A Passenger Princess’ Guide for Travel Days

Travel days can be hectic in RV life, whether you are a seasoned traveler or a newbie, since every location and situation can present a new combination of challenges. The RV community love to share their mishaps, in hopes of sparing you, and to offer a bit of entertainment in your day. And we are no different!

We have found four things to be Must-Have’s for a successful travel day: a plan, taking your time, a checklist, and assigned jobs.

A PLAN For some, this may be mapping out the entire trip, including departure and arrival times, food, fuel and rest stops. For others, it may be a general plan for when to leave and where you are headed. Whatever method works for your travel crew, works. Just be sure you have all talked about it ahead of time and are on the same page. You can find some great resources for reservations and activities, as well as a weekly plan sheet and so many other resources on our FREE Printables page (linked here) to help you get started.

TAKING YOUR TIME I cannot stress enough how important it is to give yourself enough time. Time yourself on a day you don’t have to rush and see how long it takes you to go through all your steps. Then refine it as needed to fit your goal. I recently saw a movie where they could have their RV ready and be on the road in 12 minutes and, to be honest, I was a little jealous.

For us, we aim for a one hour or less from start to rolling. But the reality is, we put stuff away as we finish with it (but definitely the night before), and continue that through our morning routine, so there is less to do and we can have a more leisurely morning. That can lead to things being undone, so if you do this, be sure to still check behind everything as you close up to leave!

A CHECKLIST I know, this is something you have probably heard a lot, but it’s worth saying again since it is so easy to make mistakes with repetitive tasks, especially if multiple hands are involved. A checklist means you won’t forget and everyone is clear on what needs done. We started with a paper one (I even had one for stocking the RV when we were weekenders years ago–check out the photo!) and have since digitized into my smart phone tasks so it’s one less thing to look for. Our FREE Printables page (linked here) has a checklist, along with lots of other resources to get you started and go from there.

ASSIGNED JOBS Everyone seems to fall into certain jobs they do in life, whether by choice or by force. RV life is no different, and this can be applied to travel days, as well. Even littles can get involved and have a task! BJ takes care of the tanks and hoses and outside gear while I pack and prep lunches and secure inside. Our son helps with a bit of both.

Even in the car, we have jobs. Our son has the cooler in the back and passes out snacks and drinks. I am the Passenger Princess (most important, in my opinion) so am in charge of setting up the dash gear, finding stops, helping watch traffic and signs, handing out those oh-so-important glove box napkins, telling him how close he is to the edges of things, and of course, playing DJ. All BJ does is drive! (kidding, that can be super-stressful!)

Joking aside, having these four things have made travel days a lot more streamlined for us. Of course they may vary for each trip, or we may do other things to help each other out, but we all have a clear idea of what needs done and that translates to less stress and more success.

Check out our RESOURCES
Our Travel Planner an easy to carry resource for all your RV needs
Free Printables Page helpful tools and resources for travel and organization
Our Savings Page referral links to savings with brands we love (our links get us referral credit)
Our Travel Map links to blogs for places to see and stay
The Essential Guide to RV Life to prepare, live and transition through RV life (digital and print options)
About Us Our Story, our WHY, and where to find us

Thanks for being here, we’ll see you out there!