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, 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

Living happily in her RV

You'll get a good idea how comfortable a single woman can be living in a modest-sized Class C motorhome. In this woman's case, she doesn't even need all her cupboard space. She takes you on a tour of her RV in this three-minute video.

Women's Wellness program begins April 8 at Virginia "underground" state park"

This Spring Virginia State Parks' will offer its fifth Women's Wellness Weekend, this time at Natural Tunnel State Park Park in Duffield, Virginia. The weekend will provide educational and recreational opportunities that empower and enlighten women to sustain a healthy lifestyle.

This type of weekend is an excellent "getaway" for women of all ages where they can treat themselves to a weekend of pampering and fun activities. Natural Tunnel is a picturesque setting where you can unwind and regain balance in your life. For the entire weekend, a wide variety of workshops, programs and outdoor activities will be offered. You may want to experience the underground world of caves and caverns. View first hand the unique formations and historical remains found in the park caves. You'll see evidence of earlier cave explorers and inhabitants. A trained guide provides participants hard hats, knee pads, lights, gloves and instruction. This tour involves more effort and ability due to the crawls and small passages found within the cave.

The weekend begins on Friday, April 8 with registration starting at 3 p.m. and ends the afternoon of Sunday, April 10. For those who decided to arrive Thursday evening, a trip to Wilderness Road State Park and Southwest Virginia Museum State Park is planned for Friday.

The Women's Wellness Weekends are affordable. Registration fees include all sessions as well as meals. Lodging is separate. Natural Tunnel has recently opened 10 new cabins ranging from two-bedroom cabins to a six-bedroom lodge. Lodging is also available at the park's Cove Ridge Conference Center as well in the park's two campgrounds.

More information and prices on the Virginia State Park's Women's Wellness Weekend or for general park is available at the park website. Overnight reservations can also be made by calling 1-800-933-PARK (7275).

Fulltime RVer Joyce Caudell volunteers

Joyce Caudell, retired registered nurse in health education, teaching and management.

Started fulltime RVing: In February 2007. Sold her house in April that year.

Type of RV: 2007 26-foot Itasca Sunova, with two slides. Her tow car is a 2006 Saturn. "It doubles as a garage," she joked.

How did you decided on the RV lifestyle: "It was always a dream for me and my husband to retire and explore the remote places of the USA," said Joyce

"Then when I was alone I kept looking for a new dream and couldn't find one I liked better. So I took this one on as a possibility with vigor and commitment to learning to do a good job as a single woman with curiosity and a spirit of adventure.

"I researched, joined RV online groups, took classes, talked to anyone and everyone I could, made files, spreadsheets and learned as much as I could for a year before I finally took the plunge, bought the RV and sold the house. I didn't have the money to keep up a nice house and yard and do the extensive RV travel too, so I said, 'Who needs this house anyway.'

"I knew I had to make my life happen."

How do you spend your time? "I remember one of my daughters-in-law sitting in my new RV and asking, 'But what do you DO all day?'

"I'm still not sure how to answer that. I'm definitely not bored. I have lots of interests, hobbies, friends, family and sport activities--like walking, hiking, biking and kayaking. I spend a lot of time planning adventures and travels.

"I try to get to sunny Arizona in winter. I enjoy boondocking with like-minded friends in the beautiful desert, parked randomly on undeveloped BLM lands using solar power.
"Two years ago a friend got me into volunteering and I've done that part-time for state parks, the National Park Service and the Army Corps of Engineering."

This past summer, Joyce volunteered at Oregon's Wallowa Lake State Park for the Nez Perce National Historic Park Service doing demonstrations and campground presentations about Nez Perce Nation cultural items.

Would you choose this lifestyle again? "In a heartbeat," she said. "Just thinking about settling down gives me claustrophobia. I've never been to a locale I didn't want to come back to and do more exploring. The RVing community is awesome. The friends I've made on the road are treasures that will last my lifetime. "

Photo: Volunteer RVer Joyce Caudell shows a young visitor a buffalo horn at Wallowa Lake State Park. "The Nez Perce would clean them up, polish, and sometimes decorate them to make them into useful personal items such as drinking cups," said Joyce. (Courtesy of Joyce Caudell)




Read more by Julianne Crane at RVWheelLife.com