Simple RVing: 7 Things We Did to Plan Our Family RV Trips

Setting off on a cross-country journey in an RV requires careful planning. When you’re traveling the country and driving (or towing) your living quarters, it’s important to plan ahead to avoid unnecessary challenges down the road.

This planning stage can be just as fun as the actual trip if you take your time and enjoy the process of researching and strategizing where you’ll stay and what sites you’ll visit. These tips helped us save time, money, and frustration, and I hope they’ll help you do the same.

Here are 7 things we did to plan our family RV Trips

1. Research where to go – We checked out books from the library, asked friends about their travels, and searched blogs and articles online. We planned our trips around (1) visiting as many National Park Sites as we could and (2) visiting family and friends along the way.
   • Borrow as many books from the library as you can then purchase just a few. We ended up purchasing this one for us and this one, this one, and this one for our kids, all of which we took with us on our travels. Be sure to take advantage of interlibrary loan options if your local library doesn’t have a large selection.
   • Begin this stage as far in advance as you’d like-it’s fun to dream up trips!
   • Include your entire family in the planning process. It will get the kids excited and will foster the feeling of teamwork-something that’s important to continue throughout the trip. They’ll even start learning and getting excited about new places before you hit the road.

2. Purchase an Annual Park pass – Many parks charge entry fees, so purchasing the annual park pass for the US or Canada makes sense if you plan to visit several parks. We purchased ours by mail, but several parks sell them on site.

3. Book campgrounds
   • If you’ll be staying at state or national park campgrounds, you may need to book up to 1 year in advance.
   • If you’ll be staying at private campgrounds, I suggest booking as soon as you know your route. We booked the first stops on our trip a few weeks out and continued booking a few at a time as we traveled and confirmed our route. Some sites do go fast, though, depending on the popularity of the campground and when in the season you’re traveling.
   • We always booked our sites directly through each campground (versus through 3^rd party booking sites), as we found it more reliable.
   • We paid to be Good Sam Club members and used their online trip planner to plan all our routes and choose campgrounds based on the reviews on their site, which were always accurate. This membership also provided discounts at campgrounds and several other travel benefits.
   • We also purchased the KOA Value Kard which gave us 10% off each stay plus other discounts and rewards toward future stays.

4. Brainstorm ways to save money before and during the trip
   • Choose not to eat out – As a food allergy family, we rarely eat out, so this was an easy one for us. In fact, one of the reasons we purchased an RV was to make it easy to have safe meals while traveling.
   • Declutter your home – Sell or consign high-value items or new clothes with tags. An added benefit of doing this: you’ll come home to a simpler, more organized home after your travels.
   • Set a voluntary spending freeze on something you don’t NEED, like clothes, home décor, or alcohol – Choose not to buy these items for a month, a year, or something in between. In line with this, avoid the urge to go buy all new clothes before your travels. Instead, pay attention to which items you wear the most in the months leading up to the trip then create a capsule wardrobe of those items to take with you on your trip.

5. Plan meals for the trip in advance
   • In the months leading up to your trip, pay attention to which meals your family loves to eat the most. Build a list of these favorites and plan to make them during your travels.
   • Research easy camping meals online
   • Try out new recipes before you head out to avoid surprises
   • Also note which meals are easy to prepare and what utensils and cookware you need to prepare them. Keep it simple!

6. Plan ahead for your arrival home – The last thing you want to do before a trip is think about coming home. But a bit of prep before you head out can make a world of difference when you arrived home.
   • Purchase a non-perishable (or frozen) meal to have on hand for your first day home. This will save you from having to run out immediately after you return home, or from ordering pizza. 😉 We always have pasta, sauce, frozen meatballs, and frozen garlic bread on hand for our arrival home day.
   • Fill your vehicles with gas (the ones you aren’t taking on the trip). This will save you the hassle of having to stop at the gas station on your first trip out after you get home.

7. Reach out to friends & family you want to visit during your trip
   • Which friends have repeatedly invited you to “come visit anytime?”
   • Which family members haven’t you seen in a while?
   • Which friends from other states would you like to reconnect with?
   • Incorporate these stops into your trip itinerary for another fun element of your RV trip.

A little bit of preparation can go a long way in simplifying your travels and enjoying your family RV trip.

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