RV ROOKIES ON THE ROAD

 

 

(this story won a Parenting Publications of America Award of Merit, 1997)

by Terri Mandell

Vacations, in our family of four, are almost always overpriced, overplanned, stress-inducing affairs, where too many boring pictures are taken, too much money is spent on restaurant food that the kids don't eat, air travel is agonizing, and hotel prices are downright insulting. So why do we do it? Because we love to travel. We're hooked. We're hopeless.

But this year, we vowed never to do it again. No more $30 room service breakfasts (two bowls of cereal, 2 bagels and a pot of coffee), no more plane tickets charged to overextended credit cards, and no more schlepping luggage, cameras, toys, and other family necessities. This year, we learned to just say no to all that, and instead, did something completely different... we rented an RV for a two-week trip through California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia. It was the most sensible travel decision we ever made.

When we embarked on this adventure with two kids (4 and 5 years old), we had no awareness of the RV world at all, in fact, none of us had ever set foot in one. Until we began reading manuals and studying camping guides, we thought the term "pull through" referred to some kind of weaving tool, and "black water" was the name of a hit song by the Doobie Brothers in 1974. We were rookies, no doubt about it. So we began studying RV culture, and learned that there's a whole new world out there. Granted, most of the inhabitants of that world are retirement age, but we discovered that RV travel provides solutions to the most pressing concerns of a family with young children, namely, comfort and economy. Other issues, like clothing, food, sleeping, entertainment and even personal hygiene also rate pretty high in importance.

Paying for It

The benefits of an RV vacation are almost too numerous to mention, so I'll start with the most obvious... money. Here's how we figured it out, in ballpark terms. Let's say your family of four from Texas takes a trip to Hollywood for 7 days. Airfare, round trip, will cost about $1200, and seven nights in a reasonable hotel will cost another $700. Renting a car is mandatory, so that's another $200. Throw in restaurant meals at about sixty bucks a day (assuming your family has every meal at Denny's), and you've added another $400. You've now spent $2,500. Now, let's say the same family rents a mid-sized RV for about $100 per day (prices depend on vehicle size, season, and other factors. In the off-season, you can get one for as low as $49 per day). Gas from Houston to Los Angeles and back will cost about $700. If you buy and cook your own food, the cost of groceries simply cancels itself out, because you'd be buying the same stuff at home. Campground fees average about 20 bucks a night, so that's another $140. Add the cost of mileage charged by most RV rental companies, and the same trip will cost you about $2,140. And the food's better.

Even if the numbers come out about equal, there are loads of other advantages that tip the scales in favor of RV travel: quality family time, social opportunities (campgrounds are full of friendly folks who love to meet one another), safer travel, access to nature, freedom, mobility, privacy, and fewer hassles.

Driving "The Thing"

Ok. We admit it. We rented a big one. A Fleetwood Pace Arrow Vision with a slide room and all the luxuries of home. We're city folks after all, and we like our comforts. The kids called it "The Thing," and we were terrified of driving it, until we found that it was easier than we'd imagined (the company that rents the RV to you will give you lessons).

You'll be amused to notice how people on the road automatically hate you when you drive one of these things. They'll pass you even if you're driving over the speed limit. They'll cut you off rudely and dangerously. They'll give you dirty looks when you take up 4 parking spaces in the grocery store parking lot. It's all part of the package. You get used to it.

Driving is actually a pretty safe prospect, simply because you're in a tank and nobody can hurt you. But there are safety rules. In a perfect world, all passengers are supposed to remain fastened onto their seats while the vehicle is in motion. In the real world, this rarely happens. While my husband or I drove, the kids spent most of their time either seated at the dinette coloring and reading books, or lying on the queen-size bed in the back of the vehicle watching videos. It's a tough life.

We moved around the rig a lot while driving, and probably broke a lot of laws in the process. But we had some firm rules. The kids had to be strapped into real seats when we were on winding roads or on busy city streets. But on open highway it was different. They were so fascinated by having a refrigerator on board that they constantly whined for drinks and snacks, which were lovingly served by mom while we whizzed down the road at 70 mph. We all developed sea legs, and the kids were sworn to obedience on one vital rule about life in a moving RV... always hold on to something while you're walking around.

Nurturing It

A motorhome is a big, complex machine, and you have to learn how to take care of it. However, you don't have to be a mechanical genius, and within two days, my six year old son and I were experts at hooking up, checking the generator oil, keeping watch over the water, LP gas, & holding tank levels, and working all the other systems. Hopefully, your rig will come with an instruction book that's well written and understandable.

For many people, the worst thing is the dumping of the dreaded "black water" (toilet waste), but this too was painless. The campgrounds we docked in were spotless, organized and easy to blend into, so the setting up, breaking down and everything in-between was a breeze. Even little kids can manage things like turning the generator on and hooking up the electricity and water.

Living in It

We'd mapped out an itinerary that pinpointed campgrounds along the way to serve as home to us each night. We had no idea what a wonderful family environment these campgrounds provided (we liked the KOA campgrounds because they're dependable.. you always know what to expect when you arrive). Every one we visited had a playground, swimming pool and game room, and some even had miniature golf, bike rentals and scheduled group activities. And of course there are showers, laundry rooms, and a grocery store, so it's all quite civilized. The kids loved rolling into a new site each evening and running out to the playground while mom and dad got dinner ready. By dark, we'd be at a picnic table dining by candlelight and chatting with new friends. People in the RV and trailer worlds share a unique sense of brotherhood, and if we ever had questions or problems, we would simply enlist the help of a more experienced neighbor.

One recommendation... allow yourself to spend more than one night in a particular campground. We made the mistake of traveling with an overbooked itinerary, which forced us to pack up and leave each morning for our next destination. My most important piece of advice for families traveling with young kids is this: plan your itinerary, then cut it in half.

This vacation was, without a doubt, our best ever. We'd drive about 300 miles a day, stopping to swim in rivers and hike through forests. Each morning we'd wake up to bowls of cereal, coffee and bagels (much cheaper than room service) in our own little home. Our kids were able to see a real rain forest on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington, and they also saw forests that were sadly clear-cut where unregulated logging had occurred. They marveled at how the eastern side of the Cascade range is dry desert, while the western side is wet and rainy. They met people from all over the world. The visited their grandparents. They swam in pristine rivers, and counted stars in the night sky. My son caught a crab in a lagoon one day, and my daughter had her first marshmallow roasted over a campfire. These were experiences we would have missed if we'd been traveling by plane and living in a hotel room.

We're now hooked on RV travel for life, and plan to rent one every year from this day forward.

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