How Xscapers Changed RVing For Me
Our First Six Months of RVing
When Evin and I left Phoenix and decided to start RVing in October 2018, we knew we were starting an adventure with many unknowns that we would figure out along the way. Most of the first year was spent in RV parks and planning our routes to visit family. We were aware of Xscapers, but the timing of the Convergences just didn’t line up with our schedule. When the Deming Convergence was announced about six months after we started full-timing, it seemed like a perfect fit for us – a whole month and no boondocking – so we signed up and shaped our travel plans around it.
In the time between signing up and our first Convergence, we were hopping from place to place but not making meaningful connections. We were lonely and began to question why we chose the RV life. While on our way to Deming, we had all but decided to give up the nomadic life, and instead to find a way to snowbird between Montana and Arizona.
Our First Xscapers Convergence
Convirgin (noun): an affectionate term for Xscapers attending their first Convergence.
Fast forward a few short months, we arrived in Deming as “Convirgins” and immediately started forging connections with like-minded people. We found out that it wasn’t weird to stop by and say hi or have happy hour with our newly found friends. We are young nomads and we were delighted to discover that some people we met were even our own age! Our first Taco Tuesday night was spent sipping margaritas with JP and then wandering home and sitting around a faux fire with new friends. Over the next month, we made friends who we have so much in common with and who understand our lifestyle. By the end of September, we were seriously questioning whether snowbirding was the right choice for us.
Time For a Game-Changer: Boondocking for the First Time
Lucky for us, we were already signed up for the Balloon Fiesta Convergence in early October which gave us a little more time to decide what we really wanted to do. The Balloon Fiesta Convergence was packed with new people who were every bit as welcoming as those at the Deming Convergence. This was also our first boondocking experience. I was dead set against it, having a very clear opinion about what I thought it would be like. I thought I would have to be skipping showers and using body wipes. We quickly learned we could go a week easily with small adjustments in our day to day life. It gave us real freedom from run of the mill RV parks. By the end of the Balloon Fiesta, we drank the Xscapers Kool-Aid and knew we were most likely going to continue RVing.
Since the Balloon Fiesta, we have not traveled by ourselves. We slowly traveled to Las Vegas and attended the Halloween Convergence and then moved down to Congress, AZ to help with the new Xscapers trailer, straight into New Year’s at Quartzsite, and the Annual Bash in Lake Havasu. Did I mention we drank the Kool-Aid? We are now in the process of getting solar and planning our travel itinerary around Convergences and where our new friends will be.
What We Learned from the Xscapers Culture
Finding Xscapers and truly immersing ourselves into the culture has completely changed our RV future. If we had not gone to Deming, I am confident that we would have rented an apartment in Arizona and been looking for property in Montana. Instead, we have learned that there is community on the road, and we have made more friends who feel like family than we have in the last ten years of being in a sticks and bricks home. We have learned that it doesn’t matter where we are and if something goes wrong: there is a huge network of people who truly have our back!
I know not everyone will want to dive into the Xscapers culture to the extent that Evin and I did, but the beauty of the group is there is so much inclusion. It doesn’t matter if you don’t attend Convergences, how old you are, if you are part time or full time – you are still welcomed with open arms and that is becoming harder and harder to find anywhere.
I hope to meet more of you on the road in 2020. If you are at an Xscapers event, there is a high likelihood that Evin and I will be there so make sure to come say hi! Bob Harvey and Lenny will probably bark at you and then pretend to know you forever. We love to make new friends and share the unique community we have found with Xscapers.
Author
Rose Swan
Rose Swan and Evin Carr travel full time in their Class A Monaco Windsor. They are the parents of two of the naughtiest dogs around, Bob Harvey and Lenny. Their first year, spent mostly in RV parks, taught them the true meaning of “home is where you park it.” Now halfway through their second year, they are spending much more time boondocking and are loving exploring new places and learning even more about the challenges and rewards of life on the road. You can follow their travels on Instagram @roseandevinontheroad.
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Great article Rose. We felt the exact same way when we went to our first Convergence two years ago. It completely changed our RV life. Glad you found us.
Xscapers has changed my life, no joke.