New Skoolie Discussion Board

[Tedsoldbus]

My father in law has a 4 digit FMCA number. He was president of 4 or 5 chapters. He also was in when you could pay for life membership. He gives me his magazine after he looks who died. Says when it all started, and he was hanging with the guys who started it, it had to be a vehicle with an engine that you could walk from the steering wheel to the back. When it went to 5th wheels, trailers, he said "why not rickshaws", he lost interest. He won't even look through the magazine he gets for life. Seems a shame. Still good stuff in there and good stories about places to go. He thinks it is all about making money now. They held meets in a farmers field and did so monthly except when snow and cold.
What can you say. A different time......

[kyle4501]

I would rather modify requirements to include different units than watch it end up bankrupt and only a memory . . .

Yes, I like exclusive groups - it helps to get better on point advice. 

However, I also like eclectic groups - it open ones eyes to possibilities that you never imagined ! 

[luvrbus]

My father in law has a 4 digit FMCA number. He was president of 4 or 5 chapters. He also was in when you could pay for life membership. He gives me his magazine after he looks who died. Says when it all started, and he was hanging with the guys who started it, it had to be a vehicle with an engine that you could walk from the steering wheel to the back. When it went to 5th wheels, trailers, he said "why not rickshaws", he lost interest. He won't even look through the magazine he gets for life. Seems a shame. Still good stuff in there and good stories about places to go. He thinks it is all about making money now. They held meets in a farmers field and did so monthly except when snow and cold.
What can you say. A different time......

FMCA had to change it was dying Good Sam was killing them with over a million members and FMCA was around 50,000 members ,where the change was good or bad only time will tell. I stay in it just for the assist program if it goes away again so will I,FMCA depends on their chapters to survive now those are leaving everyone knew it was coming because it is a different crowd now and the older crowd needs to adjust to the newer ways     

[chessie4905]

They had to change or die. These economic shocks along with the high fuel prices have chased away many members. The magazine kept shrinking year after year. I think their conventions attendance peaked at around 6000 coaches? Not positive about that number. This summer, it was about 1300. A lot of people don't  interact like they use to. They live on their phones.
There is a musical group chapter that has been around there for a lot of years, called the frustrated Meistros chapter. I didn't  see a single one that was under 70. And majority of attendees are 65+.
There is a tremendous number of non motorhome travelers out there on the road they are trying to reach and most are a lot younger with younger children or not.The cost of dues and conventions, etc will  deter many on small budgets. Though..
Just another inevitable  change organizations are going through.. Shriners, Grangers, Elks, Lions, etc. Even churches are feeling the effects.

[CrabbyMilton]

Nowadays, you really don't have to subscribe to magazines or clubs thanks to the internet. So why pay dues? Just do what you like and don't feel obligated to please others. If they share your interests that's fine and good. If not WWC=Whatever Who Cares.

[richard5933]

Nowadays, you really don't have to subscribe to magazines or clubs thanks to the internet. So why pay dues? Just do what you like and don't feel obligated to please others. I they share your interests that's fine and good. If not WWC=Whatever Who Cares.

True, but eventually someone has to pay the piper. Club membership dues is what has done that in the past, and if people continue to not be 'joiners' then some other way of paying the costs will be found. Seems like nowadays everyone wants the benefits of being part of a community with none of the responsibilities or obligations.

[chessie4905]

Nothing new in that. Its always been that way. Remember kids trying to sneak into the movies or football games?

[CrabbyMilton]

You're right but I just question the purpose of a club when you can just do something like that yourself or get together with a few other people.

[richard5933]

You're right but I just question the purpose of a club when you can just do something like that yourself or get together with a few other people.

To me there are two sides of this...

1) People by nature are often joiners. Used to be we joined actual clubs. Now people are more likely to join a virtual one.

2) Lots more power in a group than a bunch of individuals. Clubs like FMCA can often get discounts and special rates on things which are not available to the average person.

[Tedsoldbus]

So this summer 4 of the 9 nieces and nephews graduated High School. All wanted to go to Disney World. Since I am retired military, Rita and I could get 3 rooms each at Shades of Green (mil hotel on disney with reduced rates). So...we got roped into it. All parents brought buckets of money, and we did 9 days. All day every day, each "kid" had their phone in their face. Rita explained that this is how we get into the magic kingdom. This is how the kids know how long the line is at space mountain. This is how we order food, This is how we PAY for food. They hold their phone up, and get ice cream. I tried cash, the 17 year old clerk glared at me, and my niece held up her phone and got me my ice cream. We drove the bus down there, but a phone is how they got their boarding pass the night before they flew home. At the end of this, I looked at Rita and she said " I know, I know....just shoot me now".
So how is this Bus related: When we got home, I am a BCM guy and an FMCA guy, but downloaded how to join SE Bus nuts. How to join Flxible international. How to check on Blythville and Evansville for the next event. An event where there will be people like me. You know. Old. That do not have a phone in their face all day. That do not act like taking it away would be tantamount to taking away their air. They might actually converse? I will endure the bean bag toss, the ice cream social, the woman's luncheon and the museum tour in hopes of talking to some old guys about buses and meet people that like to talk. Might even get out the guitar and see who knows "Good Night Irene".
I think it is still out there.
Meanwhile, we take the bus out once a month. Sometimes to a town an hour away and get food at the store and eat breakfast in the bus. I get to drive it, it exercises the tires and engine, and is just fun to drive.

And back to Sandra where this all started. If there is a skoolie meet in my area, and they won't glare at a 1980 Prevost trying to join you, I'd like to come.

[sledhead]

glad to see you got a free ice cream !!

dave

[chessie4905]

In our non Alaska travels this summer, Linda's learned how to download and setup Ca
Fast trac, for Hov lanes, tolls etc., since they don't  recognize EZpass, downloading info for parking in cities, which has many different ones in same city, download tickets for Disneyland, boat rides, bus tours, rail passes, museum passes, campground reservations, on and on. Fortunately, she's  taking care of all that and the trip planning. I mostly drive and suggest locations I'd  like to visit along with hers. So far, working great.
I have a neighbor that doesn't  own a cellphone and not computer literate and he gets along fine, but what the internet unlocks is hard to describe to him. Oh well.

[oltrunt]

To Sandy and Gary.  So.  This has been a far flung thread.  Where are we?  Who's a skoolie?  How do they get signed up?  Can they respond to everything?  Am I a skoolie?  What is the plan to bring in skoolies?  Etc.  Etc.  Jack 

[peterbylt]

Although I am older and I drive a Coach, I tend to associate more with the Skoolie crowd.

In Florida every year I go to the Skoolie swarm and meet up with all kinds of different people, the Skoolie crowd in my opinion does not differentiate between School bus, Coach, Shuttle, van to most of them they are all just Buses.

I feel the same way, when I was looking for a bus, I looked at all kinds, The MCI was the first one I found that hit all the buttons on my list for the right price.

I think the Skoolie’s are currently the future of this hobby.

Peter   

[windtrader]

You know the Skoolie scene probably predates the bus conversion busnts. We all have clear images of the school buses all painted up in psychidelic colors and peace signs in the 60's. Bus conversions crowd did not getting momentum until the 80-90's,  a decade two or later.


And it is far stronger today than OTR conversions. May need to reconsider there may be some real secret sauce they dole out when you buy a yellow bus!