Even with 4+ years of full-time RVing under my belt, travel days can still stress me out. I think this is partly because I travel solo in a 33-foot fifth wheel with two high-energy dogs—but it’s also because, no matter what your family size or rig looks like, there’s a lot to think about.
Travel days can be one of the most stressful parts of RV travel, but they’re also some of the most exciting. After all, the whole purpose of RVing is to visit new places and see new things, and travel days get us from where we’ve been to the next stop on our journey.
One of the biggest game-changers I’ve found to de-stress departure days? A simple yet comprehensive checklist.
Print Out Checklist, Laminate and Reuse
If you’re a physical checklist person, you can print it out, laminate it, and check things off with dry-erase markers as you complete them. Or, you can keep a list on your phone and tick electronic boxes as items are complete.
Full disclosure: I don’t always use my checklist anymore, but I strongly urge even experienced RVers to refer to a checklist if they’re at all distracted—talking to other campers, listening to a podcast, etc. It’s worth the extra few moments of caution to ensure that everything gets done, and in the right order.
You’ll make sure you have everything you need, protect your rig (and everything inside it), and enjoy smoother travel days if you follow your checklist before you hit the road.
Did I mention that departure day can be stressful? Do Future You a favor and get a few tasks done the day before so you aren’t rushing on departure day morning. This is especially important when you’re new to RVing and still getting the hang of travel days. (It probably took me six months to really get a feel for it!)
Credit: Sarah Kuiken
RV Checklist for the Day Before Departure
Completing as many tasks as possible before your RV travel day can reduce your departure day stress. The following is a great checklist of key items to complete on the day before you leave the campsite.
DUMP AND FLUSH TANKS. This depends on tank usage and the number of people in your household. But if you can swing it without filling up your tanks too much in between, dump and flush out your black and gray tanks so you can disconnect your sewer hose before departure day. This will save a lot of time—and believe me when I say that you do NOT want to dump your tanks in a rush. That’s when mistakes happen.
TREAT TANKS. Treat your black and gray tanks so they’re ready to use. (The only exception would be if you’re about to put your RV in storage, in which case you want your tanks to be empty.)
FUEL TRUCK or TOAD. It’s much easier to get fuel when you aren’t towing (or being towed), so fuel up the day before you hit the road.
CHECK YOUR TIRES. Do a general inspection and check the pressure on all of your RV and vehicle tires. There’s nothing worse than discovering at check-out time, when campground staff are already hovering near your site, that you need to fill a low tire. You can check your tires with a manual pressure gauge or just turn on your TPMS. Try to do this in the morning to simulate your travel day conditions as closely as possible. Your tires should be within 3 PSI of your target inflation pressure.
CHECK CONNECTION POINTS. If you’re towing, you’ll likely have hitch bolts, connectors, and pins. The day before departure is the perfect time to do a visual inspection and also check the torque at every connection point to ensure that your hitch is tight before towing.
INSPECT RV WHEELS and SUSPENSION. Do a quick visual inspection of the leaf springs and attachment points, looking for anything that’s obviously amiss. Now is a good time to torque your lug nuts, too (once a month or so).
SWEEP SLIDES. If you’re in an area with a lot of flying leaves or pine needles, you may want to do this on the morning of departure. But if there isn’t too much to sweep off your slides, it’s best to get this chore done the day before. While you’re at it, take a peek on top of your roof and look for any cracks, tears, or peeling.
FILL FRESH WATER TANK. I usually like to keep about 10 gallons of water in my fresh tank on travel days, just in case. I’ve been forced to pull over and spend an unplanned overnight on the side of the road more than once, and it’s much more fun to do that with water than without. If you’re traveling to a boondocking spot, use your discretion. Traveling with a full fresh water tank isn’t great for your RV, but if water is in short supply where you’re headed, you may want to fill up before you leave.
READY THE TRUCK or CAB. If you have pets who travel in crates, carriers, or anything else that requires assembly, consider getting their travel space set up a day ahead. The day before departure is also a good day to top off your DEF and washer fluid as needed.
BUY GROCERIES. One of the things that surprised me most about full-time travel is how much energy it takes to go grocery shopping. When you arrive in a new place, you don’t know where the store—or anything else—is located.
And when you do find a store, you often have to search for the items you want to buy, because things aren’t where you’re used to seeing them. Give yourself a bit of a cushion on this experience by buying the essentials before you go. This is another helpful measure in case you get stuck spending the night somewhere you hadn’t planned.
READY THE INTERIOR. If you’re in a van, you may need to do much of this. But in my fifth wheel, there’s plenty of stuff that has to move before I can pull the slides in and hitch up. Whatever makes sense to move before travel day, I do it. For example, I take everything off the walls and tabletops that might fall during transit. I also put protective matting between my dishes, unplug and stow the air purifier, etc.
STOW OUTDOOR ITEMS.If you won’t be using them in the morning, stow any loose outdoor items like camp chairs, outdoor mats, tablecloths, bug lanterns, etc.
PLAN YOUR ROUTE. Look ahead at the route you’ll be taking the next day, especially if you rely on Google Maps. Check out the satellite view and double-check any suspicious-looking areas.
PACK A LUNCH. Fast food gets unhealthy and expensive, fast! Plan ahead and make a travel-ready lunch the night before.
TOSS THE TRASH. Unless it’s a long drive to dumpsters that are on your way out, dispose of your trash the day before departure. You’ll have one less thing to do on travel day.
RV Travel Departure Day Checklist
The first rule of RV set-up or tear-down is this: take your time. You might have other vehicles waiting on you to back out of a spot. You might have an audience looking on, or you might just be in a hurry to get out before check-out time.
No matter what is going on around you, remember that old saying, “When in a hurry, slow down.” In other words, whatever you do, don’t rush! Rushing leads to mistakes, and mistakes can be expensive.
Credit: Sarah Kuiken
Departure Checklist for Fifth Wheels and Travel Trailers
Here is a comprehensive checklist specifically for Fifth Wheels and Travel Trailers to help you ensure you don’t leave anything undone or behind on travel day. It’s broken out by things to do for the trailer interior and the exterior.
INSIDE THE TRAILER
Retract awning
Sweep floors (especially in front of the slideouts)
Turn off control panel items: water pump, water heater, generator, interior thermostat, etc.
Close and latch all doors, fans and vents
Secure all interior items
Insert tension rods and check that fridge and cabinet doors are securely latched (I bungee cord my cabinets closed)
Switch refrigerator to auto or gas mode
Double check that nothing is left on countertops that could fall and break during travel
Raise window coverings and close and latch windows
Turn off interior lights
Check inside and outside slideouts for potential obstacles
Retract slides
Close and lock doors, stow stairs, and secure handrail
OUTSIDE THE TRAILER
Stow remaining loose outdoor items (camp chairs, dog bowls, etc.)
Empty and flush tanks, if you didn’t do it yesterday
Disconnect and stow sewer hose and elbow
Take down antenna (if needed) and unhook from cable
Fill fresh water tank (if needed)
Disconnect from fresh water
Shut off power at the pedestal, then disconnect from electrical
Retract stabilizer jacks (this should usually be done after slides are retracted and everyone is out of the rig, but check your user manual)
Connect tow vehicle (this process will depend on your hitch and towable type)
Remove wheel chocks: first on, last off
Do a 360-degree walk-around, checking the tires, axles, lug nuts, awnings, hitch connections, etc. to ensure everything is stowed or attached correctly
TRAILER TOW VEHICLE CHECKLIST
Check brake lights and turn signal lights on the tow vehicle and trailer
Check trailer brakes: on level ground, take your foot off the tow vehicle brake and squeeze the trailer brake; everything should come to a stop
Motorhome RV Checklist (Class A, Class C or Van)
INSIDE THE RV
Retract awning
Sweep floors (especially in front of slideouts)
Turn off control panel items: water pump, water heater, generator, interior thermostat, etc.
Close and latch all doors, fans and vents
Secure all interior items
Insert tension rods and check that fridge and cabinet doors are securely latched (I bungee cord my cabinets closed)
Switch refrigerator to auto or gas mode
Double check that nothing is left on countertops that could fall and break during travel
Raise window coverings and close and latch windows
Turn off interior lights
Check inside and outside slideouts for potential obstacles
Retract slides
Stow stairs, lock door, and secure handrail (if needed)
OUTSIDE THE RV
Stow remaining loose outdoor items (camp chairs, dog bowls, etc.)
Empty and flush tanks, if you didn’t do it yesterday
Disconnect and stow sewer hose and elbow
Take down antenna (if needed) and unhook from cable
Fill fresh water tank (if needed)
Disconnect from fresh water
Shut off power at the pedestal, then disconnect from electrical
Sarah Kuiken has been a full-time solo traveler for 4 years and counting, but she’s been a solo adventurer for decades. She owns her own copywriting business, Flourish Writing, which she operates from the road. Sarah loves to explore state and national parks with her two dogs, Orion and Piper—wherever they’re allowed, of course. When she’s not whipping up web copy for fellow entrepreneurs, she’s probably out hiking or paddle boarding with the dogs in tow. Learn more about her freelance writing business at FlourishWriting.com.
