Books geared to Women RVers

Veteran RVers Jaimie Hall Bruzenak and Alice Zyetz, of RVLifestyleExperts.com have been RVing for dozens of years. Each has traveled solo and with their husbands.

Together they have written several RV how-to books--including two geared exclusively toward women: The Woman's Guide to Solo RVing and RV Traveling Tales: Women’s Journeys on the Open Road.

In 'Solo RVing' (Pine Country Publishing) the authors incorporate the experiences of seasoned RVers. Ten solo women give real-life advice on a range of topics critical to women traveling on their own.

'RV Traveling Tales' (Pine Country Publishing, March, 2003) is an anthology of short essays by 52 women talking about living in, and traveling in an RV. "Each story is brief, yet presents a memorable snapshot of RV life."

Both these books help answer some of the big questions and examine many of the challenges facing today's solo RVing woman.

"For women who are going to travel alone," says Jaimie, "I think getting over that initial fear--just getting out and doing it and building up some confidence can be a challenge."

When Jaimie took her first solo trip after her former husband, Bill Hall, passed away, she was nervous.

"Just about everything that could go wrong on that trip did," she says. "But I thought of the other widowed women I knew who were still RVing and that inspired me. If they could do it, so could I. Getting both knowledge and experience helps resolve this item."

"For many women," says Alice, "fixing the RV and toad are a bit daunting, but they soon learn where to get help or how to do it themselves."

However, she adds, "Loneliness is something they fear at first, but they soon find out how easy it is to make connections with others."

Jaimie agrees that some may be anxious about making new women friends and having more than superficial connections.

"The Internet allows you to stay connected with family and non-RV friends," says Jaimie, "but your life will be much richer if you can meet other RVers--or at least like-minded people in your travels--and establish a community."

"Alice and I found that in the Boomer group of the Escapees RV Club," adds Jaimie. "If you stay in one location, you could find it there in the RV park, where you Workamp or volunteer or the community. You have to be willing to reach out to others and invest in new friendships."

Both Alice and Jaimie suggest that solo women frequently find community in solo groups like Wandering Individual Network, Loners on Wheels or the Escapees Solos Birds of a Feather.

These well-written, informative and inspirational books are for those women who dream of traveling by RV, whether alone or with a friend or partner.

Image of Alice Zyetz and Jaimie Hall-Bruzenak, courtesy of RVLifestyleExperts.com.

Read more by Julianne Crane at RVWheelLife.com