11% of households in America own an RV, and over 25 million people go on vacation in one every year. When you own your RV, it means that you can change the interior design to suit your needs and your lifestyle. RV kitchen interior designs don’t have to be basic, and there are plenty of ways you can bring a touch of class to your RV. It is a good idea, however, to pick a stylistic theme for your décor in order to give your RV a unique character. Whether you go for shabby chic, industrial, arts and crafts, or even Hollywood glam, with a few changes, you can make your RV kitchen a special place that you will love spending time in.
Update Your Kitchen Cabinets
Often sitting at eye level, your kitchen cabinets are one of the first things you notice when you walk in. It is worth getting cabinets updated – you don’t need to change the actual cupboards if they are in good repair: you can simply change the doors or give them a coat of varnish or paint. This will give a modern, luxury feel to your RV. Glossy paint is perfect if you are looking to give your RV a sleek, industrial look – you can go for bright, bold colors, or even a statement print. Sanding down your doors to bare wood can give your cabinets a natural feel, or you can use chalk paints if you are going for a bohemian style. If the kitchen cabinets in your RV are made from chipboard, you might want to think about replacing the doors for something more hardwearing, such as solid wood to give your RV kitchen a luxury feel.
Replacing The Kitchen Worktop
Replacing or treating the worktop in your kitchen is another good way of giving it an update without ripping the entire kitchen out. You will need to be extra careful when you’re removing the worktop, and keep a note of the types of screws that are used to attach it. There are different screws for different purposes, and the ones needed to hold a worktop up will be heavy-duty. You don’t have to replace your kitchen worktop with Formica – using different materials will give your kitchen a luxury feel. You can go for bamboo, stainless steel, a natural tree slice, or even reclaimed wood. Just make sure that your kitchen worktop is varnished and treated if necessary so that it is functional as well as beautiful.
A Tile Backsplash
A tile backsplash is an excellent way of adding color and character to your RV kitchen. You can choose something that ties in with your theme and color palette. Regular ceramic tiles are an easy way to create a backsplash, or you could create a mosaic from broken ceramic tiles for a rustic look. Pebbles and sea-glass are other good materials to make a mosaic from – just make sure that you measure your space carefully before you begin applying materials, or create your mosaic on a separate panel. Thin slices of wooden logs that have been oiled or waxed can be placed on the walls for a natural look. You could also make an effective backsplash using thin branches or bamboo affixed to the wall, either horizontally or vertically. Another good idea is to have a Perspex backsplash made up using photos that are treasured, perhaps of friends or family.
The kitchen is the heart of your RV and can be a real statement area. Choose a theme for your kitchen, and you’ll be sure to have a space that is unique and stylish.
If you have been neglecting regular care and maintenance of your RV or procrastinating on those upgrade projects, this year may be the time to get on a schedule and complete those honey-do items. The more attention you give to your home-on-wheels, the more you can enjoy time on the open road and the great outdoors.
Although RVs generally require the same maintenance routines and care plans, there are some aspects of your rig that differ. That is why it is important to read your RV manual and become familiar with the various systems of your RV and what parts of your particular RV need to be checked and maintained throughout the year.
With over 400 National Park Service sites, there are plenty of options for your next RV weekend getaway or extended vacation. Take pictures of Yosemite’s mystical waterfalls, view exhibits about the first national park at a Yellowstone visitor’s center, or hike one of the many trails in the Great Smoky Mountains. America’s national parks have much to offer in the way of scenery, activities, and history.
There are two main types of RVers: those that stop to smell the roses in between destinations and those that set their stopwatch with a goal to make a cross country trip in under 24-hours. Although the second type gets to the new location in record timing, it’s not necessarily the safer, less stressful, or all together healthy way of traveling.
Staying at the same campground or dry camping at the exact spot by the lake every year might be a tradition for the family, but it doesn’t hurt to change things up and get out of your comfort zone. If RVing with full-hookups is your thing, great! There are so many RV campgrounds and resorts that offer countless amenities like swimming pools, kayak or paddleboard rentals, activities for the kids and entire family, evening concerts, restaurants, shops, and shuttles to local attractions. The campground/resort is an all-inclusive vacation spot.
Camping season is officially upon us. This means you’ve probably pulled your rig out of storage and gotten it all spruced up and ready to hit the road. Maybe you resealed it, and you likely did a nice cleaning too. However, in some cases, this just doesn’t seem like enough. This is because sometimes an RV upgrade is in order.
The new year is here, and that means it’s time to make some positive life changes. The typical resolutions of losing weight or saving money are just fine, and you certainly should implement those if you feel you need to. That said, there are some travel-specific changes you might want to consider making as well.
It’s no secret: RVers have a well-deserved reputation for being thrifty. Many say that’s why we take our homes on vacation; we’re too cheap to pay for hotel rooms! All kidding aside, I have to admit many RVers like me really do possess a flair for frugality. On rare occasions however, we surprise everyone, including ourselves, by opening our wallets to be a bit more comfortable. After doing so the inevitable question follows: “What took us so long?!” For example, here are three of the best RV upgrades we wish we did sooner:
Some RVers set up camp with all the accoutrements. Not us. We started full-timing in a 24′ fifth wheel with zero room for unnecessary gizmos like twinkly awning lights and telescoping flag poles. We refused to carry items we thought didn’t add much value to the RVing experience, like sewer hose supports and plastic leveling blocks. Living without a sewer hose riser has never been a problem and even sloped campsites never bothered us too much in our smaller rig. But since upgrading to a longer and wider fifth wheel, uneven ground is more annoying than ever. Our rig lacks hydraulic levelers, so last Christmas our practical-minded gift to one another was a $35 set of leveling blocks. After using the blocks from California to Texas, we’re on the level and loving it! Gone are the days of cabinet doors smacking us in the face whenever we open them, or worrying about damaging our refrigerator when we’re unevenly parked. All we have to do is actually remember to use those blocks and everyone’s a happy camper.
Like many RVers, we’ve had our share of costly brake issues. From burning out brakes in the Rockies to getting ripped off by bad mechanics, trailer brakes have been the bane of our full-timing existence – and our bank account. Finally after eight years and 140,000 miles, we opted for an electric over hydraulic disc brake conversion on our new-to-us rig.
Adequate solar electric power systems start with a careful energy audit of your power consumption. Better solar electric power systems end with your willingness to commit a little more money to the project. Our first system was woefully inadequate mainly because our small rig lacked battery storage space – but mostly because of our reluctance to spend more cash. For seven years the system barely met our needs as we limped along during cloudy days. When we finally upgraded to our 27′ fifth wheel, I eagerly surrendered a storage compartment for a bigger, better battery bank and inverter. Cutting the check wasn’t quite as easy but now we can enjoy camping luxuries like running the microwave and our vacuum – a must when you live with a German 