Loneliness and Solitude

One of the main things that a lot of people deal with when they're considering hitting the road as a full-time RVer is the fear of loneliness.

They are afraid that they will feel lonely. This is especially true for people who are going to be solo RVers, but I hear a lot of couples who are thinking about living the RVing life and they are worried about being lonely also. Even though they will be with each other, and maybe in a campground full of other RVers, they still worry about whether they will get lonely.

You can be lonely in a crowded shopping center

You can have a campground full of casual friends (even if you've only been there for a day or two. As you walk around the campground, you see and speak to a lot of your casual friends. You know their dog's name, and you know their first name (but probably not their last name). you may even know where they're from, and they know your name.

It's good to have a lot of casual friends, but if you were going to have some surgery next week and you were worried, concerned, and having second thoughts about it, would you talk to any of these "friends" about it? Probably not.

You want a different kind of friend in this situation

You may confide in a close family friend by phone or maybe you have some close RVing friends you've known a long time that you will want to talk to (even if they're not in the same campground you're in right now). Some of my closest friends are RVers that I only see two or three times a year as we both adjust our plans and dog-leg out of our way to meet up.

Someone who will drive three hundred miles out of their way to meet up and camp with you for a few days is a true friend. When this happens, you always have a lot to talk about and catch up on. And of course, you stay in contact with each other by phone and email all the time.

There's a difference between solitude and loneliness

Most people look forward to the idea of having some alone time. We all need some time alone. Some people need and want more alone time than others. But even these people sometimes worry about what if they get lonely?

When you're experiencing solitude it means that you get to stop where you want to stop. Eat when you want to eat. Watch what you want to watch on TV. Go to bed when you want to and get up when you want to. In other words, the decisions are yours to make the consequences are yours to bear.

Bottom line: Being lonely is not something you need to worry about when you're thinking about becoming a full-time RVer. Believe me, even if you're a solo RVer, you won't be lonely. I have way more friends now than I ever had before I hit the road as an RVer. You will too.