First Generation - Kay and Joe Peterson
In 1978, Joe and Kay started a support group called Escapees RV Club to answer a growing need for community among early RVers. The club grew from the original 82 member families to over 10,000, and just kept growing. In 2001, Joe and Kay were recognized for their contribution to the RVing community through induction into the RV Hall of Fame. In 2010, they were named among the 100 Most Influential People in the RV Industry. Joe passed in 2010, but to this day, Kay remains an active part of the RVing community.
“I wish I could tell you it began with a grand vision of what the Escapees Club would be in the future. The truth is, there were no grand five- and ten-year goals. We were simply two working travelers enthralled with the RV lifestyle who wanted to make RVing the best it could possibly be for ourselves, our friends, and our fellow travelers.” – Kay Peterson.
Second Generation - Bud and Cathie Carr
The daughter of Joe and Kay, Cathie grew up experiencing the RV lifestyle first-hand. She began full-timing herself in 1972! By the early 1980’s Cathie stepped into the role of Club Administrator, and was promoted to CEO ten years later.
Under Bud and Cathie’s leadership, the club flourished. As membership grew, they fought to maintain RVer’s legal rights on multiple occasions, which included protecting RVer’s voting rights as well as working diligently with the RV and camping industries to develop the Good Neighbor Policy. Their hard work still benefits today’s RVers, and has even influenced RVing culture in other countries.
Additionally, Cathie developed and introduced our mail forwarding service, a program that still serves more than 10,000 Escapees members. As technology has advanced, so have the offerings of our mail service program. Bud created our Rainbow Park system, acquiring and developing a network of Escapees-managed parks across the country. These parks are still part of our organization, providing rest to countless RVers over the years.
Third Generation - Travis and Melanie Carr
Travis, the son of Bud & Cathie Carr, was exposed to RVing from a young age, just like his mom. After he served in the military, Travis and his wife Melanie returned to the RVing lifestyle. He began in the maintenance department at the Rainbow Parks, but his focus quickly shifted as he took the lead on upgrading every park’s reservation system, bringing Rainbow Parks into the digital age. Since then, Travis and Melanie have made themselves an irreplaceable part of the Escapees culture. In 2015, they founded Xscapers, a lifestyle group of Escapees that brings the club back to it’s origins. Xscapers are RVers who work full-time while traveling, just like Joe and Kay did in the 70s. Under their guidance, Xscapers has grown to provide numerous benefits targeting the needs of this demographic, including the development of Escapees’ Job Board and diversifying Escapees’ social and educational opportunities.
With the retirement of Cathie and Bud in 2016, Travis and Melanie stepped up as President and Vice-President of Escapees RV Club, respectively. They work hard to uphold the principles on which Escapees was founded while planning the future development of Escapees.
Advertising Opportunities
Join the unique advertising opportunity provided by Escapees, and place your product or service before a large, dynamic, and well-established RV community. For customized opportunities, please e-mail us at Advertising or call 1-888-757-2582.
Demographics - Learn more about the average Escapees member.
Escapees magazine
Our bimonthly Escapees magazine is packed with useful, entertaining and specialized information. Less than 40% of this publication is devoted to advertising. Members tell us they get more useful information from it than they do from any other RV magazine.
General Magazine Information - Ad rates, terms, ad sizes, and other important information regarding Escapees magazine.
Escapees Main Website Banner Advertising
Site-wide banner positions are available to reach virtually every page of the Escapees.com website. With over a million hits per month, a banner ad will provide your business with great exposure in the RV target market! Main website banner advertising provides exposure on all of our main site pages, but does not include the Escapees store, discussion forum, chapter and BOF web pages, or the Escapees CARE website.
Escapees Discussion Forum Advertising
Our discussion forum is open to the general public. Our site traffic, which presently averages an awesome 1,000,000 page views per month, continues to grow by leaps and bounds! Banners on the forum display on each page of content, and this guarantees a high exposure rate. Discussion forum banner advertising can be combined with main site advertising to produce much higher exposure for your ad.
Banner ads rotate in a deterministic manner. Therefore, your ad will never be lost due to a random shuffle. The number of advertisers is limited, which makes your ad more effective.
Banner ad rates - Learn more about advertising with Escapees.com.
Escapades
Escapade events are held annually with as many as 2,000 attendees. Educational
seminars are given during the week-long event and vendors are represented in the market areas.
Special Services
Our graphics staff can assist you by designing a magazine and/or banner ad that reflects the unique product line or service you offer.
If you have any questions or would like to purchase advertising space, please call our advertising department at 888-757-2582, or e-mail at Advertising department.
Press Releases
Periodically, we distribute press releases about important events at Escapees RV Club. You can find all our press releases here. For further information on any of the programs or issues discussed, please contact us at marketing@escapees.com.