I am hesitant to call how we live “camping.” Yes, many of the places where we stay call themselves “campgrounds” or “parks”. But many of them are not park-like nor have tent sites. Some of these facilities have been completely denuded of trees and plants, paved from edge to edge, with one site separated from the next by a stripe of paint on the ground and a pedestal with utility connections.
Since our home on wheels includes air conditioning, internet, hot and cold running water, and a flush toilet, we are not exactly roughing it.
Many of the synonyms emphasize the transient nature of our location: touring, traveling, cruising(?), RVing. Ones that capture the comfort of our abode on wheels feel too fixed: lodging, dwelling. Others carry baggage of other modes of transportation: moored, landed. Or are overly vague: parked, sited, roosted.
Kinds of Residences
When we sold our last home and began traveling full-time I came to appreciate the difference between ‘residence’ and ‘domicile’; although for most people they refer to the same physical place. Residence, the place where one lives, changes frequently for an explorer or adventurer, and for those with jobs that take them from place to place. Domicile is the the place to where one returns when one is finished traveling. Domicile also defines where one registers their vehicle and votes.
Backpacking
This is the epitome of camping. Carrying everything one needs (and only the lightest essentials) in a pack that weighs under 40 pounds. With no more than a thin sheet of nylon between me and the stars and a half-inch of bedding separating me from the earth.
I have backpacked among the mountains of New Mexico and canoe camped beside the Allagash River in Maine. Far from the glare of city lights one can still see stars at night including the Milky Way.
Tenting
If one is willing to limit one’s travels to places accessible with a car, campers can carry luxuries of a multi-burner stove and an ice chest. With a solar power cooler, ice becomes optional. Campgrounds typically have shared toilets and community water spigots.
For most of my childhood our family tent camped for several days each year.
Tent campers might include those traveling with a small trailer with canvas tops or perhaps even a metal A-frame that is erected at each campsite. Tiny tear-drop campers might be included as they typically have only an outdoor kitchen and a bed.
RVing
I continue to be surprised by the diversity of Recreational Vehicles. Some have slides with canvas exteriors others have a washer and dryer. Some have extensive solar power arrays for “camping” off the grid, others are designed to be moved only by larger trucks to one resort where they spend the nearly all of their days.
RVs vary in price from under ten thousand dollars to over a million.
Many RVs are motorized and vary from redesigned vans to vehicles the size of a bus.
Our current abode is a modest Recreational Vehicle. We tow our trailer with a mid-size pickup truck. Our abode does not have space for a separate office nor overnight guests. Typically we seek “campgrounds” with connections at our site for electricity, city water, sewer, and WiFi.
Maneuvering our RV into a site reminds me of mooring a Naval vessel without the use of a tugboat. Instead of tying to a pier, we roll onto levelers and lower stabilizers. RVers frequently refer to their electric connection as Shore Power. I would like to say we are moored at such and such location, but the naval connotations of this word would add confusion especially at “campgrounds” adjacent to a body of water.
Lodging
Once the place where one lays their head at night becomes fixed, camping no longer applies. Lodgings include buildings where the host provides few if any furnishings or a suite with breakfast and maid service.
We have lodged overnight at hotels and rental houses. Sometimes staying a week or more while vacationing or working on assignment away from our domicile.
The term “cabin” has been expanded to include vacation homes that have all of the amenities of suburbia.
“Park Models” are a special transitional sub-class. They arrive on wheels much like a trailer, but those wheels are quickly removed, the frame is anchored to the ground, utilities are firmly connected, and a porch is added making these somewhat permanent structures. Frequently two units are nailed together to form a larger unit. While they can be moved, they rarely do. Yet Park Models are frequently sited at “campgrounds” or “parks.” Some states classify them with “Recreational Vehicles”.
Housing
Moving from city to city, buying a house or renting an apartment is the slowest way to travel and offers the best opportunities to experience local culture.
This class of abode becomes differentiated by changing one’s domicile. This necessitates registering one’s car and getting a new driver’s license.
Summary
Where one resides may change frequently, every night, or not for decades. RVing, especially full-time, fits neither the ideal of camping nor of permanent housing while having elements of each.
When asked were I live or where I am from, I frequently answer: “This week, here.” Or if someone has time to listen: “Between the Atlantic and the Pacific, the Gulf of Mexico and the Great Lakes.”