Adventure Buddies

There were many factors that we thought of as we started to plan for our trip out west. The biggest factor before we started to plan was either to buy an RV or spend each evening hopping from hotel to hotel. The hotel part did not sound very enjoyable and seemed exhausted with four kids. We decided to go the RV route and wanted to make sure that we were able to pull our vehicle behind. Here’s what we found out about this whole experience.

We found our RV on rvtrader.com. We didn’t buy a brand new RV, but wanted one with low mileage because we knew we’d put at least 7,000 miles on it. Our plan was to sell the RV as soon as we got home from the trip. We had the RV sold within 3 weeks of returning. We knew we wanted to separate our boys and girls to give them their own space. We decided on the bunkhouse model with a bed above the driving area for the girls. This was perfect so the kids could each have their own space together. Our RV was not diesel. After the huge elevations we climbed, we know that when we will always have a diesel traveling out west moving forward. Our RV was a Class A. We had a full kitchen, master bedroom and 2 bathrooms.

Having the space was key for the trip. I was able to prepare many meals and freeze those for the trip, as well as pack numerous containers that could be stored underneath in the storage space. We had a full sized refrigerator and many storage compartments.

The biggest benefit to traveling with an RV was that we could make use of all of the space while driving. The kids could relax at the table or sit on the sofa and still be able to wear seatbelts. We could watch movies on the TV or trade spots since there were times we drove 12-16 hours straight. We played Bingo, watched shows, sang songs, and looked out at all the beautiful scenery through the many windows while driving. There were such breathtaking views out every window.

My husband drove the RV the whole entire time. I didn’t feel comfortable driving. When he felt like he couldn’t drive another mile, we were able to boon dock at a Walmart, Cracker Barrel, or any school. It was nice knowing we didn’t have to check in at a hotel and drag all of our luggage out of the vehicle. Everything was in it’s place the whole time. We felt very safe doing this the few times we had to during the duration of our trip.

I would say that this may not be for everyone. Luckily, my husband was a pro at this and it seemed easy to him.