There are two known methods to convince one’s spouse to honeymoon in an RV. Allow me to summarize:

1. Camp in Key West.
2. Cash payments.

I opted for the former approach.

Key West is an intoxicating cultural brew. Presidents lived here. Ernest Hemingway lived here. Pirates walked these streets, although today you’ll likely see more drag queens than buccaneers. It’s a unique mix of the Caribbean and New Orleans, a place with its own distinctive history.

But most of all, it’s fun. Key West is a happy place. Visitors and locals alike appreciate its charm. There’s something special about reaching mile marker zero, strolling along Duval Street into the original home of the sloppy joe sandwich and key lime pie. You’ve got to love a town where every single day they celebrate the sunset.

Key West is an island that feels like an island. It’s the southernmost point in the United States, and it just feels that way. You’re on the edge here. You can just about toss a football from Smathers Beach into Cuba.

Key West is small. There’s a cozy intimacy here that’s truly endearing. (Unless you happen to be parallel parking a 3/4-ton diesel truck, in which case you may yearn for a little more space.)

Our campground in the Keys was spectacular. Beautifully landscaped, it was equipped with its own tiki hut and pier. Our Airstream looked like a UFO that had landed on the beach. We slept with the windows open, listening to the wind rustle palm leaves. We were spoiled.

This was the ideal place to start our RV adventures. Somehow, months later when overnight parking in some random Wal-Mart parking lot, memories of Key West made us smile.