boondocking — Home is Where My Cat is

It’s not debatable anymore - with the spread of Covid-19 across the globe, the best thing you can do for others is to STAY HOME. It’s not a fluke, it’s not a conspiracy. People are losing their jobs, people are losing their lives. And the odds are, you will come through it in the end just fine. This is not the same for our neighbors, friends and family. We are all facing disappointments and frustrations, but the risks are greater for some than others. I hope that you all are considering lives aside from your own when making decisions as to whether or not to leave home.

While many businesses have been closed and events have been cancelled, full time RVers have another added fear - where do you go to “stay home” if your home is closed? Many states have closed their campgrounds at state parks, but some are going so far as to close down private RV parks. This is detrimental to those who live at the RV parks, whether temporarily or permanently, and it also increases the risk of spreading the disease. For states that are closing private parks, you are kicking out those who may have nowhere else to go.

Many full time RVers do not have a livable home base. Ron and I are very lucky in the fact that if every park in the US were closed, we still have friends and family that would take us in. We have a place to go in multiple states. However, this is not the case for a lot of RVers. Many are retired, and have been living at the same RV park for months if not years. What do you do with hundreds of thousands of displaced Americans who cannot afford other places to go?

It is completely understandable to tell people that now is not the time to take your week long RV vacation. But by closing private RV parks you are sending mixed messages to those that full time - stay at home, just not here. RVers are the perfect demographic of a group that can easily stay under quarantine. We take our homes with us, many of our jobs are already remote, and a lot live in very isolated areas. If we are forced to leave, we are going to go to other states that are not closed, increasing the risk of spreading the virus. Many states with high cost of living, such as California, have people who live in RVs full time but do not travel. They are members of your community trying to solve impossible problems. Allow them to stay in their homes, where they are set.

This is an uncertain time for so many people. If you have land and are willing to let a displaced nomad stay temporarily, please consider creating an account at Boondockers Welcome. Boondockers Welcome is a site that matches RVers and those with property that will allow them to park their home temporarily. A lot of people have no place else to go, and the stress of trying to find a safe place to go is too much for some. Having someone stay on your property will help them keep quarantine and reduce the risk of spreading Covid-19. For those able to support your community, whether it is staying home if you are ill, running errands for those that can’t leave, or helping keep a local business afloat by ordering online or getting takeout, please consider doing so. Now is the time to think of others, just as someone is thinking of you