When we had our trailer before the boys were born, I was too intimidated by the thought of towing to take Sunshine on road trips when Jeremy couldn’t get off work. Last summer Jeremy couldn’t take time off work, but rather than stay home again, I took the kiddos on several road trips by myself.

I learned a lot and greatly increased my confidence in my abilities to drive the RV, to tow a car behind the RV, and to take the kiddos on trips without another adult to help keep everything running smoothly. It was exhausting but worth it.

After those trips, I wrote posts about how to have a fun and successful RV road trip with kids, how to take the kids on an RV road trip by yourself, and how to tow a car with your RV by yourself.

But what did we do on our road trips and how did I keep from going crazy trying to keep two energetic little boys busy?

It actually wasn’t that hard, with a little planning. While we were at the campgrounds, we had a predictable schedule. Sticking to a schedule eliminated the decision-making process and helped us all know what to expect.

A day in the life of a mom and three kiddos on an RV camping trip

Mornings

The boys wake up first, and Sunshine and I wake up when we hear them making noise.

We eat breakfast and then get dressed. The boys are messy eaters, so I have them eat in their pjs so I don’t have to change them again.

Then we make our lunches (usually sandwiches, fruit, chips, and such), fill our water bottles, and grab a snack as well.

Snacks and water bottles go into backpacks in the trunk of the car. Lunches, extra water bottles, and ice packs go into a cooler bag, which also goes in the trunk of the car.

Then we head out and explore the surrounding areas. I picked our campgrounds based on how many interesting places and things to do were in the area. (we use our Thousand Trails membership to stay at campgrounds for practically nothing)

I tried to find at least one hike to do each day. A hike is good exercise, gets wiggles out, and is an opportunity to explore the flora and fauna of the area.

If there is a National Park Service location nearby, we like to explore those. The kiddos were able to add a couple of badges to their Junior Ranger vests last summer. Completing the Junior Ranger booklets takes time and also helps us learn more about the area than we would otherwise.

We had beaches near a couple of our stops last summer, so we made sure to visit those as well.

Afternoons

While we are out and about, exploring, we eat the lunches we packed. This saves us the time of going back to the RV and saves us money since we didn’t eat at restaurants. We rarely eat out because Sunshine and I have celiac disease and it’s just safer to prepare our own food. Plus, I feel much better about letting the boys run around during lunch if we’re at a park than if we’re in a restaurant. I pick my battles when it’s just me to keep an eye on them …..

After lunch, we do some more exploring wherever we are. It’s also a good time for finishing up Junior Ranger booklets.

Mid to late afternoons

If we’ve seen everything we wanted to see or the boys are being too restive, we go back to the RV in the mid-afternoon for some quiet time. We’re all happier if we’re not constantly go-go-going, and enforced quiet time is good for us. Though to be honest, it’s not actually quiet unless the boys manage to fall asleep. If they don’t fall asleep, they’re talking and playing and making noise, but they’re in a confined space with limited stimulation, so at least they’re still getting some downtime.

After quiet time, we take advantage of the campground amenities. Play in the pool, ride bikes, explore, etc.

Evenings

After swimming or riding bikes, we head back to the RV and I start making dinner. I don’t like the boys wandering around if I’m not paying attention, and they’re not always good about minding their sister, so I put a DVD in for a bit.

After we eat dinner, we wash the dishes and make sure everything we used during the day is put away. Clothes are put in the hamper, swimsuits and towels hung to dry, toys put away, etc. I like having everything put away before bedtime, so that has to be done before we can go on a short bike ride or a walk around the campground.

Nighttime

Camping in an RV can be a bit of a challenge. There isn’t a lot of space available, so all the kids go to bed at the same time, much to Sunshine’s disgust. To encourage them to lay still and go to sleep, I play some calming songs on my iPhone and follow that up with storytime. They all like listening to a book on Audible as they go to sleep. (some of our favorite audiobooks)

When we travel, bedtime is later than at home. I find it harder to enforce bedtime when it’s still light out and we’re in the RV. So I go with the flow and let them stay up a bit later. The audiobook does help them calm down quicker.

Once the boys are asleep, I retreat to the rear bedroom and read a book or work on a blog post for a bit before going to sleep myself.

Ideas to try for yourself

1. Plan ahead

Where will you go and what will you do? You don’t need to plan out every second, but have a rough idea of where you want to go and what you want to do.

2. Have some structure to your day

X in the morning, Y in the afternoon, Z in the evening, etc.

3. Plan your meals and snacks

Hangry kiddos (and parents) do not make for an for good company. Make sure you bring plenty of snacks and water and have a plan for where you’ll eat your meals, whether it’s at the RV, a restaurant, or a picnic.

4. Electronics have their place

Especially if you’re the lone adult, electronics can be just the distraction you need to keep the kiddos occupied while you make a meal or do some other needed task.

5. Relax and have fun!

Vacations should be fun. If you’re stressed, the kiddos will be stressed. If you’re calm, they’ll be calmer. That’s not to say that every moment will be Instagram worthy or meltdown free, because that likelihood is very small, but you can still have a good time.

Do you have some tips for taking your kiddos RVing by yourself? Please share!