Griz (standard poodle) and Belle (shih-tzu/poodle mix) hanging out in the camper
Hi! I’m Jess, and this is Rolling Weekends, a little corner of the internet for families who don’t have three months to spend on the road, but do have a Friday afternoon and a hitch.
How we got here
My husband Jon and I both grew up in the rural South, me next door to my grandparents’ tractor shop, Jon on dirt roads. We spent our childhoods outside, and somewhere along the way we both figured that was a non-negotiable for our own family too. These days we live in the suburbs with our daughter, C, who’s in middle school, endlessly artsy, and never happier than when she’s near water.
I’ve spent my career in marketing - mostly digital - with an English degree that finally gets some use here. Jon trained as an aircraft mechanic and now works in the corporate office for a large aircraft company, but don’t let the desk job fool you; he’s still happiest with tools in his hands. He fishes, prefers to fix anything that breaks, and has developed a saint-like patience for my never-ending list of house projects.
We bought our first travel trailer (a Grand Design 21BHE) during Covid, when a “real” vacation wasn’t really on the table and we wanted out of the house. Our first few trips were… humbling. We backed into things we shouldn’t have, forgot things we needed, and learned the hard way that “we’ll figure it out when we get there” is not a packing strategy. A few years and one camper upgrade later, we’ve figured out a lot, with plenty of help from the group of camping friends who’ve talked us through gear questions and bailed us out of a few questionable campsite decisions.
What we’re about
Travel is a priority in our house: one international trip a year as a family, and as many weekend camping trips as we can squeeze in between. There’s something different about the short trips, though. No flights to catch, no huge itinerary, just an easy hitch-up, a couple hours’ drive, and suddenly we’re somewhere quiet. Sometimes we camp with our friend group. Just as often, it’s the three of us and the dogs, which honestly might be our favorite version.
Rolling Weekends is where I write about all of it: what we’ve learned (often the hard way) about RVing with a family, gear and tools that have actually earned their spot in the trailer, campgrounds worth the drive, and the small stuff. How do we keep a middle scholar happy for a three-day weekend without wifi? How do we work while we travel? How does Jon find a fishing spot within 20 minutes of where we park?
If you’re a first time RVer trying to avoid our early mistakes, or a family looking for your next long-weekend spot, you’re in the right place. Glad you’re here.
-Jess (and Jon, and C, and the dogs)