Feeling powerless? Get behind the wheel of an RV.

One of the more annoying effects on your body of living longer is feeling more frail. Even worse, that feeling starts affecting your mind. Feeling frail leads to feelings of powerlessness.

What to do? Go for a test drive of a RV!

There’s a lot I like about owning a RV, but today I want to talk about what it does for your confidence. Especially if you’re a woman. 

I read a ton when I thought about buying a RV. Books, articles, websites. One writer (male) scared me about Class A motorhomes (those shaped like buses). He wrote about buying one, then having it skitter all over the freeway when he drove it at speed — until he just stopped and traded it in on a Class C (those are the ones with the bed area hanging over the front of the cab).

So I’ve never driven a Class A. But… I’ve stayed at parks where I’ve met women driving them — apparently without problem.

After all that reading, it was time to see if I could feel comfortable actually driving one. So I went to a dealer and took out a 26 foot Class C motorhome. And was pleasantly surprised. You couldn’t just drive it on autopilot, like you do sometimes in a car. You had to remain mindful of the height and the length.

Is that a smile?

What surprised me was the grin that spread across my face, once I realized I could handle it. A grin that continues to appear every single time I’m driving the RV, now years later. Why? Because while driving it I feel bigger. Stronger. More powerful. More everything(!)

I’m the same height as the trucks on the freeway. I look truck drivers in the eye as we pass. Sometimes I smile as I see not quite a double take in their eyes, but a momentary freeze of surprise.

A friend of mine who raises horses once told me every woman should drive a huge, flat-bed truck at least once. I think I understand her now. I am woman, hear me roar?

Should work for you men, as well!

Have you driven a RV? If so, did you experience this?

BTW, there’s a national organization with lots of local chapters called RVingWomen.org. They set up caravans and meets for women who drive their own RVs.

Author bio
Marlene Jensen is a 71-year-old full-time marketing professor. Previously she was a VP at CBS and ABC and spent decades as an entrepreneur and pricing author/consultant. Sadly, none of these prepared her for the onslaught of marketers who now think her daily interests/needs consist solely of hearing aids, wheel chairs, adult diapers, medi-alert buttons, medications, and bath tubs you walk into.