Fall 2016 Update

Pam, Lindsey and I left Florida to travel north to escape the active hurricane season and to attend to some business matters.  Here are some of the things we witnessed and experienced.

What it’s like to be at the Hershey RV Show

The Hershey, PA RV Show is held in September each year.  Most recently it has been located at the Giant Center Sports Arena which is located right next to the Hershey World and Amusement Park.

It is a great location that is easy to get to and park at. The only issue that may be encountered is on days when twenty thousand people attend and you don’t arrive at the show early enough!  The automobile traffic can make for a bit of a wait while trying to get parked and gaining access to the show.

Here are some pictures we took to give you a sense of the size of the show and what you can see there.

Hershey RV Show Observations!

Pam and I had one main purpose for being at the show, and that was to help educate folks on the full time RV lifestyle and ways to make money while doing that!  We shared ideas with hundreds of people on ways to earn income while on the road, even the idea of working with the NRVIA helping other folks to avoid buying a money pit when at an RV Show!

While there, we did have time to spend looking at what the manufacturers are introducing for the 2017 model year. There is no doubt that high-tech gadgets continue to creep into the RV industry adding more bells and whistles that seem to attract the attention of eager buyers.

While walking through one full time 5th wheel model, I even noticed that they placed a smartphone charger in the kitchen island countertop. It is little things like this that can almost sway a potential buyer to purchase this model over another.

There are many more considerations other than these things that are way more important, but the RV manufacturers know what gets people’s attention!

When counseling potential RV buyers we tell them not to fall in love with floorplans and glitter, but pay attention to construction and quality of the RV build over the superficial stuff!  Sure, those things are cool but pay attention to what really matters, and that is the overall quality of the RV and how it’s built!

RVs rolling down the road experience the equivalent shock, that of an earthquake.  So, how it is built will greatly affect how long it will last when used for full time RV living.

Certainly, an RV show such as the Hershey RV Show, or any others that occur across the country, are a great way to get exposed to many different RV manufacturers and products that benefit the RV experience.  Pam and I have attended many RV shows and that helped us to find out what RV we really wanted.

We are firm believers in buying a used RV, getting it inspected, and saving a lot of money over buying a new RV.  We figure, let someone else pay the depreciation on it.  If the RV is thoroughly inspected and it checks out with no major issues, it can be a much smarter purchase than buying new.

But, if you have to buy just exactly what you want, then buying new may be your only choice, and buying at an RV Show could save you money due to the RV Show deals the manufacturers offer.  That is as long as they have what you want.

What We Did After the Hershey RV Show!

Pam and I just spent two weeks at Artillery Ridge Campground in Gettysburg, PA.  The RV park is just a mile away from the Gettysburg battlefields and visitor center.  We were able to walk from the campground right to the heart of the battlefields with little effort!

The day we went the weather was beautiful, not too warm, and it was not too busy.  Given it was late September, we did see buses with kids visiting as part of school tours.  Other than that we were able to see most visitor exhibits with unobstructed viewing.

It is hard to fathom what took place back in early July of 1863 till you see the scope of the area in which the conflict came to its final head!  The three days from July 1 – 3 really were a turning point in the Civil War.

I am not a history buff, but the Civil War really came to life for me as I was actually there and able to see all the names of men who died for a cause they believed in.  North or South, it did not matter!  They fought bravely, and as ordered!

Here are some photos of some of the things we saw.

We hope to see you out on the road living the full time RV lifestyle soon!!