Florida to Las Vegas with a fun 5 year old

[Heathl34]

We are taking a few months and hitting the road. We just purchased a large travel trailer and are looking to head out around the 2nd week of June. We do have a 5 year old traveling with us. She is adjusted and loves to travel. I am super new to all of this and my other half is an expert, but in Australia (where he is from and has spent months in the outback over the years). So, crossing the US will be a first for all of us. I want a super cool trip with all normal stops, but I want some of the off beaten path stuff as well. We have a bunch of time on our hands and want the coolest trip possible for us and our kiddo. What do you all suggest! Please suggest away :)
Thanks

[Midwest Michael]

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

There's some important information you've left out of your post. First of all, how much time do you have for this trip? I'm guessing you'll be returning to Florida after Las Vegas? What's the reason for picking LV as your destination, and how long do you plan to stay there?

The other big question, what do you consider to be "the normal stops?" There is no one-sized fits all roadtrip nor is there a generic list of must-see's on a cross country roadtrip, so you'll have to give us a little more insight into what you are interested in, and what things you've already got in your plan. The more you can tell us, the more others will be able to help.

In the meantime, there is a ton of information around this site, so spend a little time looking around, and by all means, check out the RTA Map Center which can help you identify hundreds of potential stopping points.

[DonnaR57]

Travel is a wonderful experience for your 5-year-old. Have her keep some sort of a journal - she could put "treasures" or other things to help her remember the trip. (I regularly assign this as the "homework" when a student is pulled out of school for a family trip.) Years from now, she could pull out that journal and have lots of memories.

Another thing she could do...if some of "the normal stops" might include national parks or monuments, sign her up for the appropriate age Junior Ranger program at each place. She could earn some cool badges, pins, or patches -- after she has a few, you might find a unique way to display them. Once again, they are keepsakes and memories.

I too wondered, "why Las Vegas?" Or is that just your turn-back city? There are some good places for an RV to park there, just realize that in the summer months, your air conditioning will be going 24/7. It's hot!


Donna

[Southwest Dave]

Taking "a few months" to do such a trip means you can go just about anywhere you want and the options of small towns, scenic By-ways and smaller State parks etc would run into their thousands, so it's almost impossible to make meaningful suggestions at this stage. If you have specific questions about specific parts of your trip, or the planning then please ask. Otherwise at this stage it's just a case of researching and you will find endless amounts of ideas searching the forums and trip planning pages throughout the RTA site. To get started, list the "Normal stops" that appeal to you and mark them out on a map. Once you have done so and start to join the dots taking in more detail between the A's and B's you will start to see the 'Off the beaten path' attractions. If this is a round trip then it makes sense to create a loop and take different routes each direction, getting to the desert areas either early in your trip [or late if it's likely to continue into September] to escape some of the heat.

One of the things you will have to consider is that to stay in National parks with a Travel Trailer in the height of the season, you would need to book in advance to secure a site.

Enjoy the planning !