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The best tips for first time RVers – scroll down to get your free printable packing list!
We went on our first RV trip – with two little kids – and survived to tell the tale! Not only did we survive, but we had such a great time, and I want to tell you all about so you could have the same experience.
This trip was our “Lancaster redemption” trip. When we started our bathroom remodel, we went out to Lancaster for a weekend trip and we got SO SICK. It was terrible. My poor kids remembered that as our family vacation, and it was so sad! We decided to try it one more time, but this time with a very fun new twist.
We had a true adventure and rented an RV from Outdoorsy. By going through this website, we were able to rent an RV from someone who owned it. He ended up being the sweetest man, and we had a great time getting to know his family while he showed my husband how to work the RV.
Our kids quickly made themselves at home! They were SO excited to see all of the fun features the RV had, and they loved their bunk beds. Isaac kept saying “it’s like Daddy is driving a house!” It was adorable!
We learned a lot through this experience, so I wanted to share my best tips with you!
Tips for first time RVers:
- Admit you’re new
- We found that the RV community was so helpful as a whole. The people at the campground were super willing to help when we told them that this was our first time, and even the other RVers that were camping around us.
- Don’t be prideful! Admit you’re new and that you may need some help, and people will be more than willing to help you if you’re willing to listen.
- Take your time
- A big part of the RV experience is the actual drive – so enjoy the ride! Take the scenic route, explore roads that look interesting…you can deviate from your original plan, and it’s OK!
- Find a good campground
- We were so fortunate to find a great campground for our trip. It bordered on a working Amish farm, and the horses came to greet us every morning. It had a playground and swimming pool for our kids, which was just perfect.
- Do some research and find a campground that’s really good for the needs of you and your travel partners.
- Be prepared
- It’s really helpful to read a lot of tips and tricks from people who have been doing this a LOT longer than you have! One of my favorite resources was a website called GoRVing. It’s filled with great information and really helpful resources.
- RVing requires a lot of planning ahead of time, and it’s best to be over-prepared! I made up a list of essentials you’ll need to pack. Download your free printable packing checklist here.
- Enjoy!
- Things won’t always go according to plan, and that’s OK! Be flexible, enjoy the journey, and take the path less traveled.
Come see our fun video highlights from our trip here:
A few more details from our trip:
- We stayed at this campground – it was perfect for families! It bordered on a working Amish farm, and the horses came up to the fence all day. They also had a pool and a playground for the kids, and the facilities were SO clean and well maintained.
- I got to sneak out for a little bit and go antique shopping. I found SO many rustic pieces from Lancaster county, but sadly none ended up coming home with me.
- We visited the Strasburg Railroad while we were there – such a fun trip! We had a beautiful weather weekend, and got to ride the open air train cars…it was a great time, and we loved seeing more of the Amish countryside through the train ride.
I have to say, going in the RV has given my family some of our best memories. At the end of the day, it helped us to spend time together and see parts of Lancaster that we wouldn’t have seen before. RVing is less about the destination, and all about the journey.
GoRVing was a great resource for us as we prepared for our trip, and I know they will be helpful for you too! Make sure you check them out here to find out more about renting or buying RVs.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
This looks so fun and definitely ideal if you have little ones! I’ll have to keep your tips in mind if we decide to rent one!
How fun is that! I never thought about getting an RV but it must be a blast for the kiddos.
They LOVED it. We said this definitely won’t be our last time after this trip!
Sounds so fun! And great tips!
What great ideas! Loved this post friend!
Sounds like it was such a great trip! If we ever decide to do this, I’ll be using your tips 🙂
Where you stayed looks so relaxing – nothing beats uninterrupted family time!
Now, my friend, you have to try a tent for REAL camping. Haha!!
haha we’ll take it one step at a time 😉
Hi Christina!
Firstly, I want to thank you for mentioning Outdoorsy on your blog. Unlike most startups, we didn’t start this business to make money.
We started this business because we believe everyone should have the access, choice and opportunity to get outdoors. With over a billion days of available RVs inventory, we realized we could make a difference in helping people access the world outside.
And you have helped make this possible!
I know you are busy so I won’t take up too much of your time. But we recently got our domain back from a competitor who took Outdoorsy.com from us. Yay!
It was a long battle, but our passion helped us come on top.
Now we want to continue helping people experience the outdoors without having to spend tons of money, but to do this we need your help again.
Is it possible for you to change the link on the above post from Outdoorsy.co to Outdoorsy.com? (We currently still have a website on Outdoorsy.co, but we are switching everything over to .Com).
No matter what you decide, I just want to let you know that we still appreciate everything you have done for us.
With love,
Brooke Cavins
Marketing Coordinator & Assistant