3 Easy Ways to Plan Meals for Your Next RV Trip

Traveling in an RV is great because you can see the country, enjoy the outdoors, and bring along everything you need so you can easily spend the night in a different location (if you want). One of the joys of RV travel is that you can cook for yourselves.

This not only saves a lot of money, but you can easily eat healthier and not have to rely on calorie-rich restaurants or bad fast food. And depending on where you are, you may have limited options for dining if you are in a remote area.

But if the thought of planning meals and remembering to bring along everything you’ll need to make those meals seems overwhelming, read on. We’re here to help.

Planning Ahead

No matter if you like to keep your meals simple or go all-out gourmet, being organized makes all the difference when feeling stressed about what you’ll be eating. For a little variety, choose meals that you can cook in your RV’s stovetop, out on the grill or propane stove, campfire, or crock pot.

For this, choose recipes that lend themselves well to RV camping, and select meals that have similar ingredients so you’re not bringing a ton of supplies. Here is a fantastic database of RV-ready camping recipes!

Once you have crafted and planned out your meals, now comes the fun part – start shopping! But first! Take stock of what you already have in your kitchen and pantry. This includes not only ingredients and spices for your meals, but the tools you’ll need to prepare them. Items such as pots, pans, utensils, matches, etc.

If there’s a specialty ingredient or hard-to-find ingredient, make sure that gets included when it comes time to pack.

If your trip is longer than one week, many RVers will plan one week’s worth of meals, and then repeat it the next week, changing it up slightly. For example, week one’s grilled chicken and baked potatoes can be changed up in week two to fried chicken and French fries. Week one’s baked apples can be changed up in week two to apple cobbler. Get the idea?

Certain ingredients that must be kept cold will probably need to be purchased near your destination. A quick Google search should be able to tell you what is close to your campsite.

Batch Prep

To make things even easier and cut down on the prep time of your meals, prepare as much as you can before you hit the road. If some of your recipes require you to chop onions or mince garlic, you can do this ahead of time at home, and then store/freeze them in sealed containers until it comes time to go. In addition, think about cooking one or two meals in advance and then storing them so all you’ll need to do is heat them up at the campsite. This is especially nice for meals that contain pasta, rice, or beans, as they tend to taste better heated up than when freshly cooked.

Certain food freezes very well. So if your RV has freezer space, consider making items such as muffins, pancakes, or pies in advance and freezing them. Then simply bring them out to thaw when needed. Other mains such as rotisserie chicken are good for a meal and then using the leftovers for sandwiches or making a different chicken entrée.

Food Storage Tips

RVs are great, but they tend to have very limited space in the kitchen area. This is where you need to get creative when storing all equipment and ingredients for your meals. For starters, refer back to your meal planning list, and bring ONLY what is needed. If you forget something, you can always buy it en route or near your destination.

Use all available storage spaces. Cabinets, shelves, and drawers. In the event there is more non-refrigerated items that there is room to store them, get an over-the-door shoe organizer and mount it on a cabinet or door to store canned goods, snacks, bagged pasta, and the like.

Keep a healthy supply of zip-lock bags. They come in handy for many things, and not just for food storage. For extra durability, opt for freezer bags. Organize everything so it is within easy reach when you need it.