The Secret to Planning Long RV Trips

We went on a 3-week trip from Arizona to Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado in the summer of 2021. The goal was to plan a trip without reservations made in advance. We wanted to make plans as the trip progressed so we could relax and have more time for spontaneous activities. It worked! We loved it!

I approached my planning from a different angle.

My Planning Focus:

• To assess what we need right now.
• To trust my gut and do what is best for where we are and what we need.
• To be flexible and adjust when things need to change.
• Giving us space to slow down and enjoy where we are in the moment.
• No reservations made in advance. Only lists of places and ideas.
• To keep costs low and expenses at a minimum.

That was when I discovered a secret tip to RV trip planning:

Theme Days

When you plan the trip, what do you expect it to be? When you’re at home in the midst of your busy life, what do you picture for your trip?

Do we want it to be full of adventure and non-stop activity?

Or do we want it to be restful, calm, and doing less?

Is the trip that you are planning meeting that goal?

Often I have one goal in my head but then I plan a trip that does the complete opposite.

So I am learning to plan with rest in mind. Learning to make space for slowing down, slower adventures, and restful days that are satisfying.

Theme Days:

I looked through our past long trips and what they looked like. What kinds of activities we did and where we went. Some specific themes emerged from our travel with our kids.

• Adventure Days
• Time to Relax at the Campsite
• Travel Day
• Cleaning & Re-set Time

For each type of day, I have a list of things to be done, what my goals are, and some options to do. This helps me remember all that is important, try new things, and choose what not to do.

Every day we would assess where we were, where we wanted to be the next day, and what our theme would be. Sometimes we planned for the next few days. We were flexible and based our decisions on what was current.

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Let’s explore these themes:

Adventure Days:

These are the activities that make your trip unique. Allow variety.

• Visit with family & friends.
• Go to a museum, or specific location to see cool stuff.
• Go out in nature to hike, kayak, or enjoy the scenery
• National Parks
• Exploring downtown

Things to think about:

• Be flexible about what happens. – Choose what is most important and let the details go.
• Plan your big things that matter to the adults.
  • Meals – Are you eating out or making dinner in the RV?
  • Events – Where are you going? How much will you spend? What do you want to see?
  • How long do you want to be out? What time do you plan to go back to camp?
• Different types of adventure days: the big hike, going shopping in a small town, visiting the ranger station and going on nature walks, exploring museums, and seeing National Monuments. Adventure days can also happen in a big city. You can spend the day seeing major buildings, going to the library, shopping at the mall, and riding the subway in downtown.
• Let everyone have their own trip. – We all see the adventure day differently. My daughter and husband see the hike as a way to get great nature photos, my littles just want to conquer the trail, my teenage son wants to explore all the skinny paths that make me worried, and I just want to enjoy the trees and the view. I have decided to let go of everyone enjoying the same thing in the same way. Each person is allowed to have their own version of the experience.

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Relaxing at Campsite

A camping trip that is full of adventure can get to be overwhelming after a few days. We all need some downtime at the campsite.

I am learning to make space for slowing down, slower adventures, and restful days that are satisfying.

I do not have to do everything. I do not have to see everything. For every day or two spent doing lots of activity, have a day at the campsite with no agenda.

Main Goals: rest & downtime!

• Read books
• Play games and have free time
• explore the campground / area
• relaxed dinner around the picnic table
• conversation with my kids
• campfire & marshmallows

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Travel Day

We had specific travel guidelines for this trip. On our last trip, we had way too many long travel days and by the end, we were all burned out. So this trip we decided no traveling more than three or four hours of driving per travel day.

We also wanted to have two or three days at each campsite. No one-night stays unless traveling to a specific spot.

Each trip is different and each destination is different. Some locations require long travel days in the beginning and the end.

Main Goals:

• Tear down campsite and clean up area.
• Check-out on time, When is check-out?
• Check routes and traffic.
• Decide where to stop to dump tanks and get fresh water.
• Where will our fuel stop be?
• Do we want to see something along the way?
• Where will we eat lunch?
• Where do we want to end up?
• Listen to Audiobooks on the drive.
• Travel to the next location.

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Cleaning and Re-set days:

Every home needs to be cleaned and re-set every now and then. If your trip is longer than a few days you will most likely need to do some cleaning and a few loads of laundry.

• What does that look like for us on a long trip?
  • Each living space gets cleaned up and I go off to do several loads of laundry.
  • We divide the tasks and get it all done in an afternoon.

• Why do we need to re-set every few days?
  • Being in a small space requires sweeping, wiping down, and picking up more often.
  • The good news is that it doesn’t take long!

Quick tips:

• Divide your RV into zones and clean one entire zone at a time: Kitchen, bedrooms, bathroom, storage, pantry food and the fridge…
• Have a specific list. This helps with memory and with communication with your little helpers.
• Have a simple standard of clean in your mind.
  • (So that you are not striving for perfection but not feeling gross and angry either.)

My Re-set Lists:

• Laundry
  • clothing
  • towels & hand towels
  • blankets & sheets
  • swimming towels

• Meal Planning & Grocery Shopping
  • clean out the fridge
  • organize the pantry
  • go grocery shopping
  • do meal planning & update chalk board

• Cleaning the RV
  • EHAP – Everything Has A Place!
  • floors vacuumed and swept
  • organize papers and stuff put away
  • clean the specific zones (see list)

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So I am learning to plan with rest in mind.

Learning to make space for slowing down, slower adventures, and restful days that are satisfying. Taking the time to build campfires, play board games, and read books in my favorite camping chair.

Just chill out!

For every day or two spent doing lots of activity, have a day at the campsite with no agenda.

Spend time out in nature. Balance structured activity with unstructured relaxation.

I do not have to do everything. I do not have to see everything.

Each person is allowed to have their own version of the trip. We do not have to enjoy the same thing or do the same things.

I need to allow myself the flexibility to make decisions with the current circumstances. To decide what is needed with what I know and where we are right now.

I hope this RV travel secret helps you on your next long RV trip.

Let me know where you traveled and how you spent your days!

Happy Camping! – April

If you enjoyed this article you will like:

• Packing Questions for Summer Travel

• RV Travel with Kids (Ways to Make it Enjoyable)

• From a Cautious Homebody to an Adventurous RV Traveler – my journey

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