Our RV trip was by far my family’s favorite vacation. It was all of the fun of camping, without any of the hassle and comfortable beds to sleep in.

We flew to Salt Lake City, rented an RV and then drove to Grand Teton and Yellowstone. Driving through and camping in those two huge national parks was perfect. I would not recommend traveling long distances in a rental RV unless you are certain you are getting a newer RV. Our RV was very nice and clean, but was built on a very old F350 drive platform. I would also rent the shortest RV you think you can get away with, they are tough to maneuver and I would trade a few feet of extra comfort any day. The RV we rented for our family of four was 23 feet and we could have had one more adult or two small children easily. Be ready to spend the first 30 minutes seeking out LOUD rattles and shakes. We ended up using rubber bands to hold the cutlery secure, a towel over the slamming screen door and paper towels between the cereal bowls and inside the microwave.

The trip would have been a whole lot easier if we could have rented the RV locally and packed it with our own things right in our driveway. Linens were provided, but I had read that they were sparse. Before leaving home we used vacuum space bags and packed sleeping bags for the kids, a nice blanket for us, kitchen towels and pillows. We were glad we had them. This is the one time in your life you want thin towels, they dry much faster. In Salt Lake we did end up also buying a toddler bed rail so we felt more comfortable with the kids sleeping and playing over the cab. They LOVED being over the cab.

If you are traveling during the summer and want to stay were there are hookups for water and electricity, I would book my campground stays in advance. We wanted the freedom to decide as we went and ended up spending a lot of time on the phone. Arrive at campgrounds early in the day, before lunchtime, and you will get the best choice of spots. Very few campgrounds allow you to reserve a specific spot. The photo below was taken from our beautiful camp site near Mammoth in Yellowstone.

I would consider getting to my first campground with plenty of daylight to spare to give you time to figure out your hook ups and get settled. The electric hook up is easy, you just plug in. The water is simple as well, you connect a hose and then all water for toilet and sinks comes from the campground and doesn’t deplete your on board holding tank.
As you leave the campground and go to empty your black water tank is where the fun comes in. If you saw the movie, RV, remember Robin Williams… If you aren’t going RVing anytime soon, feel free to skip to next paragraph. It is gross, but with some smarts and rubber gloves (buy a pair at the grocery store before setting out), you only touch a bit of dirty water. After hooking up the hose and putting the business end into the hole in the ground, my husband would open the toilet valve first and let that empty and then open the grey water from the shower/sink to wash down the line. He would also close the grey water line after that first flush of the system and even fill up the grey water tank half way (to flush with clean water) before unhooking the hose and moving to the next campsite. I must admit the first time he did this, the kids and I were watching through the window, cracking up and waiting for a horrendous disaster to happen. By the way, never drink the water from the tap in a rental RV.

I will write a follow up post to the about the unbelievable natural beauty of these amazing national parks. This was a trip of a lifetime. I hope we can do this again soon and travel through Alaska with an RV.
