Weekend Warriors: An Interview with The Hambricks

There’s no such thing as a “typical RVer.” RVers are all around us. They are our neighbors, friends, and family. Join us as we get to know The Hambricks, a sun-loving family who use an RV for family travels on weekend getaways. We had a chance to chat with them about their experience.

Hello! Thanks for joining us and sharing your story. Tell us a little bit about yourselves.

We’re the Hambrick’s and our motto is if kids live there, kids can visit, and you’ll often find us exploring destinations most don’t consider kid-friendly. Our daughters, Jordyn (6) and Kennedy, 5 have been traveling since birth and we love sharing our tips on how to make family travel affordable and easy.

Describe your travel style in one sentence. Here’s mine: Solo lady rambling on the slow and scenic route in pursuit of food, wine, antiques, and other people’s dogs to pet.

Family with kids who makes them try the craziest things, but they end up having a good time!

As a family, how have you traditionally traveled on trips in the past? By plane, car, train, cruise?

I think we’ve traveled in every way possible, car, plane, train, cruise, RV, bus, and helicopter.

Some lightning questions!

• Beaches, mountains, or desert? Mountains
• The top three things to bring in the car that makes family road trips run smoothly. Snacks, snacks and did I mention snacks!
• The one song everyone sings/dances to when it comes on. “The Middle”

Travel is a great way to learn about places, people, cultures, and history. How does RV travel present opportunities to learn as a family as you travel?

Life on the road in an RV allows us to see parts of the country we miss in a plane. Driving through smaller cities/towns where we get to just pull over when we see something interesting and discover things we otherwise wouldn’t. In small towns, life is slower and restaurants usually aren’t as packed and this has allowed us to really get to know the owner of these establishments and learn their stories.

What was your first RV experience like as a family? Intimidating, thrilling, exciting, silly, fun, surprising?

Our first RV experience was both exciting and surprising. When we first picked up the RV and did a tour the girls wouldn’t stop squealing, they saw the bunk and just wanted to hang out in their little hideaway. They also loved the RV parks and our nightly bonfires. We were surprised to see so many young families at the RV parks as we’ve traditionally thought of RVing as something retired people did.

What would you say are the greatest perks of RV travel?

Not having to pack and unpack at every destination you visit like you do when staying in hotels! We also love having the outdoors at our fingertips, enjoying the fresh air every night with the girls always having space to play outside, another thing you don’t get at hotels.

What would you say the biggest challenges are to RV travel?

During busy seasons it can be hard to find reservations at RV parks if your trip is last minute.

What, in your opinion, makes an awesome family trip/vacation?

A mix of both adventure and relaxation, where we try at least one new thing.

As weekend warriors, what advice do you have for families curious about RVing as a part-time hobby?

Just do it! There are plenty of sites available to easily rent RVs and the RV community is so welcoming even if you don’t know how to do everything (which you won’t at first) those in the RV parks near you will be happy to help guide you through hooking up and all of the technical things.

Favorite quote, verse, lyric, or mantra that keeps you sane on your travels? Here’s mine: “It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end”- Earnest Hemingway

Life is short, just say yes!

Thanks for your time, wisdom, and stories Monet and family. See you on the road!