Tips on acclimating the family to longer road trips

kohldad wrote:
The only advantage a MH has over my FW and truck is that one doesn't have to go from the truck to the FW when one stops for the night.

There are at least a few other advantages. For example,

• The kids aren't directly behind your ears
  
• The passengers can go to the bathroom while underway
  
• The mean time between fuel stops is much greater
  
• The windshield is much bigger / nicer
  
• The cockpit is higher affording a better view
  
• The large refrigerator is always accessible
  
• You can sleep in a MH while under way
  
• Backing up is way easier in a MH (at least at first)
  
• Your daily driver / toad can be much smaller

Granted, there are significant advantages of a 5th wheel over a class A as well, but I just wanted to point out that there are other points to consider.

kohldad wrote:

We go muuuch further now than we ever would have before, and it makes for a much nicer trip this way. Quick, overnight stops along the way on a long trip are much, much easier with a MH, too, since you can pull in, rest for the night, and leave the next morning with much less setup/takedown involved.

The only advantage a MH has over my FW and truck is that one doesn't have to go from the truck to the FW when one stops for the night. I could stop for the night and had access to everything needed in the FW when I stopped with zero setup, did not even need to put the slide out.

..Strictly with respect to setup/takedown for a quick stopover, that would be true. However, in many other areas, the MH has huge advantages over any towable RV. Like, having all facilities available to everyone when on the road, much larger, more comfortable cab, much better visibility with huge windshield up front....I could continue, but I think that's been discussed enough already. :)

Ask your passengers/family which they'd be more comfortable traveling long distances in: A MH, or a pickup truck cab. I think we all know what their answer will be. :)

Will

We use to take a bag of games and treats with us. We had word search games, crosswords, and highway bingo. I made the cards myself on the computer. Each one had a license plate number or object, like a van or VW bug, or Silo on it. The kids had to find each object and mark off the card in order to get a treat. We rationed out the games every hour or so to keep them occupied. We also found that watching movies helped keep them occupied.

We go muuuch further now than we ever would have before, and it makes for a much nicer trip this way. Quick, overnight stops along the way on a long trip are much, much easier with a MH, too, since you can pull in, rest for the night, and leave the next morning with much less setup/takedown involved.

The only advantage a MH has over my FW and truck is that one doesn't have to go from the truck to the FW when one stops for the night. I could stop for the night and had access to everything needed in the FW when I stopped with zero setup, did not even need to put the slide out.

..I think there is one piece of 'misinformation' being implied in a few posts here, that needs to get cleared up, concerning traveling in a Motorhome:

There are only TWO seats/people in a Motorhome, that are required by law to be buckled up: The driver, and the passenger. That is all. In many cases, there many not even BE seatbelts for all the other passengers! And, if there are, unless significant modification was done after market, NONE of the seatbelts (besides driver and passenger) are going to be truly DOT compliant.

Soo, we need to throw this 'all passengers are required by law to be buckled in at all times in a MH when in motion' nonsense right out the window. That is a false, unrealistic non-truth often thrown up by folks that own towable RVs and don't know the laws, reality of traveling in a Motorhome. I know, 'cause I used to be that way, too, when we owned a TT. :)

Now, is it a good idea to require folks to stay buckled up when traveling, as much as is realistically possible? Absolutely, and that is our rule. However, if one wants to get up briefly to get a drink, use the bathroom every once in a while, I have no problem with that, and allow my family to do just that. Our only rule is that when you're sitting at a seat that has a seat belt, you use it and buckley up. We do not allow our kids to lay down in their bunks or on the bed in the back when traveling, either, as we don't have restraints on the beds (although just may look into such sometime).

Anyway, back to the original topic, somewhat: We actually stepped up to a Class A Motorhome for the very reason alluded to by the subject of this thread - We wanted to make it easier and more comfortable for everybody, to take longer trips. It is 100 times nicer traveling in a MH than it was in a truck with the RV trailer. We go muuuch further now than we ever would have before, and it makes for a much nicer trip this way. Quick, overnight stops along the way on a long trip are much, much easier with a MH, too, since you can pull in, rest for the night, and leave the next morning with much less setup/takedown involved.

TriumphGuy wrote:
We are accustomed to one day of travel and staying in one place for a week, then coming home - and will do a 500 mile day if needed.

TriumphGuy wrote:
we are planning to use next year for a run or two where we drive for two days instead of one, to see how we do. Then the year after plan on something big for as many years as we can until the kids are out of the house (can't even imagine that!)

Try two or three destinations. Drive in a loop so it always seems new. Cross country is just a bigger loop with 20 or 30 destinations. Let the kids pick one of the destinations. Travel should be just as much about the journey as the place of interest. Otherwise you may as well just fly.

Happy Prospector wrote:
Give them each a book,tell them to Get in, Sit down near a window, Hang on, and Shut up. You do remind me of one of those Metro Sissy Daddy's.

Lol!

FunnyCamper wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:
NyQuil

or Benadryl :) :) :)

HA, ZACTLY

Hey maybe BOTH :B

Cummins12V98 wrote:
NyQuil

or Benadryl :) :) :)

We had a 35' FW and looked at a MH. Found one that I really liked and the kids were really excited about it. They mentioned how they could get up and grab a soda, use the bathroom, or lay on the bed to take a nap. I brought them back to reality and said when the motorhome was in motion, they would be buckled up, just like they did in the truck. Explained that if they needed something, then I probably needed something too or at a minimum stretch my legs for a few minutes. My wife saw my view and we quit looking at motorhomes and stuck with the FW.

While the kids were young, we made two long trips, one six weeks (age 7&9) and the other 8 weeks (ages 14&12) coast to coast. We generally moved every other day. As a general rule, electronics were forbidden in the truck. Exception was on the 3rd in a row of 500 mile drives from TN to NM. We played games, they had a map and help picked the route, had the campground book and picked our stops for the night (only 2 reservations for both trips). talked about what we had seen or hope to see, etc.

To my family, camping including the travel time is quality time where and to be spent interacting with one another. After 8 weeks we were happy to get home but sad at the same time.