A Tidy Start to the Season: Spring Road Trip
There’s something about the first trip of the season that just feels different.
Excitement is high. The to-do list is long. And there’s a certain satisfaction in pulling out the gear, checking it over, and making sure everything is still rolling—and staying tidy.
After a few months without traveling, we were more than ready to dust off the rig, fine-tune a few things, and make the small tweaks that help tidy travel feel even smoother. There are always little updates you want to make after a break—adding something new, fixing what didn’t work, adjusting the systems to fit how you want to travel now.
This spring, we kicked off the road trip season with a drive down the Eastern Shore chasing warm weather and sunshine.
Spring 2025
We stopped along the way at the
Cape Charles / Chesapeake Bay KOA Resort, perched right along the bay—where the views, the breeze, and a certain four-legged co-pilot reminded us why we love this whole tidy travel thing.
Prepping for the Season: Tidy in Action
Before we even hit the road, we spent time checking and prepping—clearing out what didn’t need to come along, restocking what did, and double-checking the little systems that make life on the road run smoother.
But here’s the thing about tidy travel: It does not mean everything is neat and perfect all the time. It means having the tools, the habits, and the mindset that make it easy to get tidy when it counts—especially when it’s time to pack it up and roll out.
Tidy is a constant action, not a finished product.
It’s about making it doable, not perfect.
And when you’re traveling, that can make all the difference between a stressful departure and a smooth start to the next stop.
Tidy isn't about being perfect. It's about making it easier to pack up, roll out, and enjoy the ride.
First Trip: Seeing What Sticks
The first trip of the season always tells us a few things:
Are the systems still doing their job? Is the gear holding up?
And what small changes could make life even easier before the longer trips start rolling in?
Every trip is a chance to test, tweak, and find what actually fits the way we want to travel now—not just the way we traveled before.
The Cape Charles / Chesapeake Bay KOA made the perfect backdrop for this testing phase. Its wide layout offered spacious, level campsites ready for every type of rig, from pop-ups to big Class A motorhomes. Everything was impressively maintained, making it easy to settle in and shift our focus to the little adjustments that tidy travelers always have in mind.
Testing the Gear (and the Co-Pilot’s Preferences)
Louie (Spring 2025)
Turns out, some gear finds its rightful owner faster than expected.
One thing we didn’t expect?
That a certain piece of gear would end up being claimed by Louie, not us.
We originally picked up the Cliq Chair for quick setups on sandy sites and tighter campsites.
Compact, sturdy, and easy to stash, it checked all the boxes for tidy travel.
But Louie had other plans.
From the moment we set it up overlooking the Chesapeake Bay, it became his chair—the perfect front-row seat for every bird, boat, and breeze that passed by.
Small footprint. Tough fabric. Folds fast when it’s time to roll out. And now, apparently, four-paw approved.
Campsite Evenings and Campfire Connections
Evenings at the KOA felt especially memorable.
Louie (Spring 2025)
As the sun dropped toward the water and campfires sparked up across the sites, a friendly, laid-back energy took over the campground.
We spent the night listening to the crackle of firewood and swapping stories with fellow travelers. You could feel the sense of community—even among strangers—as we learned about routes traveled, favorite finds, and future plans still sketched in the margins.
And, of course, Louie took his duties seriously. As The Tidy RV’s Lead of Campsite Morale, he was always ready for a meet-and-greet, trotting up to newcomers with a wag. Louie’s soft coat and easygoing spirit quickly won over the youngest travelers especially—there was no shortage of kids eager to cuddle him, wrap him up in hugs, and declare that they weren’t ready to let him go.
A Promising Start to a Tidy Travel Season
Louie, KOA, Chesapeake Bay, VA, (Spring 2025)
There is a road, no simple highway, between the dawn and the dark of night and if you go, no one may follow; that path is for your steps alone. — The Grateful Dead, “Ripple” (1970)
Our first trip of the season reminded us: tidy travel isn’t about chasing perfection—it’s about building routines that make it easier to roll out, adjust, and embrace whatever the road brings. Every trip is a chance to test, tweak, and find what fits now, not just what worked before. It’s about letting the small moments (and small chairs) find their place along the way.
Wherever we stop, Louie reminds us that connection, like tidy travel, often starts with the simplest steps.
The road’s just getting started. We hope you’re heading into this season feeling a little lighter, a little more dialed in. enjoy the ride - one stop at a time. Tidy Up. Roll Out.
See you at the next tidy stop,
— T, C & Louie 🐾
✨Curious what else made our pack list this season?
Check out The Pup Kit for more tidy-tested travel gear.
🔗 Some links in this post are affiliate links, which means we may earn from qualifying purchases—at no extra cost to you. 👍 Just places we’ve visited and products we’ve actually used. Not sponsored, but all part of our story.
