Oasis Las Vegas RV Resort Provides A Tranquil Resort Setting The Whole Family Will Enjoy
Today's blog post is another post from Stephanie Mulac from Mulac Family Marketers. If you enjoyed reading this post, you'll also love her post about Las Vegas Celebration Spots. Up next on the blog will be more photos of the day.
When considering a visit to Las Vegas and conjuring up images of luxurious pools, hot tubs, palm trees and plenty of activities for the kids, the notion of accomplishing this in your RV at a campground is seemingly impossible unless you check into a hotel that provides the resort amenities you are envisioning.
The pool and waterfall area at Oasis Las Vegas Resort
Most Las Vegas campgrounds were built to cater to travelers who arrive to gamble, as evidenced by the many “cement parking lots” that offer hookups and a straight path to the casino floor. And while there’s nothing particularly wrong with that style of camping convenience, if you are seeking a family friendly resort-like atmosphere that boasts green grass, lush foliage, and family activities, a lot of campgrounds in Las Vegas simply won’t fit the bill.
There is one campground though where families will hit the jackpot (no pun intended) and that is Oasis Las Vegas RV Resort. It is one of our all time favorite campgrounds anywhere and will likely spoil you in more ways than one with its amenities, conveniences and close proximity to the Strip.
What is most amazing about Oasis is that you are one block off of Las Vegas Blvd., and a mere 7 blocks away from the heart of the strip – but while you are inside the property, the tranquility and amenities would have you believe that you are a million miles away from the hustle and bustle of the strip. So you truly have the best of both worlds.
The cleanliness of the park is beyond reproach, but at the same time, it is not so pristine that you feel restricted from sprawling out and using your spot to its fullest or made to feel uncomfortable in the likely event that the kids poke their heads out a window or are so bold as to want to play outside the RV. To the contrary, this is a very family friendly park and care is taken to make everyone feel welcome.
The staff is experienced, knowledgeable and very friendly – much like you would expect to find when checking into a luxurious resort and they maintain a robust calendar of events focused around holidays, special occasions and weekly activities that include family movie night, bible study, horseshoe tournaments, karaoke & poker nights (adults only for these since cocktails are served).
During the last Easter holiday, there was an Easter egg hunt, Easter brunch, and church services to cover every base. And one year, we spent New Year’s Eve at their family gala where the kids were welcomed to dance the night away in a formal ballroom setting that rarely the younger set is able to attend. (And the added bonus was no one at the ball had to worry about driving “home” afterward!)
In addition to scheduled activities, there is a beautifully maintained 18-hold putting course on natural greens that winds players through the entire property to enjoy not only a golf outing with the whole family, but also to absorb the lush landscaping and flora throughout the park.
One of the other showpieces of the property is the pool and waterfall area. An adult only pool removes any hesitation for kids to be kids as this separation allows everyone to enjoy what they are seeking. But it’s the family pool anyway that boasts the sandy beach area, with a walk-in edge and a cascading waterfall that the whole family will comfortably enjoy in lounge chairs spread throughout the area. This is truly a tropical oasis and brings the beach to the desert in style.
Another feature at Oasis is the on property restaurant, called the “Divine Café” and offering a scrumptious menu for breakfast, lunch & dinner, a full bar and daily specials. Moderately priced, this on-site restaurant offers alternatives to heading to the strip for meals and snacks.
Everything is conveniently located right on the property, including a well-stocked store for essentials, souvenirs, snacks, drinks, and yes – even a few slot machines tucked in the corner if the adult family members need a quick fix without traveling to a local casino.
Rounding out this wonderful campground is the excellent security staff which provides a level of comfort not found in a few other campgrounds around town. The older kids can easily move about the property, ride bikes and explore without fear of safety – a major bonus these days in any big city.
And finally, the shower facilities will spoil you forever! Conveniently located in multiple spots around the park are huge walk in restroom/shower buildings that are setup as self contained, individual units – usually 6 per building, so rarely a need to wait for availability. Each of the units feature toilet, sink, shower stall, plenty of hooks and benches – perfect for families with small children that want the privacy of showering without being in an open stall setting.
We absolutely fall in love with this campground every time we return and with a small staff turnover, our daughters look forward to seeing their favorite employees who always welcome us back like family. Las Vegas Oasis Resort is truly a diamond in the desert and won’t disappoint.
Stephanie Mulac along with husband Greg and daughters Marina & Morgan are known as the Mulac Family Marketers. They hit the road full-time in April of 2008 along 2 cats and a contagious zest for life. With an established online Internet-based business model that allows them to work from anywhere & set their own schedule, they currently divide their days between roadschooling their daughters, coaching, speaking at events & workshops and enjoying abundant quality time as a family to explore and absorb all that the Universe brings their way. Stephanie thrives on the gratification she gets from teaching others to "monetize their passions" - learn more about their journey at http://www.mulacfamilymarketers.com.
Newbie Nomads in the Desert
Today's post comes from Vesna of the blog Mudakiller. For those who don't know Muda (無駄) is a traditional Japanese term for an activity that is wasteful and doesn’t add value or is unproductive. So, instead of wasting time on things that aren't important to them on a deep level, Vesna and her family took to the road to spend their time on the relationships and experiences that matter to them.
We are a nomadic family of 5. We started this new life in January, 2011 after a two year awakening to what is important to us in life. We came to the conclusion that the mortgage, and all the ‘things’ piling up in our home, were not what mattered to us on a deep level. What matters to us, more than anything, is relationships and experiences. Since our career is in software, and we have the ability to work remotely, we eventually came to the conclusion that we could travel to where the people we love and the places we want to visit are. And so our journey began in January in a pop up trailer after selling everything we own (including the house... the longest we’ve ever lived anywhere in adulthood 4 ½ years!). We will be purchasing a C or A class later this year, but the pop up was to get us started traveling across the southern States for the winter/spring. Upon our return to the Toronto area in May, we’ll be heading out to Europe for the remainder of the year until we come back to travel the southern state circuit again.
Snowbirding Season Challenges
After spending over a month in California, we moved on to travel across the desert. Finding places to stay in California was pretty easy and reasonably priced. We started meeting people our age with and without kids who had just come from east to west across the desert. The stories about finding camping were not good. There were age restrictions, and just plain not-so-great camping places. The great places we were told about, Big Bend in Texas, etc. were places we had every intention of going to. But, with our work, and not having satellite internet, or a gray water tank or bathroom, we really needed to stick to RV parks more than state parks. Next year’s circuit will include a *lot* of state parks!
As soon as we hit Arizona, park after park after park was for age 55+. And if the age restriction wasn’t there, they were not accepting pop ups. And if they were accepting pop ups, they weren’t accepting the add-a-room we have. This wasn’t particularly a big deal, but it makes for a difficult longer stay.
Tombstone, AZ - One Gem of a Find
We did find a decent park just outside of Tombstone, called Cochise RV park. We stayed there for one night. The view in the morning was breathtaking with mountains all over. It was a nice park, but in a suburban setting and even without the age restrictions, it was quite obviously not for the non-retired. Not that they were unfriendly, but we did get a few eye brows raised. We spent the next day exploring the town of Tombstone and the site of the OK Coral. We read all about the town and founder online (thanks Wikipedia!) before checking it out for the day. The kids had a blast at the Boothill Cemetery and in the town of Tombstone itself. We learned about the 30 second long gun fight, the founder, and the silver mine he built the town around. We went down into the mine on a tour and is was quite fascinating! Great history for the kids!
We were off towards the Carlsbad Caverns we’d heard so much about in New Mexico. However, the drive was too long, so we tried to find a place in the first part of New Mexico. We don’t like showing up and setting up too late at night – especially for one nighters. But, we found a place online called the Hidden Valley Ranch RV park. From the descriptions online, it looked nice and far from any town. 10 miles away from anything all around to be exact. Since we weren’t ready to travel too far off the trail with the pop up, this place looked pretty good. And it had wifi! Even though we have an air card, it’s still good to have park wifi as a backup.
We were a little late getting there, so we turned off the main road in Deming quite a bit after sunset. Pretty soon the road turned to gravel...and then dirt. The comforting city/town lights were dimming quickly, and the GPS was having a hard time figuring out where we were and finally quit. As did our air card. The road was bumpy and dark and there were signs about an ‘open range’. The kids started wondering and getting nervous. As the trailer bounced behind us, I too was getting nervous. I had thoughts of flat tires (we’ve had a total of 5 on this three month trip alone!) in the middle of nowhere. The 10 miles of slow driving seemed to take forever. We entered a valley with what looked like hills around us and finally saw a single light in the distance. We rolled up to the gates just when I was about to give up. I was so relieved at the gates that I did not see the “Welcome to an adult community” sign that Mike seemed to be focussed on. We sat there idling in front of the gate and pondered. There were definitely campers inside the gate, but everything looked all dark and closed up. I didn’t want to have to drive all the way back out and look for somewhere else (for there was nowhere else....a hotel perhaps??) this late at night. We decided we were setting up no matter what. We found info about after hours set ups. The next morning we found out that it was indeed ok that the kids were with us. The adult part was for the long-term campers. WHEW! With the star filled nights, the road runners, the hiking up the hills, and the complete silence of the desert, we stayed there two more nights for a total of three. There wasn’t a pool or playground, or anything else of the sort, but it was a wonderful experience to be away from everything.
We then headed out to the Carlsbad Caverns area at the Carlsbad RV Park. Great place for kids – amazing playground, indoor pool, game room, etc. and of course the Caverns nearby. There, we met up with another nomadic family we had met on Twitter. We stayed longer than expected and enjoyed their company. The Caverns were incredible! It was quite a trek to walk around the entire area, but it was amazing! The kids got their junior rangers there as well. Unfortunately, we were too early for the bats. That really sounds like it’s an amazing experience and we do hope to catch that at some point in the future. Prior to visiting the Caverns, we learned about the boy who had stumbled upon them and explored them with a friend.
A Rough Texan Start
From there, we headed to Texas. After deciding to skip Big Bend (which we will catch the next time!), we drove straight to San Antonio. The intention was to stay a few days at the Travelers World RV Resort right in town and see San Antonio, the Alamo, etc. We did not get a good feeling from that park. It seemed nice and clean enough, but there was a gut feeling about safety that we did not like. It was raining the first day and was so humid in the trailer (especially after the dry desert) – everything was wet. We just wanted to move on along. So, we left early the next day and completely missed the Alamo, but will definitely return the next time around.
We drove to an amazing state park in Corpus Christie – Mustang State Park. The wifi was sketchy, as was our air card, but it was enough for a week. It was a complete relief to be on the coast again after being in the desert so long. We got the surf board out, did some surfing, camp fires on the beach, and just enjoyed being steps away from the water. We hadn’t camped that close to the water the entire trip! March break was starting and kids were starting to show up, so the boys had friends to play with. It was a wonderful week!
The next stop was a wonderful RV resort called the Jamaica Beach RV resort. It was just across the street from the Gulf of Mexico, had mini putt, pool, hot tub, horse back riding, etc. all on site. We stayed about a week there as well. Surfing on the beach, went horse back riding, and lots of spring break friends coming through for the boys. It was another fantastic week at a fantastic park!
Since then we stayed for an extended 3 week stay in Titusville, Florida, and are currently heading up the east coast before heading to Europe for the remainder of the year. Next January through April, we intend on taking our time through the desert and hitting quite a bit more state parks, as well as staying at some of the RV parks we’ve already been to. We’re very much looking forward to going back!
Vesna's RV Parking Picks
Cochise Terrace RV Resort, Benson, AZ
"If I was a senior who wanted to be around seniors and not have a ton of kids running around, I'd rate it a 5." Read more.
Hidden Valley Ranch RV Resort, Deming, NM
"This park was awesome... It's nice and small and we stayed there for a few days before we hit the road again."
Carlsbad RV Park & Campground, Carlsbad, NM
"Clean, great laundry, indoor pool (avoiding the wind/dust of the desert), awesome game room for the kids and an amazing playground." Read the rest of this review plus two others.
Traveler's World RV Resort, San Antonio, TX
"It was clean and right in the city, but the area of town seemed sketchy and we were warned about keeping stuff locked up at the park." Read more.
Mustang State Park, Port Aransas, TX
"Very small and pretty much right on the beach." Read more.
Jamaica Beach RV Resort, Galveston, TX
"Great wifi, great laundry - BEST BATHROOMS EVER!!" Read more.
Stay tuned for another "RVing with Kids" series post next week. Stephanie Mulac of Mulac Family Marketers will share celebration spots and free attractions in Las Vegas.
Entertaining the Kids on the Road & Staying On Budget
Today's guest blog post comes from Melanie Toast of Travel Toast who has a lot of great ideas about free and inexpensive ways to entertain kids on the road. Some things to come are a post about the Eddie Bauer Airstream from the point of view of Airstreamers and a post about where to park your rig for the Oaklawn races.
Let’s face it: RVing isn’t always the cheapest way to get around. Once you pay for gas, RV parks and propane, you might not have a lot left in your budget for entertaining the kids. The good news is that you’re RVing to show them something other than a video game or the latest Toy Story movie. You have the whole world on your doorstep and you want to create memories experiencing it with them! And with some creativity and planning, you can take advantage of it without going broke.
Here are some ideas we implement regularly to keep our crew of four kids adequately amused during our long treks across the U.S.
When You’re Stuck in the Car
When the kids are stuck in their seats traveling for several hours, it might be tempting to buy up the latest DVDs to keep them amused during the drive. You don’t have to buy out the store for fear the kids will get bored. We try to give homage to the traditional activities families used to engage in, like singing songs, pointing out interesting views and topography, reading books (individually) and sketching pictures. After driving around 30,000 miles so far this past year, we have yet to watch a movie in the truck. I do understand that there are times when you may want everyone to zone out. If that’s the case, we reach for an audio book. We have turned to audio books many times, listening to classics like Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, Heidi and Alice in Wonderland. It’s entertaining and educational. Best of all, the best books are completely free to download to your iTunes or as an MP3 file. Here’s my favorite free audio book download site: www.booksshouldbefree.com
Park Memberships
You will most likely be close to a National Park no matter where you are in the U.S. If you buy the year pass (around $80 for the whole family) you can save a bundle and go as often as you like. When we visited Yellowstone, we drove in and out several times during a week. Just that trip alone saved us money. You can buy the membership here or at the entrance to any National Park.
Our other favorite membership is an annual membership to the North Carolina Zoo and Aquarium. For less than $80 bucks, you can access almost every zoo and aquarium (and some science centers) in the U.S. for free or at a big discount. If you’re not on the road fulltime, check out the benefits of joining your local zoo and see if a membership will give you the same benefits. Otherwise, you can easily joining the NC Zoo at this link. You can check out the local wildlife which is an excellent way to get to know a state.
Free Museums
Bigger cities may offer “free days” for their major museums downtown. For example, Chicago has several museums with free days, usually on a Thursday. If you’re near a city, call the local tourism bureau and ask about freebies.
Libraries are Everywhere!
You may not be able to get a membership if you’re just passing through, but you can still have plenty of fun at the local library of the town you’re visiting. Many libraries offer free puppet shows and craft events that do not require a membership. Plus you can get in some reading time to boot! Go online and do a search for “library” plus the name of your city. Many post calendars with upcoming events.
Sports and Fun at the Local Park
We always travel with our tennis rackets and tennis balls looking for an opportunity to check out the local courts. It’s great to have a family sport that you all enjoy. You could keep a basketball with you or a soccer ball as well.
Aside from sports, local parks are fun to check out, and many have free treasures you won’t want to miss. We just spent some time in Nashville where we saw the replica of the Greek Parthenon at the city park. We didn’t pay for the ticket to go inside, but walking and climbing around the grand building was great fun in itself!
Bikes & Scooters are a Must
Kids love their bikes and scooters. Bring them with you and let them ride around the RV park and bring back stories of all the wild things they see. (Once my son came back shouting, “Dad, I saw a trailer dump its sewage all over the road!”) For some reason, if your kids are on a bike, it’s more thrilling to them than just walking around. Plus, if you bring your own, you can find a local bike path and have a family outing.
Games That Don’t Involve Staring at a Television or Computer
I’m talking Monopoly, Risk, Sorry and even Texas Hold ‘em. Our six-year-old is so good at Poker now, I’m thinking of taking her to Las Vegas when she turns 21 so she can pay for a new fifth wheel (after she and her siblings destroy our current one!). Games are fun, especially when you’re looking back at each other from across a table. You can find a bunch at garage sales or eBay for next to nothing. Plan a game night once a week and try to stick to one game at a time until everyone masters it. It’s an investment, but so
worth the memories. (Plus it’s free!)
Okay, Watching a Movie Once in a While Is Not a Sin
Especially if it’s cheap! Since you’re on the road, renting movies from Red Box is a great convenience and very reasonable at only $1 per night. You can find them at most Wal-Marts, Wal-Greens, and many McDonald’s, and you don’t need a membership. If you really want to save a buck, sign up with them online for freebies and you can get a code emailed to you each week, good for a free rental. You can also use their website to locate a Red Box near you and even reserve a movie at a specific location. Check them out here: www.redbox.com
For more tricks and tips, or to see what we’re up to, check out our website at www.TravelToast.com
Snowbirding: Across the Generations
Since snowbirding season is still in full swing, we bring you another snowbirding post. This time, Marty and Patsy Martin from Napkin Dreams tell us about snowbirding from a family perspective and give advice to other RVing parents trying to navigate their way through snowbirding season. We have several great blog posts coming up, including a post about the junior ranger program mentioned in this post.
When the average 40 year old thinks of RVing in Arizona in the winter, he probably conjures up thoughts of retirement and the golden years. You know, traveling around to the south with a little bitty dog and plenty of free time. That would be the normal picture.
Our family has never chosen the normal route.
We didn’t want to wait for our retirement years to travel this great country. We wanted to make memories with our kids. We wanted to enhance their education by living history and experiencing science. We wanted to enjoy traveling today because there are no guarantees for tomorrow. So with the ability to work from anywhere, we loaded up our newly christened RV Howard, laid out a rough travel plan and headed out on a two year adventure with our five boys and python snake.
That’s right, five boys, dad, mom and a snake in a 32-foot recreational vehicle! Some may call us loony, but we actually like each other and like being together, so it’s working out pretty good four months into the venture. Naturally part of the plan was spending the winter months in the warm states and the summer months up north. This fall went fairly smooth as we visited Missouri, Oklahoma and Kansas. The campgrounds and parks were quiet during the weekdays and full of activity during the weekends.
Then we moved a little farther south and hit snowbird time and territory. We have spent the last two months in Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. All in all we have had a very positive experience mingling with the retired set. There have been some pitfalls but numerous good points of RVing during the height of Snowbird season. And I think it is safe to say that, for the most part, we have enjoyed it. But we have had to make a few adjustments.
First the challenges: The biggest challenge is finding an RV park that accepts children.
Actually many parks say 55+, so even my wife and I don’t fit the criteria. And often, it is hard to identify the parks that only accept seniors. There is nothing more embarrassing than driving into a park, registering, and then be told we can’t stay once they find out we have children. Some areas are far more difficult to find RV parks that accept families than others. By far the most difficult locality to find a place to stay that we have encountered is the Phoenix and Tucson areas. We found southeast Texas parks to be very inclusive of families. In fact, we didn’t find any RV parks that had a problem with children. It was a little surprising to us to find ourselves having such a hard time in New Mexico and even worse in Arizona.
Now I understand why some parks and also their patrons want this type of exclusivity. There has been a time or two when we have been parked next to a pile of obnoxious kids who were loud, bullies, destructive or in short just plain and simple problem children. Most families do a good job of keeping their kids in hand, but the frightful few hurt the rest of us. Of course even the best behaved kids can have bad days and melt downs, so I could never guarantee that my own five wouldn’t be disruptive in these quiet little RV parks. So far though, we have had no complaints!
In light of this issue we have boondocked in a few places, but this leads to another issue. Several places along the road we have found Wal-Marts that posted signs reading “No overnight parking.” I wonder if this is because of pressure from local RV parks? So what is a family to do? Unwelcome in the RV park and at Wal-Mart? Research has been our answer. For this internet access is a must. We have been able to find family-friendly RV parks in most major towns after a lot of research on websites.
Our second challenge – cost.
Many parks that can easily fill up during snowbird season, do not accept the half-priced club we belong to, so we have paid quite a bit more in staying at these parks then we were accustomed too. I suppose if we had decided to winter up in the north we wouldn’t have this problem, but aren’t willing to make quite that much of a concession for a saving a few bucks.
Our third small challenge (which hasn’t been a big deal for us) is dining out.
When staying in Branson, at the beginning of our adventure, we spoke with a nice retired gentleman who gave us some helpful hints. One of his hints involved the “Blue Hairs” as he called his flock. “When you are in Mesa and other such points this winter, wait to go out to dinner until about 6:30. Us "Blue Hairs" like to eat at 4:00 pm and you’ll never get a seat for a big family until later.” Since we don’t frequent restaurants all that often this hasn’t proved to be a huge issue for us. But it is definitely something to think about when you are planning to eat out.
Now, the benefits of RVing during the winter season are almost as numerous as the challenges.
Benefit - Our kids seem to find foster grandparents everywhere
We have thoroughly enjoyed hobnobbing with the snowbirds. The biggest benefit is that our kids seem to find foster grandparents everywhere. While we were in Corpus Christi over Christmas, our kids were fussed over and even given special gifts.
On Christmas Eve we all went to a Christmas Karaoke being held at the RV Park’s Community Hall. All of our kids were asked to come up front and sing along with the microphones. Then they were given roaring applause and hugs from the retirees in attendance. Even our teenager enjoyed the attention and gave some bows, hamming it up as usual.
One of the retired couples told our boys that if they were really good on Christmas Eve, Santa could make it snow sand dollars. It was with wonder-filled eyes that our sons opened the blinds on Christmas morning and found sand dollars hanging all over our tented dining area outside the RV. Those sand dollars are now a cherished Christmas ornament and will probably be a memory that we will re-tell every year throughout our son’s lives.
Our children are always greeting and meeting the four-legged “children” of the snowbirds, which is usually fun for both ends of the generational spectrum! Even on tours and sites, the retirees have been very friendly and effusive in their attention to our kids, making them feel welcome and special.
Benefit - Offseason travel leads to relative lack of crowds
One of the other benefits of visiting sites like the USS Lexington in Corpus Christi or Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico during offseason is the relative lack of crowds. It’s been wonderful to roam around sites like these and be able to learn about them without crowds pushing and jostling each other to get a better view. There are even fewer crowds at activities like the junior ranger programs and swimming at the beach! Most of the park rangers at national parks have given our kids an amazing amount of personal attention, answering all their questions and sharing their knowledge with our kids. In fact, we have tried to make sure that we take our sons to most of these places when other families have their children in school.
Benefit - Escaping cold weather reports
Of course, the biggest benefit of RVing in the south during Snowbird season is that we can sit back and smile as we listen to all the reports of cold weather, snowstorms and icy roads. It’s quite possible that our senior southern travelers have understood this all along. Once again, we find ourselves learning from our elders.
Why You Should Do Whatever it Takes to Get Your Family on the Road
Today, we are featuring another guest blog post in our RVing with Kids series, this time from Margie Lundy of the Lundy 5. Margie and her family just hit the six month milestone. I'm sure that you will be able to relate to her reasons for RVing. Stay tuned for an upcoming blog post about Christmas RV park events. Interested in writing for the blog? Check out this page with our list of the types of posts we are looking for.
It's hard to believe we've been on the road for six months already! Some days it feels like we've always been nomads, yet other days it feels like we've just left. We're very comfortable with our traveling life and have seen so much of the country. At the same time though, we now realize just how much more there is to see. We're not worried though. We have plenty of time and desire to see more, and the growing understanding that we'll never be able to see it all.
As we started talking about living on the road fulltime, the main question we heard was "Why?" Of course our answer was simply "Why not?" Now that we're on the road, people we meet along the way just ask "How?" As in how can they do it too? Our answer to that is "However you can!" Whether you save for a short time or simplify for a lifetime, we certainly recommend doing whatever it takes to take your family on the road. Our kids (ages 8, 10, and 10) love fulltiming and we're so thankful for this time together.
In terms of quality time, and certainly quantity time, you can't get much closer as a family than living and traveling in a 400 square foot RV. And despite the close quarters, we rarely feel crowded. We chose an RV with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a kitchen table that would seat all five of us, so that our home on wheels would really feel like home. And it does! We love our home and the convenience of taking it anywhere we want to go. We have plenty of room and all the comforts of home, wherever we are.
As for education, the kids (and adults!) are learning first hand about this country's geography, geology, history, and culture. Since we are roadschooling, those subjects as well as math, science, reading, and writing are part of life. My husband Allen and I are now fascinated by things I'm sure we heard in school, but forgot because they didn't seem relevant. Our kids now learn about the Oregon Trail while they are walking on it, about volcanoes while they are climbing them, and about bear and bison while taking pictures of them, instead of looking at pictures in a book.
We spend much of our time exploring our beautiful national parks. We highly recommend their Jr. Ranger program as it combines fun and education. The kids earn badges while learning about each park's features, wildlife, activities, history, and preservation. They glean so much information from helpful park rangers, and currently all three want to be rangers when they're old enough. We all enjoy the exhibits, visitor centers, scenic drives, and trails. Camping in the parks is sometimes very convenient and affordable too. For only $80, we purchased an annual pass to all the parks, and after only a few months it had already paid for itself.
Along the way, we've met so many friendly and interesting people at campgrounds, churches, picnics, parks, gas stations, and on the side of the road. A couple is walking across America, with their pig. A man who's played guitar for 60 years gave us an awesome lesson in musical history. A truck driver took the time to explain the proper technique for climbing up, and more importantly down, mountains to save our brakes. Our kids are very outgoing and love to hear these stories, and tell their own of course. They do look for RVs with bunkhouse windows (a sure sign of kids inside), but they're just as happy finding a retiree with a good story, or a willing ear.
Flexibility and simplicity have now replaced schedules and stress in our life. Our plan is to have no plan and so far, that's worked out very well. We're free to leave early if we're bored, hot, cold, there's no cell coverage, it's raining too often, or certainly if we see snow. Or we might stay longer if we really enjoy a park, meet another family on the road, have super fast wifi, or need to finish a work project. With no calendars to fill or schedules to work around, life moves slowly and peacefully. We simply leave when we're ready and arrive when we get there.
We're fortunate to be able to work on the road. With laptops, air cards, routers, smart phones, and wifi available at most campgrounds, we're able to stay connected and work remotely. It can be challenging working at home with three children (as it was before we left). We've learned to work at night, or when the kids are outside playing or inside reading, or while one of us takes the kids on an adventure leaving the other in peace and quiet.
We have a supportive staff and a wonderful community at Digital Scrapbook Place, which is my workplace, but also my online home. Digital scrapbooking is a fun and meaningful hobby, and it's also very convenient for RVers with little storage space (you just need a laptop)! To meet more of that community, we began an official digital scrapbooking tour. As we travel, we hold laptop crops across the country for Scrap the Map. We always have a great time scrapbooking and chatting with old friends and new. It's wonderful to have such a fun and mobile job!
So we live, learn, play, and work together and love every bit of it. None of us can imagine stopping anytime soon. We love our ever-changing back yard and the anticipation of where we'll go next. Looking back, we have only one regret about leaving everything for our fulltime life on the road: We left our dog behind. So after six months and twenty-one states, and much to the kids' delight, we came back and picked up Jack, who is now RVing with us. It's not as convenient and we may have to skip a few trails, but Jack's family. And as our family motto says, Family Sticks Together.
Margie is traveling the USA fulltime in an RV with her husband and three young children. Owning Digital Scrapbook Place, Inc. allows them to work remotely and hold events all over the country. Learn more about the laptop crops as they Scrap the Map. Follow their family adventures, RVing, roadschooling, and more on Lundy5.com.
What to Ask When Selecting a Campground for Your Family
Continuing our series on RVing with kids, Tonya Prater of Live the Adventure tells us what to look for when choosing a campground for your family.
When it comes to selecting the perfect campground for your family, chances are we won’t be looking for the same amenities even though we both have children. As a mother of teenagers, a campground with a playground and scheduled activities is no longer an option we consider important. Give my kids good cell phone reception and Wi-Fi access so they can brag on Facebook about what a great time they are having roasting marshmallows over the open fire and they’re pretty content.
Setting the age of our children aside, selecting a campground really boils down to preference. Personally, I prefer to stay at campgrounds that offer large sites, clean bathrooms and friendly campers. What I don’t want is to arrive at our site for what we hope is a relaxing weekend and find ourselves right smack in the middle of a major drink fest with obnoxious neighbors loudly proclaiming obscenities and staggering around the camp until they pass out on their picnic table. Unless you are that person, chances are that’s not your idea of fun either.
So, how can you be confident that you are selecting a campground that will be free from such annoyances? If at all possible, talk to someone who has stayed there. What was their experience like? Read a campground review. Call the campground directly and ask them about their facilities and policies.
The first thing I ask is if the campground is family friendly; meaning, are families welcome? It’s a bit uncomfortable to show up ready to camp and realize that the camp caters towards an older clientele or doesn’t discourage a party atmosphere.
Since my children are my most beloved possessions and I watch too many horror flicks, I always ask about security and will choose a campground with 24- hour security over one without.
I also prefer to stay at a campground with a firm lights out policy. Though the majority of campers we’ve encountered are more than courteous, if the campers next to me are blaring their radio at 1 in the morning, I want to know that someone will tell them it’s time to go to sleep. I like campgrounds that are clean and well maintained. They don’t necessarily have to be the newest campgrounds or have the most up to date facilities, but they do need to be well cared for. I’m not a clean freak or anything but, I have been known to take a couple cleansers along with me just in case. God bless the inventor of Clorox disinfecting wipes!
I wouldn’t have thought to ask until we learned the hard way, but I now confirm that campfires are permitted at our site and ask if firewood is available for sale or if we can bring our own. There’s nothing worse than making a run to the grocery store for hot dogs and ingredients for S’mores only to find out that open fires are prohibited. After all, it’s not really camping without a campfire is it?
What type of activities, if any, is offered? Is there a pool, fishing, disc golf, bike or hiking trails nearby or on site? Are pets welcome? Can you make advance reservations or is the campground first come, first served. If so, is there anything going on in the area at the time you plan to visit that would make it hard for you to get a spot? Do you have young children? Are sites available near the restrooms or playground?
By spending just a little bit of extra planning, whether you’ll be staying one night or one month, it is possible to find just the right campground for your family. So before you embark on your next camping adventure why not spend a few minutes talking to a representative from the campground? It could save you a lot of disappointment later.
Tonya Prater and has spent the better part of the last five years traveling with her husband’s job while roadschooling their three teenagers. After living in their RV for the past 18 months they have finally settled down in a stick home once again. Though they now live in a home with no wheels, they dream of traveling once again. You’ll find Tonya blogging about their experiences at www.thetravelingpraters.com.
The Joys of RVing with Children
Today's post in our series about RVing with children comes from Kara Lynn Becker of JoKars Wild. Since she lives in a trailer with her husband and eight children, she knows all about the joys of RVing with children.
My family and I moved into a 29 foot travel trailer with 8 kids last May. Yeah, I know… crazy! But we have loved it. We are now in a stick house for a season, but we long to be on the road again. While it wasn’t always easy, there are so many benefits to RVing with kids! Whether you live full-time, are vacationing, or bringing your grandkids along for the adventure, you, too, can reap the rewards of RVing with children.
Do you have an aloof teen that has long stopped snuggling with you on the couch? Get a good rainy day stuck in the RV, and try watching a movie on a little TV screen. With only a 3 person couch, pretty soon even the “coolest” teen will be snuggled up at your feet.
Do you find that even if you rent a house for a vacation, or even on your weekends, you spend all your time doing housework and not much relaxing? It takes literally minutes to clean an RV from head to toe and even less if you have those little ones help you. Also the kids come in handy for reaching into those nooks and crannies so common in RVs.
Maybe you aren’t feeling as agile as you used to. Try filling up your RV with sleeping children and teens sprawled out on the floor, and then walk from one end to the other to get your morning coffee while not stepping on them. If you want to enjoy the peaceful quiet of the morning, you will quickly become quite adept at anticipating their movements and leaping over their limbs.
Do you feel like you have to spend days upon days planning your wardrobe when staying at hotels? With an RV, it is easy to keep clothes stored in there all the time, so all you need to do is grab a few things and go. And did you know that while camping, it is perfectly acceptable to wear the same jeans two days in a row? Standard camping attire is just jeans/shorts and a tee-shirt. Grab a sweat shirt and your set to go. Don’t sweat it though!
Do you long to run in the ocean waves, roast marshmallows in the fire, or sing silly campfire songs? Without kids you feel a little silly making s’mores or digging giant holes in the sand. Do you want to go on the bumper cars or ride the carousel? Take those kids along. No one will even bat an eye! With kids you can eat the most marshmallows, sing the loudest, or crash into 5-year-olds with bumper cars! And nobody thinks your weird…well, except your own kids.
After living in Ohio for ten years our kids never had the opportunity to see the ocean in real life. They based their impressions of the ocean off of movies and books. My daughter had developed a fear of the ocean since she believed it was teeming with fish waiting to nibble on her toes. With our travels, we were able to take our kids to see the ocean for the first time. What a joyful experience!
We have also given them a greater understanding of the States and geography. They have seen monuments and read plaques. History is coming alive for them! They have also learned to read signs and maps. See what new places you can discover and history you can learn with your kids.
With our crazy lives and schedules, it can leave no time for family time. My eldest daughter said to me one day, “It has been forever since I’ve been really home. I feel like home is just a hotel…eat and then sleep.” RVing with children forces you to spend time together whether they or you like it or not. And after the initial shock of the close quarters, I think you will definitely like it. Take the time to invest in relationships with your kids or grandkids. Really listen to them. Find out what they like and don’t like. Explore your world with kids, and you will soon be rewarded with the joys of RVing with kids!
Kara Lynn Becker
Kara Lynn Becker aka Mama K is the mother of 8 kids, and the wife to one extraordinary husband, Papa Joe. Her oldest child is 16 and her youngest will soon be a year old. All together they call themselves, JoKars Wild.
Over two years ago, her husband lost his job. This has sent the family on a tail spinning adventure. While losing their home, they had to figure out how to have a home for 10 people that cost little to no money. After much research, they decided to buy a 29 foot travel trailer to live and play in together. Recently someone has blessed them with a free house to live in, but the trailer is still considered home. Kara has taken to writing about the family’s trials and adventures on the family’s blog, JoKars Wild.
Join Mama K as she writes about JoKars Wild while continuing to homeschool four boys and four girls. It’s an adventure based on faith and love, but most of all a commitment of being in relationship with one another.
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