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To wave or not to wave


Champstar

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Ralph - 2007-07-04 6:58 PM

A friend of ours in the Pilote Owners Association has a large white rabbit in the front of her van with strings on it's ears. She pulls a string when a van goes past and the rabbit "waves" its ears.

We saw them in early May - we were either on the way to Lulworth from Tewkesbury or on the way from Lulworth to Birmingham.

 

Great idea :-D :-D

 

Graham

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henry - 2007-07-04 6:53 PM

( I wave at prison vans white vans any sort of vans!!) :-Regards Mavis

I think I've now managed to stop Jill waving at those motorhomes with the company name "Horses" on the Luton :-D

 

Graham

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We wave at motorhomes in UK, but soon got arm-ache when we tried in France - tend to wave to British ones, or ones like ours (there aren't any!!) when we're over there.

 

Our main problem is that with his DIY red paint job "Hannibal" doesn't LOOK like a m'home - certainly not from the front, so people don't often see us until it's too late to wave back - or maybe he's just so old and scruffy that no-one WANTS to wave to us?

 

Anyway, "Champstar," in answer to your question: it seems that most respondents to this thread are "wavers" (better than being "waverers" I suppose!)

 

Which raises another question: is there something about the combination of being a motorhomer AND a regular on this forum, that makes us more likely to wave?

 

Tony

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Tony Jones - 2007-07-05 10:09 AM

 

Which raises another question: is there something about the combination of being a motorhomer AND a regular on this forum, that makes us more likely to wave?

 

Tony

 

Well yes actually. It shows that we are not just MH'ers but keen MH'ers as we still like to talk and read about them when we're not away.

 

 

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I did see a van once with a large hand attached to the window via a spring once. It was 'waving' all the time.

 

The other day I couldn't contain myself and waved, while I was in the car, to a fellow Laika owner. Got a very good wave back. I may well wave to more vans while I'm in the car to see what response I get! Afterall it does look as we we all are as friendly. So, if you see everyone in a car waving - they are probably fellow van owners...

 

But I am very miffed at no reponse.

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Champstar - 2007-07-04 3:35 PM

 

Being at the end of our first full year motorhoming the thing that I really like is the feeling of belonging to a community when out on the open road and you pass another motorhome to exchange a friendly wave to each other.

Having travelled the length of the country I have found that wavers vary from place to place...there seems to be more in Scotland than down the south coast.

My question is what do you do wave or not..depending on traffic...we find it great fun especially on a long drive to share a wave or two (lol)

flashing always gets a response
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bigal55 - 2007-07-05 11:39 PM

 

Champstar - 2007-07-04 3:35 PM

 

Being at the end of our first full year motorhoming the thing that I really like is the feeling of belonging to a community when out on the open road and you pass another motorhome to exchange a friendly wave to each other.

Having travelled the length of the country I have found that wavers vary from place to place...there seems to be more in Scotland than down the south coast.

My question is what do you do wave or not..depending on traffic...we find it great fun especially on a long drive to share a wave or two (lol)

flashing always gets a response

 

 

 

I bet it does Big Al I bet it does :$

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Way back in 1991 when I was retired and pensioned off, we toured New Zealand with a hired motorhome. In the south Island, which was the friendly Island most waved but some would stop for a chat. It was mostly Australians that stopped, had to beware of Americans, as they were used to driving on the other side of the road. To meet another vehicle was the highlight of each hour, not much traffic down there. State highways were very much akin to our good "B" roads. Acording to my brother-in-law who has lived there for most of his life sez not much has changed in the South Island since then. But it is still the best place in the world for touring with a motor caravan.
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Tony:

 

You asked "Is there something about the combination of being a motorhomer AND a regular on this forum, that makes us more likely to wave?"

 

Just thought you'd like to know that, although I meet both criteria, I don't do the waving thing.

 

(Does believing in the existence of angels make it easier to calculate how many can dance on a pin?)

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Lot of talk about Hymer owners (I was one myself but I'm reformed now) not waving but the ones that never seem to wave are the big yankee jobs.

Only mention this because it seems we have yankee wavers on here as well so there must be some?

Also waving from panel vans (Hi Tony) seems pretty rare but perhaps they and the yankees just wave to each other...

 

 

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8-) Having owned Yankee Jobs for the last 7 years and been a Motorhome owner for the last 11 years. I have ALWAYS waved to EVERY other Motorhome. Be they small, LARGE, new, OLD, Campers, or converted Vans. My take on waving is that it is a matter of Superiority, Inferiority complex. In other words. They look and think, That's bigger, smaller, cheaper, worse, not up to my standard, too posh for me etc, etc. to wave to. IMH&HO. >:-)

 

B-) Now back in the days of the 3 wheeler brigade. We ALL waved to each other. (lol) (lol) (lol)

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I really must get out more! I get very despondent when I experience a WW (wasted wave) or an NRW ( non reciprocated wave). My husband has now limited me to three of these per day so if no one waves back after the 3rd WW or NRW I'm not allowed to IW (instigate waves). I am however allowed as many RWs (responsive waves) as I like. I have been known to RW people who are simply scratching their head as they drive by. Still it's better to be wavy than sorry.
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johnsandywhite - 2007-07-06 1:46 PM

 

B-) Now back in the days of the 3 wheeler brigade. We ALL waved to each other. (lol) (lol) (lol)

 

That was mutual commiseration.

 

Ralph

Former (very former) owner of a Reliant Regal saloon.

 

 

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On my very first day of driving the m/h from the dealer last March, the first sight to greet me was another motorhomer, complete with captains cap waving at me. My first thought was OMG, will this turn me into an anorak. Since then, and taking my m/h around it's been fun to wave. My wife and I (should that be me and 'er?) have a little bet. How long will we be driving before the first 'wave'. It's just a bit of fun, and why not carry on with the tradition?
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Guest caraprof

Once again I shall enforce my reputation for being either snobbish or miserable but I can assure you that I am far from either of these epithets.

Nevertheless I abhor the people who wave at me! I find it embarrassing and totally unnecessary and typical of the kind of things that Chavs do, such as leaving teddy bears and flowers at accident scenes, which is usuall more about their own self-absorption than a genuine expression of sympathy.

Why do you do it? If I were plodding along in a horse-drawn caravan I might be persuaded to nod at another similar vehicle coming my way. We would be, after all, a rare and unusual sight.

But motorhomers are ten a penny and it just confirms my belief, which I've developed from this and other forums that, once someone graduates from their tent or touring 'van and buys a M/H, they somehow see themselves as a special, rather upmarket kind of animal. Regrettably they themselves become the real snobs. One only has to see the number of people on this site for whom the word 'tugger' is a perjorative description to confirm my belief.

On a recent three week trip around Europe I got heartily sick of all of these idiots, some of whom would wave enthusiastically at me from the opposite side of a three-lane motorway, so far apart that we could hardly see them! However, when you get on site or on an aire, they more or less ignore you.

Come on folks, there's nothing special about motorhomers. There are hundreds of thousands of us around Europe now and why, oh why, do those of you who would never have dreamt of waving at other towers when you pulled a caravan ( as I know many of you did) now feel that there is now some kind of special bond that exists betweem motorhomers, that shouldn't exist between other forms of mobile houses on wheels?

Give it a rest please! Realise that we are not an exclusive little club any more and that many people do not like having to wave at every motorhome that passes them, which may be hundreds on a long drive in high season on the Continent.

Finally, I know that I am not alone in this as many motorhomers do not wave so it is by no means a habit practiced by all of you. Have you ever considered that it may even be construed as selfish, as it puts an onus on the other party to respond, when they may not feel inclined to do do? If you ignore the waver, some people may then feel that they are being seen as anti-social, which isn't very nice for them (although I don't I must admit!).

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More important than whether you got arm ache, Frank, is how's your head and the related possible vision problem?

Second, how did the trip go?

Last, I don't see any harm in motorhomers waving to each other.  It is an expression of a sense of "community" among motorhomers.  I agree it is a bit odd that this doesn't often extend to when they are sited, but we are British, after all! 

The practice pre-dates Chavs by years (and the flowers and teddies, on which I wholly agree with you), seeming to have originated when motorhomes were rather more uncommon than they now are.  Still, I don't see this as a valid reason for abandoning it.  Surely, it is no more than the equivalent of the smile to acquaintances or neighbours, who one may so recognise without having actually got to know them.  It seems to me no more than a form of polite recognition of others with whom one has a shared interest.  Time was when people waved to other British cars when abroad, or gave a British truck a friendly "toot" when passing.

I don't think it is a form of snobbery at all.  True there is a bit of banter between motorhomers and caravanners, but this extends to caravanners and tenters as well, with the tenters claiming to be the only "true" campers, except that also extends to the kind of tent you have, and whether or not you carry it in a car! 

Motorhomers exclusive?  Nah - it's just that they think the other lot are a bit odd!  All the world is strange, except for thee and me, and even thee's a little strange.  Methinks you do too much protest!

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