Have you gotten the call yet? It might go something like this: “Hi Sis, we’re on Interstate 40, about 50 miles away. Mind if we drop in… for a week?”
Hopefully, your relatives will give you a bit more lead time than that. But the fact remains, with families scattered all over the country today, we can all expect visits from out-of-town relatives at one time or another.
If you’ve got an RV, taking in family members can be as easy as plugging in the A/C to cool the rig down. Most RVs can sleep at least 6 people. That can go a long ways in providing shelter for out-of-town guests.
Setting up your relatives in your RV will be a benefit to both sides of the family.
You can still maintain some of your day-to-day routine while offering a certain level of privacy for your guests. Everybody has different needs when it comes to bed time, rising in the morning, and just maintaining their own space.
For example, you might want to sleep in on Saturday morning, while Sis’s kids expect to get rockin’ and a rollin’ plenty early. By setting them up in their own little cabin, they can do things their way, and respect your way of living.
Are there issues or concerns when it comes to turning over your RV to the relatives? Maybe someone in their group has health problems that would be hard to accommodate in your motorhome. If so, then turn the house over to them, and you move into the RV. After all, you’re familiar with how everything works; they aren’t.
Kids like nothing better than camping out, even if it’s only in the backyard. Have a bonfire, make some s’mores and gather all the relatives around to reminisce about the good ‘ol days. The kids will love learning all your dark secrets. If your secrets are better suited for an adult audience, get some spooky stories off the Internet instead.
If you happen to be a full time RVer, then the process of making accommodations for visitors may take a little more effort. Almost every grandparent wants to take their grandchildren along on camping trips. Doing so would make it possible to give mom and dad a break, while at the same time build a special bond with the youngsters. You might want to take only one grandchild at a time, making the experience even more special and personal — something they will surely remember as they get older.
Even inviting friends and neighbors to join you on a trip can be fun. Do realize that if you’re all living within the confines of one RV, privacy may be a scarce commodity. When it requires converting the living room to a bunkhouse, changing into pajamas may be done in rotation, with everyone taking a turn in the back bedroom to prepare for sleep.
Young children can sleep just about anywhere. Rolling out an inexpensive air mattress on the floor is fine by them. If you add a tent to your ensemble, all the youngsters can sleep outside while the adults have the comfort of the motorhome. They’ll probably like it better anyhow.
When it’s all done in the spirit of an adventure, you can make most anything work. Have fun!
I’ve been involved in RVing for over 50 years — including camping, building, repairing, and even selling RVs and motorhomes. I’ve owned, used, and repaired almost every class and style of RV ever made. I do all of my own repair work. My other interests include cooking, living with an aging dog, and dealing with diabetic issues. If you can combine a grease monkey with a computer geek, throw in a touch of information nut and organization freak, combined with a little bit of storyteller… you’ve got a good idea of who I am. To date, I’ve shared my RV knowledge in over 300 articles here at The Fun Times Guide! Many of them have over 25K shares.
