Thanksgiving to New Year’s is a special time. This holiday season presents special challenges for those who travel in a recreational vehicle, but the benefits and rewards of traveling during the holidays are numerous.
During Nights of Lights, St. Augustine glows with holiday magic
Make the most of your holiday by celebrating with family and friends—new and old. And remember how blessed you are to be able to live the RV lifestyle.
To ensure your RV camping holiday is as fabulous as possible, take some time to brainstorm ways you can adapt your at-home rituals to the camping environment. Can you re-create your Thanksgiving dinner with dishes made over the campfire or in a Dutch oven? Maybe this will be the year when you hearken back to old-fashioned Christmas traditions including baking apples, roasting chestnuts, and decorating with paper chains rather than lights. You can sing carols over the glow of your lantern, take a hay ride at Thanksgiving, or sleigh ride during Christmas or New Years.
Be prepared for the unexpected. RVers should always carry an emergency survival kit on board including items such as blankets, fully stocked first-aid kit and manual, LED flashlights, emergency flares, spare batteries, matches, and an ample supply of drinking water. It’s even more critical during the holiday season, when poor weather is common throughout much of the country.
To make your RV feel more like the holidays, you can decorate the exterior and interior of your RV. You can also make your RV more festive with garlands, wreaths, holiday lights, and smaller decorative touches. Opting for a 12-foot tree just isn’t going to work in an RV. However, you can put up a small, tabletop Christmas tree inside your RV and decorate simply—hang some of your favorite ornaments from home or collect RV Christmas ornaments on your travels.
If you’re heading to a southern campground for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s, you can enjoy the sunny weather while you check out the local display of lights or join in the campground’s potluck Thanksgiving dinner. Nearly all campgrounds that are open for the holidays host special holiday events and put on a special meal.
Fantasy in Lights set amidst the wooded landscape of Callaway Gardens, sets Pine Mountain, Georgia, ablaze from November 21-December 30, 2014
Many use their RV during the holiday season to escape the cold weather and snow. They follow the sun to snowbird hotspots in Florida, Texas, Arizona, and California. Less-familiar snowbird roosts attract others to Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Nevada.
There are numerous unique ways to celebrate the holiday season and create lasting memories.
More than 100 years in the making, the Newport Beach (California) Christmas Boat Parade is an event not to be missed. Held annually from the third Wednesday to the third Sunday in December (December 17-21, 2014), you will see hundreds of boats including multimillion dollar yachts, fishing boats, kayaks, canoes, and other boats of varying sizes.
This holiday season marks the 23rd anniversary of the Fantasy in Lights at Calloway Gardens. Fantasy of Lights set amidst the wooded landscape of Callaway Gardens, sets Pine Mountain, Georgia, ablaze from November 21-December 30, 2014.
You’ll never forget Nights of Lights in St. Augustine on Florida’s Historic Coast! Nights of Lights traditionally begins the Saturday before the Thanksgiving holiday. This year, Nights of Lights “turns on” November 22, 2014, and continues through February 1, 2015.