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Author :Chelsea Barron in Education

RV travel means lots of adventures. As experienced adventurers, my family has learned the hard way that it’s incredibly important to always go out prepared. Therefore, every time we leave the RV, we carry a backpack. This is our adventure bag, and without it, I feel absolutely naked.

What’s in the Bag?

So what’s in this precious bag? Well, everything we need to survive a day-long outing, of course!

Water Bottles — We always, always have water bottles in the bag. You never know when you’re going to be caught in a hot and dry place without a water fountain in sight, especially when you’re visiting places like national parks. This fact makes carrying water a necessity.

Bandages — Kids get scrapes. That’s a fact of life, and those scrapes are most likely to happen when your kids are doing their most intense exploring. For this reason, band-aids found a place in our bag long ago and will likely stay there until we retire from our adventures.

Related Read: Tips for Hiking with Kids

Extra Clothes — My child is almost always a mess. Put him outside and he’s pretty likely to end up muddy in 2 minutes or less. Obviously, this makes a change of clothes a worthy addition to our pack.

Sunglasses — The sun in your eyes is a quick way to make a fun outing miserable. Sunglasses are an easy way to prevent this, so we stock up at the dollar store and always have a few pairs on hand.

Sunscreen — Outdoor adventures are some of the best kind, but having them does come with some responsibilities. One of these is to protect our skin, so into the bag the sunscreen goes.

Notebook and Pen — A pen is something you never want to be without. Whether you need to jot down a note or mark something on a map or schedule, you’ll always be grateful you have a pen. Honestly, the notebook really only comes in handy to entertain my son by allowing him to draw pictures or write notes.

Snacks or Lunch — Eating out is expensive, so we try not to do it too often. However, we do need to eat. Packing some filling snacks of a quick lunch in our adventure bag fulfills this need and prevents potential cases of the hungry grumpies.

Napkins — Napkins have a wide variety of uses. For instance, the napkins in our adventure bag have been used to wipe faces, blow noses, and clean dirty tables. If we were smarter we would carry wet wipes, but the napkins usually get the job done.

Memberships — Reciprocal memberships are the name of the game when it comes to saving money while traveling. Currently, we have a museum card, a zoo card, and a National Parks card, and all three live in the front pocket of the adventure bag.

Cash — I hate cash. It’s a hassle to deal with and eventually leaves you with a bunch of heavy, noisy change. That said, there are still establishments out there that don’t take cards. Therefore, we carry cash. This emergency money lives in our adventure bag in case we ever need it to pay for parking, tolls, or other cash-only items.

In the Truck

We also keep a few handy things in the back seat of our truck. These are bulky items that don’t fit well in the backpack, but could be needed on any given outing. They include:

Towel — Anyone who has read or watched Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy knows you never go anywhere without a towel. This is especially true if you regularly find yourself on beaches or snow-covered mountains.

Blanket — Blankets are almost as handy as towels. They’re the perfect solution for those days when your jacket doesn’t make it out the door with you, and can be great in an emergency if you find yourself without a heater for a bit.

Emergency Kit — An emergency kit is something everyone should keep in their vehicle. It should include such items as a flashlight, energy bars, bottled water, a radio, and a first aid kit.

Related Read: Putting Together your RV First Aid Kit

By keeping these items with us at all times, we can ensure we stay safe and happy on nearly any outing. Do you have an adventure bag? What’s in yours?