New breed of RV owners often shun conventional campgrounds

March 28 (UPI) -- With millions of new adventurers on the road in the last few years, travelers have driven past traditional, crowded campgrounds, setting up at breweries, farms and festivals, and even going off the grid, also known as "boondocking," for weeks at a time.

Since 2021, millions of Americans have bought new recreational vehicles, adventure vans and trailers. According to a 2023 Kampgrounds of America survey, 92 million American households identified as campers in 2022, compared to 78.8 million in 2019.

Some 80% of campers, survey results showed, wanted to have new experiences, including travel for natural events (40%) and food tourism and culinary experiences (36%).

Since 2016, Jim and Carmen Beaubeaux have been living full-time in their 30-foot Airstream trailer named "Beauty." They've continually been traveling across 49 states while visiting the country's natural wonders, attending music and cultural festivals and sampling regional cuisines.

Jim Beaubeaux told UPI that people like him are simply looking for "fresh air in a quiet, spacious, scenic area -- a place to relax, watch a sunset, have a bite to eat, take a walk, enjoy some stargazing, and go to bed -- no hook-ups or amenities necessary."

He estimates he and his wife spent $20,000 upgrading the trailer with new batteries, furniture, inverters, flooring and appliances to make it feel and function like home.

Carmen Beaubeaux said the couple rarely had to book reservations ahead of time before March 2020, but now it's a race to reserve RV sites, especially during peak season in the spring and summer. So, the couple now hits less-traveled locations.

When COVID-19 hit in March 2020, they ventured out in the middle of the Anza-Borrego Desert in California for weeks. Over the past couple of years, Carmen said, they've enjoyed "boondocking" in places like Big Bend, Texas, Martinez Lake and Sedona in Arizona and the Tetons of Wyoming, one of Jim Beaubeaux's favorite spots.

"We didn't like Yellowstone, too many cars," Jim Beaubeaux said. "When we were in Winnemucca, Nev., the closest RV boondocking was almost a half a mile away. We have lithium batteries, 59 gallons of fresh water, solar panels and a generator if the sun doesn't behave. We can be out there for weeks on our own."

When they're not "boondocking," the Beaubeauxs strayed away from national parks on the weekends and leaned on friends across the country, travel organizations like the Airstream Club International, and sites like Harvest Hosts, an RV membership collective of more than 5,100 farms, wineries, breweries and attractions to offer overnight hosting options.

On their blog, Living in Beauty, the Beaubeauxs offer tips, camping resources and travel maps, in addition to cataloging their experiment "forever camping."

While the pandemic may have brought an influx of people to RV living, better batteries, stronger inverter technology and more efficient energy systems have allowed them to move beyond the traditional campground.

Sustainable features like recirculated water heaters, composting toilets and more efficient energy systems are also leading to new generations to consider life on the road.

As president of Airstream Club International, Eric McHenry said the group has been working to expand connections within the camping market, teaming up with organizations like KOA, Passport America and Harvest Hosts, while offering training, support and community building events for its members across the United States.

"A lot of our members who live in the west, Utah, Nevada, California, Oregon and Washington state do a lot of boondocking because there's a lot of public land, lots of sun for solar panels -- and Starlink [a satellite Internet connection] has changed the game," he said. "We're all about bringing new people to us and traveling to new places as a club."

McHenry and his wife, LaVerne, said they have used Starlink for two years as they've crisscrossed the country. For people who want to be able to work anywhere, it's become a necessity. It's also helped change the demographic of "nomads" they see traveling these days, she said.

Currently, the couple maintains a home and spends about six months a year living in their 2023 Classic Airstream trailer.

On the road now, LaVerne McHenry said, they're due back in California sometime in June. While they've been sticking to national parks and other places that offer hook up services for water and electricity, she estimated they spend a quarter of the time using Harvest Host, someone's driveway or a scenic park.

In early March, the McHenrys stopped at the Range Vintage Trailer Resort in Bristol, Texas, where owners Sarah and Paul Beauregard have built a unique blend of dry camping, Texas ranch resort and upscale RV park, complete with on-site pool, sauna and dining barn.

Since buying the land in 2016, the Beauregards have spent years restoring vintage trailers and installing ready-to-use RV parking pads, spreading them across the property's 30 acres. Today, the business welcomes both RVs and folks who have never camped in their life.

Sarah Beauregard said she and her husband became inspired after returning home to Dallas after camping. While they loved the community, eventually they became frustrated with too little space and too many rules.

The Range, she said, was built to accommodate everyone, from the experienced off the grid camper to those looking to do "glamping."

"Really, we built this for people to spend time with their families and friends and reconnect," she said. "You don't need to know how to tow a 9,000-pound trailer or anything, you can just show up and get that middle-of-nowhere In the Texas countryside experience."