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 My
brother and I answer RV related questions on a bimonthly
radio show in London. Recently I was discussing a 9000-kilometer
trip we had taken to California with the car and trailer.
The first few minutes of the show were devoted to questions
on the traditional aspects of travel trailer hitching and
tow vehicle preparation, and then the real excitement started.
Everyone seemed to be thinking about planning their next
major trip, and the many ways to amuse the younger generation
while touring. The rest of the show was all about traveling
with kids. The listeners came up with many good ideas, which
I have combined with some of our own observations to present
an RV parent's guide to traveling with kids.
It's never too early to hit the road...
Parents sometimes think they should wait until their children
are old enough to travel, but with an RV travel is possible
and relatively easy with very young children. When you take
your home with you, it is never a problem to find a clean
bathroom and change area. You can prepare bottles or food
any time you need it. Personally, I don't understand how
people with young kids travel without a trailer. I started
at one year of age, and our kids have been traveling since
they were a few months old.
Take a break
On high mileage days, a lunch stop in a quiet park is a
great idea, and even if you have to pay the daily use fee
at a provincial/state park or conservation area it's still
much less expensive than a restaurant. This lets the kids
get out to burn off a few calories, especially if they can
run around or play on a playground.
It is a good idea to stay flexible because you can stumble
upon some really great places. For example, a few years
ago we were traveling along the north shore of Lake Michigan,
and we pulled off the highway into a small town on a peninsula.
There on the shore was a beautiful park with a huge wooden
fort equipped with every climbing and swinging apparatus
known to kids. We spent the whole afternoon there. The girls
had a ball.
Another time, when we were just touring, we stopped for
lunch at Sand Banks Provincial Park. We enjoyed the beach
and dunes so much that we went back to the campground office,
picked a site, and stayed for two days. (Page
Top)
Keep the kids busy
Reading and traveling are two great ways to expand your
horizons. We find that books on tape are popular ways to
pass the time. On our way to B.C. a couple of years ago
everyone but the driver took turns reading aloud from a
500 page Harry Potter book. This year, on the way home from
California, the featured story was Sherlock Holmes.
Let the kids help plan the trip
When you travel long distances, the steady chorus "are we
there yet" can take the fun out of a day on the road. We
have found that if the kids play a part in planning the
trip they will recognize all of the major points of interest
along the route, and they will be as excited about the tour
as they are about the final destination. This past year,
my kids really wanted to return to California even if it
was a long ride. When planning your trip I would suggest
a general outline that frees you to check out unexpected
opportunities instead of creating a rigid schedule with
split second timing. You should make reservations for stopovers
in high demand areas that you are sure you want to visit,
but even these can be changed at little cost if the mood
or weather sends you elsewhere.
For example, on one trip, our destination was Hilton Head
Island. When we arrived at the exit for the 40-mile road
out to the island it was pouring rain. A check of the weather
confirmed that it would likely rain for days, but five hours
away in St Augustine the weather was just beautiful. Even
though it cost $60 to cancel the Hilton Head reservation
we decided to follow the sun, and we had great weather for
our holiday.
Learn to read maps!
As soon as your children are old enough to read, you can
teach them to follow the trip on a map or road atlas. When
they ask "are we there yet" let them figure it out. Pretty
soon the will be able to read a map by themselves, and not
only will they stop asking the question, they might actually
help navigate!
When they were younger I highlighted the route with a highlighter,
now they have to figure out where we are on their own. We
rotate seats a couple of times a day, Heather will ride
in the back for a couple of hours with one of the girls
and sometimes I will sit in back when she is driving. The
girls are better navigators - but don't tell Heather I said
that. (Page Top)
Keep a journal
Now that the girls are older, they like to keep a journal
of each trip. It is really interesting to see what they
perceive to be the highlight of each day on the road. On
our recent trip the San Francisco trolley cars were "a blast",
giant Sequoia trees were "awesome", Alcatraz was "creepy
but cool", and the Pacific ocean was "freezing cold."
Entertainment en route
Some people who called in use T.V. and video players in
the car. Others were adamant about not having such things
in the car. We tend to go with the latter viewpoint as we
find the time in the car is a great opportunity to get to
know each other again, and talk about what we are seeing
along the way - this would not be possible if a T.V. was
on.
One electronic gadget we do like are the Motorola portable
FM radios. These allow us to keep in touch in campgrounds
or if someone gets separated when we are visiting attractions
etc.
Travel with a friend
Our long trips are family time but on shorter trips or weekends
we often let our kids invite a friend or two along to share
the adventure. This is a great way to get to know who your
kid's friends are and learn more about them. Some of these
kids find it a real novelty to stay in an RV and go places
they have not been before.
Campsite helpers
Many callers commented on how the same child or teenager
that complains about cleaning their room will gladly help
out with hitching, checking tire pressure, engine oil, rolling
up awnings, gathering firewood, and a whole range of campsite
chores. Some of the kids even carried on with this helpful
attitude after returning home.
Roadside sibling rivalry
Several grandparents called in with suggestions, and one
mentioned that they travel with one grandchild at a time
so they do not have to deal with sibling rivalries. Another
caller took two cousins of about the same age on trips and
said it worked out very well. I didn't ask about their adult
children, but I wouldn't be surprised if there are no age
limits on roadside sibling rivalry.
Now we don't claim to be experts on dealing with the younger
generation, and sometimes I think that the kids influence
us as much as we influence them. I hope you have picked
up some useful ideasÉ have a blast on your awesome, cool
trip to "wherever" this year!
(Page Top)
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