Driving to Florida and other destinations is always fun. Its a wonderful way for Snowbirds and their families to create loving memories while heading to their favourite vacation spot. Who doesn’t love Chevy Chase in “National Lampoons Summer Vacation”. “Wally Worlds” exist all across the USA and getting there is half the fun. This year attendances at theme parks are back to pre-covid levels. As a fact the South Florida fairgrounds recently described attendance as 5 times better then all of the covid years.
The chore of keeping everyone occupied while driving south though is always a challenge. Videos and listening to the entire set of Harry Potter audio books are brilliant ways to keep the masses happy. So too, is the age old game of counting different types of cars, licence plates, first to see a wild turkey and for the ghoulish, the number of car accidents. (If something bad happens -don’t forget the SnowbirdHelpline.com)
Anyway, while heading to Florida I started my own game of counting Quebec licensed Recreational Vehicles, and Teslas.
Wow. I was shocked at how many Quebec RV’s were driving south towards Florida. November 8th couldn’t have come fast enough for our Quebecois friends. In fact, at one time I counted 7 massive Quebec RV’s driving in a convoy through the mountains of West Virginia – three of which were towing cars. Talk about white knuckle driving. My total count was 35 RVs. (Unfortunately, since we were all heading in the same direction some RV’s might have been counted more then once…. Lol.)
As an interesting point, the USA RV parks are booming. Snowbirds need to make sure they book ahead for reservations and expect significant monetary increases. Apparently the parks are dealing with pent up demand and a myriad of escalating costs such as lack of staffing, higher insurance, and state taxes. (For more information check this out: https://snowbirdtravelusa.com/florida-tourism-information)
As for Teslas sightings, it was more than expected. The counting edged up in and around cities such as Pittsburgh, Charlotte and Jacksonville. I had surmised not many people would be driving an EV for a long trip. Finding charging stations is still quite daunting, expensive, and the time it takes to fill up (“charge”) is substantial. Check out this article for more info dealing with EV charging stations on route: Electric Vehicle Recharging Locations. I counted a total of 7. As a reference point, I can attest to the fact I only saw 2 Teslas last year while driving from Florida to Canada and both were in the state of New York. City wise, there is no doubt more EVs are dotting the roadways. As batteries are improved, and more rest stops add EV stations, expect my sightings to sky rocket.