Our Journey Into RVing
Heading off on an RV trip with my husband, three kids, and our dog was not something I ever dreamed of doing.
I’m not a fan of road trips (driving or being a passenger).
I couldn’t imagine driving something that HUGE down the highway (or being a passenger while someone else drove).
And I had no idea how you’d ever park something that long using only mirrors...
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Growing up, my annual summer vacation consisted of spending two weeks in the woods along the shore of Lac Vieux Desert in Wisconsin. Our journey, that took no more than 6 hours by car and just a few hours by small plane, led us to a cabin in the woods where we were greeted each year by dozens of extended family members, many of whom I barely knew...
Looking back on these experiences, a few vivid memories stand out.
Buzzing the lake with my pilot dad in his four-seat Cessna 172 airplane to announce our arrival and alert my grandfather to head into town to pick us up at the town airport.
Days that brought sunburns and bee stings followed by nights that brought fireflies and mosquito bites.
No televisions and no phones.
Hiking through the woods between cabins.
Bare-bones accommodations.
A metal fishing boat that was occasionally retrofitted to tow a tube from inside an old tractor tire.
Narrowly missing hooking my eyeball as I learned how to cast a fishing line.
Watching my grandfather clean the day’s catch of perch then grill it for dinner.
And sitting around campfires until late into the night sharing good food and even better stories with relatives I saw just once or twice a year.
It was a simple time, one that I know my parents and grandparents looked forward to each year. It was an opportunity for them to escape their daily responsibilities on the farm, spend time in nature, connect with family they rarely saw, and to engage in hobbies and pastimes that didn’t fit into their daily lives (like floating the day away in a boat while patiently attempting to catch that evening’s dinner).
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Fast forward twenty-five years to my and my husband's opportunity to plan vacations in hopes of accomplishing many of the same goals. While our daily lives look vastly different than my parent’s lives did, we hope to achieve the same goals-simplicity, peace, and connection-while on our vacations.
How we ended up with an RV
We seldom went on vacation when our children were toddlers. But as they got older and more independent, we began to explore the idea of taking bigger family trips and venturing further away from home. My husband began hinting at the idea of renting an RV and heading “out west” to “see the country.” Having coworkers and family members share their experiences with these types of adventures, and knowing my dislike for road trips along with my fears of traveling around in my living quarters, I cautiously listened...
I wanted to show my kids the world.
Traveling around the USA would contribute to this goal. But how much would it cost? How much time would we be able to take? What would it be like to stay in campgrounds in unknow cities? Would it be safe? Would the kids adapt to life on the road?
As I slowly began opening up to the idea, reading stories about other families’ RV adventures, and attending local RV expos, I started to get excited about the possibilities. I imagined how simply we could live and how enjoyable it would be to see new places and visit friends and family along the way. I thought about how beneficial and economical it would be to cook our own meals while keeping my children with severe nut allergies safe away from home. I imagined how much history my children could see first-hand as we explored.
Several months after my husband shared his vision, I was finally on board with the idea. And I was ready to leave the next day!
A series of life transitions led us to a period in our life when we suddenly had the ability to head out and make this idea a reality. We initially planned to rent an RV and take a week-long trip to see how we liked it, but after costing out the trip, we decided instead, to explore purchasing a used RV. We each made a list of what we wanted in our RV and determined our budget, then we headed out to shop. As luck would have it, at our first stop at our local RV dealer, a trade-in had just come in that matched all of our needs and was in our price range. We chatted with the kids and took the plunge that day.
Side note... when you are clear on what you want and you put it out into the world then work toward it, it’s amazing what you can achieve.
Oh, the places we went...
Immediately after purchasing the RV, we began planning our first trip. This trip would take us through the Northern USA, from Illinois to Idaho then back to Illinois via the Midwest states. Find even more pictures from this trip on Instagram under the USA RV Trips highlight.
Our second large trip took us across the USA from Maine to California (and back). (Blog post with details coming in August 2020.) Then our third trip took us from Maine through the provinces of Atlantic Canada. (Blog post with details coming in September 2020.) We also enjoyed spending every weekend one spring camping at the Bar Harbor Oceanside KOA near Acadia National Park in Maine, plus several other random nights in our driveway, at local campgrounds, and at friends.’
Soon I'll share the details of how we have [almost] accomplished our goal to see all 50 states with our kids. (We have three states left to visit, which has been delayed due to COVID.)
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As our children got older (and bigger) and as we crossed states and provinces off our travel bucket list, we knew the day was coming when we’d move on from RV travel. While I was sad to see the RV go, I knew it was time to pass it on and give the next owners (which ended up being my cousin and his wife) the opportunity to make memories with their family.
The trips we took provided so many memories for our family. We talk about our travels almost every day and reminisce about both the challenging parts of the journeys (like the ant invasion, the broken fridge, the occasional cold showers, and the fun of trying to park in the dark when we arrived at our campsite late at night), and the happy, funny memories, too (like all of the singing and cooking and exploring).
These experiences produced some of the simplest and most joyful moments of my life and provided some of my proudest moments as a mother. I’m a huge proponent of RVing and of showing your children the world. Our children have learned about the history of the USA and the differences between each state and region. They’ve met people who look and live differently than them. And hopefully, they become better humans because of these adventures.
If you’re curious about RVing with your family and are thinking about taking the leap and giving it a try, send me a note with your questions. I’m happy to help you explore if this is right for you and to answer your questions about how we did it, what worked, and what didn’t.
Here’s to the adventures that await!