ADVENTURE CRAVERS
WHY NOT NOW?
BRODIE AND ERIC JENKINS Not ones to make rushed decisions, dentist Brodie and her husband Eric—who has worked from home before working from home was the norm—shopped around for an RV for more than a dozen years. But when the pandemic uprooted their daily lives, they decided to take the bull—or in this case, Airstream— by the horns. They bought a class B Airstream Interstate 19 Touring Coach built on a Mercedes-Benz sprinter van with a short wheel base. “When we purchased it in November 2020, we figured that with all the uncertainty, it was a good time to find a deal on an RV,” Eric says. “Nowadays, waitlists for RVs are at least a year out.” With plans to travel with children Rhone, age 20, and Pearl, age 17—plus three dogs—space and quality were top priorities. The Airstream is hard-sided and quick to pack up and go, making it easy to work around Brodie’s busy dental practice schedule when the couple wants to make a getaway. So far, they’ve used the RV at least six times per year, but they dream of a time when they’ll be able to up that to once a month. Top on that their destination requirements consist of locales with good hiking opportunities and dog-friendly beaches and restaurants, and it becomes clear that the Jenkins’ RV travel scenarios require a little advance planning. Their favorite trip so far—and longest, at 2,000 miles—was to Badlands, Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks in 2021. “Owning an RV offers the ability to have a full kitchen, bathroom and your own bed on wheels. It’s liberating and it opens up so many opportunities to go and explore anywhere without worrying about accommodations—not to mention packing and unpacking all the time,” Eric says. “The RV makes it easy to carry our adventure equipment with us everywhere we go.” So, where’s next for the adventurous Jenkins family? “We were planning on Glacier National Park, but then we opted for Alaska instead,” Eric says, before remembering their upcoming trip to Jekyll Island, Georgia, followed by Disney World, where they’ll camp at Fort Wilderness. Sounds like their adventures are just beginning!
KRISTEN AND ZAYNE TABER We first met Kristen and Zayne back in 2020 when we wrote our “To Have and To Hold” collection of wedding stories for our March/April 2020 issue. They shared the fabulous details of their Italian nuptials, then settled down on a farm in Warrenton—about an hour north of downtown Raleigh—until the pandemic pushed them to reexamine their bucket lists. We already know the pair is capable of thinking outside the box (Ciao, Tuscany matrimony!), but living full-time in an RV takes thrill-seeking to an entirely different level. “We’d always talked about selling everything and living full-time in an RV, and when COVID shut everything down, we thought, ‘Why not try it now?’” Kristen says. As owner of Tabletop Media Group—a media agency servicing food, beverage, agriculture and lifestyle companies—she can work remotely. And Zayne, a business developer and investor, is also able to work in remote situations. So the Tabers sold the farm, purchased a 44-foot Keystone Fuzion 429 Toy Hauler and hit the road with their three dogs in tow. Although their monstrous fifth wheel was “nicer than their old farm house,” the Tabers quickly learned that most state parks don’t have RV spots larger than 35 feet. “It was bigger than my first apartment, but a beast to maneuver,” Kristen says. The couple eventually downsized to a smaller RV and headed as far as Key West. Their favorite “hidden gem” is close to home: Bullocksville Campground at Kerr Lake State Recreation Area. “It offers stunning lake views with gorgeous sunrises and sunsets, as well as beach areas with paddleboards and kayaks,” Kristen says. Even though the couple has returned to living within four walls in a traditional home, Kristen says she wouldn’t trade their year-long road adventure for anything. “We’re excited that life seems to be getting back to normal, and that I can meet with clients in person now,” she says. “The dogs are happy to have a fenced-in yard and a home without wheels, but we’ll always treasure the year we spent roaming the Southeast in an RV.”
HAPPY CAMPER TIPS FROM BRODIE AND ERIC
HAPPY CAMPER TIPS FROM KRISTEN AND ZAYNE
• Do your research. Don’t buy on impulse and invest in the best-quality build you can afford.
• Practice backing up and parking in an empty lot with cones. Be sure to do this before you head out on your first adventure.
• Make a list of your non-negotiables—and don’t veer from it.
• Find an RV that is 35 feet long or smaller. This is the standard parking spot size in most campground RV lots.
• Read blogs, watch YouTube and scour the internet. Find out as much as you can so you can decide which RV is right for you. • Know that this doesn’t have to be your forever RV. Needs change over time; so does your understanding of what is important to you.
• Rent different RVs before making your final purchase. That way you’ll know what works best for you. • Book campsites well in advance. Most of them are reserved quickly.
32 | caryliving.com
050622CL_FEA_RVTravel.indd 32
4/14/22 3:01 PM
