of community versus now a lot of the glamping units, you're not going in and finding, you know, especially when you're talking true glamping, it might be five or six units on a property, right? And they're all a little bit different. And that's kind of what I think of as as the glamping, the true glamping, the way it started versus the terramore, where it's really an extension of camping to me.

BOB

Well, also it's it's close to Acadian National Park in Bar Harbor. So it's in a more uh, I think, camping friendly environment where you can do other things where some of the glamping facilities are out in the boondocks and and they're doing boondocking, but they're doing it in a glamping tent.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, and it's uh it's a destination location as well.

BOB

Exactly. Exactly. So what types of shows are you going to be speaking at this year? And we've got a couple of minutes left.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, well, the the biggest one that I'll be at is the Florida, Alabama Um uh Park Association, which is at the end of this month. That's going to be different because we're actually really kicking off a whole generation of new types of sessions, information. I think we'll see even more coming out of this show, ways of revamping and bringing in newer people and newer concepts to what's happening. So that's the big one for this year. But then I'll also be at the some of the other uh state association shows as well as all of this, you know, the Tampa Show and the Hershey show. Can't miss those.

BOB

We always love to have you visit and give us an update. And I want to thank you very much for talking to Sandy Ellingston, campground consultant and outdoor hospitality consultant. We will see you down the road, and thank you very much for joining us today, Sandy.

RENE

Sandy makes an interesting point there about how people are wanting to disconnect from devices and reconnect with each other.

JIM

Yeah, well, camping naturally creates that environment campfires, conversations, community, and slowing down a little to connect with strangers.

RENE

I thought her comments about younger campers were encouraging too. There's a whole new generation discovering camping without necessarily growing up doing it with their family.

JIM

I laughed at that whole how to build a campfire weekend, but it drawing a huge crowd is really saying something.

RENE

Yeah, it really says something about where people are emotionally right now. We're all craving experiences that just feel

Final Takeaways And How To Connect

RENE

real.

JIM

And the RV Life definitely delivers that. This has been another fun episode of the RV Life Podcast, and I've been Jim for RV Life. We hope these conversations inspire you to explore somewhere new or try something different. So why not share that with the community? Join us in the RV Life or RV Entrepreneur Groups on Facebook or see how easy it is to share your story with listeners at podcast.rvlife.com.

RENE

As always, you can connect with our guests and find any resources mentioned on the episodes page, including visit Cape Cod, Gone with John, You Are Here, and Sandy Ellington's Campground Industry Update.

JIM

Thanks for taking another trip with us today. It's been a good reminder that the RV life isn't about perfection, it's about freedom, flexibility, great people, and discovering what matters most along the way. And if all the little things in your RV life are starting to feel really big, remember. Enjoy the ride.

RV Life Pro Closing Message

RV LIFE

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