Transparency is important to me. I do my best to answer honestly if asked. I was raised to believe your name is your word. You can build an entire business by it. So this is the moment I share some of the fun realities of traveling in an RV and give insights and tips. For those who are just catching up, it took years to come around to this way of traveling. I was raised in the hotel industry and I now travel with a bedroom loaded up on my own rig. It is what it is. I realized despite my history, I can be my own person and own my future forward. I’ve always felt different and I’m working to own it.

Since we upgraded to more space in this rig, there is less potty talk, thank the good Lord. In our new space we have two full bathrooms and far more privacy. We worked our way into the larger model after using our travel trailer for almost 10 years, but having a bathroom on board has been crucial. I can’t recall the last public restroom I’ve been in on a trip and that’s a gift in and of itself.

Believe it or not, this rig has a washing machine and dryer. Bad luck is we can’t get the washer to work properly and we didn’t have time to call in the repair before hitting the road. Laundry has piled up but we packed enough clothes we should be ashamed. I even brought my fuzzy slippers for comfort.

We run a generator for power when we don’t get full hook ups and we have a 90 gallon water tank this go round so running out of fresh water would be a challenge. The real challenge is watching the grey and black tanks but we are pros pretty much now. We have mostly hot showers, and a bed full of pillows to have a good night’s sleep. It’s cozy as can be.

We have ample technology on board. Despite my hope to unplug while spending time together, we landed in a campground with enough service to download fortnite…and use the Xbox for a few other games. The giggles and sense of competition make me feel the time on screens is worth it.

Rainy days are for playing poker and watching old movies like Tommy Boy and A Devil Wears Prada. Parenting skills at their finest.

If we weren’t dealing with the the effects of Covid-19, we’d be fine to stay in remote places since our refrigerator/freezer holds more food than we could possibly eat and we stocked it heavily. We love to grill and I love be in the kitchen. The views aren’t too shabby most of the time.

However, we like to hit some favorite spots in Jackson Hole and happy to take all precautions because we want to be coming back for years to come (PinkyGs, Cowboy Coffee, Pearl’s Bagel and Cafe Genevieve to name a few) We want to support local in the places we love…we just opt for carry out this year.

Campgrounds have all sorts of layouts and not all campgrounds are the same. We look for wider lots and creek views when we can. We’ve learned through the years to choose the campgrounds wisely, but even then we don’t always get to pick our neighbors or our view. Despite this, we’ve found people to be extra friendly and we scored extra firewood from a family headed back to TN.

I’ve learned to take photos to feel as if we are in a space all of our own, but that’s just the art of photography. This year at our most favorite campground Gros Ventre, we had to camp out for a spot because our first night in was completely full. We were more than grateful to be allowed to camp in the overnight lot. T woke early to be the first in line to ensure we could stay for the stretch we wanted. Of course I’m grateful, but we landed a center spot next to the restrooms. Not my favorite, but it will do.

The bonus is the next rainy morning a moose was walking out by the creek and the front window of our rig was a perfect viewing point. Along with a double rainbow. Perspective.

This is the thing about camping. It’s about the thrill of sight-seeing, hiking the trails, the campfires and the family connection. It’s a shirtless wonder.

It’s throwing the manual out and winging it. Go big or go home. Laugh hard and laugh loud. That means expect the use of duct tape on mirrors falling out of place, bikes busting along the bumpy roads, and outside showers not running hot. There are a whole lot of headaches that come with the unknown but being on the road means you know what is ahead.

All that matters for this moment, is this: when you take on the unknown with the people who know you the best, you can take on anything.