One of the most exciting things about Quartzsite in January is the opportunity to meet other RVers who share the same passion about the adventurous lifestyle. Before and after battling a nasty bug which kept us down for a few days, we got to meet an enormous amount of people. I was probably more social during the month of January than the entirety of 2017–a big accomplishment for this shy introvert.
Quartzsite is the winter mecca for gatherings of different RV groups and clubs. There’s the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous (the RTR, dubbed “The Real Burning Man,” in an article here by the New York Times), which keeps growing year after year. It mainly consists of nomads who travel in vans or smaller RVs, but is in no way limited to any type of vehicle. We visited for a day and experienced the myriad versions of freedom in this lifestyle–from tents to class As.
There are also the Escapees/Xscapers events. The Escapees is a popular RV membership devoted to education among all RVers and consists of more mature travelers. The Xscapers is a subdivision of the organization consisting of adults still working while traveling–a somewhat younger crowd. They have a huge Gathering in January, which has also grown over the last few years. Mike and I recently joined their ranks.
Multiple other special interest groups meet during the same time frame. There are blogger and vlogger events, focused meet-ups of all kinds (art, baby boomers, seniors, RV brands, etc.), and get togethers from RVillage, YouTube families, and other personalities. It’s a veritable Who’s-Who of RVers who share their lives and experiences via social media. It’s also a great time for good friends to congregate and touch base in person. It’s a time of meeting new friends, reuniting with old ones, and growing our community.
Mike and I had the opportunity to meet some fine folks in the San Antonio area before we got to Quartzsite.
We had a delightful dinner with the Chickery’s while in Florida before departing for our trek to Quartzsite.
We literally met these guys on the road–we merged together while traveling in opposite directions in New Mexico. Meeting up with them was one of our goals for our Arizona trip.
We had the privilege of meeting some of the people that have inspired us over the years to live this crazy dream of ours.
Nathan, Marissa, and Hensley from Less Junk, More Journey
Robert from Traveling Robert
Marc and Julie from RV Love: Website, YouTube, RV Success School
Eric and Jax from The Nomadic Fanatic
We also met many new friends whose journey we are excited to follow and hope to meet up with again.
Kenny and Sabrina from Moving Forward Adventures
Dave and Shirley from Down the Road We Go
Devan from Xsyntrik Nomad
Jason and Candace from Camping with the Kelleys
Dave and Katie from RN RV Chronicles
Matt and Maria from Nomadic Native
Audrey and Shane Callahan from Audrey Callahan Music
Cory and Kathy from Spirit Gypsy
Lola from Lost On Land Again, along with FrugalRVGal, and C-Dubs from C-Dubs Journey
Carolyn from Carolyn’s RV Life (she was mentioned in the New York Times article above)
Naus and Jedda from RV Wheeling
Ms. Freida from RVFreeDA – who celebrated her 70th birthday on a solo RV trek to Alaska
Albie, Jerome, Paul, and Rick (the Static Nomadic)–all in Quartzite for Chico’s memorial service.
It was such an honor to meet so many of these nomads who live the lifestyle in their own unique ways. I’ve noticed something important when fellow travelers get together–race, religion, politics, sexual orientation, and all of the other divisiveness society seems so focused on, falls away. We all share the love of the open road and the ability to come and go as we please. We bond over campfires, share a meal, gather to honor one who has passed on, look out for each other, share our experiences, and anticipate meeting again in our travels.
Yes, this lifestyle agrees with me, and all of the faces above (and the many more we have yet to meet) enrich the experience.
We are truly blessed, indeed.
Safe travels until we meet again.
Mike’s video recap of Quartzsite meet-ups on YouTube: HERE.
Amazon pick of the day: CLICK HERE.
It’s great to meet likeminded folks (and cats and dogs). It’s especially nice when folks can play music and share things.
I agree–there’s something about sitting around a fire and/or listening to music that makes people open up and begin to bond on a very personal level. It’s my favorite! Thank you for stopping by. Dawn
Mine too. Enjoy!
So inspiring. As Tom Baker’s Doctor Who used to be fond of saying, “travel broadens the mind,” and I seem to recall having heard similar stories of how common social boundaries just seem to count for nothing in the nomadic lifestyle. Maybe staying in one place, guarding possessions or guarding a certain lifestyle or sense of security is actually more likely to nurture fear and distrust. I guess in the whole scope of evolutionary history, none of us are very far from our nomadic roots …
I can only speak with authority on my own personal experience, but the nomadic lifestyle has opened my mind, my heart, and my communication skills. I’m not sure why, exactly, and I’m still trying to figure it out. I have walls–lots of them, but bonding and creating relationships with my fellow travelers slowly takes those bricks away. Some of it may becoming secure in my own skin since I’m pursuing our dream. Whatever it is, it’s working. Thank you so much for stopping by and commenting–I love the quote, “travel broadens the mind.” Dawn
What fun. Looks like you are busy doing something all the time!
We definitely have been busy the last few weeks. We have friends who came from Florida to travel with us for a couple more weeks, so it’s been so fun visiting and spending time.
That was great to see all your wide smiles as you enjoyed being together.
We’ve made so many wonderful friends via full-time RVing. Thanks for sharing all the links. Some are familiar to me and others are new. Always fun discovering new blogs/vlogs!
I like finding links to new blogs/vlogs, too–I’ve learned so many things from different sources. Since we knew these folks mainly from their social media, I only thought it fitting to share them, as well. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
What an amazing time in the desert, Dawn! Looks like you are having a great time. 😊
We are having a wonderful time! Friends from Florida drove over to join us for a few weeks, so we are finding all sorts of fun things to do! Safe travels to you! Maybe OUR paths will cross someday soon!
I’ve never heard of this! Very cool info. As a future RV’er I am looking for stuff like This! Nice post!
Thank you for stopping by and reading! All of the people pictured above (and many, many more) share this lifestyle and experiences. Thank you so much for stopping by–wishing you the very best in your preparations for full timing.
What fun you’re having! I enjoy reading about your travels and the wonderful people you meet on the road.
Thank you for reading! We’ve had a busy past few weeks and are now spending time with friends from Florida. We’re treasuring our time with friends.
Wow, I am exhausted just reading this. That’s A LOT of socializing you all just did! Sounds like a great time. I’ll have to check out some of these blogs. As Ingrid said, it’s always nice to find new ones and expand our community a bit. Glad you guys had so much fun.
It was a busy few weeks. Socializing is not my strength, but it was good to stretch my comfort zone and meet so many people. Now we are traveling with good friends who drove from Florida for a few weeks–having such a good time catching up and visiting. Safe travels!
Thank you for including me in your blog! I loved looking thru the pictures and reading your words. It sure was a fantastic gathering of folks out in the desert! I’m so glad we got to meet!!
You’re welcome, Lola! I’m so glad Patrick introduced us–it was awesome to meet you. We’ve been binge-watching your videos and are excited to follow more of your journey.