How to Maintain Community While RVing Full Time

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When we first got on the road, one of the things I struggled with most was loneliness. I loved being able to travel and see all of the amazing things this country has to offer, but I hated that I didn’t have the community I had back home. What I didn’t realize was that I didn’t actually have to give all of that up while traveling. In fact, we ended up finding a stronger community on the road than we had at home.

The catch? We had to seek out community and really work to keep it. Here’s how to do that.

Accept That Community Will Look Different

First, you’ll have to adjust your expectations. The community on the road looks much different from the community you might be used to, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t as good. You can’t really measure an RVing community by physical closeness. Instead, you should think of it as a network of people who support and encourage you no matter how far away they might be.

You will likely end up with friends who are scattered across the country. Some of your relationships will exist mostly online. Others will involve meetups from time to time. Still others may involve caravanning for weeks or months at a time.

Stay Longer in One Place

Knowing what an RV community might look like is one thing, but learning how to build one is another entirely. One of the easiest ways to start building relationships on the road? Slow down.

Many new RVers travel quickly, changing campgrounds every few days. This can make it extremely difficult to develop meaningful connections. Instead, consider staying in each spot for at least a couple of weeks. We’ve even chosen to stay in an area for a whole season when we know a lot of families will be around.

Longer stays make it easier to meet your neighbors, attend campground events, and even attend local events or volunteer. All of these are excellent ways to connect with people, especially if you can manage to spend time with the same people over and over during your stay.

Choose Campgrounds That Encourage Community

We learned pretty early on that not every campground has the same atmosphere. Some are designed primarily as overnight stops and that’s fine when that’s what you’re looking for. That said, if you’re looking to build community, you’re going to want to look for the campgrounds that actively encourage social interactions through activities and shared spaces.

I recommend looking for campgrounds that offer things like community fire pits and swimming pools, game nights and potlucks, movie nights, and other fun events. Smaller, independently owned RV parks tend to be good places to find these things. We have also found these sorts of things at Thousand Trails Campgrounds as well as KOA campgrounds.

Attend RV Rallies and Gatherings

We found our first close RV friends at an RV rally and really, I can’t think of a better way to go about it. RV rallies are fantastic because they put you in close proximity to others who share your values and interests and foster community by offering all sorts of events and activities.

Activities often include:

• Educational seminars
• Group meals
• Campfire gatherings
• Vendor expos
• Local excursions
• Entertainment
• Social hours

If you’re naturally introverted, having organized activities and repeated social interactions with the same group of people over a week can really help you build strong connections that last even after you go your separate ways.

Join Online RV Communities

Before we started RVing, I wasn’t really a big fan of social media. That said, I realized pretty quickly after we started traveling that social media is a powerful tool for staying connected on the road. I made a point of following every friend we made while traveling, so I could keep track of what they were up to and stay in touch. I also used social media to join online RV communities, where I made new friends.

These days, I am in all kinds of RVing groups, including groups for full-time RVing, family RVing, remote working, national parks, and more. If I have a question, there is always a group of people to ask, and if I need help from someone, I know I have people to turn to.

We have found the Fulltime Families member group to be especially helpful for this.

Plan Meetups with Other Travelers

I absolutely love how flexible RV life is. It means that for the most part, you can go wherever you want whenever you want, and that means you can go out of your way to meet up with friends. Sometimes we plan meetups months in advance, but occasionally, we even change routes at the drop of a hat to see friends.

When we make our plans, we like to try to share campground reservations with our friends. From there, we might plan national park visits, museum field trips, and holiday celebrations. We have boondocked with friends, and even caravanned through entire states with groups of RV buddies.

We try to plan these meetups regularly throughout the year, so we are rarely alone for very long.

Volunteer Along the Way

Volunteering is an awesome way to add to your community. Meeting people in the area while working toward a common goal is a great way to connect, and there are all sorts of wonderful organizations to volunteer for, including national parks, food banks, animal shelters, and habitat restoration projects.

Long-term volunteer assignments often result in especially strong friendships. I’ve seen some cool long-term projects that specifically ask for RV volunteers, and these are a great way to connect with fellow RVers who like to help out.

Become a Regular Somewhere

Even while traveling, I would find ways to create familiarity. I like to choose favorite local businesses that I visit regularly during my stay, especially in the areas I visit over and over again. As an example, I have favorite coffee shops scattered all over the country. We also have several restaurants that we look forward to visiting while in a certain city.

This gives us a chance to be recognized by employees and regular patrons, which helps create a sense of belonging, even during shorter visits.

Stay Connected with Family

Obviously, you’ll want to stay in touch with your family and close friends back home. What I found is that maintaining these connections does take a bit of effort, but we actually ended up with more intentional time together and this led to a closer bond than we had when we were living in close proximity.

In order to stay in touch while traveling, we make sure to post and comment regularly on social media, and we often video call parents, grandparents, and close friends. We do text, but we don’t rely solely on texting, as this can start to feel impersonal and seeing faces and hearing voices helps preserve emotional closeness.

We also make a point of returning to family for certain holidays, so we can maintain traditions and create those precious holiday memories.

Host Instead of Waiting for Invitations

I’m terrible about waiting around for invitations and then getting upset when I don’t hang out with anyone for weeks. The thing is, you can totally remedy this by making yourself the host sometimes.

Inviting your RV neighbors over for morning coffee, a campfire, games, or a potluck will give you an opportunity to get to know them and might even lead to long-term friendships. It’s great because it’s easy enough for everyone to walk to your campsite with their folding chairs and treats to share, meaning you don’t have to do much at all as a host.

Travel with Shared Interests

Most of my closest friendships involve shared hobbies. If you’re having trouble connecting with others, consider joining clubs for the hobbies you enjoy most. Hiking clubs, photography classes, and pickleball teams are all great places to connect with like-minded people and enjoy doing something you love together. You might even find some other RVers who enjoy what you enjoy, so you can plan to travel to events together!

Balance Solitude and Social Time

As much as I love my friends, I also need downtime to recharge, and one of the many things I enjoy about RV life is that I can escape into nature to find the solitude I need. We do try to plan meetups with friends regularly, but during the times in between, I make a point of visiting peaceful spots where I can enjoy the solitude. I recommend paying attention to your own needs and building some solitude into your travel schedule, so you can spend the time you are with friends connecting and enjoying life together.

Workcamping Can Build Lasting Relationships

There is also the option of workcamping, which can be a great way to spend enough time with the same people to create long-lasting bonds. Most workcamping positions last a season and include jobs at campgrounds, resorts, national parks, state parks, and farms.

Many RVers will even return to the same workcamping position year after year to keep building those connections.

Stay Open to Unexpected Friendships

I have always been one to befriend people of all ages and from every background imaginable. Being open to that idea has helped me build some of the best friendships I’ve ever had. RV life is awesome because it removes some of the boundaries that can get in the way of unexpected friendships. You might end up friends with retirees, families on the road, and solo adventurers all at the same time—and those friends could even end up becoming friends with one another. I love this about RV communities, as the community starts to feel like a family with a nice mix of talents, experiences, and ages.

Return to Favorite Places

Yes, I love the freedom of RV travel, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like some level of consistency. We tend to return to certain campgrounds year after year, especially in the winter. This works well because we end up meeting families who have a similar routine and then we see them over and over again. Some of our best RV friends travel on a similar route and schedule as us.

Learn to Be the One Who Reaches Out

One of the number one things I had to learn while building an RV community? It takes effort. I no longer wait for someone else to initiate conversation. I’m quick to introduce myself, even when it makes me uncomfortable, and I make a point of checking in on people regularly. I also do my best to say yes to invitations whenever they come my way.

There is absolutely no reason you have to be lonely on the road. With a little bit of effort and planning, you can have a whole collection of friends spread across the entire US, meaning you always have someone to turn to for connection or support, no matter where you happen to be.

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