Planning Your 2026 Adventures: RV Tips & Bucket List Ideas

A new year always feels like a fresh highway stretching out in front of us—full of possibilities, strange roadside stops, and stories we haven’t lived yet.

Planning doesn’t mean taking the spontaneity out of travel. For us, it just means setting a direction… and leaving plenty of room for detours.

Here’s how we’re approaching our 2026 adventures—and a few ideas that might help you plan yours.

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Start With the Adventures, Not the Dates

When we plan a year of travel, we don’t start with a calendar—we start with a list of experiences we want to have.

Places are great, but moments are better.

Think about things like:

• A view you want to wake up to

• A festival or local event to experience

• A type of place you’ve never explored before

• A strange or quirky attraction that makes you say, “We have to stop there.”

Once you know what kinds of memories you’re chasing, the route starts to shape itself.

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Plan the Route… Loosely

We’ve learned that the best trips have structure, but not rigidity.

A few things that always help:

• Checking campground options ahead of time, especially during busy seasons

• Keeping drive days reasonable so you still have energy to explore

• Watching for interesting stops along the way, not just the destination

Some of our favorite places were never on the original plan—they were the result of a brown sign, a local recommendation, or simple curiosity.

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Make the RV Work for Your Travel Style

Every RV setup is different, and the key is learning what makes yours comfortable and efficient.

For us, organization makes a huge difference. When everything has a place, setting up and packing down becomes second nature, and that means less stress and more time enjoying where we are.

A few things that always make life easier on the road:

• Keeping essentials easy to reach

• Doing small maintenance checks regularly

• Restocking supplies before they’re urgently needed

Little habits prevent big headaches later.

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Budget for Reality, Not Just the Dream

Travel always costs a bit more than you think it will—and something unexpected always pops up eventually. That’s just part of the road life.

We try to:

• Keep a cushion for repairs or surprises

• Track expenses loosely so nothing sneaks up on us

• Remember that some of the best days cost almost nothing at all

A quiet campsite, a good meal, and a great sunset can beat an expensive attraction any day.

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Capture the Journey

Photos, short videos, notes, or even just a few lines in a journal—it’s amazing how quickly details fade if you don’t write them down.

The funny conversations, the odd little museums, the diners with the world’s best pie… those are the things worth remembering.

And sometimes, sharing those moments lets other travelers discover places they might never have found otherwise.

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5 Outland Adventures We’re Chasing in 2026

Every year we try to mix the unexpected with the unforgettable. Here are five adventures on our radar this year:

1. Hunt for the Strangest Roadside Attraction We Can Find
There’s always something wonderfully weird waiting just off the highway, and those stops often become our favorite memories.

2. Spend a Week Exploring One Small Town in Depth
Slow travel reveals things you never see when you’re just passing through—local history, hidden shops, and the rhythm of everyday life.

3. Visit a Festival We’ve Never Heard of Before
Small-town festivals have a charm you just can’t replicate anywhere else. The more obscure, the better.

4. Find the Best Sunset Camp Spot of the Year
A great sunset can turn an ordinary evening into something unforgettable. We’re always chasing that perfect sky.

5. Say Yes to One Completely Unplanned Detour Each Month
No research, no expectations—just curiosity. Those unplanned stops almost always become the stories we tell the most.

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Final Thoughts

Planning a year of travel isn’t about locking everything in—it’s about setting intentions and staying open to whatever the road brings.

The best adventures rarely go exactly as planned… and that’s usually what makes them great.

Here’s to a year of new roads, unexpected stops, and stories worth telling.

Currently: Planning routes, chasing sunsets, and keeping an eye out for the next strange roadside stop.

See you down the road,
Amanda & Chris
Outland Adventures