Description:

Abigail Trabue and her family run the RV Miles Network and host the RV Miles and America's National Parks podcasts. As RV enthusiasts who travel full-time with three young boys, Abby and her husband have a lot of great experience and advice for traveling with a family in RVs and balancing reality and expectation while exploring the world.

Abby’s wealth of knowledge on RV travels with families and how to make the most out of national parks in almost every area of the country will help any aspiring traveler have a truly memorable experience in our parks.

Along with general travel tips for exploring various beautiful national parks in different areas of the country and sage guidance to help families determine if the RV life is a good fit, Abby shares some of her family’s favorite park experiences. From her eldest son’s obsession with a video at the Harry S. Truman Historical Site in Missouri, their recent stay at Zion National Park, to lesser known gems like the Gulf Island National Park Reserve and Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota, Abby has ideas that are sure to appeal to the entire family! She even has suggestions for those family members who like a little urban access during their adventures into the natural world.

Her practical RV travel tips coupled with her vast travel experience will help your family plan a National Parks adventure that is both well-suited for the family and memorable.

Our Discussion Journey:

• What sparked Abby’s family to leave their Chicago belongings behind and live in a converted bus? (4:31)

• From theatre to bus living to the RV Miles Network (5:45)

• Why Abby and her family needed to say goodbye to the converted bus and what comes next  (9:13)

• What surprised and challenged Abby the most about transitioning to an RV lifestyle? (11:27)

• Important travel lessons that Abby has to share about living an RV travel lifestyle. (15:18)

• Managing your expectations as traveling parents (18:07)

• Dispelling the “RV size” myth and camping in the national parks. (21:57)

• Rules of traveling with an RV in the National Parks (23:22 )

• Park suggestions  for the last-minute RV trip (25:16)

• Abby discusses “dispersed camping” versus Bureau of Land Management (BLM) camping  and what travelers should expect. (26:48)

• Are there enough RV camp sites across national park lands? (28:31)

• How is the RV Miles podcast different from a typical travel or National Park podcast? (30:10)

• Ways to try the “RV lifestyle” before committing to it. (31:55)

• Different ways to rent an RV. (32:55)

• Abby shares some of her family’s favorite park trips (35:46)

• Why New Mexico should be on everybody’s travel and adventure list. (37:54)

• National Parks that offer both urban and natural experiences. (39:15)

• Abby shares a memory from the Gulf Shores of Pensacola. (41:21)

Resources from the Show:

• Check out RV Miles website, the RV Miles podcast and RV Miles on Facebook, RV Miles on Instagram and RV Miles on YouTube!

• Stay updated with Abby’s family’s adventures on her blog: Our Wandering Family blog, Our Wandering Family on Facebook, Our Wandering Family on Instagram and Our Wandering Family on YouTube.

• Tour Wander Bus on YouTube, “Inside Our Home on Wheels - School Bus Converted into an RV.”

• Tour Abby’s new RV on YouTube, “Introducing Our New RV - Our Wandering Family”

• Hear stories from the national parks and subscribe for free to America’s National Parks Podcast, follow The National Parks Podcast on Facebook and The National Parks Podcast on Instagram.

• Join a community of national park enthusiasts on the America’s National Parks Facebook group.

• Reserve your national park RV campsite on recreation.gov

• Become a Patron to continue our great journey through these beautiful parks.

• Explore more adventures through beautiful parks.

• Contact us to tell us about your family adventures or ask a question.