Planning a family camping trip? Traveling in your recreational vehicle with your kids can be a fun and extremely rewarding experience that allows them to learn and grow, expanding their horizons and making memories along the way. It can also be somewhat trying if you’re not adequately prepared! Bored kids become restless and cranky over long highway miles, but if you ensure they have plenty of ways to remain engaged and that all their needs are met, they’ll tolerate the ride easily.
To help you with planning your first trip in your rig with your family, your local RV dealer, RVs and Boats For Less, has prepared this guide to RV travel with children. We’re located in Chubbuck, ID, so come to us if you have any further questions!
Have Entertainment On Hand
Bored kids are unhappy kids. If their minds and hands are unoccupied, it can be a struggle for them to remain engaged with the world around them. A long road trip where they’re strapped in seat belts is a prime place for boredom to occur if you’re not prepared.
Having plenty of entertainment options is a great way to keep kids happy. Obviously, they love devices like phones, tablets and game systems for playing video games and chatting with their friends, but you’ll likely want to keep usage to a minimum so they can unplug from daily life.
Let kids choose a few favorite toys and books to bring, and have drawing and writing supplies at hand for them to use in the car. You can even do simple craft projects like friendship bracelets. Buy some postcards at gas stations, tourist attractions and campsites and have some stamps on hand so that your kids can send their friends some snail mail.
Maintain Daily Routines
While you may want to throw daily routines out the window while you’re on vacation, this can do both you and your kids a disservice. Sticking to regular bedtimes, mealtimes and snack times is a good way to make sure no one is unduly tired before a big hike. Have kids wind down in the evening by reading or drawing in bed before lights out, or play a board game with them. Make sure they’re still brushing their teeth and taking showers at the usual times, too.
Following routines helps you and your partner to have some time to yourselves at the end of the day, too. It will also help make the transition from vacation back to daily life much easier, especially if they need to return to school right after your trip!
Go To Kid-Friendly Places
Almost anywhere can be kid-friendly with some accommodations. Obviously, kids love a good park, playground or zoo, or any museum with interactive exhibits. When you’re planning your trip, involve your kids in the decision-making process so they can feel invested in what you’re doing and where you’re going. Show them the route and see if you can find some places they may want to stop along the way, whether it’s a historical site, a cool-looking cafe or a really nice park.
Plan your camping activities around what your kids love to do best. This might be swimming, horse-riding, mountain biking or a favorite sport. Know their limits in terms of how much stamina they have and don’t try to push them to do a five-mile hike when they can only handle one or two miles.
Keep your visits to tourist attractions short and fill them with breaks for snacks and bathroom trips. Giving kids a little shopping money when you stop at attractions lets them choose a souvenir that lets them remember the trip how they want to while ensuring you don’t buy the whole store all at once.
If you’re looking for RVs for sale near Salt Lake City, come to our Chubbuck dealership. Our staff will be more than happy to show you our full inventory of new and used RVs for sale in many styles by all the top brands. RVs & Boats For Less serves the cities of Idaho Falls, Pocatello and Twin Falls, ID, as well as the city of Logan, UT.
