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Meeting Everyone's Needs
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Be realistic. While RVing is a great way to travel, family problems don't disappear just because you're on vacation. Discuss expectations ahead of time concerning family time versus individual time, chores, keeping belongings in a designated place, and spending money. If you plan ahead and start out realistically, there will be less likelihood of disappointment on the road. Families who RV best together are those who adjust their trip to the needs of the youngest family members. Getting away as a family comes first. When you reach your destination, the ability to enjoy what is offered varies with age.
BABIES travel easily in any type of RV. Take along a portable bed that can also be used outside as a playpen. Cover it with mosquito netting for extra protection. Babies love to listen to outdoor sounds, look at leaves, stars and campfires, dip their feet in water and swing in a hammock at the campsite.
TODDLERS respond well to a relaxed vacation schedule and enjoy the outdoors. Their natural curiosity lends itself to short hikes or bike rides and collecting all manner of outdoor treasures. Teach them to appreciate wildflowers and animals but not to pick or touch. Take along construction paper and crayons and show them how make crayon rubbings of leaves they collect. For safety, have them wear simple identification, like a luggage tag on a lanyard, which includes their name and age, campsite number, your vehicle license number, and your cell phone number.
5-10 YEAR OLDS make excellent campers. They like new experiences, ask many questions, and enjoy learning. Let them participate in setting up camp, building campfires, and routine campsite maintenance. If older children like to explore on their own, take along walkie-talkies so they can check in with home base. Scale down activities, like hiking or biking, to meet this age group's needs.
OLDER CHILDREN AND TEENS have definite opinions about how they want to spend their time. Make sure the campground and surrounding area have activities of interest to them. Honor their preferences as much as possible, including bringing along a friend. Many young people like to plan and/or cook meals. If so, turn them loose (with some supervision) in your RV galley.
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Camping with Friends
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If you travel with other peoples' children, even if they are related to you, always carry notarized permission for medical treatment that is signed by the child's parent or guardian. In an emergency, valuable time can be lost while a local hospital tries to track down parents to obtain legal permission to administer aid.
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Games People Play
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A campground is the perfect place to play all types of games. In addition to the abundance of available outside games, parents can teach old favorites like marbles, mumblety-peg, or jacks. Take board games and cards for rainy days and special family time. Young children enjoy crafts and simple games. Older kids appreciate Scrabble or more sophisticated card games like pinochle. Everyone can play Parcheesi, Uno and Skip-Bo.
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Give Each Other Your Time
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RVing is really about spending time together. Forget about video games, surfing the web and the persistence of the telephone. Talk to each other for a change. Teach each other how to build a campfire and cook over the coals. Share your most valuable possession - your time.
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