Tips for Traveling Long Distances in Your RV

Any seasoned RVer will probably tell you that it is typically best to avoid long driving days in the RV. They will instead often advise you to break up long drives into smaller chunks and drive a shorter distance each day. However, for most RV owners, there is going to come a time where a long driving day is unavoidable. Perhaps you have a week-long trip planned, and your destination is twelve hours away. Or perhaps you are just in a rush to get where you’re going, whether that be the California coast, the Florida Keys, or home for the holidays. Any of these scenarios could have you driving long distances in your RV in a short period of time.

No matter your reason for planning a long driving day, you can expect this day to be rather tiring. However, there are some tips gathered by those with a few tricks up their sleeve that can certainly make long driving days much easier. To make the experience much more pleasant and doable, consider the following tips the next time you must make it from one place to another in a short period of time.

1. Set realistic goals/expectations

We already established that this guide would help you to travel long distances in a short period of time. However, it is important to still be realistic. Driving twelve hours in a single day can be difficult, but it is not impossible. However, a sixteen or twenty-four hour drive is just not something that you typically can or should attempt in a single stretch. It is often neither smart nor wise. Consider breaking up a drive that is longer than twelve hours into at least two days worth of driving. You’ll be grateful that you did.

2. Look over your route ahead of time

Knowing the approximate route ahead of time scan be helpful for several reasons. Perhaps you will be passing through several big cities, where traffic is expected. Knowing this before you begin your drive is helpful because it will allow you to plan and miss the peak rush hours, instead opting to drive through high-traffic areas at slower times of day. In addition, checking out your route the night before can allow you to plan to briefly stop if there is anything interesting along your route that you or the family would like to see. Short and fun little stops can certainly break up the drive and allow it to be much more pleasant overall.

3. Plan your stops (bathroom breaks, food, dog walks, etc.)

Speaking of stops, long travel days can be much easier when you plan your stops out ahead of time. While not all bathroom breaks are plannable, especially with children, having an idea of where and when to stop for gas and meals can allow for a much more organized travel day. Instead of furiously searching for nearby gas when you are suddenly low, you can plan realistic stops every few hundred miles or so. Likewise, instead of waiting until you are hungry and irritated to remember that you need dinner, you can have your meals planned out as an enjoyable stop along your driving route. Consider stopping at , as these can be a great place to use the bathroom (whether in your RV or in the center), grab food or coffee reinforcements, and walk pets as needed. Sometimes even just a quick moment to stretch your legs and allow children a break from being seated can make the day much more manageable.