Last summer my husband and I decided to purchase an RV trailer, pack up our 17-year-old Chihuahua and newborn baby and hit the Colorado road for a month. We both have a love for the outdoors, and we knew the days of tent camping would come to a halt as babies entered the picture. So, a travel trailer was always in our sights. And being that I was on maternity leave and my husband was able to work on the road, July became the perfect time to take advantage of a once in a lifetime opportunity.
I did not know what to expect. We had only gone RV camping once over a weekend with my in-laws just weeks prior as a trial run. But to live in a trailer for an entire month? I was excited. I had to quickly wrap my head around what we would need and how we would fit it. We packed up what we had room for – the essentials. Plus, more. Because it would not be a trip if we did not overpack. We knew enough about the RV camping to get us going and we figured out the rest as we went.
Packing the Essentials
I was surprised to find what exactly was essential to living. In a 25-foot trailer you have to pack for purpose. But since I hadn’t experienced living on the road before, I overpacked. We stored the essentials inside the trailer, and bins of things we didn’t end up using collected dust in the bed of the truck. All we really needed, though, was a small wardrobe (there were laundry rooms at almost every park), a few kitchen essentials (a coffee maker, mini toaster, a couple of pots, pans & utensils) and toiletries. We brought games and books, but we barely touched them. We brought everything we needed for our baby and chihuahua because they didn’t require much. They each had a shelf to fit everything they needed (except the diapers, so many diapers!) I was anxious to leave behind a house full of “stuff”. But it only took a few days for me to realize I didn’t desire anything else. That living smaller was actually more relaxing. It created space to enjoy what mattered most to me – family time and memorable experiences.
Mechanics & Logistics
I was extremely grateful to my husband for taking on the role of managing the mechanics of operating a trailer and the planning of the trip. Fresh with ‘mom brain’ I didn’t have the mental capacity to understand everything that went into things like hitching the trailer to the truck, hooking up the water and electricity at each site, and so much more that I am simply unaware of. I know he would say that once you get the hang of it, it’s all very easy. But I know from seeing the hard work he put in, it isn’t for the weak. He was also in charge of figuring out the travel route we would take. Normally, I would have been excited to plan that part, but we were winging half of the trip, and he is much better at that than I am. Although, I wouldn’t recommend traveling that way. Especially in Colorado during the summer months. We found that campsites were booked far in advance, so we had to get creative with where we stayed. An app that we found really helpful to find available sites was ‘Campendium’.
Traveling with a Newborn
The best advice I received before becoming a parent was to keep doing the things that I love. To keep going on adventures – and bringing my baby along with me. When we started our trip, she was only 10 weeks old. She didn’t require much. We brought along a portable swing that she loved (Affiliate Link here: Graco Baby Swing), a couple of toys that she was just learning how to grab, and a few books to read to her. She was content in her car seat for hours and she was taking naps in her carrier on hikes. But when it got too hot to hike with her, we adjusted how we explored. Our means of travel went from foot to truck and for the activities we couldn’t do as a team (like running, hiking and kayaking) my husband and I took turns staying behind with our little girl. There were still a ton of things we were able to enjoy as a family. We were able to see waterfalls, explore each mountain town, go out to eat, and simply delight in each other’s company surrounded by nature. We still had our share of tough newborn days (usually followed by a sleepless night) but we were immersed in the mountains, so it was all worth it.
Campsites
Over the course of the month, we stayed at a number of different campsites. We experienced sites that had full hookups (they provided water, electricity and sewer), partial hookups (at least one of those options), and off the grid where there weren’t any of those offered. So, the environments of each campsite were very different. One site we were tucked inside a forest of Aspen trees and another site was a bare-naked parking lot where we baked in the sun. But sometimes you have to sacrifice the luxury of a full hookup site in order to stay deeper into nature. A lot of campsites also try to fit as many campers in as they can, so it could look like you’re on top of your neighbor. It was something I was afraid of, given that we had a newborn that had her share of evening cries. But to my surprise, none of the sites felt overwhelming. Our front door usually faced the back of someone’s camper, so we felt like we had our own outdoor space. I also found that the best sites had a community feel to it. Over the 4th of July weekend, the place we were staying at hosted an event each night of the weekend for their guests.
Meals & Outdoor Space
We were able to cook anything we wanted in the camper. It had a stove, a microwave oven, an outside grill and fridge. We made sure to plan our meals and stop at grocery stores along the way. We appreciated being able to eat home cooked food with such incredible views. We tried to make our outdoor setup as homey as possible. We had a large mat right outside our door with two large camping chairs. Our camper had an awning that let us still sit outside on rainy days. But after seeing other travelers’ creativity we realized that we could do even more such as stringing up Edison lights and setting up flowerpots. We didn’t expect to spend a lot of time around the camper. We imagined our days would be full of activities. But we found that we could have used a lot more days to slow down and relax.
Taking a chance and hitting the road in an RV for a month was the best decision we could have made that summer. We are now sold on this way of traveling and will be able to enjoy the outdoors in a new way for years to come. Not to mention, I couldn’t imagine a better introduction to the adventures that are ahead for our new little explorer.
Stay tuned for my next post, where I’ll share all the exciting adventures!
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