I know I mentioned last summer that we camp on vacation and that it might not be for everyone. Having said that, I honestly cannot imagine spending my vacation any other way. I might also have told you we had a travel trailer when we first got married and that it was the perfect size until we expanded our family. We sold it a few years ago in hopes of upgrading, but haven’t felt good about making another investment of that size. For this year, we decided to try our hand at renting a trailer close to the beach and it was a dream come true. We found a great deal on a brand new camper and decided not only did it save us money this year, but it allows us to try out a few different floor plans before becoming an RV owner again. We could not have been happier with our decision.
If you are used to staying in a cushy condo with the white sand beaches at your doorstep, then you might be in for a bit of a surprise. Let me give you the grand tour!
In the picture above you can see the door to the trailer. When you first walked in there was a queen bed on the right where the big kids slept (that would be me & SD). We had tiny bedside tables and plenty of overhead storage that we filled with our books. You can also see the things we can’t live without: laptop, Netflix, iPhone and a good book!
When you turned left there was a small galley kitchen. We typically only use the fridge, microwave and sink and that proved to be true this trip as well. There was plenty of sippy cup storage and places to put our food. The blue bucket on the counter is where we drop change, keys, phones, wallets and other small junk. The first year Josh & I camped together his trail of pocket items bugged me to no end. This blue bucket is my sanity when it comes to keeping the camper clean.
Across from the kitchen was a couch that folded out into a full size bed, although we didn’t need that. I absolutely loved having a couch instead of dinette and think it is a great way to go. Above the couch were our “kitchen cabinets” and a TV/DVD player for the girls. You can also see the fridge in this shot and see that we have plenty of room to buy and store groceries.
At the end of the hall were two twin bunks and a tiny little bathroom. The bunks were perfect for the girls and we only had one casualty. Sophie fell off of the bottom bunk playing one night, but everyone slept very well. The only downside was that Ella didn’t have a ladder and couldn’t get down on her own. I take that back… the other downside was that Sophie didn’t need a ladder and could get down on her own! Believe it or not, she slept so well there the entire week… in fact, she’s asleep in there in this picture, but she’s just a little farther back that the photo shows. We don’t usually use our bathroom for much else that midnight emergencies for a certain 4 year old and teeth brushing in the mornings. What you can’t see in this photo is that there is a shower on the right-hand side which we use like a closet. We hang clothes, put our dirty laundry in its basket and house our trash can out of the way here.
Outside, we had a huge picnic table and ate many a picnic lunch. Sophie quickly discovered the merits of good ole’ bologna and mayonnaise. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen someone agree with camping and the beach, in general, as much as this one did!
There was also a small charcoal grill outside and we use an electric skillet to cook some of our other meals out on the “porch”. This is the only photo I snagged of the outside of the trailer, but you can see we have a nice big awning that makes a pretty deep area to relax in the shade. We were lucky enough to have a pretty shady spot, despite the effects of Hurricane Ivan to our beloved Gulf State Park years ago.
And in case you are wondering how you corral a fourteen month old when she’s not at the table, the pack n’ play works wonders. I should also mention that this might be my favorite picture of Sophie from the week. This is quintessential Sophie – big blue eyes, pretty pink lips and hair everywhere!
One thing I forgot to take a picture of was the trunk of my car. I think Josh used to think I was crazy when packing for the beach, but this year I even made a convert out of him. Packing in suitcases and duffel bags does not work well when you have limited space to store your things. My mom taught me at a young age that packing in a laundry basket was the way to go. Imagine my surprise when I discovered not everyone packs for vacation that way! I think my first college roommate probably thought I was insane after our first beach trip together. Laundry baskets mean that you can SEE everything you brought. I pack one per family member and stack them in the back of the Jeep. If you need to move one, you can easily sit it on the ground without getting your bag dirty or disorganizing the entire car. It holds all of your clothes, bathing suits, towels and accessories. We pack a separate market basket for our toiletries which makes walking to the bathhouse a breeze at bath time. Did I fail to mention that part? There are public bath houses for all your bath time and potty needs!
