It’s bound to be a proud moment when you walk through the door of your Winnebago as a first-time RV owner. You’ve probably been waiting for this moment for a long time and you’re ready to hit the road. For anyone who has been looking forward to RV living, there is nothing more satisfying than holding your keys in your hand.

 

After years of saving or finally making the decision, you’re ready to live the road trip lifestyle. You have the keys to your brand-new Winnebago and you can’t wait to get started. You’re going to enjoy it, but before you set out on the road, there are some things to keep in mind.

 

You’ll see that cooking in your caravan will be quite different than cooking at home. For one, you won’t have as much space and two, you will need to exercise more caution. To help you have a safe and drama-free road trip, here are some top safety tips for cooking in your motorhome:

• Don’t use grills inside of your RV. You may want to use an extra grill for your cooking, but grills should only be used outside of the RV. Not only is it an extra fire hazard, but sometimes certain grills can give off carbon monoxide. As anyone knows, this can be deadly, so it’s best to stay safe and avoid using them inside of such a small, closed environment.

• Make sure that you only use travel-friendly home appliances. You may adore your giant espresso maker at home, but that doesn’t mean that it should go with you on your trip.From being much too large for your caravan to possibly short circuiting, stay away from home appliances that aren’t RV friendly. Selecting easy to fix appliances is also preferable.

• Do not start a fire near your RV. While it may obvious, not everyone pays attention to these details. Starting a fire near your RV (and your propane tank) is never a good idea. Make sure that you don’t start your campfire anywhere near your RV. As much as you might want to roast marshmallows right before bed, make sure that it isn’t right next to your bed—you may end up without one.

• Make sure to install fire extinguishers. Imagine if the unexpected happens and a fire breaks out. What would you do then? If you have fire extinguishers, you could very well save your caravan from certain doom. It’s always better to be safe than sorry and owning a few fire extinguishers is a good way to stay safe.

• Don’t leave food on the stove unattended. You may like the idea of prepping the food while the kids are playing outside. You can run in and out and kill two birds with one stone—except that while this may work at home with your backyard, it’s not a good idea in a small camper. Just one spark gone wrong can start a fire that will finish your motorhome. No one wants that to happen, so don’t risk it and keep an eye on your food that is cooking on the stove.

• Make sure to turn off burners when finished cooking. It can be easy to forget to turn off the burners, but it can also be deadly in a motorhome. If there is one thing that you should focus on while cooking in a caravan, it is the safety of the burners—especially with propane stoves. Keep an eye out on them after cooking and if you have kids, make sure to keep them far away from the knobs.

• Learn about how to use propane and propane stoves before setting out on your trip. If you know nothing about propane tanks and propane stoves, it’s highly important that you educate yourself before your trip. If there is one thing that could most easily cause a fire, it would be improper use of anything having to do with propane. Take your time to read about it, ask friends who are experienced with it, and go slow.

Your new life as a RV owner is going to be amazing. The open road calls you and you don’t want to ignore it, but you also want to be careful. Just as there are hazards at home, there are hazards on the road.

 

Learning how to safely prepare your meals in a caravan is one step towards a road trip that goes right. No one wants to lose their new camper to a fire, yet cooking mistakes are often the number one cause of RV fires.

 

To ensure that you and your Winnebago will have many more years together, follow the above tips for cooking safety. Stay focused and if needed, write checklists for your cooking times. Your safety and the success of your road trip are worth it. Happy traveling and happy cooking!