Tips for Long RV Trips

If you’re heading out in your camper, chances are you’re going to a place that’s going to be a bit of a drive away. RV trips can be a whole lot of fun for the entire family, but that doesn’t mean you won’t face any challenges along the way. The greater the distance you’re covering, the more prepared you have to be to tackle some common problems.

Airstream of Utah is proud to be the leading Airstream® RV dealer in Salt Lake City and we love to help our patrons have pleasant and fun-filled trips! With that in mind, we’ve compiled this short guide on handling long road trips in your camper. If you’re looking for RVs for sale near Park City or Provo, UT, contact us to see our wide selection of models!

Safety Concerns

One way to ensure you have an overall enjoyable experience is to keep everyone's safety in mind. You should let a relative, neighbor, or friend know where you’ll be going, how long you’ll be out, and when you anticipate you’ll be back. Remember to check in with them on a regular basis, especially to let them know if you’re going to be somewhere without cell service for a bit. You should also build a roadside emergency kit with tools to repair your RV with, a first-aid kit, an emergency radio, and extra food and water.

Eat Healthy Food

When you’re on the road for long stretches of time, you and your passengers will get hungry so you’re going to need some snacks. Given all the restaurants and gas stations you’ll pass, it will be very tempting to just duck through a drive-thru or grab some candy and chips, but obviously, these aren’t the healthiest or even the most fulfilling options!

You can’t just stop and cook a full meal in the RV kitchen when you’re trying to get somewhere in a timely manner. So instead, try to pack a nice array of nutritious snacks. You can fill a cooler with ice to pack some cool drinks, like juice boxes and sparkling water and iced tea, along with some fresh fruit and string cheese. Shelf-stable healthy snacks include nuts, granola bars, dried fruit, applesauce pouches, and crackers.

Taking Breaks

Being on the road is a sedentary activity for the most part, which means you’ll be sitting in one position for a long time. This is especially true if you’re the driver. Children are also very likely to get restless and bored without breaks. Build in some time in your schedule for breaks every two to three hours. They don’t have to be very long; fifteen minutes should suffice. 

You can stop by a park or a grassy area to let the kids run around and stretch your legs and muscles with a brisk walk. Swap drivers if possible whenever you do this. Let your traveling party know if you’re too tired to keep going. You’ll feel much better and more refreshed when you arrive at your final destination if you’ve been taking regular breaks.

Fueling Up

Covering long distances in your camper can drain the fuel tank, so it’s important to keep it filled up. Whether you’re driving or towing an RV, they use up a fair bit of fuel, and you may be traveling through extensive rural areas where fuel stops are few and far between. Never let your fuel tank get below half-full so that you won’t get caught without enough fuel.

Preventing Boredom

Spending long hours driving on the road can lead to everyone getting bored. Children are probably going to get there faster, but even adults can start to go stir crazy with boredom. The driver will need to stick to fun playlists and audiobooks to stay entertained. Everyone else can get involved in choosing things to listen to, or play some fun road-trip games like license plate spotting or I Spy. The miles will fly by!

We hope you find this information useful when planning your next long-distance camping trip! For more help or to check out Airstream RVs for sale in Salt Lake City, contact Airstream of Utah and have a chat with one of our expert staff! We’re also the preferred RV dealer for Park City and Provo, UT!