Making Memories at an RV Show

If you’ve never been to an RV show, it is definitely something to add to your list. Across the country, and just about every month of the year, RVers of all types gather together. Whether you are off-road, off-grid, weekend, peace in the woods or glamping at an RV resort, there is something for everyone!

RV retailers from the area gather all variations of rigs together, so you can walk through and spend time in every imaginable style, even if you are just curious, or dreaming beyond your reality. But it isn’t just for RV shopping. You’ll find vendors for outdoor gear, accessories, upgraded features, RV camping options, memberships, communities, work-camping jobs, and products for daily life. There are also presenters conducting seminars to help answer questions and teach you skills.

If you follow RVers on social media, the larger RV shows will have places for meetups, so you can get a few minutes to chat and snap a photo with them, and let them put a face to that social media handle of yours that’s always interacting.

When we decided to go full time, we went to our first RV show in Tampa and saw influencers filming and doing tours and meet ups, reunions of people who had met on their journeys, and ambassadors for various products sharing their personal experiences with particular brands. It was overwhelming. We wondered if we would ever have those connections ourselves, especially since we didn’t know anyone else living this lifestyle, and in our age range!

Our first year was tough. We felt pretty isolated and, in spite of joining online communities, no one was really where we were. We interacted with people at the campgrounds and watched families spend time together, but never found our own group. But after that first year, things changed. We joined a smaller community and started interacting online more. We also found a group that volunteered and served the communities they were in, gathering together as just a couple families, or an entire rally. We also started venturing out further from home and into states where other RVers were during the travel seasons.

Pretty much everyone who RVs has a social media handle and page they travel under, and for various reasons. Some are influencers and some, like us, are just keeping their travel and personal separated. With that handle, though, comes swag–stickers, shirts, products they are selling, etc.–these can be great items to network with others over. We finally got stickers and started exchanging them this year and met so many people that way–and their stickers allowed us to find them on socials when we got online. We also took the time to connect with companies of products and places we used to show appreciation and share experiences and testimonies.

We love our people, but can be shy when it comes to finding new people. We’ve stepped out of our comfort zone and started doing that more. We hung out with people at different events and meet ups, chatted while walking around the camping area and at booths, and hung out with other campers at the show, or nearby. Taking the time to get beyond introductions and start making memories is an important step. While it’s rare to get a knock on your door from another RVer being friendly, it’s not unusual to just walk up and chat with someone outside, so it’s important to get out and be available.

As we’ve grown our community online and interacted with people, joined the “crew” of other RVers and made friends, and we’ve attended SeRV events, we’ve built a community of people we enjoy spending time with, and that are turning into real friendships. We plan trips together, we share our locations through camping apps so we can see when we are close together, and I have even done a virtual Bible study with friends I had never met in person, but we learned, prayed and grew together.

So, if you are new to, or looking at RV life, or if it has been a struggle for you, take our advice–don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and just start a conversation.

If you’re attending an RV show, talk to vendors and companies, people wandering around, and attend meet ups and seminars.

Don’t forget to download/print your RV Show printable here (it works for any RV show!) so you can keep notes and info organized! To find RV shows for the year, RV Life magazine puts together a list every year, listed by month. Here’s the 2025 RV Life magazine list of RV Shows, or for future years, just search for them!