FMCA and the COVID-19 Outbreak

In these complicated and scary times, it is difficult to find any person, industry, or location that has not been affected by the coronavirus outbreak. FMCA is no exception. The Board of Directors had to make the difficult decision to cancel FMCA’s 101st International Convention and RV Expo, set to take place in Tucson, Arizona, just two weeks before it was to begin. This is the first time in the history of our organization that a convention has been cancelled after registration began.

With businesses closing left and right, and people all over the planet quarantining themselves and practicing social distancing, we want to stick to our motto of enhancing the RV lifestyle for all our members. We may not have all the answers, but we want to help anyway we can, and there are several ways that we are here to extend a helping hand. You might be familiar with some of these programs or benefits, while others might come as a surprise. Either way, we’re here for you. And like the roads that we travel across in our RVs, we will go on. Together. One day soon we will be sitting around a campfire with friends and family talking about “that one time where we all went into quarantine for a few weeks.”

Education

If you’re going to spend a lot of time stuck at home or in your RV, why not come out of quarantine knowing everything there is to know about your RV? FMCA offers lots of different educational opportunities for members ranging from YouTube videos and technical blogs to our database of articles in the FMCA University. 

You could spend weeks taking in all the information at the FMCA University. It offers virtual RV classes in over 50 categories. You can earn badges as you take quizzes on the various subjects in the curriculum section of the university. If you are just looking to educate yourself, skip the quizzes and dive right into our library of more than 700 articles written by industry experts. Now is the time to educate yourself on how to fix all the problems that might occur with your RV.  

If you’re not a technical person but would still like some projects to keep you busy during the upcoming weeks, check out some of our RV DIY Projects on FMCA’s Pinterest board.

Discounts on food and supplies

We hope the situation with grocery stores calms down soon and stockpiling of dry goods ends. While full-time RVers don’t have the storage to stockpile goods the way a sticks-and-bricks resident does, don’t worry. Experts are recommending purchasing no more than a week or two’s worth of groceries and assuring us that the supply of food remains strong, so you will be good. FMCA members receive savings when they join Costco, so if you do choose to head to the store, you’ll be able to save some dough on groceries!

Another way that people are being affected is by being forced to work from home. If you’re adjusting to working from home and are in need of any office supplies, check out the discounts FMCA members receive at Office Max, Office Depot, and Staples.

RV WiFi

We love a good old-fashioned book as much as the next person, but let’s be honest…. the year is 2020 and the thought of going without internet for a 14-day quarantine seems scary to most people. If you’re used to staying in RV parks that provide Wi-Fi but are being forced to boondock or relocate elsewhere during these times, you can stay connected with FMCA’s RV Wi-Fi plans.

Campground Discounts

Many RVers were forced to relocate due to state park and private campground closures across North America. The campgrounds that remain open are filling up fast as overnight parking options are becoming the next rarest commodity since toilet paper.

If you’re looking for a place to stay in your RV, FMCA has almost 500 commercial member campgrounds, many of which offer discounts to FMCA members. We also have a members-only campground in Cincinnati, which still has available sites through April.

Note that the RV Industry Association and the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds have written a joint letter to all 50 governors asking that campgrounds be considered essential businesses and allowed to remain open.

Socialize

RVers are a social bunch so asking us to practice social distancing is a steep request. In order to keep up with your fellow FMCA family members during these next few weeks, we have a lot of social networks that we will remain active on. We have a Facebook group for members to discuss all things related to the RV lifestyle. We’ll also keep sharing videos, articles, blogs, and more on our social media pages to keep your news feeds full of interesting RV content and to break up the overload of COVID-19 posts that has been dominating the internet recently.

Not on Facebook? That’s okay! Check out the FMCA forums to see what everyone is talking about and share ideas to help pass the time.

Stay Well!

Sit tight and hang in there. Try to use this time as an opportunity, rather than focusing on the negative aspects. Take care of your health and the health of those who you are living with. Remember, this is only temporary. We’ll all be back on the road soon.

Do you have any creative ideas for passing the time in your RV? Comment below and let us know!