How We Balance Family Time and Alone Time in Our Camper
Intro
Full-time RV life with kids can feel like a beautiful adventure, but it also comes with its challenges.
Living full-time in a 5th wheel travel trailer with five kids is an incredible adventure, but it can also feel like one big whirlwind of activities and togetherness. When you’re all living in the same small space, it can sometimes feel like there’s no room for personal space or quiet time. But we’ve found a few strategies to ensure that we all get our family bonding moments and also some much-needed alone time to recharge. Here’s how we manage to balance it all!
The Challenges of Living in a Small Space
Talk about the realities of being in close quarters with your kids all the time. In a tiny home on wheels, every meal, game, and even bedtime happens in the same space. While this brings us closer, it can also feel overwhelming when there’s no escape from the noise or activity. The key to making this work is ensuring that each of us has time to recharge when needed.
With 5 kids. Youve really got to pay attention of which children dont mind being on top of each other and which one really need the space. It makes a difference with keeping the balance. It work out in my benefit with the layout we have 36BHQ. Every now and then we rotate spots to help as they grow. My oldest child did turn 18 last year and moved out. 2nd oldest get the queen bed pullout in living room. the 2 girls have the bedroom to themselves and my youngest boy get loft to himself.
Family Time – Creating Special Moments Together
It is extremely importance to spend quality time together as a family, and how you make sure to do that even while on the road.
- Ideas:
- Plan regular family activities: hikes, games, campfire nights, etc.
- Traveling itself creates unique family bonding experiences (like visiting national parks or exploring new cities). If you homeschool this is great time to educate in a fun way.
- One of my kids favorite thing is an inflatable projector screen and projector. On a night without wind we hook up internet and have a movie night in yard. Possibly with a campfire and smores make it more fun.
- Even though our RV might be small, the world around us is huge, and we love spending time together exploring it. From hikes to campfire cookouts, family time on the road is special. We make it a point to disconnect from our devices and enjoy each other’s company, whether we’re playing board games inside the camper or biking around a new campsite.
Alone Time – Finding Space and Time for Yourself
This section is all about how you and your kids (yes, kids need alone time too!) find moments of solitude or quiet time in a small space.
- Ideas
- Carve out alone time during the day (early mornings, afternoon quiet hours, etc.). Currently my kids decided to go to a very small town school where we are station at for the moment. Great Because school emphasize on Family time and bring all the age group together to do activities.
- Setting boundaries for quiet time: Do you have specific times of day when everyone takes a break? How do you make it clear to your kids that everyone needs some space?
- Tips for creating a private space even in a small RV (using curtains, designated “quiet” areas, etc.).
- Incorporating solo hobbies or activities, like reading, journaling, or walking.
- Finding alone time in an RV might seem impossible, but it’s all about creating boundaries and scheduling moments for rest. My husband and I have learned to take early mornings for ourselves, sipping coffee while the kids are still asleep. When the kids need their downtime, we give them a quiet activity like drawing or reading in their own little corner of the camper, while we retreat to the front cab for a few minutes of peace.
Communication is Key
This section explore how communication helps your family balance togetherness and independence. This is crucial in an RV where personal space isn’t always physically available, but emotional space can be created through clear communication.
- Ideas
- How to discuss the need for alone time as a family.
- Encouraging the kids to communicate their own needs for downtime.
- Setting expectations with your spouse or partner about shared responsibilities and downtime.
- Clear communication is vital in a tiny space. We’ve learned to talk openly about our needs for alone time, and our kids are encouraged to voice when they need a break too. We’ve established that after a certain time, it’s ‘quiet time,’ and everyone respects that. This allows us all to recharge and be ready for more family fun later!
Making It Work – Practical Tips
This section can provide actionable tips that you can use to balance family time and alone time in their own RV lives.
- Ideas
- Make use of outdoor space (if available) – encourage kids to play outside or go for a walk.
- Create “quiet zones” or specific times in the day that are designated for alone time.
- Tips for balancing chores, activities, and rest.
- *Here are a few practical tips that help our family find that balance:
- Set ‘quiet hours’: For example, after lunch, we have a 30-minute quiet period where everyone does something quietly – reading, drawing, or just resting.
- Get outside: We use the great outdoors as a way to give everyone space. Whether it’s a nature walk, bike ride, or just a solo trip to the lake, it’s a good way for the kids to get some fresh air while giving us parents a break.
- Create small zones: We use curtains to create personal space within the camper for each child. This gives them a space to call their own when they need some peace.*
- We pick a spot that currently has 7 miles of track that they can ride on with dirt bike, bikes, go carts, 4wheelers, golf cart, etc..
Conclusion:
Balancing family time and alone time in an RV is crucial to maintaining harmony and happiness on the road. It may feel overwhelmed at first but the joy/memories that come with it, is never forgotten.
Living full-time in an RV means spending lots of time together as a family, but it also requires some effort to ensure that everyone gets the time and space they need to stay happy and healthy. By creating a routine that includes both quality family time and moments of solitude, we’ve been able to make our travels work for everyone. It’s all about finding that balance and communicating openly with each other!