Having SEX in an RV is a huge challenge for couples; especially as more families are hit the road and campgrounds are packed to the gills! Adult RVers of are trying to find creative ways make doing wild thing less obvious and awkward; especially parents who’s children are sleeping practically right next to you. And then there’s having to walk out of your RV the next morning with all of your camping neighbors cheering or gawking at you or having to take the walk of shame all because *gasp* you had SEX in the RV!?
Part of human nature is being intimate with your spouse or partner. But, that doesn’t need to stop just because you go camping with your family. So, what are RVers doing to still keep up with their sexual desires while living in a camper or motorhome?
Romance, Intimacy and Sex in an RV? Keeping that Spark While RVing
In an RV lifestyle Facebook group, a recent scenario was presented in the form of a question of intimacy in the RV when children are in close confines. Needless to say, it received over 400 responses! Some were humorous. However, most who answered were onboard with this popular RV lifestyle challenge:
“My husband and I are 30 with 4 kids ages 10, 8, 3, & 17 months. We have been together for 12 years. We have an amazing relationship and are very physical. We love our private intimate time because it gives us a chance to make sure we are connected with each other and taking care of each other. But, we have a problem. We now live in a 29′ travel trailer with our kids while we are moving across the country. We are finding it difficult to be as intimate as we would like, as the trailer is not soundproof and shakes easily. HELP! What do we do!?”
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After tallying the responses, this compilation of suggestions should put other RVing couples’ minds at ease. These are merely recommendations that other couples use when it comes to maintaining intimacy while RVing without judgement or raised eyebrows from the neighbors and awkward questions from their kids.
Before I go on, I wrote this article in jest and with humor. While some may find this article distasteful, this is a viable issue for RVing couples and full-time families travel extensively.
Practice makes perfect
You and your partner should take the RV or camper out for a test run first before taking the family. As weird as this sounds, this gives you time to experiment to see how your RV reacts to movements and sound. That way, you’ll know what you need to do not to duplicate it when your kids are present or give reason for applause or embarrassment the next morning.
Get some RV stabilizers
Let’s be frank. RVs aren’t the most stabile on their own. Every step you make shakes or rocks the camper or motorhome. Well, if you’re a lively couple doing the wild thang, you’re RV will feel the earth move just the same. So, the most popular suggestion to minimize the rocking and rolling is to get some RV stabilizers. Get some scissor chocks, and wheel chocks to keep the wheels from rolling. And to shorten the length of your RVs leveling jacks to keep it more stable, some leveling blocks will do just fine.
RELATED: How to Stabilize Your RV – Leveling Tips and Tools
RV SEX Tip: If your bed is oriented east to west (head on one side and feet on the other), change positioning on the bed. This will lessen the side-to-side rocking when things get a little wild. |
Hang a hat on the bedroom door
One commenter shared that she texts her teenagers “the hat is on the door”. This was their cue to let mom and dad have their private time.
RV SEX Tip: If you’re RV bedroom door doesn’t have a locking doorknob or door latch (these are also great for any door in your RV!), get one! This will help prevent surprises by offering a little more privacy! |
Ask the neighbor to watch the kids
If you’re camping with another family, why not take turns watching each others’ kids so you each can get some time alone. Seriously, the other couple totally understands your needs for some one-on-one intimacy because they want that too!
Laundry date?
Laundry and intimacy go together like peanut butter and jelly! Several RVers who have washer and dryer setups in their motorhomes and fifth wheels claim their appliances are notorious for shaking the entire camper when they’re running.
So, why not use that to your advantage! Make doing laundry not a chore but your date night! But, might I suggest you wait to do your laundry until after the kids are sound asleep. Even if they do wake up, they’ll realize it’s ‘just mom or dad doing the laundry’ and they’ll go right back to sleep.
RELATED: RV Washer and Dryer or Use a Laundromat?
Change the bed linens
We all know that making the bed in an RV can be wrestlemania all its’ own. So, why not turn your bed making in to love making? Who would be the wiser? But even if your bed sheets don’t need changing, it’s still a good excuse to get a little action.
RELATED: Campground Bath House and Shower Survival Tips
Blame it on the storm?
If you’ve stayed in a camper or motorhome during a storm, you’d know that the wind tends to rock the RV. And the rain that pelts the roof is loud. So, use those stormy nights to your advantage. Use those extra windy nights as your excuse for the rockin’ and rollin’ that’s actually coming from the bedroom. If the kids ask why the RV was rocking during the night before, just fib a little by telling them “it got a little windy last night”.
RV SEX Tip: If you’re planning on a wild night, remove your hanging patio lights! Rhythmic swinging lights a dead giveaway of what you’re doing in there! |
Turn on the TV or music
The walls in RVs are paper thin and even whispers of intimacy can be heard through the walls. So, just turn on some music or the bedroom television while the kids are sleeping in their bunks only feet away from your bedroom door. All they may hear is your favorite television show or movie (or at least we can hope!).
Be sure to close the shades AND windows
Just because your motorhome or camper may have tinted windows, don’t think for a moment that your neighbors can’t see you; especially at night even when the lights are on. Also, realize that campsites are super close to each other. So, you may want to shut the windows and run the AC or heat pump to drown out your sexual demands.
Send the kids outside to play
It’s really frowned upon and unsafe to just shoo your littles outside without supervision. And it’s usually against campground rules anyways. However, if you have an older child to watch over the littles or your kids are old enough to stay outside on their own on your campsite, that will give you both opportunity to grab a quickie in the RV!
Just throw a few juice boxes and a boatload of snacks on the picnic table with a bucket of sidewalk chalk! Tell them not to come in until your campsite is decorated with their beautiful artwork.
Movie time WITH headphones
Especially on rainy days, kids love watching movies to pass the time. Why not use those days for some of your own moments of relaxation and a little intimacy? Just tell the kids to watch their movies quietly while you and your partner go take a nap.
So, load up the iPad with their favorite movies and tell them to wear their headphones so you can grab some Z’s. They won’t hear you having wild passionate sex in the camper.
RV SEX Tip: Get a sound machine for white noise to put in the kids bunk. That will help drown out some of the action noise coming from other parts of the RV. |
Slow your roll
Seriously, intimacy and sex doesn’t always have to be a rock and roll jam fest. Slow and steady can still get the job done without rocking your RV off it’s blocks. You and your partner just need to find more subtle ways of lovemaking and being intimate. Really, if you’re quiet like you were when you were a teen fornicating in your parent’s basement, you can still achieve this as grown, mature adults.
Still not comfortable having sex in the camper?
If you’re still not comfortable mortifying your kids or subjecting yourself to embarrassment or judgement from your camping neighbors, there are some alternatives to keeping your intimacy alive during your camping trips and RVing.
Set up an outdoor tent for kids
Most campgrounds may allow you to setup a tent on your campsite. So, get the kids their own outdoor play room; filling it with their favorite toys, coloring books and crayons, or even throw in an iPad loaded with some of their favorite movies. Don’t forget to put out a few snacks too!
In other words, fill that sucker up with things to keep them occupied for as long as you need for your alone time. So, when you and your playmate are feeling a little frisky, you can send the kids out to their tent for some quiet time of their own.
Of course, this will only work for older kids or if you have a teen who can watch and occupy the littles. And, might I recommend paying your oldest to babysit. They’ll be more apt to want to earn money while you’re secretly having some much needed adult time with your partner.
Set up an ADULTS ONLY tent
As I mentioned above, tents can be instrumental in getting a little nookie with a little more separation other than the bedroom door in your RV. Tents are great for intimate moments also! If you’re looking for a creative date night, set up a tent with an air mattress with sheets, blankets and pillows.
When the kids are sound asleep in the RV, sneak your bad selves out to your very own escape room. Several have suggested taking a baby monitor in the tent with you so you can hear who may need you or coming out to see where you are or what you’re doing.
It’s best to wait until your camping neighbors go in for the night. Oh, and don’t forget to extinguish your lantern inside the tent. And keep your giggles down. You surely don’t want to attract attention or an audience watching or listening to your risqué adventure.
Use campground showers
Personally, I would never do this. However, more than a few RVing couples have suggested using the campground showers to get a little uninterrupted action.
If the campground has an individual family shower or unisex showers, there’s your cue to enjoy some good clean fun together. Play some music on your smartphone to drown out the noise, but not so loud that you keep the neighbors from wondering what the heck you both are doing in there. Oh, and make certain to lock the door to the shower.
As I mentioned, this surely isn’t something we would do (the gross factor). But, if this is your thing or you’re desperate, be respectful to the Camp Host and your fellow campers by spraying down the shower with some disinfectant.
RELATED: Campground Bath House and Shower Survival Tips
Find a place for a quickie
Don’t ever think I’m advocating that you drop trou just anytime or anywhere. But, if the farmer’s daughter and ranch hand can find creative places to get intimate, so can you. Find a safe, discreet and secluded location to go frolic in the wildflowers or trot off into the woods! Just make certain you’re not trespassing or being followed.
Go parking
Going parking worked for us (collectively speaking) when we were all teens. So, it surely can work for adult couples to get a little action on 10 or 20 years later! Just take a drive to and pull off in a secluded place. However, avoid going at it on private property or parking lots that have cameras. And just be smart and safe about it.
Camp at a KOA or Jellystone
KOA (Kampgrounds of America), Yogi’s Jellystone Parks, private RV parks and even some state campgrounds have cabin rentals in addition to RV campsites. Family campgrounds are a great option for you two to get intimate while still being in the same campground. However, be respectful by taking your own bed linens and pillows.
Get a room
If your RV is just too small to get a little nookie, especially when the kids are sleeping in the same room as you, why not just get a room? There’s two ways to make this work in your favor.
You could make it a family adventure by parking the RV at the nearest campground. And then, head to a family-friendly hotel with a pool for a night or two for the kids to enjoy and tire themselves out. Get adjoining rooms so you and your honey can enjoy private moments and little intimacy in one while the kids sleep in the other. The next morning, everyone can take long hot showers, eat breakfast and no one’s the wiser.
But we know sometimes the budget doesn’t allow getting two rooms. See if you can get your camping neighbor who has kids to watch your littles while you both go shopping. But, instead of heading to the mall, go straight to the no-tell motel for a little afternoon delight. Do grab a few groceries on the way back to your RV though, so it actually looks like you actually did go shopping!
Be honest with your kids
Depending on the ages of your children, they may not understand why the bedroom door is closed or why the RV is rocking so much at night. How you explain it to them is up to you. But, it IS important to keep a healthy sex life for both of you. And if it means learning to rock the camper less or finding alternatives, you all will enjoy RVing together.
Final thoughts on romance, intimacy and sex in an RV
We hope these intimacy camping tips help get you that loving feeling even when you’re camping with the family in a tiny motorhome or camper. Having a connection and healthy sexual relationship is important. Realize that millions of children have been conceived within arms reach of their siblings without them even knowing it.
So, don’t stress out or worry too much about making intimacy in your RV work while you’re camping with your family. Be creative! Because campfires aren’t the only thing that needs a spark to keep the fires going.
Check out Gander Flight video “Sex in an RV?”
Other RV Lifestyle articles worth reading
The Part of RV Life No One Talks About
Full-Time RV Life: What to Expect as Full-Time RVers
RV Expenses for the Full-Time RV Lifestyle
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