RV travel with kids & grandkids: How to make your trips a success

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When the COVID pandemic began to fade, many families looked for ways to spend time together again. Since that time, multigenerational trips have taken off, with grandparents, parents, and kids finding ways to connect and travel together, often on RV trips.

A 2024 U.S. Family RV Travel Report entitled “Generations in the Wild” found that family RV trips had numerous benefits and advantages, including shared experiences in nature, reduced screen and tech time, better affordability, and learning opportunities for all family members.

Family RV trips can be fantastic for many reasons – but to ensure success, they do require some thought and planning in advance.

Here are a few suggestions to help make your multigenerational family trip a great one.

Build the trip together

Someone needs to oversee the overall planning (and that someone is probably you) but let everyone who’s going on the trip have a say in the destinations and what activities you’ll be doing along the way.

There’s going to have to be some give and take, but are there some activities everyone can enjoy at your destination, such as swimming, fishing, biking, hiking, visiting sites or museums? What are the ages and interests of your family members? How many people (and possibly pets) will be going, and can you all sleep comfortably in your RV? Are you going somewhere close by or will you take a long, multi-day and multi-state trip?

Determine your priorities first and then get out a printed map and a computer to do some research, plot mileages, explore activity options, and determine who will help drive the RV.

Just remember: Make sure that every driver has experience in driving, parking, and backing up your RV before you travel!

Plan activities for kids

Kids can quickly get bored during long drives, so if you have young children coming along, plan activities for both the drive and for when you’re stopped. Look for some activities that include the whole family and get them interested in what’s around them, rather than just playing a game by themselves on a tablet or screen.

For instance, you can go online and find free printables for road trip games such as the license plate game, where you look for and log how many different states you find as you drive; scavenger hunts and I-spy games to track what you see from the RV; and even road trip bingo.

Plan regular stops as you drive, too – it’s helpful for everyone to get out, stretch, walk a bit, use the bathroom, etc.

For evenings in the RV, plan some activities like board and card games that get people away from screens and interacting together. Kids usually love campfires, which can be a great time for everyone to enjoy some treats and maybe some singalongs, too.

It’s also a great idea to give each child a blank book or journal where they can record what happened each day and write down favorite experiences or what they learned along the way. Once home, they can print out favorite photos from the trip to include.
 

Prepare some snacks and other food in advance 

Young kids are known for wanting snacks during long car rides and activities – especially things like hikes, nature walks, and visits to historic sites – so you’ll save time, money and frustration if you prepare and take along healthy road trip snacks such as pre-prepared baggies of cut veggies, crackers, seeds, dried fruits, or homemade trail mix.

 You’ll also be ahead of the game if you plan and prepare some meals (or parts of meals) in advance. Having a big batch of kid-friendly chili or spaghetti sauce ready to heat up once you reach the RV park after a long day will make things easier for everyone.

Learn from each other

One of the best things about multigenerational travel is that each person – regardless of age or ability – brings skills to the trip, and each person has something to learn. For instance, kids can learn about cooking, geography, safety, and from adults, while adults can often get help with the latest app or smartphone navigation system from teens or younger kids!

These trips are a great chance for kids to learn about safety, planning, and responsibility, too. Make older kids responsible for their own money and snacks, create camping checklists for them to pack and help set up at the RV campsite, and discuss what safety precautions are necessary for activities such as hiking and outdoor cooking.

With some careful preparation, your RV trip will result in lasting memories for the whole family – and get everyone excited for the next excursion!

Need a secure, accessible space to store your RV between family trips? Contact the team at Max RV in Clovis today!