Tom Reed and his wife had both grown up in teacher families that traveled every summer.

When Tom, of Anderson, retired, he wanted to see America in all its glory just like he did with his family when he was a kid.

He looked into several pop-up RVs. But he discovered that for just a few thousand dollars more he could buy a brand new 30-foot lightweight tow-able trailer through Lakeside RV Sales in Anderson.

Tom and his wife have been everywhere since they bought their RV. They have been to Canada five times; they have visited the Rocky Mountains and other places; and they have been coast to coast on a national level. His future plans might also include Mexico.

“We decided to stay the summers here on the lake and then go to Florida or travel in the winters,” he said.

He also said that it was the cheapest way for him to travel from place to place and see North America.

The joy of having a trailer, according to Tom, is that he doesn’t have to spend money on food every day in expensive restaurants, and staying every night in a motel while traveling. It also guarantees an interaction with nature.

David Sproule, a service technician at Lakeside RV Sales, agreed.

“You go outside at a motel, start a fire and try to roast marshmallows, the manager won’t be too happy with you,” he said.

Sproule said he has logged approximately 312,000 miles traveling in an RV with his wife and four children.

Reed and his wife also have several cats, and traveling on the road in an RV allows the couple to bring them along rather than keep the cats in a kennel.

“They (the cats) usually hate going on the road,” Tom said. “But they love traveling with us in the RV.”

A tow-able RV has a similar mpg of a bus-sized RV.

“It can lower your vehicle from 20 mpg to 12 mpg,” Sproule said.

Still, if the price puts you off, there’s always a rental. More than 450 national chain outlets and local RV dealerships rent RVs, including late-model units with state-of-the-art amenities. Web sites such as www.gorving.com can help you find a local dealer who rents.