(Pete’s RV Info Blog Editor Note: The following news article and video clip was originally posted 7/4/2011 on WCAX.com. In the story, Pete’s RV sales team member and provides commentary on the growing popularity of family camping and RVing. The story took place at wonderful Lone Pine Campsites in Colchester, VT.)

For many Vermonters and others, camping is a habit that’s popping up more often.

“I think folks are tending to, uh, stay closer to home, still get their vacation in but just not travel as far,” said Jon Tyner, the manager of Lone Pine Campsites.

The RV Industry Association reports that for 2011, through the month of May, manufacturers are showing a 13% increase over shipments last year by this time.

Pete’s RV salesman Bob Monty added, “We try to understand it and talk to other people in other parts of the country, other dealers, and they just say people don’t want to travel as far anymore. People don’t want to stay in a hotel, it costs a fortune.”

At Lone Pines Campsites in Colchester, the number of camping enthusiasts interested in that comfortable outdoor experience — closer to home, seems to be growing.

“This summer here, I think we’ve had a significant increase with people booking an RV vacation,” said Tyner.

But, it’s not just about staying closer to home for RVers, it’s about having the comforts of home closer to family. With thirteen grandkids to visit, Janet and Maurice Lambert, now retired in Florida, come back home every summer.

“We were over in the middle and we came back over here onto this lot here, so this is actually our 37th year,” said Janet Lambert, “Our kids are all up here, we have our family and they’re all here.

RV campers say they get a better quality vacation than a typical hotel stay. They say it’s cheaper than owning a summer camp in the area. Along with a swimming pool, kids activities, and a store on location, RVers say the social aspect is a big draw. Lambert is making new friends.

“They were playing grunt down here one day and I stopped and watched them, and they said, you want to play, I said sure,” she said.

It’s a game similar to horseshoes.

Lambert explained, “We play grunt a lot. My husband, he can’t throw horseshoes, so, this is the game for us.”

So for these RV campers, in the game of life, home is where you park it.