7 Things to Do in a RV for Readers and Crafters

Road trips are thrilling, and a great way to explore the country, visit landmarks, go trekking, cycling, and perhaps enjoy some downtime in the evenings sitting by a campfire\ Rarely do plans go accordingly. Mother Nature is good at throwing a spanner in the works, leaving couples (or families) cooped up in the RV.

Still, round the corner, there may wait, a new road or a secret gate

~ J. R. R. Tolkien.

To prevent the boredom disaster, plan ahead for downtime and add some supplies to your RV camping list of things to bring to make the most of the time inside. That could be in the evenings when the sun goes down, or it could be indoor family activities for rainy days.

7 Things To Do in a RV for Readers and Crafters

1. Read Books on your TBR list

If you don’t have a TBR list, it’s likely in your head. It’s that “To Be Read” list. We touched on it in our guide to developing a reading habit and there’s no better place to get a head start than on vacation in your downtime. There is a better way though. Take advantage of the change of scenery, sounds, and scents and delve into reading a different genre. There’s something magical about being under shelter and hearing the pitter patter of raindrops hit the roof and windows. For some people, it helps them concentrate. Try it!

2. Build a Book Nook Kit

Oh, the irony of building a tiny diorama in a tiny space. Building a book nook kit doesn’t take up much space, and provided you buy a quality book nook kit, it ships (or should) with all the parts and tools required. It’s all there in the box, ready to unpack when you’re ready to start. Sub par kits can leave you with a shell and no paints, decal stickers, furniture, or lights included. That’s going to really put a damper on your vacation spirits. Once assembled, these take up little space - the size of a few books on a bookshelf. Once the paint and glue are dry, they can be securely stowed away in a cubbyhole in your RV ready to take pride of place on your bookshelf on your return home. If you’ve never built a book nook kit before, have a read through what, in our opinion, make the best book nook kits for beginners.

3. Assemble a 3D puzzle

In close quarters, large 1,000+ piece jigsaw puzzles are tricky to put together without a puzzle board and storage folder. 3D puzzles take up less space because they’re three-dimensional. Instead of laying all the pieces out flat, you’re taking advantage of vertical space. The dining table in an RV or a folding table should have sufficient space. 3D puzzles are basically model kits, much like what DIY book nook kits are. Something to be aware of is the difficulty levels. You can get 3D puzzles for adults that are bit more complex, while others are suited to kids and teens. There’s various themes for these such as VW T1 Camper Van 3D puzzles (perfect for VW camper van fans), as well as ships, and famous landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, and the Statue of Liberty. If your road trip is taking you past a famous landmark, a 3D puzzle could be the perfect memorabilia.

4. Play tabletop games on the dining table

Tabletop gaming covers board games and card games, and the best part for family road trips, it is a no tech activity that holds everyone’s attention span. For those who would prefer to minimize screen time when the RV’s parked up, have a look at our list of 10 of the best no tech activities because some of those activities (including tabletop gaming) can be done in an RV, providing a terrific opportunity for quality family time together.

If you want more variety of board games that you can comfortably store (without sacrificing as much space) lose the boxes. Have ziploc bags to carry game pieces, and one box for all the folded boards. You don’t need to remember everything. You can totally play Monopoly with D&D figurines as the game pieces instead of the traditional shoe, car, or boat.

5. Crafting

Crafting covers many a hobbycraft, but for simplicity, consider the culture of Japan. Their culture, for centuries, have focused on simplicity without sacrificing quality. The handicraft covers multiple types of work, some suited to small spaces, others not so much. Japanese crafts tend to work with wood, bamboo, metal, cast-iron, ceramics, and paper like origami or making washi paper lanterns, among several others.

The simplicity of everything cultural to Japan is what make Japanese crafts attractive. Some of the Japanese crafts for adults include making DIY mini Zen gardens and needlepoint crafts. For the younger generations, there are specific Japanese art activities for kids like making tiny beanbags to play otedama games, and learning more from their reading time by making story plates. If you consider yourself a creative type of person, have a look at the 9 types of Japanese art forms and styles and you’ll discover a few that would be practical in a RV. No studio or woodworking shed required.

6. Journaling or Writing

Journaling and writing has long been the tradition of travel writing. It goes as far back as the days of Marco Polo in the 11th Century. That tradition remains the same today with travel bloggers journaling their journeys and sharing their experiences with the world. You don’t need to have a blog to write journals or write your thoughts about experiences in different areas of the country, or the world, if you travel internationally. Writing about your experiences on your travels is writing history, which will become part of your legacy. Even if only to your immediate family. Your journal entries can be for passing on your experience to the next generation.

7. Cook or Bake

This won’t apply to those living full-time in vans that may have pull out kitchens to save on space. For those with an RV that has a kitchen, you have the equipment to whip up dishes using local ingredients. Take for example, Cincinnati. If you’re passing through there, you might want to swap the traditional red chilli ingredients of cumin, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder, to use the local recipe of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice instead. In New Orleans, popular dishes are stews that have a mix of meat and seafood such as Jambalaya. You’ll find that wherever your travels take you, there’ll be a local dish.

Never again feel the need to head to bed early because the weather puts a damper on things. Plan ahead, pack the gear you need for activities that can be done indoors, without the reliance of a Wi-Fi signal. You'll find the more prepped you are, the more quality time together you'll spend together - creating memories on your travels.

All images are generated by A.I for illustrative purposes.