Go 'cross country in your RV

With a name like Motorhome, you’d expect a magazine to be about recreational vehicles (RVs). This magazine, however, is not. Or not entirely. Motorhome magazine is really an American travel magazine with splashes of RV information thrown in for good measure. And the editor admits it too, as he writes in one of his columns, “it’s our mission to give you the travel bug….”

In hand I have a couple of recent issues, dated June, 2002 and August, 2002. The magazine is published on a monthly basis, with a single issue priced at a respectable $3.99. A subscription can be obtained in one-year, two-year, or three-year installments for $26, $52, and $78 respectively. Foreign subscribers need to add $12 per year. For the price of admission, the reader gets pretty good value, as Motorhome is a very professional looking magazine.

The magazine is printed in full-color, on a nice coated paper stock. Although the photography at times can look a little flat, there are plenty of pictures throughout the book displaying the natural wonders of the American landscape. The layout and design is efficient, yet attractive, as they utilize the typography to complement other design elements in a harmonious fashion. There is a fair amount of advertising in each issue, but it does not become too intrusive.

The articles themselves are much like any other magazine. You have your regular columns along with the main features. The regular columns are focused more on in the ins and outs of RV ownership, while the main articles are about the traveling experience. Flipping through the books I have in hand, we see columns such as P.O. Box, which highlights some reader feedback or controversy stirred by a recent article in Motorhome. In one, Bruce Hamilton, the Conservation Director for the environmental advocacy group The Sierra Club, writes a letter to express his consternation that environmental protection necessarily means curtailing the RV lifestyle. And speaking of which, another column is entitled, Lifestyle. Written by Gaylord Maxwell, this usually shares some anecdote about camping somewhere with his RV. MH News takes a quick look at some current events that might interest RV owners, like new products, new laws and regulations, or fun sights to consider. Coach and Chassis and Powertrain Q & A are two columns that dispense information and advice about the proper maintenance of an RV. And on the consumer side, the columns Motorhomes and Accessories, Dealers and Destinations, and RV Marketplace help the reader with purchasing ideas.

The main features are more travel oriented, and with a couple of adjustments, could be placed in any other travel magazine. There is the occasional feature article about RVs, but the majority is about where to go and what to do with your RV. In the June, 2002 issue, we have articles like Shades of Providence, which details the beauty of the lavender fields of Washington State, or Bonanza! that provides some history on the Klondike Gold Rush trail. These articles are both filled with photographs that are sure to inspire wanderlust in even the most stubborn reader. Other articles in the magazines talk about different places in North America that are worthwhile to visit, such as the Maryland coast, the byways of Colorado, or the Cabot Trail of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia.

Overall, Motorhome is a pretty good travel magazine. It is probably best for retired types who are spending their golden years touring the continent, but it can be enjoyed by anyone who has a passion for road travel and camping. It is different from most other travel magazine in that it has a definite focus on what niche of travelers to which it caters. As a result, you really have to be an RV enthusiast to get the most out this publication. Non-RV owners can enjoy it to, but I would not recommend a subscription. This magazine is very similar is style to Trailer Life magazine, which is not surprising since they are published by the same company.

The website for Motorhome is: www.motorhomemagazine.com