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Thursday, Apr 25, 2024
If you’re serious about creating the most comfortable, enjoyable RV-ing experience possible, then you’ve likely considered making some modifications or upgrades to your motorhome, or even ordering a custom motorhome. However, these kinds of changes and upgrades can be pricey and they can take a long time.
If you want to improve your RV lifestyle fast, without taking your motorhome off the road for mods, or waiting for a brand-new one, try one of these four upgrades you can implement right now. All you’ll need is a little elbow grease, some DIY savvy, and maybe a trip to your local hardware store.
If you’re an HGTV fan, you’re likely very familiar with all the various different backsplashes one could use in their kitchen. Whether you want to go farmhouse rustic, modern, or light and airy — the right backsplash can really take a kitchen to the next level.
Unfortunately, you don’t have that many backsplash options when it comes to your motorhome — or do you? While it might be costly (and not all recommended, due to the resulting added weight) to add a real backsplash to your motorhome’s kitchen, you can create a faux backsplash using stick-and-peel tiles.
You can buy self-adhesive, vinyl backsplash tiles at just about any home improvement store, in an array of styles. The process takes less than an afternoon and the result is an eye-catching, upgraded RV kitchen space.
If your motorhome didn’t come outfitted with LED lights, it’s time to fix that, stat. Not only will switching out your RV’s current lighting for LEDs result in a better, less harsh look than what your standard lightbulbs provide, but LEDs have often been shown to offer health benefits due to the way they mimic natural light. Beyond improving your stress levels and overall mental health, LEDs are just more energy efficient and long lasting.
But don’t stop with swapping out existing lightbulbs for LEDs. Invest in some LED light strips with multiple settings, too, and then install them around your RV. Beneath your kitchen cabinets, in your storage spaces, in the bedroom — these light strips merely adhere wherever you want (though it’s usually the case that you’d apply them somewhere slightly hidden, so you get the light and not have to look at the strip) and then provide light in various colors, with the press of a button.
Even if your motorhome is top-of-the-line, that doesn’t always mean it’s the comfiest. Sometimes, motorhomes just don’t come outfitted with mattresses and couch and seat cushions that are as comfortable as what you’d have at home.
While it might be a relatively boring upgrade that doesn’t come with aesthetic appeal, buying a new mattress and cushions for your motorhome can really make your trips more enjoyable.
Similarly, even high-end motorhomes don’t always come with super-spacious bathrooms. That’s why it’s so important to make the most of your bathroom space in any RV, so you don’t end up feeling cramped.
Install a few extra features in your bathroom, for both space savings and fewer frustrations. A new shower head can go a long way toward happier camping. Towel racks are a must. Refillable, wall-mounted shampoo, conditioner and soap dispensers can make your RV shower feel like a hotel tub.
What kind of easy upgrades have you made to your motorhome recently? Let us know and send us a photo and you could be featured in an upcoming issue of the Motorhome Tires newsletter info@motorhometires.com.
Planning your first RV trip of the season? As you de-winterize your motorhome and get prepped for life on the road again, consider heading to one of these favorite springtime destinations. Whether you’re traveling for the flowers, wildlife or festival fun, these destinations are all bucket list-worthy.
Asheville is a southern Appalachian travel hub for a good reason (or, actually, many good reasons!). The hip town offers outdoor adventure aplenty, a great beer scene and culture. However, in the spring, Asheville and the Blue Ridge Parkway come alive with beautiful blooms.
Park your motorhome and take out your towed vehicle for a daylong drive around the area to see the azaleas, wild rhododendron, lady slippers and primroses. Don’t miss a stop by the Biltmore gardens to see the thousands of tulips, too!
If you’re headed out west, stop for a while at Rocky Mountain National Park. Here, from April to June, you’ll have ample wildlife viewing opportunities, as the park’s populations of bighorn sheep, elk and moose move down to lower elevations and give birth to the year’s calves.
Okay, so Washington, D.C., might not be your first pick for an RV destination, but hear us out. You can park your motorhome at one of the many RV park options in nearby Maryland or Virginia, and then take your towed vehicle into the city for a day of sightseeing fun. Luckily, the city is filled with free things to do and see, but, during the spring months in particular, things are wonderfully picturesque. The National Cherry Blossom Festival runs from the end of March and into early April (depending on when the trees bloom) and covers the city in pink petals.
For more flower festival fun, head to Portland, Oregon. There, the Portland Rose Festival features thousands of roses and hundreds of other flowers on display, with the festival starting in May and lasting all through June. You’ll have plenty of time to make your way there and enjoy spring in the Pacific Northwest.
Interested in birding? Be sure to make tracks for Magee Marsh in northern Ohio in May. That’s when this birding capital hosts the Biggest Week in American Birding, celebrating its status as the Warbler Capital of the World. Guests enjoy all sorts of planned birding field trips and outings, as well as access to workshops on conservation, identification and other relevant topics.
It sounded like a good idea, even a great idea, when you first brought it up to your spouse. You want to spend more time with the grandkids, they’ve got summer break coming up, and, after all — who doesn’t love a good ol’ fashioned family road trip? So why not take them on an RV trip?
Your children happily agreed to hand over the kiddos for a week or a few, but now you’re wondering just how smart this decision was. A few weeks or even just a week is a long time to spend in a small, enclosed space with young kids, and you’re not used to going at a child’s pace anymore. Your current travel style is far different from the way it was when you were traveling with your own kids. Will they really like visiting that military museum, or was that just wishful thinking?
Calm down. Take a deep breath.
While traveling with the grandkids in an RV is a bit different from just hosting them for a sleepover at home, if you prep accordingly and think of a few things ahead of time, you can ensure an enjoyable vacation for everyone.
A lot of what happens during your grandparent-grandchild RV trip is going to depend on your grandchildren’s ages and needs.
If you’re traveling with a toddler, for example, you’re going to need to anticipate nap times and early bedtimes, as well as a set schedule for meals. (Don’t worry; you’ve done this kind of thing with a toddler before, so you can do it again.) Additionally, if you’re traveling with a toddler, there’s always that chance they’re going to get homesick — drastically and dramatically so. As such, it might be a smart idea to stick with destinations closer to home, so they can always bail if they really need to.
If, though, you’re traveling with an older child, you may find that your focus switches from keeping everyone calm and happy to keeping everyone entertained. But that doesn’t have to mean driving all over the country to theme parks and festivals. Find a campground with tons of activities or park up at the beach.
Of course, especially with older kids, it can help ensure smooth sailing if you just involve them in the planning in the first place. Ask your grandchildren where they’d like to go and what they’d like to see. They might just surprise you and your interests may align more than you previously thought.
And remember — if they actually tell you what they’d like to do or where they’d like to go, really try to make it happen (even if it’s not something you’d normally do on your own). This isn’t an RV trip for you. It’s an RV trip for you to enjoy spending time with your grandchildren, so if they’re happy, you’ll be happy.
When you’re trying to provide your grandkids with the perfect RVing experience, the last thing you want is a breakdown or other disaster. You’ll be frustrated, they’ll be bored, their parents back home will be worried, etcetera.
Ensure your motorhome is in tip-top shape before you hit the road, as well as outfitted with everything you need for a comfortable, safe trip. Consider adding extra gear and amenities for the kids, too, to make their trips more enjoyable. Maybe it’s time to invest in that mobile WiFi router?
Do you have a story to share about your RV trips taken with the grandkids in tow? A funny memory that makes you chuckle every time you think about it? Or maybe you learned a few lessons that you can share with fellow grandparents. Whatever the case may be, tell us! Send us an email at info@motorhometires.com and you may be featured in an upcoming issue of the Motorhome Tires newsletter.
