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Step into Autumn Family Adventures

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Looking ahead to fun, and safe, family vacations this fall

We provide amazing vacation experiences you’ll love and a safe stay you can trust. All so you and your family can enjoy your time away from home, together.

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If you’ve never visited [Orange Lake Resort][1] in the fall, you’re in for a real treat with cooler weather, lighter crowds, and tons of local, seasonal and on-site things to do. Plus, we happen to think it’s *the* perfect place to work remotely or “schoolcation” with strong wifi and ample opportunities for lazy river recess and mini golfing lunch breaks.


  [1]: https://holidayinnclub.com/explore-resorts/orange-lake-resort

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Homeschool, distance learning and virtual learning are the “new normal” for many of us. But what about road school? No in-person school schedule means a whole new world of travel and education just opened up, and I am *here* for it. Keep reading to figure out how to make school and travel mix. Spoiler: It’s *a lot* of fun!
 
### **1. Learn about the places you visit.**
My favorite option to turn any travel experience into a learning experience is a unit study, which is an overview of a specific topic or theme that incorporates multiple subjects. These short and focused units allow students to focus on one destination and learn about the history, science, culture and overall background of it. You can easily create your own or search for options online. A few favorites I’ve done with my kids include: Theodore Roosevelt Island in Washington, D.C. and Monocacy Aqueduct in Maryland. Both units covered the history of the areas, science related to critters, creatures and local plants, and a little physical education because we hiked both places together. 
 
We really enjoy the Junior Ranger programs available at national parks and other federal lands, too. Everything you need to learn about the park is available at the visitor center or to download online. Your child can complete the age-appropriate activities and receive a badge from the ranger on duty (or by mail).
 
If you'd like to create a unit study and prefer to stay outdoors, this [Hike and Learn template][1] is a great place to start. Simply fill in each section (most of the information is available online or at the visitor centers). Let your kids study a different element each day before you arrive. Then take the hike together to see what you learned. It’s such a great way to bring the learning on the road experience full circle, and you can customize the info for any age. 
 

![Angelica's daughter walking on the beach toward the waves, looking at the concrete fleet.][2] The Concrete Fleet
 
### **2. Turn everyday life into a lesson.**
Do you need to put those beach towels away? Fold them in half and then in thirds, and you’ve got a fractions lesson ready to go. Does your resort have a kitchen? Get everyone involved in measuring and counting… then you can check off math and kitchen science for the day. 
 
Some of the best learning happens while your life is happening around you. It doesn't all have to come from a worksheet. Getting those everyday things done might take a little longer when they become a lesson, but it frees up more time for fun later. 

 

![Angelica's kids feeding goats through a fence at a farm.][3] All about animals on the farm
 
### **3. Whistle while you work (or travel).** 
YouTube is an excellent resource for fun learning ideas. We love to find songs that help us with our memory work. We're actually working on states and capitals right now, and there are tons of fun songs to help us master all that information together. Turn the tunes on in the car, and you'll have an easy option to pass the time on a long road trip. Car time doesn't have to be downtime. Learning can happen in *between* destinations, too.

 

![Angelica's kids sitting on the floor looking up at a statue of John F. Kennedy at the Kennedy Center.][4] Music history at the Kennedy Center
 
### **4. Be flexible.**
For many Type A parents, this is a tough one, but it’s a *must* on the road. Tires go flat. Traffic backs up for miles and miles. Potty breaks, lunch breaks and stretch breaks will turn your itinerary into a piece of paper for the recycling bin. Travel is unpredictable, and you'll drive yourself (and your family) a little crazy if you can't be flexible. School might happen on a Saturday. That last worksheet might get done after dinner. **It is OK.** Find a rhythm that works for you and go with it.
 
![Angelica's son putting his hand on a historic wall in Williamsburg, Virginia.][5] Touching history in Williamsburg
 
### **5. Plan a 4-day schedule.**
I realize this is pretty specific, but I promise it works. Plan to fit school into four days a week when you're on the road. You might need that extra travel day or just a day to relax and have fun together. If you've decided to work through a unit study, the fifth day of the week will be all about the cool place you've been studying together. If your kids schedule their school work, it helps to let them know what's coming up that week so they can plan and finish everything on time.
 
![Angelica's son hiking through a wooded nature trail with his backpack on.][6] Always learning on the trail
 
### **6. Take school outside.**
No one wants to sit around a hotel table when they could be outside exploring! Grab your books and computer and add some Vitamin D to the school day. Picnic tables, blankets on the ground, and pretty much anywhere that nature is the only distraction, make for an excellent classroom. 
 
We often find new learning ideas when we're outside, too. My son finds new bugs, or my daughter falls in love with a beautiful flower, and I try to turn those interests into learning opportunities. It’s funny; my oldest now says that he wants to do a presentation on whatever fun new thing he finds (win!).
 
![Angelica's kids looking up at a giant wooden spider at the Big Bugs Sculpture Exhibit at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley.][7] We found big bugs after our bug unit study
 
### **7. Pick and choose your screen time.**
I'm all for getting through this challenging school year with any and every tool I've got. I know I'm going to need every single one of them. It isn't easy to pack all the usual school resources when we're on the road. We choose our technology and screen time options wisely and rely on online resources when we can. It helps cut down on the school-related items we have to lug around on a trip. 
 
If you want to limit screen time, audiobooks are a great option. Even the littlest learner can enjoy them without a parent. They fill the time during long car trips, too. My son is all about bugs, and he'll listen to a bug-related audiobook for over an hour. It. is. awesome. 
 
![Angelica's kids jumping together in front of the whirligigs at Whirligig Park in Wilson, North Carolina.][8] What's a whirligig? We know now.
 
### **8. Focus on (and celebrate) unplanned learning.**
We’re all learning something all the time, and the little sponges we call our kids take it all in. I try to remind myself that the lessons they learn while traveling might not fit nicely into a planned curriculum, but they're still valuable.
 
When I can, I find a way to add our unplanned learning into our scheduled lessons. It helps me feel like we picked up an added school bonus along the way. Just because it wasn't in your planner in September doesn't mean it can't be in your portfolio in May. 
 
And that’s the beauty of learning on the road. It’s full of surprises that turn into lessons learned and, even more importantly, those surprises turn into life-long memories for the whole family.
 
*Our guest bloggers are compensated for their writing contributions and honest opinions.* 
 

![Checking In Logo][9]


 [1]: https://toddlinacrossamerica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Hike_and_Learn_template.pdf
 [2]: https://images.contentstack.io/v3/assets/bltba617d00249585dc/blt9485a641a0faa4fd/5f367d669af97004e7f64fa2/Angelicas-daughter-at-beach-looking-at-concrete-fleet-3024x3024.jpg
 [3]: https://images.contentstack.io/v3/assets/bltba617d00249585dc/blt4e2333d6c3010fc4/5f367d687ca22b018aed96cc/Angelicas-kids-feeding-goats-through-a-fence-on-a-farm-2338x2338.jpeg
 [4]: https://images.contentstack.io/v3/assets/bltba617d00249585dc/bltf864dd2fd7502faa/5f367d691fe0e07eae8145a7/Angelicas-kids-looking-at-statue-of-kennedy-at-kennedy-center-2677x2678.jpeg
 [5]: https://images.contentstack.io/v3/assets/bltba617d00249585dc/blt6864f5c8068a985d/5f367d6a168ec908bebeaa22/Angelicas-son-putting-his-hand-on-a-wall-in-williamsburg-2234x2233.jpeg
 [6]: https://images.contentstack.io/v3/assets/bltba617d00249585dc/blt21b17be9906bfe43/5f367d6c48d3b57cb974a99e/Angelicas-son-hiking-a-nature-trail-with-his-backpack-on-3024x3024.jpg
 [7]: https://images.contentstack.io/v3/assets/bltba617d00249585dc/blt296215e8c14b86f1/5f367d699751e50576cbccb1/Angelicas-kids-looking-up-at-a-giant-wooden-spider-2442x2442.jpg
 [8]: https://images.contentstack.io/v3/assets/bltba617d00249585dc/blt0720ba923b9af8b8/5f367d6a1967337e7590e273/Angelicas-kids-jumping-in-front-of-whirligigs-at-whirligig-park-in-wilson-nc-3024x3023.jpeg
 [9]: https://images.contentstack.io/v3/assets/bltba617d00249585dc/bltd5b38eb8fb041a33/5f49757f79723565b971c382/Checking_In_Logo_FINAL_1096x292_slim_transparent_xxxsmall.jpg

8 Ways to Keep Homeschooling While Traveling

Consumer | Blog | 8 Ways to Keep Homeschooling While Traveling

Ever since my kids were tiny, I’ve dreamed of owning an RV. I fully admit that I’ve had *plenty* of romanticized visions of us happily rolling down the road together, singing 80s songs at the top of our lungs and waking up in ridiculously scenic places in our own personal home on wheels.
 
Like many families, with all the craziness of 2020, we decided that this was the year to make it happen! While we absolutely love the outdoors, this year *especially,* we were looking to get some extra solitude and fill in the gaps on our calendar from all our canceled trips. So this past summer, we packed up our five kids and the dog, and we drove all around the western U.S. in our renovated RV. 
 
![Jessica's RV][8]
 
It’s an older bumper pull model that we [fixed up together][2] as a family. And sure, while RV travel might not have been quite as “picture-perfect” as I had dreamed, our entire family has completely fallen in love with this new way of travel. Yes, there have been bumps in the road (literally), but we’ve learned a whole lot about how to make RV travel a completely viable option for our family, as well as a budget-friendly vacation that I know we’ll be coming back to year after year. 
 
Whether you’ve got an old RV like ours, are planning to rent one for a week or two, or are looking to buy a state-of-the-art motorhome as big as a bus, there’s a place for every family in the RV world. The most important thing you need if you’re going to travel in an RV is a willingness to try something new, be flexible and always be open to new adventures with your family. 
 
Thinking about taking the leap and trying it out with your family? No matter what vehicle type, here are my top 10 tips for a successful RV trip with kids. 
 
### **1. Get your kids involved in the planning**
![Jessica's daughter reading][3]
 
Looking to avoid the constant cries of, “Are we there yet?” Get your kids involved in planning your RV trip. Let them have a say in where you go and what kind of activities you decide to do. If your kids are a little older, give them some freedom and responsibility by letting them plan the whole trip. We decided to do that once by giving our 10-year old and 7-year-old the travel dates and the budget to stick to and they planned *such* a fun trip. And the best part was, they were ridiculously excited about **everything** since it was all *their* idea. The more involved your kids are in what you do, the more they’ll love it. This is especially true if you have a teen who’s reluctant to travel with the family. 
 
### **2. Make sure everyone has some space of their own**
![RV collage of Jessica's kids and storage cubes][4]
 
The best thing we did when setting up all our things in the RV was to give everyone their own space to keep things. Although they’re small, RVs have a lot of storage space and cupboards, so take advantage of them. While it may not be practical to give everyone their own designated bedroom area to hang out in like you would at home, we’ve found that everyone feels much more comfortable if they have a place that’s just theirs for personal items. To keep everything organized, we give everyone in the family a collapsible fabric cube to store their things in. When it’s time to pack before a trip, they bring it inside and fill it, and when we get home, they take it in the house to clean everything out. 
 
### **3. Stock up on snacks**
![Snacks in the RV][5]
 
Think your kids eat a lot of snacks on a normal road trip? Plan on them eating double that on an RV trip. It might be a combination of the excitement of a new destination combined with lots of fresh air and outdoor time? All I know is my kids' hunger seems to know no limits when we’re in the RV. Take advantage of all your cupboard space and stock up on snacks. To encourage our kids to eat healthier, we make apples and other healthy fruits easy to grab and the junk food snacks harder to access, along with keeping a few [other healthy snacks][6] on hand. 
 
### **4. Plan for a rainy day**
![Games in the RV][7]
 
On our first RV trip as a family, we drove out to California for a week of beach camping and … it rained on us almost every single day. Although there were a few breaks in the clouds, we ended up spending a lot of time together inside the RV, instead of on the beach like we planned. Luckily, the RV we rented was stocked with lots of family games and even some great books for the kids. 
 
Based on that learning, once we got our own RV, our first priority was to stock it with entertaining games and books. Each of our kids brings a novel to read, but we keep the RV stocked with adventure books, birding guides and a few Where’s Waldo books for the little ones. We also have different card games in a bin, and we’ve added a couple of our favorite board games in travel size editions as well. Our favorite travel games are Qwirkle, Saboteur and Uno (the little ones are Uno-obsessed)!
 
### **5. Consider your travel style when choosing an RV**
![Sunset behind the RV][1]
 
When most people think of RVs, they think of giant, all-in-one motorhomes that are completely self-contained, but there are actually several types of RV. We personally like the freedom of having our own car to be able to explore when we get to our destination, so a tow-behind RV was a great fit for us. It was much easier to hop around without having to take everything along with us. 
 
Other people love the simplicity of *not* having to tow or back a trailer, so they opt for a motorhome. Some motorhome families forgo the tow and rent a car for certain stops. I highly recommend checking out several different models before choosing one. If you’ve got young children, make sure you also consult a car seat safety technician before getting an RV, as not all RVs are suitable for car seats. 
 
### **6. Get rid of clutter**
![A bedroom in Jessica's RV][9]
 
Just like in your home, there are certain areas in your RV that are going to be prone to clutter. Since you’re in such a small space, the more you can cut down on clutter, the less stressful your trip will be. Some of the most common cluttering items in an RV are shoes, jackets, hats, sunscreen and snacks (essentially ALL the outdoor things). 
 
Command hooks will be your best friend here. They’re easy to remove and reposition and provide a perfect place to hang up jackets and hats. To keep our shoes organized, and to keep the RV’s floor cleaner, we have a plastic file crate that we keep outside the door for the kids to take their shoes off before they come in. It really is the small, simple things like that that that make a world of difference when you’re living in a small space.
 
### **7. Resist the urge to take EVERYTHING**
![Jessica's kids playing at the RV table.][10]
 
When you travel as a family in an RV, you have a lot more room than you would on a traditional road trip in your car. I know you can probably find a way to take all the bikes, scooters, soccer balls, kayaks, buckets and shovels, but *should* you? Not only does your RV have a weight limit on how much it can carry (you risk a broken axle if you exceed it), but your trip may also be harder to manage with more ‘stuff.’ 
 
Trust me. On our first RV trip, we loaded up our rig with *so* many things. I was constantly tripping over toys, bikes were always falling over, and I silently cursed every time a soccer ball was in my way in our tiny walkway. We’ve since simplified what we take, and our travels go so much smoother. If we’re only going to use something once, we consider renting it at our destination instead of hauling it from home. 
 
### **8. Double-check to make sure you know how to operate all your systems**
![Sink in an RV][11]
 
I know it sounds silly, but you really do need to double-check and make sure you know how to operate all the little parts of your RV *before* you leave. Do you know how to turn the water heater on? How to control the furnace and A/C? How to turn the table into a bed at night? Most importantly, make sure you know how to empty your wastewater tanks!
 
### **9. Keep your meals simple**
![Kitchen in RV][13]
 
Most RVs come equipped with at least a basic kitchen. You’re likely not going to have access to fancy kitchen appliances but think of this as an opportunity to simplify your cooking. Not only will simpler meals make prep work and clean up faster, but they’ll also give you more time to explore your destination with your family. Check out this list of [easy RV meals][12] to get you started. 
 
### **10. Take your time**
![Jessica reading with her son][14]
 
I know it’s tempting to try and see *all the things(!)* while you’re on vacation, but my advice is to take it slow. Remember: you came on this RV trip to relax, so make sure that you take some time to do just that. I recommend taking at least two days in each location, though we find that three to four days is typically our sweet spot. It gives the kids time to get familiar with the area, and it gives mom and dad a chance to slow down as well. 
 
Most of us live incredibly busy lives and are always looking for a way to pause time with our kids. For our family, spending time in the RV has thankfully been just that. We love to get off the grid, go where there’s no reception and just spend quality time together as a family. Luckily, in an RV, you can get all the perks of being in the wilderness, and still have a toilet, running water and a kitchen.
 
So, go ahead. Get out there and enjoy an RV family adventure! 
 
*Our guest bloggers are compensated for their writing contributions and honest opinions.* 
 

![Checking In logo][15]


 [1]: https://images.contentstack.io/v3/assets/bltba617d00249585dc/blt1552619fda26b760/5f4fa8ba177a662511db2d48/jessica-averett-rv-sunset-3157x2368.jpg
 [2]: https://bring-the-kids.com/fast-rv-remodel-budget/
 [3]: https://images.contentstack.io/v3/assets/bltba617d00249585dc/blt8109b2a4ca82a088/5f47e65279723565b971bcb2/jessica-averett-daughter-reading-6000x4000.jpg
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 [6]: https://bring-the-kids.com/40-healthy-snacks-kid-adventure-active/
 [7]: https://images.contentstack.io/v3/assets/bltba617d00249585dc/blt00a4203f99a5cc2a/5f47e6532ecc864927d8ce70/jessica-averett-rv-games-6000x4000.jpg
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 [12]: https://bring-the-kids.com/easy-rv-meals/
 [13]: https://images.contentstack.io/v3/assets/bltba617d00249585dc/blt7ab90d8e7b45d724/5f5013354c9f7223b8cd8898/jessica-rv-interior-2880x3200.jpg
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 [15]: https://images.contentstack.io/v3/assets/bltba617d00249585dc/bltd5b38eb8fb041a33/5f49757f79723565b971c382/Checking_In_Logo_FINAL_1096x292_slim_transparent_xxxsmall.jpg

10 Tips for a Successful RV Trip with Kids

Consumer | Blog | 10 Tips for a Successful RV Trip with Kids

Best Family-Friendly Tips for National Park Trips

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Step into Autumn Family Adventures

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