Enduring a hellish ordeal of an RV trip, with your kids, is not the kind of vacation you might have on your mind. Planning an RV trip with your kids? You might not want to miss out on this article.
Some families will love a calm time-out at a private island in the Bahamas. And then others love the country and its roads. Camping is a favorite American past time. The adventure, the road, the woods, smores, and bonfire. However, with an RV and kids around, safety should be our priority. So here are 10 tips you should have in mind, before preparing for an RV trip with your kids.
#1. Good tyres
Let’s start with the basics first. Choose good, sturdy tires for your vehicle. Tires gone crazy are one of the leading causes of accidents. Tire safety is very critical to any RV travel. Traveling on unsafe tires can land you up in mortally dangerous situations. A blowout in the middle of the road can get you off the highway and god forbid, you bump into a tree. Just like the commercial says ‘The roads are full of idiots’. Sometimes it is the other person mistake and you are the one who suffers damage. To make sure your kids enjoy their RV trip, get good tyres people!
Get T.P.M.S installed in your RV. Tyre Pressure Monitoring System ensures your tyres do not behave crazy on a hot summer day. These gadgets will help you keep track of your tyre pressure all through your journey. There are many additions, that you can make to your RV, to get the best out of it. A roof rack is one of those. With a roof rack, you won’t need to stash all of your luggage in your cozy RV.
#2. Sway bar and safety
You might as well want to invest in a sway bar. According to numerous surveys, trailers swaying away from the highway is the number one cause for RV accidents. This little bad boy will help stabilize the direction of your vehicle by controlling sway friction. There might be many reasons for travel trailers swaying of the road. Stiff crosswinds or simply losing control of your vehicle. And these can lead to nasty accidents.
Another important aspect of safety is getting ‘tow mirrors’. Highways are different from city roads. With heavy vehicles whooshing past you at a speed of a minimum of 90 kilometers per hour, you might not have a fair idea of who is on your blind side. The lower mirrors give you the most information. Your line of sight should be first concerned with who is in your immediate periphery, your blindside.
#3. Fire safety
RVs are mostly made up of fiberglass which makes them a little tinder box can go Ka-Boom in a matter of minutes. Working smoke detectors and fire extinguishers. Having a couple of them is always better. Kids might not be able to pull the pin at the right time, so let them handle the handy extinguishers that come in the shape of an aerosol can. Besides, it doesn’t always take a major leak to start a fire. Sometimes, a hot towel by the oven might as well do the trick. So having these portable fire extinguishers can contribute largely to trailer safety.
#4. Choosing campgrounds
Know your pitch. Camping somewhere offbeat can sound fun, however, you might want to keep an eye open for backup plans. Unless you want a rustic experience. Choose your camping grounds wisely and try to find kid-friendly spaces. Places that have options such as pools, biking yards or even games room in proximity, are better.
It is better to know the place and surroundings beforehand, just to have a rough idea of where you will be spending your next couple of days. RVing together is fun. You get to know your neighbors better, your kids make new friends and evenings are simply awesome! National Parks beaches are a great option and a big hit with kids!
#5. Be prepared for rainy days
Rains can be a serious turn down. Carry board games and other indoor activities to keep your little ones busy. Many RVs come with gaming options of their own. Good books and a cup of coffee, go perfectly with rainy days. You aren’t renting a vehicle, this is going to be your home for the next week or so. There is no need to cram in items into every corner of your motorhome.
Make optimal use of available space. Ideally, you should not have any problem with space as these RVs are a beast in themselves. Organize your RV, as you have organized your home, even if for a couple of days. Give your kids, their own space. That way they are going to learn a lesson or two about responsibility and feel independent at the same time!
#6. Pre-travel lessons
Teach your kids the little knick-knacks of an RV travel. Make them a part of the planning. Everyone, even your little ones can be of help at the time of crisis. How to use an emergency exit, handling fire extinguishers, knowing the machine is the first step to owning the machine.
Every member of the travel should know the basic safety hacks and survival tricks. Little things count up at the time of adversity. A badly coordinated road trip can be a disaster. The kids are screaming, wife’s mad, husbands all tensed up. We don’t want such a situation. Coordination and cooperation is the key to a successful, fun-filled RV trip. Maps play a vital role as they give us directional information so, don’t forget to take physical maps with you. Maps like an original scratch map would not just keep your kids entertained but would also guide you throughout your journey.
Amidst all this preparation don’t forget to have fun. There will be times when things will not go according to plan. Untidy drawers, food on the floor, kids screaming at the top of their lungs, just like every other home. But that is the beauty of it. It is not the perfection, rather the little deviation that makes such trips, any trip for that matter, memorable.
So keep these little do’s and don’ts in mind to have an unforgettable family vacation. Enjoy the journey and make the most of a moment, before it becomes a memory.
