30 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Snowbirds
A fun look at the culture of those who head south for the winter
via The Blog for Lifestyle and Travel
While many of us are enjoying the brilliant fall colours, there is another group of people starting preparations to escape the cold and live the winter in a more southern, warmer climate. I recently came across a fun article about this group of people, listing 30 things you might not know about snowbirds, as these winter visitors are often called.
As someone who has spent three winters as a “snowbird”, I could relate to a number of the items, particularly the ridiculous checklists to complete before heading south. I have blogged about my own preparations. In fact, it was frustration at not being able to easily find all the information I needed to prepare for our first snowbird winter which prompted me to blog about it. The comment about snowbirds flocking together also resonated. The several mile area around where we stayed in Mesa, Arizona was rife with snowbird communities.
Read all of the 30 items at 30 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Snowbirds.
We have not made plans yet for the coming winter and may be on-and-off snowbirds this year instead of being away for the full winter. This article reminded me about the joys of the snowbird lifestyle. Maybe I need to get working on plans so we can be more on-again than off-again.
This was hilarious in a lot of ways. Pickleboard? Never heard of it but reading it made me laugh, but not as hard as when I read it out loud! I am now a sunbird, though I moved a little north from Florida when I moved to Charleston SC a few years back. Much less stressful than being a winter visitor! Man, I got breathless remembering all that prep. Fun read!
Thanks Jacquie. The post was hilarious partly because of so many underlying truths. Snowbirds consider all the prep well worth it. For those who own homes down south (unlike those of us who rent), the prep happens twice – they have to close up their winter home when they head home.
After living for several years in Montana I can definitely see the appeal to “fly south” and when we lived on Padre Island off the coast of Texas we welcomed our own snowbirds, the winter Texans. I’ve noticed during our own travels that we consistently are drawn to warm areas – in fact the climate is one of the first things we check! Anita
Anita, I know there are people who love and thrive on winter. The first snowfall can be pretty and there are things about winter I enjoy, but more and more I find myself wanting to be someplace warm.
I thoroughly enjoyed this, as it’s a term that used to seem so strange to me! Now I get it, but as a permanent desert dweller, I can’t imagine the need to go anywhere else. Except maybe the beach… 🙂
Meredith, I can understand not feeling the need to leave the desert, except to get to the beach from time to time. What about finding cooler grounds in summer?
Oh how I would love to be a snowbird. I do not like winter, I do not like being cold, I do not like the lack of sun. Why the heck am I still in Pennsylvania? Ha! Love the 30things. My in-laws finally got tired of winterizing their Boston home (just before last year’s massive snowfalls) and sold it for the ease of an apartment. They enjoy the Florida winters and I am envious!
Rose Mary, maybe you can get a break from winter by visiting your in-laws.