Millions of baby boomers retire each year, and they’re taking the RV community by storm.
After spending decades in the workforce, many of these newly retired adventure seekers are packing up and hitting the road – some take extended RV trips and others live full time in their RV.
While they may prefer different camping styles, there are a few popular RVs among baby boomers. If you’re looking to retire and hit the road soon, we’ve listened to hundreds of baby boomers to learn what RVs they love.
Let’s take a look!
What Is a Baby Boomer?
A baby boomer is anyone born between 1946 and 1964. This is typically a person born in the U.S. during the massive increase in the birth rate following World War II.
Starting in 2011, large chunks of this generation started reaching retirement age. As more and more of these individuals retire, the U.S. economy and societal infrastructure will require adjustments.
What Are the Most Popular RVs Among Baby Boomers?
Depending on the style of RVing, there are a handful of popular RV types among baby boomers. Let’s take a look at which type of RVs baby boomers are most likely to call home while adventuring in retirement.
Fifth Wheels
Fifth wheels are one popular choice for baby boomers. These are great options because they provide a tremendous amount of living and storage space. With a ton of floorplans and manufacturers, there are plenty of options to consider.
Many manufacturers recognize the demand for fifth wheels for full-time living and adjust their floorplans and amenities. You can find fifth wheels with washing machines and dryers, dishwashers, and multiple bedrooms.
Just because you’re living and traveling in an RV doesn’t mean you can’t feel right at home.
Pro Tip: Ready to invest in a fifth wheel RV? We found The Best Fifth Wheel Brands (2022 Models).
Class A Motorhomes
Some baby boomers choose Class A Motorhomes as their home on the road. This type of RV often resembles a tour bus and comes with a hefty price tag. However, you can expect luxuries that other RVs can’t provide for the premium price.
These rigs can handle a lot more weight than other RVs, which gives manufacturers flexibility during construction. Adding additional luxuries like tile floors, granite and marble countertops, and thicker insulation adds weight to an RV but can provide a more comfortable and luxurious experience.
A Class A motorhome is not only your home but also your vehicle. As a result, many RVers with this type of RV will tow a vehicle behind them while they travel. While many compact cars serve this purpose, it’s rather common to see Jeeps towed behind a Class A motorhome.
These are popular options because they’re rather versatile and allow RVers to take part in some off-road adventures.
Small Motorhomes
Bigger doesn’t always mean better, especially when it comes to RVs. Not every baby boomer wants a massive RV to travel in across the country full-time.
Small motorhomes like camper vans and Class C RVs are great for short trips. We even know some RVers who own a couple of RVs and vary their usage based on the type of trip they’re taking. With a smaller motorhome, it will be easier to maneuver and find parking and campsites as well.
Pro Tip: If you’re 55 and up find out Why RV Owners Like Age Restrictive RV Parks?
Where Do Baby Boomers Travel?
One of the benefits of RVing is the freedom that it provides. Many baby boomers use their RVs to travel with the weather whenever they choose. Many of these individuals endured decades of harsh winters and shoveled snow early in the morning to get to work. Now, they’re ready to leave that all behind.
Popular locations are California, Texas, Arizona, Florida, and southern New Mexico during the winter months. However, if RVers stay on the road during the warmer months, the possibilities are practically endless. Some baby boomers make it a goal to see as many national parks or states as possible.
The lifestyle provides the opportunity to see practically any destination in the continental U.S.
What Is the Average Age of an RV Owner?
While the average age of an RV owner (48-years-old) has been rather steady for several decades, there are indications of a shift. While ownership is split pretty evenly between RVers over and under the age of 55, 18-to-34-year-olds now make up 22% of RV owners.
This is primarily due to the increase in remote work and education. As the nomadic and minimalistic lifestyles continue to gain popularity, it shouldn’t be surprising to see more and more families and young people towing RVs across the country and into campgrounds.
Take on New Adventures in an RV
After spending decades waking up each morning and heading off to work, RVing is an appealing option for many retirees. The lifestyle can allow retirees to see and experience places they may have only glimpsed in magazines or on TV.
While the type of RV they choose to take them on their adventures may vary, all these travelers embrace adventure and live life to the fullest.
What type of RV would you choose for your home away from home? Let us know in the comments below!
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The wife and I, in our late 60’s prefer the smaller pull-behinds(ball hitch). We really enjoy knowing that we can get into so many more tighter smaller places. Also, there are so many more designated campgrounds that are not suited for the larger 5th wheel trailers. Less expense for fuel(lighter load being pulled), less area to keep clean, less area to keep cool or heated, etc. Having said all this, I have no problem imagining being in a bigger rig and enjoying it a lot! However, we prefer the more mimimalistic way for now and do keep our thoughts open to maybe pulling a larger home one day. We are full-timers with two dogs in a 24′ with one slide.
Happy travels, camping, and Merry Christmas to all!
My wife and myself camped years ago in tent’s , then we had an old class C that was handed down in the family…. Boy, good thing I was a mechanic at the time]! We swore we would never have another motorized camper again! When we retired 2 years ago, we had a 37foot travel trailer that we pulled 8800 miles on our first big trip that was mostly in the southwest. After about the first dozen times over the Great Divide and trying to find camp spots big enough for this behemoth in old fed/state parks, we kinda thought maybe this was just more than we needed for two people. We sold it [in about 2 days] and ordered a new truck camper that allows us to also pull the boat with us. The trade off is space of course but, no more ”gee, wish we had the boat with us” when at a campground on the water! So far so good! Merry Christmas! vibin’ and All!