What Influentials Are Saying About RVing In The Media

Compiled by Recreation Vehicle Industry Association

Check out Matthew McConaughey's acceptance speech for the RVIA Spirit of America Award

• "The minute I step foot in the motorhome, I feel at ease. I don't have anything else to think about except taking care of my family."                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  —Actress Jennie Garth to Access Hollywood, November, 2007

• "I'm going on a little road trip for two months...I'm just gonna get in an RV and ride around with some friends and have a good time." — Shia LaBeouf (actor) on his summer '08 plans, contactmusic.com
  
  

• "My team is sabotaging me by not letting me sleep in my motorhome."

—Bode Miller, U.S. Olympic skier

• "I've gone from being a major league pitcher to a major league RV owner.  I'll travel roughly 5,000 miles in my RV this year.  It's a great way to see America, and as relaxed a way to see the country as there can possibly be."

—Jim Kaat, former major league baseball pitcher

• "My RV is the only place where I can find some peace and quiet."

—Jeff Gordon, NASCAR driver

• "It's great for family bond and eating healthy on the road because you can prepare your own foods."

—Dean Karnazes, ultra-marathon runner and best-selling author

• "Traveling by RV is like being at home.  Now my wife and son come with me on tour.  That has allowed me to relax and play more events without feeling fatigued or stressed out."

— Rory Sabbatini, pro golfer, interviewed on USA Network’s coverage of the Booz Allen Golf Classic, June 25, 2004

• “Staying at the RV park. Meet the neighbors. Have a barbeque.  We met some interesting characters; some great people.  It’s a great way to see the country.”

—Matthew McConaughey,  actor, Live with Regis and Kelly

• “There’s nothing not to like about it.  The freedom of being able to pull up, stop, power up anywhere you want – beach or whatever.  Set up and have your front yard different every single day. Whatever you want it to be, and to see the country that way – it’s awesome.” 

—Matthew McConaughey, actor, The Ellen Show, October 10, 2005

• “Here we are in the middle of America.  The family is together. No telephone. No TV. Just us just spending quality time with those you care about.  I really love this.”

—Tisha Campbell-Martin as "Jay Kyle" in My Wife and Kids, May 10, 2005

• “Airline travel being what it is these days – so unreliable.  I’ll feel much more comfortable knowing I have my own posturepedic bed; my own thermostat; my own lavatory facility.”

—Robert De Niro as "Jack Byrnes" in Meet the Fockers, 2004

• “RV travel is as relaxed a way to see the country as there can possibly be: Leave when you wish, stay where you wish, very convenient and getting better all the time.”

—Jim Kaat, former major league baseball player, American Legion Magazine, March 2005 

• “I was surprised at RVing’s high technology and serious design power.”

—Dutch Mandel, editor, AutoWeek, January 3, 2005

• “As the population has aged toward retirement, the No. 1 search term has shifted from Gucci (2002) and BMW (2003) to this year's leading term, RV — short for recreation vehicle.”

—Kevin Maney, technology columnist, USA Today, December 30, 2004

• “The boom in recreation vehicles just keeps motoring along. A Bloomberg index based on shares of the largest makers of recreation vehicles has risen 7.9 percent in 2004, more than the 7.1 percent gain for the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index.”

—Jeff Green, reporter, Bloomberg News, December 6, 2004

• “Stubbornly high fuel prices haven't slowed the $12 billion-a-year recreational vehicle industry, on course to reach record high revenues for a second straight year. Credit the buying surge to low interest rates and baby boomers with enough disposable income to snatch up RVs ranging from pop-up trailers to massive motorhomes with gourmet kitchens, fireplaces and flat-screen TVs.”

—Bruce Schreiner, reporter, Associated Press, December 3, 2004

• “A positive sign for the RV industry is the number of couples with young children who are buying RVs. Many of those families will trade up for bigger models as the years go on, and the children will become potential customers once they reach adulthood.”

—Bruce Schreiner, reporter, Associated Press, December 3, 2004

 “RVing changed our family for the better. Instead of playing video games my son was out learning new things in the RV.”

—John Ratzenberger, actor and TV host/producer, RVIA award ceremony, Louisville, Ky., November 30, 2004

• “I visit a lot of small towns on my travels, and there’s no better way of doing this at any age than by RV, to really capture the culture of America.”

—Mike Leonard, NBC Today feature correspondent, RVIA Spirit of America Award ceremony, November 30, 2004

• “One of the reasons so many [NASCAR] drivers are using RVs is that we’re not always in places where you can stay in a nice hotel. The RV is your home away from home. It allows you to stay focused.”

—Jeff Gordon, NASCAR driver, commenting on The Travel Channel’s Dream RVs, September 26, 2004

• “My RV is the only place where I can find some peace and quiet.”

          - Paul Newman, actor and race car driver, commenting on The Travel Channel’s Dream RVs, September 26, 2004

• “As soon as this convention is over we are loading up our kids in an RV. We are traveling around to county fairs, eating ice cream and taking our two girls to the swimming pool.”

—Barack Obama, U.S. Senator (D-IL), commenting on MSNBC’s The Joe Scarborough Show, August 2, 2004 from the floor of the Democratic National Convention following his keynote address

• “We rented an RV to find the heart and soul of America.”

—Bill Weir, weekend host, commenting on his family’s RV journey chronicled on ABC’s Good Morning America, August 2, 2004

• “RVs have changed the nation’s roadways forever. RVers see America in style.”

—Gordon Elliott, host, Fine Living Network’s Genuine Article, July 21, 2004

• “Did you spend the summer driving to the Grand Canyon in a minivan with no DVD player in it? Now imagine the same family vacation in an RV that has a queen-size bed, two phone lines and three TVs!”

—Elizabeth Chang, reporter, Washington Post’s KidsPost, July 14, 2004

• “RVing surely ranks among the most rewarding of leisure pursuits.”

—Glen Ruffenach, reporter, Wall Street Journal, June 28, 2004

• “Traveling by RV is like being at home. Now my wife and son come with me on tour. That has allowed me to relax and play more events without getting fatigued or stressed out.”

—Rory Sabbatini, pro golfer, interviewed on USA Network’s coverage of the Booz Allen Golf Classic, June 25, 2004

• “Golfers in increasing numbers have hit the road in custom [RVs], pulling into town with their families, wives, babies, dogs and in-laws. The players say they avoid the headaches of hotels, guest housing and extensive airport security searches.”

—John Schwartz, reporter, New York Times, June 17, 2004

• “Being an RVer helps me do my job better. The RV world gives me a chance to balance things out. It allows me a sense of freedom.”

—Clarence Thomas, U.S. Supreme Court Justice, RVIA award luncheon, Washington D.C., June 7, 2004

• “Wired for the latest technology and loaded with luxury amenities, RVs are hot again, as both baby boomers and Generation Xers rediscover the joy of the road trip.”

—Kevin Kelly, auto industry writer, Consumers Digest, May/June 2004

• “When you factor in convenience, affordability and sheer adventure, it’s no wonder families love RV vacations.  After all, you unpack just once.  You can buy groceries and prepare all your meals in the RV’s kitchen.  And forget about hotels: You’ll be staying in campgrounds, spending no more than $10 to $50 a night.  Want to bring along the family Labrador?  That’s usually not a problem.  Oh, and there’s no one to tip, either.”

—Everett Potter, award-winning travel writer, USA Weekend, April 2-4, 2004

• “It’s a big, beautiful country out there and an RV is a great way to see it.”

—Steve Natt, auto writer and host, commenting on Fine Living Network’s Life in the Fast Lane, March 28, 2004

• “Expect the future of the RV industry to be strong; more baby boomers will seek alternative lifestyles, different ways to invest their time and money, and a new sense of freedom. This demand bodes well for manufacturing, since RVs on American roads are produced in the United States, a $12 billion industry. With prices to fit a wide range of budgets, the increasing popularity of RVs will help the economy."

—Roger Herman, strategic business futurist, The Herman Trend Alert, March 17, 2004

• “With RVs you have all the conveniences of a first class hotel right behind the driver’s seat. You don’t have to make reservations. You just say ‘let’s hop in the RV and go!’”

—Mark Orwoll, managing editor, Travel & Leisure magazine commenting on Tricks of the Trade on the Fine Living Network, February 23, 2004

• “Recreation vehicles and the parks that accommodate them are so much better than I ever anticipated that I have become a convert.”

—Emily Kaufman, travel writer, Woman’s Day, April 15, 2004

• “After a while, you think of it [an RV] as home. It’s a terrific way to live.”

—Gary Burghoff, actor (played “Radar” on M*A*S*H), CitrusCounty(FL) Chronicle, October 3, 2003

• “I really feel like an American because I RV through it [America].”

—Gary Burghoff, actor (played “Radar” on M*A*S*H), CitrusCounty(FL) Chronicle, October 3, 2003

• “An RV has more living space than my last Manhattan apartment … tricked out with a satellite dish on the roof, flat-screen TVs, computer hookups and a surround-sound component stereo system that puts my own modest home system to shame.”

—Steve Dougherty, travel writer, New York Times, February 6, 2004

• “I just enjoy kind of the whole RV thing. I’ve had RVs forever and of course on movie sets you live in those things.”

—Jeff Daniels, actor, quoted in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, January 16, 2004

• “[RVing] is a nice activity, because it’s you and the wife and the kids and you go everywhere.”

—David Letterman, host, CBS Late Show with David Letterman, January 13, 2004

• “If I find this [missing lottery] ticket, I’d buy an RV, drive around the country with my plasma television and hit all the big cities.”

—Viewer letter read on air, CNN Headline News, January 6, 2004

• “Having all your clothes in the motorhome and not having to pack suitcases, you can get used to that. Plus we can take our motorcycle.”

—Davis Love III, pro golfer, quoted in Golf Digest, January 2004

• “RV sales are up. The RV industry is definitely in the fast lane!”

—Mike Hegedus, correspondent, CNBC Squawk Box, December 2, 2003

• “My husband and I have a little RV that we travel around in. We enjoy [RVing]. We enjoy the outdoors and we love to drive.”

—Dolly Parton, country music legend, commenting on CBS Late Show with David Letterman, November 12, 2003

• “RV rentals are booming — and with good reason. With RVing, you control your own time, where you go, where you stay — and the price is right.”

—Peter Greenberg, renowned travel expert, commenting on Extra, August 1, 2003

• "RVs are one of the hottest things in the travel industry.”

—Cindy Loose, travel writer, Washington Post, July 27, 2003

• “It gets old sleeping in hotel rooms every weekend, and [RVing] makes things a lot more comfortable.”

—Mike Andretti, race car driver, commenting on Ultimate Travel on the Travel Channel, July 25, 2003

• “I’ve spent a fair amount of time hanging out [in RVs] and I’ve always kind of liked it.”

—Billy Campbell, actor, commenting on Millionaire Trailer Parks on The Travel Channel, July 20, 2003

• “RVs are a national phenomenon.”

—Lou Manfredini, “House Smart” columnist, USA Weekend, July 11, 2003

• “If you’d like to see the country without leaving creature comforts behind, an RV might be for you.”

—Valerie Patterson, reporter, Wall Street Journal, June 19, 2003

• “We had a glamorous road trip. We upgraded from a tent to an RV.”

—Natasha Henstridge, actor and model, commenting on CBS Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn, June 4, 2003

• “[RVs] offer hassle-free adventure and money savings.”

—Doris Lohrman, writer, Better Homes & Gardens, June 2003

• “My kids love riding around in these big [RVs] -- like an old fashioned American road trip like when I was a kid.”

—Rob Lowe, actor, commenting on Revealed with Jules Asner on E! Entertainment Television, March 28, 2002