Loners on Wheels: Single in Retirement No Longer a Problem
“I didn’t know what to do when I lost my husband,” Libby Atwater of Ocala Florida said. “We had all these plans for after he retired, then when he died, I just felt lost and unsure about anything.”
Unfortunately, the death of a spouse or a divorce can suddenly leave anyone standing in the middle of their life wondering where things went wrong and where they should go from that point. When this happens in the years just prior to or just after retirement, loneliness can easily feel like the touch of the grim reaper.
Suddenly, all the things that stabilized your life are gone: marriage, work, family. Things can look truly bleak, but there is one reason to be hopeful. Even when you think you’re aloneâÂ?¦guess whatâÂ?¦you’re really not. Most of our problems are universal. When you realize that there are others facing the same challenges, life doesn’t seem all that bad or empty.
Like other RV travel clubs, Loners on Wheels is the personification of this idea. “LoWs” as it is called by its members is a RV traveling club for singles. It was founded 36 years ago by Edith Lane. While traveling as a single woman, she found it hard not to feel like a fifth wheel always surrounded by couples.
Eventually, she met others on the road who were alone themselves. Over time, this group of solitary travelers began meeting regularly, sharing their lives and friendships. Then in 1969 on a campout in Death Valley, California , Edith decided there was clearly a need for a formal organization that would be open to singles who wanted to share their adventures and camaraderie on the road.
In the thirty plus years since it began, LoWs has become a haven for individuals looking for new meaning in life by packing up their RV and looking for it on the road.
“I’ve had a great time since I joined 12 years ago,” Libby, who is a member of Florida’s Mid-LoWs chapter, said. “The friends I’ve made here have been so supportive and have really helped my find some joy in life again. I’ve even started caravanning to Alaska with some of the other members.”
Besides trips as a group, members of LoWs have monthly chapter campouts and there are yearly regional rallies. It’s at these events that new members really get an idea of what LoWs is all about.
Gloria Sixt discovered LoWs while she was still living in New Jersey. After her husband died, she got a tent and started taking her friends on camping trips to fight back the loneliness she saw creeping up on her. She eventually moved up to RV camping and saw an ad for LoWs. She was hooked after her first visit to a campout.
“Getting out on the road and meeting other people who share common interests, like RVs and traveling is wonderful,” she said, now a member of Florida’s Dixie LoWs chapter. “Seeing new places when we travel as a group, playing cards all night, going dancingâÂ?¦these are just wonderful experiences to share with my new friends.”
Building new relationships with new friends is the driving force behind LoWs. The club describes itself as being for “mingling singles” but it is not a dating service. According to its charter, LoWs aim for its members is for them to enjoy life in the beautiful outdoors surrounded with friendship. Getting out of the house was Mickey William’s goal, or technically his children’s goal for him.
“After my wife died three years ago, I pretty much just locked myself up in the house. My kids realized I needed something to look forward to. They suggested traveling,” Mickey, who is a new member of Mid-LoWs, said. “Now, I look forward to getting out every once in awhile and meeting new folks. It’s a lot better than just sitting at home all day.”
Mickey is even looking forward to taking his first caravanning trip later this summer. “It can get lonely traveling out there on your own. At least now I’m with my friends.”
For more information about lows visit the clubs website at www.lonersonwheels.com .
