Many ways exist for RV owners to save space, time, and hassle while still having a fun and memorable holiday on the road.
By Scott & Van Russell, F505257
November 2023
Thanksgiving is the perfect time for family and friends to come together, express gratitude, and savor delicious food. If you are fortunate enough to head out on an RV trip over the holiday, why not create a unique road-trip Thanksgiving? There’s no need to compromise on good food and making new family memories simply because you are away from home.
You may be wondering how on earth to pull off a tasty Thanksgiving meal in a small RV kitchen. No worries! We have a few tricks up our sleeves to share with you for an easy but memorable RV Thanksgiving dinner, as well as a thoroughly enjoyable day!
KIDS ENJOY TRADITION
Holiday traditions can be huge for kids. Adults may be tempted to skip those tied to Thanksgiving and opt for travel activities for the holiday instead. However, if you have kids in tow, chances are they’ll want to enjoy some of the same food or fun holiday activities they would at home. Taking an RV trip during Thanksgiving could be the perfect opportunity to create new family memories while also keeping things simple in your small space.
Scott prepares a tasty meal outdoors.
THANKSGIVING DINNER
Being out on the road is a great excuse to mix things up and form new family memories. If you would like to stick to a traditional Thanksgiving meal, consider scaling it down or purchasing some premade items to simplify the dinner. Or you can wow your family by trying something completely unexpected. Traveling over the holiday already makes Thanksgiving memorable, so why not get extra creative with your family dinner?
For example, has your family ever created a food bar for a little variety during mealtime? Creating a spread of interesting options allows kids and adults to customize their meals with fun combinations that aren’t normally on the menu for your household. Some creative ideas include a taco bar, a baked potato bar, a pizza creation bar, or a chili/soup bar. Whichever idea you choose, be sure to pack it full of toppings you don’t normally purchase so the meal feels special. You can even set up the food bar on the picnic table outside if you’re short on space.
One of our family’s favorites is a fondue bar. This nontraditional meal and dessert idea is always a hit with kids, because they get to dip away throughout the meal. And what kid doesn’t like dipping? Some families put oil in the fondue pot and cook chunks of meat on handheld skewers. We prefer to use our fondue pot for cheese and then dip precooked meats and veggies. Don’t forget the chocolate with fruit to dip for dessert!
Holidays on the road may include nontraditional campsite cuisine.
Since you are on a camping trip over the holiday, why not utilize your grill and enjoy your campsite while cooking your Thanksgiving meal? Using the grill allows you to have more room inside the RV for side dishes or other items. Consider grilling kabobs, smoked meats, fish, pork chops, ribs, or chicken. Having dinner outside at the picnic table can also be a great way to celebrate the holiday while camping.
Looking for a fun nontraditional option that is super easy and usually a blast? See if your campground is offering a Thanksgiving dinner. Often, the campground provides the meat and campers bring a side dish or a dessert to share. This can be a great way to meet new friends and celebrate the holiday with less work and mess in your RV. Our first RV Thanksgiving was spent enjoying a campground dinner down in the Florida Keys. It was absolutely perfect since we were away from friends and family back home.
PREMADE FOODS
Would you still like to enjoy the traditional Thanksgiving foods but also limit the work involved? Even if you want to cook part of the holiday meal yourself, you can always save time and space by adding some tasty premade items. Or you can make the entire meal “heat and eat” to keep things simple while still having a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.
The largest RV Thanksgiving timesaver is to pick up a precooked meat dish. Grocery stores and discount stores like Costco offer different sizes of precooked hams and turkey breasts to fit your family’s needs. To save room in your RV, purchase foil pans and heat up the meat out on the grill. If you have a larger family or desire a whole precooked turkey, check out Popeyes Cajun turkeys or Trader Joe’s turkeys.
Once you have the meat checked off your list, it’s time to cover your bases with most families’ favorites: the side dishes. Tasty, precooked sides for your Thanksgiving dinner can be found at Costco and Aldi, among other stores. Aldi carries a crave-worthy sweet potato casserole adorned with candied pecans. They also sell a premade green bean casserole, a cranberry goat cheese log, cranberry white cheddar cheese, and garlic steakhouse green beans. Costco sells both scalloped potatoes and mashed potatoes, bacon Brussels sprouts, croissants, and huge pumpkin pies.
One convenient option for RV travelers who don’t have much time to worry about food is to order the entire Thanksgiving meal ready to go. While you do need to order ahead of time, having the whole dinner precooked gives you more time to focus on your trip instead of hanging out in the kitchen.
Options for complete precooked holiday meals include grocery stores such as Publix, Whole Foods, Albertsons, The Honey Baked Ham Company, and Kroger. Restaurants to find Thanksgiving meals include Bravo! Italian Kitchen, Boston Market, Denny’s, Cracker Barrel, Bob Evans, Brio Italian Grille, and Buca di Beppo.
Need to keep the kids busy before dinner? Consider getting a coloring tablecloth.
ACTIVITIES
Creating new family holiday traditions while traveling doesn’t need to be hard; many easy ideas can make your RV Thanksgiving a memorable one. Our family has a tradition of having a sweet-treat breakfast such as baked cinnamon rolls or muffins while watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thanksgiving morning. One fun idea is to have your family vote on their favorite floats. This can be the perfect time to start meal prep while the kids are occupied.
Once the parade wraps up, we often switch into party mode. It’s fun to watch the Peanuts show “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” while having your own little version of Friendsgiving. Consider putting up some simple decorations like balloons and paper streamers and having dolls or stuffed animals attend as friends. Then enjoy toast, jellybeans, and popcorn just as Snoopy and Woodstock prepare for the children on the show. Your kids will love it!
A must-do activity for our family each year is a paper craft reflecting on the things we are thankful for. It’s easy to make. First, cut a large tree trunk shape out of paper, along with many small leaves in different colors. Give each member of your family a pile of colored leaves and have them write something they are thankful for on each leaf. Then glue down the trunk and fill the tree top full of glued-on “thankful” leaves. If you want to remember who wrote each leaf in the years down the road, assign each family member a leaf color, and write on the back of the trunk the year the tree was made and what leaf color each person used. It’s really nice to look back on different years of this craft and see how it changes as each child grows.
Need to keep little ones out from underfoot during the food prep? One of the most simple and fun ways is to purchase a coloring tablecloth. This covering is like a giant Thanksgiving coloring book for your table. Kids also get a kick out of helping to create a holiday decoration for the meal. We have found these tablecloths in Target stores, but you also can order online. For example, Oriental Trading Company offers assorted Peanuts Thanksgiving décor, along with coloring tablecloths and placemats.
After everyone is stuffed with goodness and worn out from the day, it’s always a blast to kick off the Christmas season with a final activity on Thanksgiving evening. This could be as simple as watching a Christmas movie or researching where to find a Christmas lighting display to drive by in the area where you are located. It’s fun to make some hot cocoa, fire up the Christmas tunes in the car, and drive around looking at lights.
RV travel during the Thanksgiving holiday can be a great way to try something different and make new family memories. Whether you choose to have a traditional RV-cooked Thanksgiving dinner or attend a campground potluck with new friends, there are many easy and delightful ways to enjoy a road holiday. Add in a few simple activities with the kids, and this will be a Thanksgiving to remember!