We’ve long felt that data on today’s RVers could be critical information to have when designing services, approaching companies or fighting unjust legal rulings.
Knowing how many of us there are out here, and some of our basic demographics can shape so many things. Especially as the demographics of RVers is so rapidly changing with so much more diversity.
We were thrilled when the folks at Escapees RV Club and their new lifestyle group Xscapers decided to take on the challenge of collecting anonymous data in a survey.
Over the past 37 years they have built up a reputation of being a leader in advocacy for RVers rights. We feel they’re an organization we can trust with this information, to use it for good in bettering all of our lives out here on the road.
This week, they have launched the first ever (at least that we know of) RVer Census.
It’s completely anonymous – no personally identifiable information is collected or stored. And they intend to share the results with the community, not just keep it to themselves.
Here’s the Escapee’s announcement explaining the survey:
RVer Census: Let Your Voice Be Heard
When working together, the RVing community has the ability to shape regulations affecting issues such as healthcare, employment, insurance, voting, and more. Participating in this survey is crucial to Escapees and Xscapers advocacy of your rights and to the protection of the RVing community as a whole.
Together we can let manufacturers, companies, employers and government agencies know that we are a powerful demographic.
Please share this survey with other RVers. Thank you, in advance, for making a difference!
This survey is open to ALL RVers – whether you’re full time, part time, seasonal or vacationing. It doesn’t matter if you’re working on the road, workamping, semi-retired or retired. Solo, married, partnered, family or other relationship models – all are encouraged to have their voice heard.
You don’t even have to be an Escapees or Xscapers member to participate.
Take the RVer Census Now
(Each member of your household should answer.)
Why is this Important?
One current example of how this information can be critical is healthcare.
Recently, Blue Cross Blue Shield Texas announced they will not be offering a PPO plan in Texas for 2016 – and this will have huge impacts for those RVers domiciled in Texas. It takes away one of the major health insurance solutions for those not yet on Medicare.
The recently launched partnership of RVerInsurance.com (formerly RVerHealthInsurance.com) and the Escapee’s Advocacy group are now working with an insurance provider to hopefully come up with another suitable solution that will cover Texas domiciled RVers who travel nationwide.
Having information of how many RVing clients need such flexible insurance could change the collective power they present to providers to come up with a solution.
In the future, this set of demographics can help open up doors for employment as Xscapers expands their newly launched Job Board, by approaching companies to consider offering positions to remote and mobile workers. Or help defeat future unjust taxation, rulings or regulations.
Together, our voices are stronger. Please consider spending a few moments to add yours.
Thank you Escapees and Xscapers for taking on this challenge and for being there for us all!
Disclosure: We are ongoing advisors to the Escapees, and were involved with the launch of Xscapers earlier this year. But we are in no way compensated for encouraging you to participate in this survey. We genuinely feel this is important!
I just wanted to say that you both have been an inspiration. I’ve been full time solo rving since Jan. 2012 and have run into plenty of issues regarding my lack of a “physical address”. Getting and keeping my health insurance has certainly been tricky. I filled out the survey. 🙂
Confirm…should be a way to add customer/guest services (hospitality) and seasonal employment. Both quite common to the non-retired (or not sufficiently retired) fulltimers.
We passed the comments along to the Escapees.. however, any concerns with the survey really should be brought up directly with them. We’re just spreading the word 🙂
Still you live my dream life, I so envy you and your full time. We will be looking to trade up to a newer Class A on Monday, our 17 year old Holiday Rambler Endeavor LE really let us down on our Yellowstone trip, repairs of over 2,000.00 dollars really put a dent in our budget and cut our vacation short by one week because of the additional expense. That said, we did see enough of Yellowstone Park, and did the full tour of the Custer Battlefield, (my main purpose of the trip) so all the major points were satisfied. We decided that a bit more room would be nice, since our current rig has no slide out and gets a bit cramped, while it is 36 feet in length a slide would make a big difference. Our last Camper had a super slide and that made a huge difference, we just got to the point physically that the set-up routine on a travel trailer was more then our old bodies could handle. Thus the upgrade to a Class A Motor home. Next will be a Diesel Pusher with 2 slides, if all goes well and the unit is in good enough condition. Again, thanks a million for your site, it lifts my spirit every time I read of your adventures on the road.
Hospitality not in the occupation list.
No way to indicate seasonal employment.
There’s an ‘Other’ field where you can fill in your own answer… would that work?
Yes…the other category does work…but hospitality and seasonal employment are such common items for full-time working RV’ers that not having those categories on selection lists could skew the results of the survey because of people picking only an item on the list rather than thinking to insert something in “other” category.
To bad they left us Canadians out, eh!
Good point.. not sure if that was intentional or not.
Filled out survey… Would love to see the results and in return for my contribution. Will you be publishing results? Thanks! -Bob
Escapee’s has said they intend to share the results.
YES! Very anxious to see the results and enter into dialog of importance of same.
I hadn’t heard about the BCBS of Texas PPO being dropped at the end of the year. Yikes, as that’s what I have (and why I chose Texas domicile… argh). But at least I know now, thanks to you!
I’m slightly confused between rvinsurance.com, rverinsurance.com, and rverhealthinsurance.com (although rverhealthinsurance.com redirects to rverinsurance.com). I went through Kyle originally, I think thanks to your mention (or maybe yours and Wheeling It’s both).
I realize the (important) survey is the focus of the post, but I’m a bit distracted by the BCBS announcement, I’ll have to admit.
Thanks for the informative post.
First .. sorry about the confusion, it’s all RVerInsurance.com now.. and I’ve corrected the post.
While this post wasn’t intended to be an announcement about it, glad you got the heads up – I thought BCBS notified all their TX PPO customers over a month ago, WheelingIt did a post about it (impacts them too), Kyle put out an announcement about it and it’s been a hot topic in many RVing forums, including the Xscapers group.
Thanks, Cherie, for the note back and the clarification. I must have missed it due to traveling/mail not catching up – plus being busy on a project so not reading RV-er forums. Out of the loop! But I know now, thanks to you.
Maybe I’ll be moving to that swing state 😀
PS: Found the Wheeling It post and I see Florida is changing their “good” plan too, so who knows?! I’d say this makes the survey/census and advocacy groups more important than ever (getting back on track…)
Yup.. Assurant is completely pulling out of the Florida health insurance market – which is who we were with. I was able to switch mine over to BCBS a couple months ago, but now worried that they too will pull their PPO out of FL.