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Family Fun RV – An RV Thanksgiving


Thanksgiving in an RV? Travel trailer turkey recipes? Motorhome holiday hacks? Thanksgiving is around the corner and 2020 has forced us all to think outside the box with regard to school, work, vacations -- and holidays. Whether you're spending Thanksgiving in your RV because you're on vacation, using your RV as quarantine-friendly housing at a relatives, or putting your RV to use for guests -- we've found some fun ways to make an RV Thanksgiving during a pandemic, just a little better. (Did we really just say that?)

For hosting the holidays in an RV, take into consideration limited packing space, multi-function foods and supplies, and utilizing your surroundings. We'll be adding to this blog as we come across new ideas. Please feel free to join our Facebook Group to share any ideas with other RVers.

Before the Party

  • Ask guests to bring their own chairs (if you'll be expanding your dining to the outdoors) - not only for packing space consideration but also so everyone has their own COVID-friendly spot to sit.
  • Also, don't be afraid to ask each guest to bring two food containers for leftovers to take home; this will cut down on your post-meal refrigerator storage. Pro-Tip: have an extra box of freezer bags handy, these work just as well as containers but take up less space.
  • If your RV has an outdoor shower - convert it into a handwashing station by adding a roll of paper towels and nature-friendly soap. If you don't have an outdoor shower, create a simple outdoor handwashing station or at the very least, have some hand sanitizer clearly marked and available outside the RV door - make sure it's stored at a height that little hands can easily reach.
  • Paper plates and compostable flatware are where it's at if you're hosting in an RV kitchen for the holidays. Paper plates will just make the warming campfire a little better!
  • Bring two extra folding tables for meal prep alone. Use one table as an additional food prep station which will be used as a buffet/serving table when it's time for dishing up. Set the other table near an outlet for the crock pot, InstaPot, electric skillet, or other appliances brought out to lighten the load inside the RV kitchen.
  • Set up an activity table for the kids (see PreFunk below) - now you'll have a kid's table already set up for meal time. Pro-Tip: use a white paper tablecloth that kids can decorate before and during the meal.
  • Pack an extra extension cord for any guests who bring their own dish that needs to remain plugged in to stay warm.
  • Set up an outdoor garbage station. Collapsible laundry hampers make great camping garbage cans, just throw a garbage bag inside, or simply tie a garbage bag to a tree. Don't forget to have a recycling bin or bag clearly marked if you're going to have can & bottle beverages to cut down on cups. Pro-Tip: have an extra box of garbage bags on hand, they're life-savers for dropping guest crock pots into if you don't want to do major dishes at the campsite.
  • Lay out a roll of painters tape and pen, so people can write their names on their beverages. -Or, lay out some fun Thanksgiving stickers to use instead.
  • Use a pop-up canopy for additional outdoor seating. Even if it isn't raining, this canopy gives the dining (or crafting) area a sense of place, and helps hold in a little body heat.
  • If you don't have side panels for your canopy, attach a couple of flat sheets to the sides just to contain a little heat while still leaving plenty of open space for ventilation.

The PreFunk

Bring along some felt, hot glue gun, googly eyes, and scissors - and let the kids make Sasquatch finger puppets to assist them on a nature scavenger hunt. Kids can also make nature centerpieces for the dinner table (while those glue guns are out), or make twig photo frames for the family, or any of these other nature crafts. These are all activities that require minimal supplies for packing, and encourage the kids to explore their surroundings (rather than crowding up the inside of the RV). You can also pre-print some Thanksgiving coloring pages.

The Meal

One main tip for preparing holiday meals in an RV is to utilize outdoor cooking options (grilling, Dutch oven, campfire) as well as electric appliances (air fryer, crock pot, InstaPot) as much as possible. We already talked about having an extra table set up near an outlet for electric appliances - the more you can expand your cooking area outside the RV, the less stressful the meal prep will be (and besides, you're in nature to enjoy it). From cooking a turkey in a crock pot, to using a fryer and more - this article is packed with excellent RV Thanksgiving recipes.

If you really want to make it a memorable Thanksgiving experience, here's how to cook the entire meal over a campfire (crescent rolls on sticks over a campfire are fun for the kids) - and here's another great list of turkey-day campfire recipes.

Mealtime Conversation

Try some funny Thanksgiving conversation starters - or share some Thanksgiving fun facts. You can also print Thanksgiving trivia cards for everyone at the table, and send them out ahead of time to anyone participating online.