Travel Day Casualties - Whoops! RV LIFE

We had our first casualty on one of our first travel days with Betty Jo, our 2018 Airstream Flying Cloud.

Actually it wasn't the moving that did it, it was me, travel trailers should come with Flight Attendants who remind us to be careful when opening overhead compartments because items may have shifted in transit.  :-)

I opened the door and out it fell, hitting the table and cracking off a piece. At first I was dismayed and thought it was bad luck to break one of the only few treasures I rescued from the sale of everything we owned to go full-time RV living, only to realize that it was actually a blessing, which added character and distinction to this treasured piece.

I have watched countless YouTube videos about storage and about how to arrange and pack your various cupboards in an RV. A few talked about how they prepare for travel day, how they pack and secure items. There are vast opinions and just as many vast options on what to use and how to use them.

As we started to move into Betty Jo, I planned what went where and foremost in my mind was – how will this be secured on travel days? It’s still a work-in-progress and will continue to be for quite some time I am sure. In the rush to get out of the house, some items were stuffed into whatever nook or cranny was available (just don’t peek in our closet.) The real secret was remembering where things ended up.

On travel days, we have a list of what needs to be done during departure, this includes securing everything in the interior. One video showed how they use towels for protection and cushioning, especially in the overhead bins where they keep their dishes, so I held onto older towels just for that purpose. Soft items, like towels and napkins are now valuable commodities whose added purpose in life is to serve as cushioning. It may not always be pretty, but is is useful.

On another trip I must not have added “enough” cushioning to the cupboard where our dishes were and after a bumpy ride I opened the door to find them scattered and shattered on the floor. It was a unique way to prove to the hubby why we should not have kept our breakable dishes and now needed to shop for the non-breakable kind. :-)

You can spend a small fortune on baskets and plastic storage bins. And there is the RV favorite and must-have – Command Strips. I had no idea there was such a large variety of Command Strip products... and uses.

Nesting items, collapsible items, and collapsible dishes are now my new favorite things. I have always had a fondest for baskets, now I have a legitimate excuse and need for them, especially the soft and flexible kinds.

Travel days, require a lot of forethought and time. We are on our first “maiden” voyage and I am happy to say that all of that forethought and planning (and extra, extra, cushioning) kept everything safe inside during the long haul from Anacortes, WA to Astoria, OR.

And, I learned my lesson, be very wary and careful when opening the overhead bins, you never know what will come tumbling (or exploding) out of them.

We used the larger Command Strip hooks for clothing and towels. The smaller ones were useful for some of our small art pieces that we hang on the walls.

This article contains affiliate links. They do not cost you anything should you click on them, but if you do make a purchase of the item or any other item while shopping on Amazon, it might provide us with a few pennies for gas or a meal. Thank you.

Command Large Double Bath Hook, Satin Nickel,
https://amzn.to/3stSfDy

Command Small Clear Wire Hooks, 10 Hooks, 12 Strips
https://amzn.to/2QwZflZ

Large Command Bathroom Hook with Water-Resistant Strips
https://amzn.to/3e78FNc