RV Life Reflections: Goals and Resolutions for the Year Ahead

The internet in January is always full of people posting about their resolutions for the upcoming year and their reflections on the last one. I would guess that most of us begin wondering how these ideas can apply to our own lives. What do New Year’s resolutions mean to you?

If you’re an RV enthusiast, adventures with your recreational vehicle can have a place in your New Year’s goals—regardless of how much or how long you’ve been RVing! Here are 7 ideas to consider when making resolutions for the coming year as an RVer.

Visit a New Location

This year could be the one where you start checking specific locations off your bucket list. Are you an RVer who likes tourist destinations, planning big trips, and enjoying some bragging rights? Make it a goal to bring your RV to some of the most famous locations around the US. Think Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, Yosemite. . . Garden of the Gods is a must-see location in Colorado for those who like mountains and breathtaking landscapes. Or, if you’re more of a beach person, start looking for RV parks near the ocean. And remember that many of the islands in the Florida Keys are accessible by road over a network of bridges!

If the tried-and-true New Year’s Resolutions destinations don’t appeal to you, a more obscure option would be a better fit. A great number of lesser-known parks and landmarks are waiting for visitors like you. These attractions can offer a bigger sense of novelty for RVers who like to adventure off the beaten trail. Their lack of fame also tends to make them less crowded and more available. This year, a little brainstorming and research could lead you to a perfect, secluded getaway that most travelers have never even heard about.

While states like Michigan and South Dakota might not be high on your wish list, don’t count them out immediately! Here are 4 ideas to start with if you’re interested in lesser-known and lesser-visited parks.

• Ozarks (Arkansas and Missouri). An extensive stretch of land with rivers, mountains, spectacular scenery, and many small towns. Several campgrounds in this area can accommodate RVs.
• Custer State Park (South Dakota). A park with rocky granite features and lakes, with multiple campgrounds that accommodate RVs. Perfect for fishing, hunting, boating, and biking.
• Isle Royale (Michigan). A large island park in Lake Superior that sees relatively few visitors a year. Only accessible by boat or air, so a good place for daily excursions before returning to your RV site.
• Capitol Reef National Park (Utah). A park with beautiful, natural geological features. RVs are allowed at Fruita Campground at the park. There are no hookups available, but there is water and an RV dump.

Remember to check on all the logistics before you leave—and before you get too far into planning! Always check what is available for RVs in terms of parking, water, and hookups. It’s never good planning to assume a park can accommodate you, even the biggest and most popular ones. And remember that if you don’t have a car with you, your motorhome needs to be able to access all the places you want to go, unless you can reach them by foot or make other arrangements.

Strengthen Your Relationships

If you RV with loved ones, don’t forget that trips can be amazing bonding experiences! Whether you’re traveling with family or friends, use the new year to strengthen bonds with your fellow RVers.

Consider coordinating a time on trips that everyone turns off their phones. If you’re traveling with your family, invite your kids to get involved in the process. Having them help with setup, teardown, RV maintenance, or cooking can give you quality time as a family. It can also give your kids more satisfaction from RVing and help them understand what it means to you.

RVing can also strengthen relationship for those traveling with a group of friends or other adults. The RV trip can be a great opportunity to get to know each other or learn something new about your friends. Consider planning party games or ice breakers for a big group or newer friends. If you’re traveling with close friends, come up with shared interests between you and find a time to pursue them together. You can also let them teach you something new or take you somewhere you haven’t visited yet.

Maybe consider making it a New Year’s Resolution this year to go RVing with someone you care about that you’ve never traveled with before! This can both help you discover new things you love and also help strengthen your relationship. Just remember that everyone has their own preferences, travel style, and RVing checklist—traveling with someone else means you’ll both have to compromise sometimes!

Cultivate New Relationships While you’re traveling. . .

RVing is best when it brings people together! Whether you travel alone or already have a group of people around you, RV trips can be a great time to get to know someone new. You will almost certainly run into other travelers or tourists at parks and landmarks. Take some time to acknowledge the people around you. Ask them about their trip and where they’re traveling from.

If you want to connect with other RVers, you can start right outside your vehicle’s door. Make a point to introduce yourself to your temporary “neighbors” at RV parks. Some of them may want solitude or family time, and you won’t interact with them as much. You can often sense whether or not someone is interested in furthering a conversation. Find campers who are also interested in starting new friendships. You can visit local attractions with them, play games together back at the RV park, and share RV hacks. Make it a goal this year to meet someone new in every place you travel!

. . . And while you’re at home!

There are also online forums for RVers where you can connect with people who have similar interests. Online resources like RV.net forums and iRV2 Forums (an international community) host discussions about all kinds of RVing and RV maintenance. Sometimes they also organize in-person events, allowing their members to meet each other face-to-face. 

These forums allow you to nurture new friendships when you’re not traveling, even during seasons when you’re at home and can’t be out RVing. One of your goals could be making new friends online during the time between trips. Another goal could be finally meeting an online friend in person this year.

Learn New Skills or Hobbies

Your passions and free-time activities will enhance your RVing experiences. Even on a sightseeing trip, you won’t spend the whole time looking at the Grand Canyon or another big attraction. There will also be car time, uneventful evenings, and space between outings. Learn how to use this time well—being productive, truly refreshing yourself, or connecting with the people around you.

Competitive RVers can research and bring new board games or card games to play with family and friends. You can also learn some new yard games and teach them to the people around you in the RV park. Cornhole is a classic game you can bring with you if you find small enough boards and pack carefully. Kubb, bocce ball, and horseshoes are more throwing-based games with smaller pieces. More athletic RVers could bring a volleyball and net (which would also pack up somewhat small) and try to make teams from around the RV park. If you have younger children, consider a simple ring toss or a game of crochet with small, non-sharp pieces.

If you like reading (or would like to start), you can set a goal to read more on the road. Electronic devices like Kindles or tablets help you bring books but still save space while packing. RVers who prefer listening over reading could consider an eBook or music streaming subscription. Other crafts that you can do in your free time with minimal space are knitting, crocheting, sketching, painting, or origami.

Be Intentional about Meal Prep

If you’re still looking for a hobby, consider learning some new cooking skills and recipes! Apart from being tasty and helping you stay occupied, cooking “at home” in your RV can be a smart financial decision. Most of us have decided to splurge on eating out while we’re traveling, for at least one trip, if not many. Sometimes, that’s all you have time for and that’s okay. But eating at home is much easier with some simple planning—especially if you’re traveling with a built-in kitchen in your RV!

Take some time before you leave to decide how many meals you’ll need on the trip, how much food you can bring with you, and how much time you’ll have for cooking. Make a budget for how much you can spend on meals, and decide how much to cook and how much to eat out. Meal prep can be as fancy as grilling steaks or as simple as keeping good sandwich ingredients in the fridge.

Upfront investments

Buying certain appliances can help you save money on food down the road. A high quality, portable coffeemaker might save you from more expensive coffee runs. Having good cookware and utensils in your RV’s kitchen make home cooking more doable while you travel.

Visit Local Businesses

While home cooking can be an admirable goal, your budget may leave some wiggle room. If you decide to eat out on a RV trip, consider finding a locally owned restaurant to visit. When you find yourself looking for a treat, or somewhere to relax or celebrate, look at locally owned coffeeshops, bakeries, or ice cream parlors. Technology has made this process easier than ever before, but if you meet some of the residents in the area, you can still ask them for recommendations. The local business owners will appreciate the customers, and you’ll get to experience new food, a new atmosphere, and potentially make a new friend.

In most places you’ll find a variety of locally owned businesses, depending on your interests. Antique shops, bookstores, plant shops, beauty salons, barbershops, etc. Even visiting a grocery store that doesn’t exist in your home state could lead you to discover something new and interesting.

If you’re going to spend money on your travels, why not let your money go toward supporting a small business owner! If there’s something in the world you are passionate about, keep your eyes open while you travel for someone else who loves the same thing. It’s always nice to feel good about a fun outing, so look for someone you can support while you’re at it.

Look Back and Reflect on your Resolutions

When choosing your goals for the coming year, remember to look back and reflect too. What have been your favorite trips or RVing memories? What made them so special? It might be the location, the scenery, the food, or the people around you. Celebrate the last year before you move on too quickly.

Just make sure you don’t get stuck on trying to recreate a past experience. No two RV adventures are quite the same. And New Year’s resolutions are about looking forward. This year is a new opportunity, and you can use it to try new things you’ve never done, seen, or tasted before. New Year’s is a great time to get excited about what’s ahead of you.

Don’t Stop Looking Forward

Consider recording your resolutions so you can remember them. You can do this in a journal or a note’s app or wherever you find easily accessible. This just might be the year to cross something off your bucket list. Start planning today!