Katie aka Little Green Duck, her husband and their two young children are 6 weeks into a year-long round the world adventure. They spent two weeks living in a CanaDream RV and have shared some of their tips, experiences and stories with us. Read on to find out what a typical day on their trip looked like.
The Truth? Every day is different!I decided to write this post to give a more behind the scenes look at what our days looked like when we were travelling around British Columbia in our CanaDream motorhome. The truth is, though, there isn’t really such a thing as a “typical” day when you’re travelling in an RV. Every day has been totally different - with new areas and campgrounds to explore, different amenities (ranging from absolutely nothing to games rooms, playgrounds and boat rentals), and different things to do.
Rhythm not routine
The thing about having very young children is that they usually thrive on routine, and throwing them off-kilter too far or for too many consecutive days makes our family hashtag #tantrumsontour really come alive. So, when travelling in our motorhome, we made sure we stuck to a familiar basic rhythm to the day to keep everyone in check and make sure there was some consistency. Did this stop us having fun? NO WAY!
Our little daily rhythm looked a little like this:
Anywhere between 6 and 7am - Up!
Wake up time! We’d get up, have breakfast (either oatmeal, pancakes or granola with loads of fruit for our little fruit monsters), then start gathering all our things for whatever activity we had planned.
Around 9am - Explore!
By about 9am everyone is up, showered, dressed and ready to head out. We’ve done everything from a bear spotting tour in Whistler (this actually started at 5:55am!), to riding the Sea to Sky Gondola in Squamish, to having lunch in Victoria, Vancouver Island, to simply heading to the banks of the Nanaimo River for a cooling swim. Our mornings are generally busiest.
12pm - Lunch
We’d usually try to head back to the RV for lunch because we like the flexibility of being able to cook our own meals, but sometimes we’d grab lunch out, depending on where we were. We loved sitting at our campsite picnic table and talking about the morning’s fun….whilst making sure that our almost 2-year-old doesn’t fall asleep in his food…
1pm - Naptime
On non-transit days we tried our best to let William, our youngest, have a nap in the motorhome to keep him well-rested other days when he can’t have a long nap. During this time we’d either have quiet time with our daughter, Amber, or if she’s feeling energetic, take her out to explore the campground and see if she can find someone to make friends with.
3pm - More exploring
Our afternoons were generally a little slower and less action-packed than the mornings due to the proximity of dinner time to nap wake up time. So this would be the time we’d head to the playground or out for a walk, or perhaps such excitement as going to the laundromat (because chores need doing on the road too!).
5:30-6pm - Dinner
Usually back at the RV, but sometimes at a local restaurant, as long as we didn’t have to drive the beast (or Optimus Prime as my husband affectionately called it) there. We preferred to park it up at our campground and leave it in situ until the day we moved on. Then, playtime to burn off a final bit of energy before…
7:30-8pm - Kids’ bedtime
And that’s that! Everyone was full of fresh air after a long day, so all we needed to do now was complete what I’d refer to in video game terms as the “big boss” level, BEDTIME. Our children were sleeping together in the overcab bed, so there was usually some tomfoolery, throwing of soft toys at each others’ faces and demanding 34657345673 drinks and then needing 46357453 pees before sleep.
10pm-11pm - Our bedtime
After catching up with some of our early rising families and friends in the UK (they were 8 hours ahead of us), doing some writing for our blogs or planning and researching for the next leg of our trip, it was time to get to bed in preparation for another busy day.
How does this compare to what a typical day on your RV trip looks like? Let us know on our Twitter or Instagram accounts, and don't forget to use the hashtag #MyCanaDream so we can find you!
Start planning your CanaDream trip
If this post has got you raring to plan your family RV trip, head over to our RV Rentals page to choose the vehicle that best fits your family. Or if you need inspiration for where to go, take a look at our Trip Planner page for itineraries, driving directions and more.
Follow Little Green Duck's Family Adventure
If you'd like to find out more about Little Green Duck’s adventures as a travelling family, please head over to their blog, Instagram page or our YouTube channel.