Ahh the glamorous life of the road.
People often ask us what it’s like to live for months at a time sleeping in Wal Mart parking lots with six or seven children. Honestly, I’ve asked myself some of these questions, so here are my candid answers to the top five- including how to travel with kids!
We do it because it’s part of our job, but truly, driving is the BEST way to see the country. And what an amazing country it is!
What Is It {really} Like?
It’s amazing. But it’s also hard. Nothing that’s worth doing in this life is ever easy. Since we believe that God would have us stay together as a family, we take most of our speaking engagements with six gorgeous kids in-tow. Traveling with this many kids is not easy, and when you are doing it with eight people in a 27 foot motorhome, prepare for adventure.
But we’ve learned a lot of things in the past five years of doing this.
See that man? He’s my awesome husband. He has just finished lettering our new cargo trailer. I tell ya, there’s nothing this man can’t do.
And it’s a good thing–because in the line of work God has called us to, we’ve got to be ready for just about anything. This spring will mark our third trip traveling across the United States as a family. 10 people. One vehicle. Lots of adventures–and misadventures.
Which brings me to:
What’s the hardest part about traveling cross-country in an RV?
No contest here: breakdowns. They’re expensive and often scary! Last time, we had to replace
- the brakes
- the transmission
- the rear axle …
But all in all, we’ve seemed to weather it fine so far …
Together with our kids, we make some smokin’ hot road trippers.
And I’m not kidding.
In 2011, near the end of our last 15,700 mile journey, our RV caught on fire.
You heard me. On.Fire.
We were somewhere outside of Cheyenne at about 9:30 that night. I had just tucked the little kids into bed for the night and we planned on driving several more hours.
Our son caught a glimpse of “orange flickering” near the back of the motorhome, just beyond the rear bedroom window.
Jay pulled over and immediately came running to the side door: “Everyone out! The wheel is on fire! OUT! OUT!”
I ran for the kids in the back while the older ones grabbed blankets and we headed out into the brush on the side of the freeway. In the dark. In the cold. We stood barefoot in the dry Wyoming grass while Jay tried desperately to put out the fire. A semi-truck driver pulled over and used his fire extinguisher after ours was empty. But the fire would not go out.
Just about the time we were about to watch the entire thing go up in flames, Jay had the brilliant idea to cut the grey water line and all the sink water began to empty onto the fire. As the fire trucks and ambulance, police and fire marshall were arriving, we saw the flames die down.
This.Was.Not.Fun. We shut down the freeway in both directions for at least an hour. The Fire Marshall said it was a miracle that the RV didn’t explode, since the fire, which was sparked from a rear bearing, began just above the FUEL LINE.
Yeah. I believe in angels.
That was our last road trip. This time, we’re driving in a 15 passenger van, since my PTSD has not let lifted from our last trip. -Keep Calm and Carry On-, she says. In the van we shall go.
I could tell many more stories, but I’ll save those for another blog entry. Back to the questions.
How Do You Do It?
Good question. Organization is the key.
And games for the kids. And stops along the way.
And patience. And grace. Yeah. That too.
But I’ve discovered that if you can be extra-prepared, the trip will be more successful, and less stressful. Usually when we travel, we are moving from venue to venue without much time to stop and “play,” so the key to keeping everyone in good spirits falls on the mom–if the littles ain’t happy on the road–nobody’s happy!
Where do you put your stuff?
Another great question! We are organizational nuts. Our two older daughters and I take a three-fold approach to organizing for road trip , but it works for living in a small space, even if you’re not in an RV or a van!
- Pack simply. No more than five days worth of clothes per person. Each child has a clear plastic bin in which to keep their belongings. They must leave room to “collect” things on the road–souvenirs, etc., all need to fit into their space. We bring our own pillows so that we can sleep better at night.It’s very important to allow the kids to bring something they can’t live without. Each of our children is different and has a different idea of what that is. We encourage them to keep it simple.
- Everything has a place. EVERYTHING. Every.Thing. From chargers to post cards, insurance information to sunglasses. Everything has a place. Each time we stop, we do a little tidy-up to make sure things are put back where they go. This is crucial or things get lost and/or broken.This was my favorite item from our last road trip: a simple shoe holder that I found at WalMart. It’s made of canvas so we just let the kids design their own little pockets and made pockets for all those “little” things that get lost or misplaced so easily. We hung it near the top of the ceiling so that the little ones could not reach medicines or other things we didn’t want them to touch. Worked like a charm. In fact, when we got back home, we hung it up again. If you need to pare down at home, make a list of what you can’t live without, and then put those things aside. It’s amazing what we can live without, what we don’t need.
- Entertainment and Exercise for Everyone. When you are driving for 12-15 hours at a time, there has to be something to keep the mind and body from atrophying. For us, it’s iPad games, movies, card games, school work (15 minutes at a time), naps and good conversation. And yummy snacks. That too. This year, we will be stopping frequently to let the kids run and stretch our muscles. Being in a van will be a different experience so we’re hoping to take advantage of hotel workout rooms and pools. Exercise is so important. Without it, we start to lose energy and our emotions ratchet up toward defcon six.
What Do You Eat?
I‘ll be honest: On our first trip back in 2009, I took all my cookware and utensils. And used them twice in three months. It just wasn’t practical. So in order to eat something besides fast food (yuck) we started looking for healthy meals that we could prepare quickly:
Sandwiches, Costco chicken, bagged salad, prepared main dishes from grocery stores etc.
I do cook occasionally but in all honesty, it’s not easy with a large group. Especially if it decides to rain and the kids can’t go outside while I cook. On our first road trip, I gained 15 pounds. The last one, we did just fine because we were much more intentional about our meals: healthier snacks, more water, less soda. (duh.)
How do the kids do?
Honestly, sometimes great, sometimes, not so great . Wait. That’s just like home.
Getting sleep is very important though. Sometimes hard when you’ve spent the night next to a noisy semi-truck or in 110 degree heat and the AC quits working. That’s not very much fun.
Where Do You Stay?
Wal Mart or KOA when we have the RV. WalMarts are great because they’re free. Just pull over and get everyone into bed. Bonus: You can stock up on needed supplies while you’re there. 🙂
This year we’ll be hoteling it. I’ll let you know how that goes. I’m not sure yet since we’ve never done it this way. You might have to haul me home in a paddy wagon. 🙂 I’m hoping not though. Right now a friend is researching hotels that are large-family friendly.
Sometimes, if we have a few days inbetween conventions, we stay at campgrounds to unwind.
Overall, is it worth it?
Yes. In spite of all the breakdowns (the RV and the family), fire, long nights and weary days, we would not change it for the world. Our adventures have drawn us closer as a family. Living in a small space has made us realize we can live without most of the “stuff” we think we need. Seeing different parts of the United States has given our children a love for other places and a desire to meet new people.
“Remember when…” has become a regular part of discussion around the dinner table. Now that our oldest is grown and married, we appreciate this short season even more.
So if you’re thinking of RV’ing it, I vote YES.
We love to talk about traveling with the family. If you’ve got any questions, leave a comment here. My hunch is that if you’ve got a question, others have it too.
We’re in New Mexico to speak for CAPE right now … we leave on our big road trip with the kids when we get back on Sunday.
We sure would appreciate your prayers–they make all the difference!
Spending that time with family is the best! We took a six week cross country road trip (our then 10year old son, hubby and I)a couple years ago. To this day we still talk about the positive impact it had on us as a family. We became so close. We are even talking about doing it again. We did the hotels along the way so if you have questions please feel free to contact me.
When you stay in hotels, how do you do it? What type of hotels ?
For big family
Not sure yet but I’ll keep you posted!
We just bought an RV in order to see the country from the ground 🙂 without being confined to the seats of a minivan. We have a boy and girl that have begun to enjoy fighting a lot so we thought they could spread out and have their own space. So far we have only taken 1 long trip and it was amazing. It was great to sleep in parking lots and divert from the main road to see things along the way. Where are some of the most memorable places that you have been?
Williamsburg VA is our favorite but we love so many places- Niagara Falls, Grand Canyon and Oregon 🙂
I think it’s cool. I joke with my husband about doing that..but he has to work. Lol. That’s kind of important. Williamsburg is only about an hour from me. I’d love to pay a visit to your rv next time you’re there :).
Sounds like a lot of adventures! Home wood Suites are good for large families and have a complimentary evening meal Monday thru Thursdays plus complimentary breakfast every day. Drury Inns also have complimentary meals M-Th and breakfasts as well.
Awesome, thanks!
I echo that sentiment. Homewood’s often have a 2 bedroom plus living room suite that can hold the whole family. They also have full kitchen (with dishes) and the free breakfast included. Just a real blessing for large families!
Yes! We’ve RV’d as a family of 7 plus 2 dogs many summers, and we love it, too! I especially like your shoe-holder/organizer idea. We own our RV now, but when we rented, I always wondered why no one had places to hang things up where they couldn’t slide and fall when driving.
One suggestion for other families: if you have another family willing to vacation with you, you can have SO much fun traveling together. The kids play with each other in one RV while the parents have a quiet meal in one RV–it’s fantastic. And you can help each other with repairs or other emergencies. We have fond memories of doing this.
This blog entry couldn’t have come at a better time as my husband and I and our 15 month old are officially moving into our 5th wheel this weekend!! My husband does contract work and instead of doing rentals we took the plunge and bought an rv. We have stayed for a few months at a time in an rv in the past but that was pre-baby so this will be a whole new experience. I loved your idea of getting a canvas shoe organizer to write on and decorate. Any other organizational ideas or tips for living in an rv with a baby?
Good luck on all of your travels and thanks so much for sharing your life with us!
Angie, we did it with a baby and I think the key is to just keeping to a schedule as much as you can. We built a bassinet into the back of the RV, and whenever we stopped, we got her OUT. 🙂 She did great. In many ways, babies are easier than toddlers! Have a great time!
I think it is great that your family is willing to take on such an adventure! It is such an amazing experience to travel the country with your family! We had the opportunity to do something similar last summer. My husband had a job opportunity in Minnesota, so we packed up our suburban (with 3 days notice) and drove from Washington to Minnesota. We spent a month in a hotel with our four children. They were 7 and under which was nice for fitting in a room with two queen beds and a port a crib. The hotel was very accommodating and allowed us to have a toaster oven and electric skillet in our room which already had a mini fridge and a small pantry area with a large counter on top. This allowed me to cook meals and save money. From Minnesota we went to Missouri and stayed with my parents for over a month and then visited Mt.Rushmore and Yellowstone on our way back to Washington. It was an amazing trip and our kids did great. They loved getting to see the country this way! I am very grateful that we were able to do this and I hope to do more road trips in the future.
I will need to get one of those shoe keepers for our rv. We just bought it and will move into it for a year starting May 15. 4 kids and a dog, our goal is to see all 50 states in a year. Love reading about others experiences.
I’m trying to embark on a rounds the country trip with 5 kids. Any suggestions on planning route and time-frames?
Not related to the blog post BUT it was super fun to meet you today at convention! Happy travels 🙂
It was fun to meet you, too! I’m glad you came!
Ive never RV’d but it sounds fantastic! I’m wondering about seatbelts. Are there enough for a large family? Or do you not need them? Also, do you ever stay with host families? You could save a ton of money that way. Just an idea.
I have GOT to convince my husband to do this!! You’re inspiring!
I think this sounds fun. Now to convince the hubby!
I love how timely your blog posts are! Thank you for sharing your tips. Our family may be spending the summer in an RV so they will definitely come in handy. I especially like that you learned that we really don’t need much “stuff” – its nice to let go and I hope we will learn that lesson as well.
Hello Heidi,
We have not RVed yet. We did take a 5 week trip in the 15 passenger van. We had a great time.
If the hotel thing doesn’t work, check into renting vacation homes. We found that to be the most economical. We had a great houses or apartments. Each had a laundry facility and a real kitchen. We only ate out twice in those weeks. Once was because the chicken caught on fire and the other with friends. We enjoyed our privacy. With seven children, we always had a place to run and romp.
I appreciate the tip about exercise. I would have never thought of that.
Hope you have a fun trip.
Mary W.
We are considering renting out our house and trying this out for a year. It would be a great adventure for me and my children because I am a restless sort and love to experience new things and travel and they do too. I can work my business from anywhere. My husband stays in hotels all week anyway with his work and just comes home on the weekends. He can just come visit us wherever we are or visa versa.
I homeschool my four boys. I’m curious, do your children miss having friends other than siblings? Do they keep in contact with their friends back home via internet or phone? I’m also very concerned with security. Do you ever feel unsafe staying overnight at truck stops or Wal-Mart parking lots?
Thank you for this blog and your facebook page. It helps me often when I need a boost or to help me keep things in the right perspective on days when things get really hectic or frustrating.
Have a safe and exciting trip!
Cynthia
What a great adventure. My family would love this. I just have one personal questions. Feel free to ignore if you want…but how would one afford this. I see that people rent out their house. But while on the road how do you make an income. I know you speek at confrences which help. What are other ideas for others to afford this. Thanks for all your inspiring words of encouragement to us busy moms.
Hey Becky! I am happy to answer your question. My husband and I do this for a living. We write and self-publish our own books. When you write a book, it’s a lot like producing a record. If you want the book to be out there, you’ve got to hit the road. So we’ve been at this now for about seven years, and every year we figure out new ways to do it. It’s not always easy, but I really believe that when God calls you to something, he gives you the grace and the means to do it.
Keep seeking the Lord! He’s got something He wants you to do, too.
What a great blog! We are venturing into homeschooling this summer/fall and we are just starting to plan our first RV roadtrip for spring break 2014 (I am a public school teacher — ahh the irony) so we have 2 full weeks to explore! We are going to rent an RV from Cruise America. Hubby did a bunch of research and that seems to be the best fit for us. Wondering why you decided against rving this year (aside from the obvious reason – breakdowns)? Hope your road trip is awesome and trouble-free!
Hi Heidi, I love the picture of your son adding a state to the map. We often take road trips and I would love for my children to have a map similar to the one pictured. Where did you get it or how did you make it? Thank you!
I echo Jackie. I would love to know more about the map!
Me too!
Heidi, I’ve been wanting to RV a long trip as well. My husband is NOT convinced that we won’t all kill each other. We’ve got four kids, but the oldest has Asperger’s, so he’s very difficult. But his other major concern is how to have intimate time with the kids so close by. You certainly don’t have to answer this in a public forum, but if you could e-mail how y’all managed this, I’d appreciate it!