RVs give Long Islanders comfort, luxury, ability to travel

Robin and Joe Barbera's third home is a little smaller than their condo at the Vineyards in Center Moriches, but it has a fireplace, washer/dryer, king-size bed, reclining chairs, 1½ baths and two air conditioners.

The wheels also come in handy.

In addition to owning Long Island and Florida homes, the Barberas own a Class A RV. Joe, 71, a retired technology teacher at North Middle School in Brentwood, and Robin, 68, a retired principal at South Street School in the Eastport-South Manor district, started RVing 3½ years ago.

"We've gone to the Great Lakes, Mississippi River Road, the Canadian Maritimes and historic railroads of the Southeast," Robin said. "This is a beautiful country and we're fortunate to be able to see it all in the comfort of our own home on wheels."

While many people have second homes, some Long Islanders take "location, location, location" to a new level, buying high-end RVs used to travel months at a time.

"You can have the luxury of a house on wheels," said Kirk Rose, editor of Motorcoach Living, a magazine, and Motorcoachliving.com. "They like the freedom to be able to take their house and everything with them wherever they go."

Retirement and the RV

Some people are opting for a high-end RV lifestyle after retiring. The Barberas did so when they became empty nesters, long after renting an RV to drive from Long Island to Disney World.

After they retired and their children grew up, their RV dream became real. "One day we looked at each other and said, 'Remember we said we'd get an RV and drive across the country?' " Robin added. " 'What are we waiting for?' "

Rose said retirees who have tested out motor homes sometimes go all in with retirement, financing them with vehicle loans, not mortgages, which are used for traditional home loans. He said costs for high-end RVs range from $150,000 up to $3.5 million.

"This is the ultimate way to travel and enjoy your life as you’re traveling," Rose added. "If you’re at a retirement age and you saved up, rather than buying a condo, you might pay cash for a motor home."

Some arrive at Class A RVs after owning cheaper, smaller ones, but the road to a high-end RV is different for everyone.

"Some people start out with tent camping or a pop-up camper and then a small trailer and upgrade to a Class C and then a Class A," Robin Barbera said. "Some people just buy a Class A outright."

The Barberas upgraded in November, spending $250,000 on a new 38-foot-long Newmar Baystar.

"Everything I want in my home I have here, except for an extra room," Robin said.

They have a microwave and propane grill, but Robin said they "eat out frequently," parking twice overnight at Cracker Barrels, where they also ate. They avoid Walmarts, which they said welcome RVs but don't provide access to utilities. "We like to have water and electricity," Robin added.

While you can save by buying used, the Barberas bought new, preferring the protections of a warranty.

"In an RV, there are so many things that can go wrong," Joe said.

Maintenance, upkeep and repairs can cost $10,000 or more some years, including winterization, storage and sets of tires costing many thousands of dollars, Rose said. "You have all sorts of costs involved in owning an RV and general maintenance," he added. "It’s basically a house you drive down the road."

Repairs can be a challenge on Long Island, where the Barberas have had trouble finding Ford dealers to work on things like the engine and transmission on their Ford RV chassis.

Instead, they had it serviced in Melbourne, Florida — three hours from their house in Boynton Beach. And they plan to drive to a service center in Nappanee, Indiana, where their RV was built, for a yearly check up.

"I try to do as much as I can myself," Joe added.

These road warriors, who spent 10 days at "home" in Center Moriches after two months in Canada, plan to travel across West Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee and then go "home" for another 10 days to see adult children and grandchildren. They plan to visit Branson, Missouri; Nashville and the Grand Ole Opry before heading to Florida as a home base for some travel. Before they depart Long Island, they’ll also go to doctor appointments.

"We're having a great time," Robin said. "It's now or never. This is the time to do it, while we're still young enough and healthy enough to do all this."

Exploring America

It's a full house on wheels.

— Chris Elias

Massapequa residents Chris Elias, 40, his wife, Emily, 34, and their sons, Justin, 6, and James, 4, recently completed a nearly six-week cross-country trip in their 40-foot Class A Jayco - Precept 36A that sleeps 10 and has two bathrooms, a living room and kitchen.

"It's a full house on wheels," Elias said of the RV that housed his family of four, plus two visitors for a few nights at destinations. "We're obsessed with RVing. I felt a Class A is the king daddy of RVs."

The Eliases, who own Massapequa-based mobile pet grooming company The Ruff Life Mobile Grooming, bought a year-old RV used a few times during the pandemic with about 2,000 miles on it two years ago for $130,000. The owner's children had moved out, so he no longer needed a large RV, for which he had paid about $190,000.

"He wanted to downsize" Elias said. "His kids got their own travel trailers."

For insurance, Elias said they pay a little more than $1,100 annually. "Insurance companies know that people who buy these don't use them much," Elias said. "Many people only use it once or twice."

The Eliases in two years put about 25,000 miles on their RV with trips from a few nights to six weeks long.

"We stopped at a lot of national parks. We went to the Grand Canyon in Arizona; the Rocky Mountains; Moab, Utah; the caves in Carlsbad, New Mexico; and Florida," Elias said. "We've gone from New York to Flagstaff, Arizona; through Texas; New Orleans; Alabama; Florida and back up."

Although you need to be driven to do this, someone has to drive. "That's a lot of driving, but I don't mind it," Elias said. "With Class A campers, it's no different from sitting on your couch. Your windshield is the widest windshield made. You're sitting high up. It's quiet and you're driving."

Staying close to home

While many RV owners hit the road, some prefer proximity. Barbara Leonardi, a Lido Beach resident and retired Wall Street bond broker, loves her 22-foot-long travel trailer with queen and bunk beds and a full bathroom.

"I lived in it for three months, and I loved it," said Leonardi, who also has homes in Vermont and Florida. "It has everything I need, and it's new."

While she doesn't have the fanciest mobile luxuries such as spiral staircases, decks and Jacuzzis, she is happy with the Forest River R-Pod, for which she paid $23,500 in 2022. She stayed there for three months two years ago, while renting out her house on the beach.

Leonardi called Nickerson Campground in Lido Beach home from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

"I would get up in the morning, make my coffee outside and my breakfast on the grill, lie in my hammock and read," Leonardi said. "I could do that in my house, but I don't. It was so much nicer."

Her grandchildren stayed with her during her time in this home away from home with indoor and outdoor fridges, grill, outdoor coffee pot, hammock and lounge chair.

She said a nearly full-size refrigerator is crucial: Mini fridges don't make the cut. "That matters," Leonardi said.

Although Class A RVs are driven, she hitches her travel trailer to her Lexus truck, which she said is easier to drive. "For one person, it's too big," Leonardi said of driven RVs. "I don't want to be driving a bus."

Her trailer is parked in the driveway, but Leonardi looks forward to renting her Lido Beach house and moving back in for a while. "I would live in it again," she said. "I can't wait to rent my house again and live in this again."

Renting

Buying an RV can be pricey, so renting is one way to find out whether this is the lifestyle for you. Travel America RVs, open April 1 to Dec. 1, charges about $2,800 a week or $1,800 Friday to Monday for drivable mobile homes that sleep six to 10.

"They wing it," Suzanne Calicchio, owner/operator of Travel America RV Center of Commack, said of drivers who typically have some experience with larger vehicles. "It's like driving a U-Haul truck."

New Class A RVs cost from $100,000 to $140,000 on average, according to the RV Industry Association. You can get used ones checked by local mechanics, but renting provides a n even cheaper option, Calicchio said.

The average renter is around 30, Colicchio said, but Travel America won't rent to anyone under age 25, due to insurance.

Motor homes typically have slide-out or expandable rooms, so you press a button and rooms expand, as well as satellite TV and rear and side cameras. Rentals often are test runs before owning.

"A lot of people want to try it first, before they buy something," Calicchio added. "So a lot of people will see me to rent it for a weekend or a week, to see if the lifestyle fits what they're looking for."