This week on the RV Podcast:
Are Canadian RVers in the U.S. being harassed by American citizens? Are US RVers in Canada being harassed by Canadians? There have been incidents on both sides of the border.
How to plan a truly epic RV stay - wherever you decide to stop. Expert advice from Wendy Bowyer, who plans all our RV Community gatherings.
What’s happening at our National Parks during this prolonged government shutdown? It’s not a pretty picture.
All this plus the RV News of the Week and your questions coming up in Episode #569 of the RV Podcast
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Harassment reported by both Canadian and U.S. RVers
Today, we're diving into the frosty chill that's settled over the border for RVers like us—Canadian and American alike. The current tensions between Canada are boiling over into the RV Community. They stem from escalating U.S.-Canada trade and political frictions, amplified by U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim that he wants Canada as the 51st state.
Then, this summer, new U.S. immigration rules—such as stricter visa requirements and enhanced border scrutiny—have shocked Canadian RVers, leading to a sharp drop in northbound travel, with reservations canceled en masse.
Surveys show nearly half of Canadians are now less inclined to visit the U.S. this year, citing not just financial woes but also a growing sense of political alienation from inflammatory rhetoric that paints Canada as an adversary.
Meanwhile, some American RVers who have headed northward with fewer hesitations have been reporting a definite chill that strains the once-seamless camaraderie of the RV community.
We’ve been hearing about this all summer. But this week, we received two emails that bring this home in the most powerful way, telling us these tensions are being felt by RVers on both sides of the border - by Canadian RVers visiting in the U.S., and American RVers visiting Canada.
These sincere and sad emails are an example that words have consequences and that behind every policy tweet may be a family in a Winnebago wondering if the next campsite will feel like home or a battlefield.
First, this email from Canadian Rvers named Pat, who has been a regular snowbird visitor to the U.S.
I would really like it if you started covering how Canadian snowbirds are navigating going south this year. My husband and I have gone South for years but quite truthfully are a little anxious about doing it this year. There are new rules for Canadians who are staying more than 30 days. We are also concerned about the border and going down there. We have heard some horrendous stories and don't know what to think. For example, one woman spoke of a gun being pointed at her as she drove on the road. There was also the case of the border patrol man who followed someone with an Ontario license plate and screamed at them not to come back to the USA. I think about it everyday because we love going south and we love American friends. It will be a long cold winter without them. I would love some input.
Then, a day later, we received this email, from a Tracy - U.S. RVer who spent time in Canada:
We are on the final weeks of a four month journey from Texas that included travel to the Canadian maritime provinces and Newfoundland. While we met many nice people along the way, we also encountered some angry Canadians who felt that it was their job to make sure we knew how angry they are at the U.S. and those of us live there and they were quick to offer unsolicited opinions. We certainly feel the need for a welcoming community more than ever and your words remind us all that we all share that need to be “ seen, known and valued”. God’s blessings to you.
Mike and Jennifer's Response:
There are always a few bad apples on both sides of the border. Every country has people with short tempers or poor judgment, and both Canada and the U.S. are no exception.
But those isolated incidents don’t reflect the vast majority of folks you’ll meet on the road. Most Canadians and Americans alike are friendly, helpful, and genuinely welcoming to RVers, often going out of their way to offer directions, share travel tips, or strike up a friendly chat at the campground.
Unfortunately, social media can make it seem worse than it is. It’s full of rumor-filled posts, secondhand stories, and exaggerated accounts that are hard to verify. The truth is that these online “he-said, she-said” tales often spread far beyond their reality.
RV travel remains one of the best ways to explore both nations, meet wonderful people, and experience loca
