Is There Anyone Who SHOULDN'T Go RVing or Camping?

There are few reasons anyone who wants to shouldn't be able to go RVing or camping.  There may be some restrictions on certain activities or locations based on diagnosed medical conditions or physical disabilities, but for the most part, the only people who shouldn't go RVing or camping are those who don't want to.

If you have a medical condition where you are told to avoid flying or other high altitudes, you will want to restrict your RVing and camping to elevations that are safe for you, but it doesn't mean you have to sit at home!  There are plenty of beach venues that literally put you at sea level so elevation would not be a problem.  Allergies may be sometimes used as an excuse to not go camping but with modern medicine and careful choice of destinations, most allergy related problems can be mitigated.  If you or someone in your group have been given restrictions on physical activities due to injuries or illness, avoid strenuous tasks like hiking, cycling, or chopping firewood.  There are still many fun and beneficial things you can do around camp.  Anyone on dialysis will need to stay close enough to home or their dialysis center to maintain their schedule.  You may need adjust your plans or have special equipment to accommodate the needs of people in your party with physical disabilities.

If you have zero experience RVing or camping, seek out experienced companions to get you started.  I would not recommend taking off on an unassisted camping trip if you've never been camping before.  There are certain activities that can be dangerous if you don't know what you're doing or ignore prescribed safety precautions.  My father-in-law singed off his eyebrows trying to light a furnace in his micro-mini motorhome by not following the lighting instructions properly.  Lighting camp stoves and lanterns is generally a pretty safe procedure, but it can sometimes be a problem for the novice.  Even building a simple campfire safely requires some knowledge and practice.  Setting up tents and awnings requires a certain amount of skill.

Does advancing age mean you've got to give up camping?  I sure hope not!  I've seen plenty of active retirees in their 70s and 80s and 90s enjoy the RVing and camping experience.  My own grandmother traveled with my Mom and Dad and younger sister in their mini-motorhome until she was in her 80s.  She found it quite comfortable and a lot less stressful than being left at home.  It helped that they involved her in  tasks around camp that made her feel useful was well as welcome.   At 75 she enjoyed riding on the back of my enduro dirt bike (yes, it had footpegs to carry a passenger).  You may reach an age where it would be a good idea to leave the driving to someone else, but that applies to other activities too, like routine grocery shopping.  My Mom just turned 90 and although she still holds a valid driver's license and keeps it up to date she has voluntarily stopped driving.  Although she passes her driving tests with flying colors, she is uncomfortable that her eye sight and reaction time aren't what they used to be and would rather not take any chances. But she still enjoys trips to the beach or the forest with other family members at the wheel.  As avid dirt bikers, my wife and I strongly subscribe to the idea that "You don't stop riding (or camping) because you get old; you get old because you stop riding (or camping)."

Physical disabilities may impose some restrictions on what you can do, but just falling under ADA rules doesn't mean you have to stay home.  I saw an OHV activist climb out of a wheelchair to ride his ATV in a pro-OHV parade.  And no, it wasn't an ATV accident that put him in the wheelchair.  Tow vehicles and motorhomes can be equipped with wheelchair lifts and other adaptations to make them accessible to disabled persons.  The aisle space in older RVs may not accommodate wheel chairs, but in newer models with slide-outs it will be less of a problem, although unless the unit was designed with wheelchair access in mind you may still encounter tight spots.  In a pinch (pun intended) you might be able to buy a narrow wheelchair like those used on airlines that may be able to negotiate the tight spaces inside an RV.  Some folks find they can navigate inside an RV either using a walker or cane or just the cabinets and walls of the RV for support.  Assist handles might be installed to facilitate getting in and out of an RV and negotiating the aisle and bathroom.

Allergies may impose some restrictions on where you go, but they certainly don't have to shut down all camping activity.  While it would be unwise to knowingly plant yourself in the middle of batch of vegetation that triggers your allergies, there is enough variety in outdoor environments that just about everyone should be able to find a place where they can avoid severely unpleasant reactions.  If I were allergic to bees I wouldn't visit a honey farm!  Modern allergy medication used correctly can usually relieve most of the symptoms.

Some people view pregnancy as imposing many restrictions on mothers to be.  But it certainly doesn't have to be that way and it doesn't have to put a moratorium on your camping!  My wife continued RVing and camping with the family and even riding her dirt bike through most her her pregnancies, until just a few weeks before delivery.  Of course you don't want to take an unreasonable risks for either the baby or the mother, but routine camping shouldn't be a problem unless there are already extenuating circumstances that limit the mother's activities.  As a kind of extension of camping during pregnancy, you don't have to stop camping when the baby comes.  Bring him/her along!  We did, and all our kids LOVE RVing, OHVing, and camping to this day.  Be aware that you will need to attend to the special needs of baby.  Make proper preparations and allow adequate time for addressing their needs and you'll --  and they'll -- be fine.  Supercross star James "Bubba" Stewart got his first motorcycel ride on his dad's lap when he was only about 2 days old!

So, unless you're under doctor's orders to avoid camping or you absolutely hate being in the outdoors or hate traveling or hate campfires, there is no reason why you shouldn't go camping.  Even if you get car sick it doesn't mean you have to stay home.  Just take appropriate medication and avoid reading while riding and you should do fine.

Time for that getaway!