By KELLI KENNEDY, Associated Press
Writer
Tue May 23, 9:10
AM ET
ORLANDO, Fla. - Russ and Jean Glines have
picked the theme music to herald their transition from living in a
3,000-square foot country club home to full-time roadies in a 400-square
foot recreational vehicle.
The Glines, 43-year-old mortgage brokers,
are among a growing number of Baby Boomers who have pushed the number of
RV owners to record levels, including some who hit the road full time
while continuing to pursue their careers.
"There's two CDs by the Allman Brothers.
We're going to put them in and turn the volume all the way up," Russ
Glines said.
Baby Boomers have money, a sense of
wanderlust and enough technology to run an office or stay in touch with
family while on the road, said Rachel Parsons, spokeswoman for the
Recreational Vehicle Industry Association.
Thanks to Wi-Fi, satellite Internet
hookups, e-mail and cell phones, the Glines will continue to run their
California-based mortgage company from their Country Coach Intrigue.
"We're looking forward to sitting in the
Keys in Florida with our satellite dish hooked up and working like we
were in our office in San Jose and going out for walks on the beach at
night," Russ said.
Nearly 8 million households owned at least
one RV in 2005, according to a study by the University of Michigan
Survey Research Center. That's a 58 percent increase from 1980. About
384,400 RV's were sold in 2005, according to the RV Association.
More often than not, today's RV'ers are
not the type who prefer sipping beer in front of the campfire, roughing
it in communal showers in lieu of a nine to five job. Now it's all about
luxury, said Bob Livingston, editor for Trailer Life Magazine.
"Older generations saw it as people who
were escaping from society, who didn't want to hold down a job,"
Livingston said. "It was a substitute living, a cheap way to get by in
parts that weren't very nice. It's totally different today. It's a
luxury."
The typical RV owner is 35 to 54
years-old, owns a home, has an annual income of $68,000 and travels an
average 4,500 miles a year, according to the study.
"They're a very affluent group compared to
the general population, very computer literate," said Joe Daquino, vice
president of the Affinity Group, which publishes directories of RV parks
and campgrounds.
Pop culture has even caught the road
tripping bug. Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie drove a chic silver travel
trailer cross-country on "The Simple Life," the sexy cast of MTV's "Road
Rules" has a Winnebago and even Robin Williams is sporting one in a
movie released this month, aptly titled "RV."
Mark and Crickett Gregorich rely on
satellite Internet and cell phones from their National RV Seabreeze to
keep their businesses going while they live on the road full time with
two kids and a dog.
Mark, a 41-year-old Web site designer, and
Crickett, a 32-year-old mortgage broker, sold their Orlando home last
year and incorporate trips to historic sites, museums and state capitols
while they homeschool or "roadschool" their sons, Adam, 11, and Lucas,
8.
"They've learned more from us visiting
places and going to different museums and parks," Crickett said.
"They're incredible with geography and history. It's just really cool."
The family started from the Florida Keys,
driving up the East Coast to Maine last year. This summer, they're in
the Southwest, where they recently visited the Bendera Volcano in
Arizona and pueblos in New Mexico. Next they'll hit Canada and Alaska.
Although experts say Boomers are largely
responsible for the sales spike, there is also a surprising number of
young families buying RVs in hopes of squeezing in more quality time
with the kids.
Kevin Olson, 45, said RV trips are a great
way for him and his wife to bond with their two teens, away from their
fast-paced life in Minnesota.
"The casual atmosphere of camping, hiking
and biking or just sitting around a campfire is what allures us to this
activity," Olson said. "In the hectic society that we live in we find
that these weekends we seem to be able to talk to one another more
openly and in depth."
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