Straight Talk about RV Camping in 2022

It's time for some unvarnished, blunt and no-BS talk about what to expect about RV camping in 2022, in contrast to the "everything is great" pablum being spewed out by RV industry marketers and PR spinmasters.

Everything is not great. And far from it.

So in episode 377 of the podcast, we're going to tell it like it is. The good (and there still is much about the RV lifestyle that IS good), and the bad (the challenges and problems that nobody tells you about when buying a new RV).

That is IF you can find a new RV to buy that you don't have to wait a year or two to get.

If you want to cut to the chase and watch the video version of this episode of the podcast that is available on our RV Lifestyle YouTube Channel, click the player below.

https://youtu.be/5udFcqZPQRs

If you want just an audio version, you can listen on your favorite podcast app - Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, etc, we're on them all - or click the play arrow in the box below to listen to on the device you are reading this.

There has been so much upheaval in the RV industry over the past two years that we wish we could say that it will be better in 2022.

It may. In fact, we are hopeful that it will.

Admittedly while it is hard in the first few days of the new year of 2022 to look ahead and say with certainty just what will happen, we do think it's important to look at the trends and developments we have been seeing over the past few months and use them to help us shape our travel plans for RV camping in 2022.

We are every bit as excited about RV Travel as we have ever been. But with so many newcomers jumping into the RV Lifestyle and with all the new challenges the crazy growth in camping that we have seen over the past three days, things are certainly more challenging.

When you add in the uncertainties of the time - social and political - we think it prudent to devote our first podcast of the year to an honest assessment on where things are and what we can expect for the rest of the year.

So, from our 10+ years now of traveling and reporting on the RV Lifestyle, we have some things we want to be very straight about. Most of these topics have been raised numerous times through email, postings on our RV Lifestyle Facebook Group, and during our in-person meetups around the country.

So let's get started with the 1,000-pound gorilla around the campfire.

COVID and what it means for RV camping in 2022

COVID will continue to adversely affect RV camping in 2022

As this was published, we are seeing unprecedented spikes in the number of infections. In fact, as I write this, Jennifer is recovering from COVID, despite the fact that she (as me) is vaccinated and boosted.

This week, one of the top infectious disease doctors and a key advisor on COVID policy to the U.S. government just said that over the next few weeks, “we’re going to have a hard time keeping everyday life operating” because of the sharp rise in coronavirus cases brought about by the Omicron variant.

I can personally attest that getting a quick test for the disease is almost impossible. The at-home so-called instant tests" are virtually sold out online and at stores.

The at-home tests are almost impossible to find!

COVID is still - more than two years after it hi...