Living the Good Life On the Road

Marble-lined kitchens. Ceramic-tiled, perfumed bathrooms. A king-sized bed with velvety soft pillows and warm and fuzzy blankets. Fully-furnished living rooms equipped with home theaters and widescreen TVs. These are the types of amenities the rich and famous are accustomed to. What happens then when they’re away from their houses in the Hamptons? Oh, the tragedy of not having these conveniences! A cramped road vehicle surely wouldn’t do, just as riding coach in the air couldn’t satisfy their most discriminating needs. Thank Goodness for Recreational Vehicles.

Recreational Vehicles or RVs is the term usually used to refer to vehicles equipped with living space and facilities normally found in a home. While a standard motor vehicle consists of a motor engine, a dashboard, four wheels, and some form of seating, a typical RV usually includes a living room, a bed, storage areas, a kitchen, and a lavatory. Okay, so these RVs may not be as fancy and luxurious as beach-front homes. In fact, the usual stereotype is that people who live in RVs full-time are those who are poor and cannot afford a more traditional form of housing. In reality, however, some RVs cost more than a conventional home, reaching upwards of half a million dollars for the really well-appointed types.

RVs are usually categorized into classes. There are Class A, Class B, Class C, and Bus Conversions, to name a few. Class A RVs are built on the chassis of either a commercial truck, a commercial bus, or a motor vehicle specially designed for that purpose. Slide-outs, or box-like structures which extend from the main body of the vehicle and provide additional space inside than would normally fit on the road, are also usually found on these types of RVs. Class B RVs are quite smaller, making use of a conventional van chassis, with the addition of a raised roof. Class C types are those that are built on a truck chassis with an attached cab section. The Ford E450 engine and chassis is popularly used for this type of RV. Bus Conversion RVs, on the other hand, are characteristically the largest RVs available and are also more often than not the most highly customized and luxuriously appointed. They consist of a commercial passenger bus that has been converted into an RV.

As with all things, there are costs and benefits associated to owning or living in RVs. As previously mentioned, RVs allow people to bring the comforts and amenities of a modern home on the road, such as electricity, climate control, kitchen facilities, and other utilities. For those who enjoy wandering off into remote forests where such services might be unavailable or hard to come by, having an RV makes camping a more convenient experience. For other people who are constantly on the go – politicians, celebrities, recording artists – RVs serve as their home away from home, or for some of them, even a home within their homes. Matthew McConaughey, who owns an Airstream trailer he nicknamed "The Canoe", once said “It's one of my favorite places. I've got a house, but even when I pull into my house, sometimes I sleep in that thing in my driveway. It's really comfortable.” Other famous personalities known to enjoy RVs are President Barack Obama, who certainly found his RV bus useful during the campaign, TV sportscaster John Madden, musician Lenny Kravitz, and former world champion boxer George Foreman.

Other advantages include not having to move in and out of or to constantly pay for hotel rooms, not having to share bathrooms with indiscriminate users, sleeping in a bed one is familiar with, and having the convenience of a kitchen anytime one is hungry on the road. As compared to tents or other outdoor living equipment, an RV provides a better organized living area and better protection from the elements. There is also no realty tax or home mortgage associated with living in an RV.

There are obviously certain drawbacks in terms of amenities, especially as compared to hotel living. There is no room service or housekeeping services, nor are there gym or spa equipment or swimming pools. RVs are also known to be very fuel-inefficient, a big disadvantage especially now in the face of continually rising oil prices. Driving large RVs may also pose big problems for the uninitiated, as they are a lot more difficult to carry than a normal van and takes more time to get used to. In fact, beyond a certain size and weight, a heavy vehicle license is usually required.