Summer In An RV

by Heather DeWitt May 13, 2019 1016 Views

Imagine this–You are newly married with a successful job. You can come and go as you please, and you can travel anytime you want.

You have the freedom to spontaneously get up and go.

You have the freedom to travel full-time in an RV.

It sounds like a dream, but you have another dream too- a dream for a family! Why can’t you have both?

“You can’t travel with kids!”

“You can’t be spontaneous with kids!”

“Living in an RV with kids isn’t possible.”

Why not?

“You’re Crazy!”

If I’m being honest, and I always am, some people thought we were crazy for even considering traveling full-time in our RV with six kids. How will you fit? What about personal space? How will you work? What about naptime or if the baby cries at night? I know it sounds crazy but somehow it works.

We’ve been on the road full-time for five months now. Our kids range in age from 2 to 16. We travel in a 32” Jayco Greyhawk Bunkhouse and tow a Toyota Sienna on a tow dolly.

Tips and Tricks to Make the RV Adventure Work

The question we get asked the most is how it works with kids. Let me let you in on a little secret friends. Traveling with kids works if you just do it. Don’t overthink it, and don’t make it more work than it needs to be! Here are a few tips we have learned along the way.

Limit the Kid Stuff

They don’t need all the stuff you had at home. The world will be their playground. You need way less than you think. All you need to bring are the bare essentials. Find quality key items from companies like Joovy that will last and withstand the wear and tear of traveling.

Flexible Routine

Do your best to create a routine that gives your little ones a sense of normalcy but allows the freedom for adventure and opportunities. Create small routines that can be done anywhere, like how they are put to bed at night. Most important is to keep it simple and stick to it!

Look for Adventure

Obviously, you are a little limited by what adventures you can do with kids. One thing you can do is connect with other full-time traveling families and build relationships. The full-time community is amazing. We have found some of our best friends in this community.

Connect with them on the road and help each other with the kids. If there’s an adventure you really want to do, do it together. Another idea is to take turns with your spouse. An adventure for you one day, one for your spouse another.

Watch Your Expenses

Full-time RV traveling is more expensive than you think but totally doable. Activities for the kids can add up quickly. Look for those free opportunities such as parks, playgrounds, and all things nature. You can buy annual passes for museums, zoos, and aquariums that allow you admission to other attractions around the country for free. Sometimes annual family passes are actually cheaper.

Camping memberships like Good Sam, Thousand Trails, Harvest Hosts, and many others offer savings on camping fees. Watch the incidental spending, it adds up quickly. Changing your mindset from vacation mode to being frugal will help with overspending.

Be Creative

The biggest part of RV living with kids is being creative and thinking outside the box. You must be willing to try and learning from your mistakes is key. Trust me, you’ll have many to learn from. Simplify and just get out there and do it!