As we prepared to retire and enter the lifestyle of traveling fulltime, we talked at length about the things we would see. Our travels would take us to mountains and deserts, oceans, rivers and lakes. We wanted to see the National Parks in the good old USA and the National and Provincial Parks in Canada. We knew trips to Mexico would be interesting as would train and boat rides, hikes and long sightseeing drives. Of course we would need to visit small towns and large cities with small museums and large galleries. We could not wait to begin our journey and see as much as our eyes and brains could absorb.

Then a funny thing happened on our way to fulltiming. In campground after campground we met wonderfully friendly people that became our friends. For a few days we enjoyed each others company, a few meals together and some sightseeing. When we left that campground there would be handshakes and hugs and exchanges of e-mail addresses and phone numbers. After a couple of months on the road we had built a list of new friends that we were communicating with routinely. That is when we realized the best thing about traveling fulltime is not the things we saw but the people we met. This country is full of great people.

Soon we were making plans to meet our new friends in RV parks, often driving hundreds of miles to meet them. Then our friends would drive hundreds of miles to be with us. Next we started meeting friends of our friends, and they became our friends too. Next came the groups of friends, where we would plan for months on all of us meeting together. When we left our friends it was a sad time, but not to worry. Just down the road at the next campground we would either meet old friends or make new ones.

Now we understand the RV community - a tight nit group of friends and friendly people. It is a mobile community that moves from town to town, not actually the same people, but the same "mind" of people. No matter where we go in the community we feel at home. Too bad the fixed communities of our country are not like the RV community.