Finding Community On the Road

When we first decided to travel, one of our biggest concerns was the loss of our tribe, and we aren’t the only ones. Most of the online groups I am in or people I have talked to have the same concerns. While the first year was tough, and that is mostly on us, we have found that it is much easier than we thought it would be.

BJ is most definitely the extrovert of our crew and loves talking to people everywhere we go. I am the introvert, and more of a people watcher, but will chat happily with anyone, and Luther seems to be a lot like me in that regard. But we have still found ways to connect, beyond just chatting with people we meet!

CROSSING PATHS Of course, this is the way people have connected for ages, and we still use this method! We have met some great folks in campgrounds or on hiking trails and excursions that we have just connected with and exchanged information. Then we just reach out and connect!

CAMPGROUND AND LOCAL EVENTS If you stay at campgrounds or in local communities, during peak seasons, they will have activities and events for the area. These are often on check in information or flyers hanging around and can be crafts and activities, movie nights, pot lucks, decorating contests and so many other things. It’s a great way to meet other families that may also be shy about just randomly talking to people, especially if you have kids and can let them connect with others in their age bracket or interests.

RV SHOW MEETUPS RV shows can be great for shopping RVs or finding products for your RVs, but they also hold information sessions and meetups with many of the people you find on social media. This can be a great way to meet people and connect with other followers, others trying to learn a skill or with similar interests. The sessions and meet ups are the biggest reason we like to go to the RV shows!

LOCAL COMMUNITIES BJ is an avid runner so will often check local areas for running groups and meet ups or races while we are there. We have met several people and learned a lot about an area by attending these events. While not always fellow travelers, it is people with mutual interests, and ones we can connect with when we travel back through an area.

FACEBOOK GROUPS When we started out, this was our first go to. There are so many groups that you can find based on interests, type of RV, camping memberships, locations, type of camping, or social media personalities you follow. These are a great way to talk to people who go on the same adventures, have your same rig or camping style, or same membership. We are members of several groups and communicate within them, but we also have our own page that we share our experiences and answer questions.

PATREON GROUPS This is another social media application, but allows you to contribute financially to a social media personality you would like to support. These are monthly subscriptions and can give you access to behind the scenes information, real time access, as well as meet ups, groups and other resources, depending on who you choose. We have supported several over the years and we have a line item in our budget for these memberships. From these groups, we’ve become of small groups on social media and meet ups, which has introduced us to other people, and I am even in a Bible study group with several people I met through one of the Patreons we follow. While you can follow social media personalities for free, this is a great way to additionally support them.

SERV COMMUNITY This is a group we found through social media groups and has been a favorite of ours! Lippert started this community and there are several ways we interact with this community. There are monthly challenges via the social media group, meet ups and rallies to get together with other members and serve in a greater capacity, and a website to find places to serve communities as we are traveling. We’ve become friends with several other members that we have traveled with and volunteered with since joining. You can find their website at www.servwithpurpose.com and locate by using their map and see the monthly challenges, as well.

TRAVEL APPS We found out about a travel app called Nomad Near Me that uses a GPS location and map to share with friends you connect with where you are, and give recommendations of others in your area that may share interests based on what you fill in your profile and choose to share. We have loved using this to stay in touch with friends and see when we may be close enough to catch up, even if we didn’t plan for it. I shared more about this app, and others, in a prior blog called Smartphone Apps We Love, if you want to check it out for more apps.

What other ways have you found to keep a community during your travels? Let us know in the comments, or even better, follow our Facebook page and comment on the posting of this blog and interact with our community!