What attracts People to R V Rallies?

  We are here at the Gypsy Journal Rally having a terrific time, so I started thinking about why people attend Rallies. Could it be to get all the vendors in one place so they can buy everything they need at once? Or is it to gain the knowledge of the many seminars that are offered? Maybe it is so they can gather with like minded RV'ers to socialize for a few days.

  I know why I attend them, and that is to socialize with friends we have met since we went FT back in 2007, and to meet new friends who like the RV lifestyle. I watch some people gather at the vendor booths and buy things they need or want for their RV. I too will spend some $$ here, but first I compare prices. If I see something at a vendor's table that I want, I wait until I get back to the rig and check the online prices before I hand over my credit card to get it right now.

 Checking things out online has been a real problem, Everywhere we have been this summer I find our Verizon Air Card to be VERY slow at times. SO slow that I am just waiting for our contract to expire before I switch to another service. Verizon has a booth set up here at Nick's rally so I ask the guy why it was so slow. His explanation was: they are switching things out to make them better, going into the "4-G" stage of cell phones. My thoughts are they have way too many cell phones, and air cards for the towers they have. We only have a month or two left on our contract so we will see what it is like when the time comes.

 Back to the rally question, I see so many of the classes put on at the rally full: so maybe people come to learn from people in the know. The sad part to that is almost everyone giving a class has something to sell. I call them info-mercials, because almost everyone giving the class is trying to sell you their product. So I don't sit in on very many classes. I did sit in on one given by someone selling Good Sam extended warranties, because we have been thinking about getting an extended warranty since our friends, Janice and Dean, got stranded in Nashville with engine problems this summer.

 I also went to one where the guy is selling mufflers and air filters. After forking out a bunch of cash replacing filters on the Kountry Star this summer I'm thinking about buying a reusable air filter. The throw a way air filter for the Kountry Star is over $100 online, and the life time filter at the rally is just over $300. I'll check the online life time filter prices before I swipe my card here, but I did gain some knowledge from the info-mercials today.

 I guess the only answer is that people come to rallies for their own reasons, and ours is for the fun we have at them......