How to Have Date Night in the RV

Kendra Clapp Olguín
Feb 9, 2021

I’m happy to say that cupid didn’t go away during this COVID pandemic. From going on dates in a bubble to sticking exclusively to online dating, couples across the globe have been getting creative with their romantic efforts, including RV date nights!

Whether you’re headed camping this Valentine’s Day weekend or open to having a date night in the driveway, here’s a little DIY tutorial of date night in the RV to help keep the romance alive.

The RV Date Night Recipe

Flowers & floral foam/vase
Lighting
Tablecloth
Your favorite takeout
Libations
Love

Flowers

Storefront of the Albuquerque Flower Market in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The store's van sits in front of the shop.

I struck gold finding this wholesale flower shop when we were camping outside of Albuquerque at Route 66 RV Park in Edgewood, New Mexico. The Albuquerque Flower Market had an assortment of blooms and greenery to choose from and at a reasonable price. Another place I like to go to for florals is Trader Joe’s. Additionally, local grocery shops might be a place to find great flowers. Because we don’t have room in the RV for a floral vase, I purchased a block of floral foam from the shop. You can find floral foam at craft stores as well.

A woman looks through greenery at the Albuquerque Flower Market in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

In terms of selecting flowers, I knew beforehand the kinds I could get due to cats being in our household. Before leaving, I searched for non-toxic plants and determined I wanted roses and waxflower. Roses being my focal flowers and waxflowers being my fluffy filler. If you don’t have any pets, some different options could include daisies, dahlias, and lilies. For fillers, you could choose from baby’s breath, wax flowers, or statice. For this arrangement, I decided against greenery because I wanted a big fluffy floral cloud.

After opening up a packaged bouquet of white roses, a woman de-stems the roses inside an Airstream trailer.

Using her hands, a woman pulls off the leaves of a rose stem.

After selecting your flowers and bringing them home, you then process them. Processing flowers means removing unwanted leaves and cutting the stems so that they drink water. I am always in awe of flowers for how resilient they are because it is traumatic being shipped around, handled, and still surviving. Processing them helps give them the strength they need after such a long journey. If you opted for floral foam instead of a vase, soak the foam in a bucket filled with water for at least thirty minutes.

Using scissors, a woman cuts the rose stem at a 45-degree angle.

Because I did not want any greenery (remember, big fluffy floral cloud?), I removed all of the leaves on the roses. I de-thorned the stems with my thumb, pressing against the thorn horizontally, plucking it off. Another way to remove thorns is with a knife, slicing them off. You’ll want to give them a fresh cut, trimming the stems at a 45-degree angle so that they can drink the water they need.

Wanting to open up the rose petals more, a woman blows at them to gently push the petals open.

A person demonstrates the difference between a rose coming from a packaged bouquet and a rose that's been opened.

After removing the leaves and thorns, I began working on opening the roses. There are various handy tutorials online, so if you need a more thorough how-to, an easy search into Google will do. I work the roses by a combination of gently blowing on the petals and separating the petals with my index finger. When separating the petals, I spin the rose so that I work the petals circularly.

A dozen roses sit inside of an RV sink with its stems resting in a bowl full of water.

When finished processing the roses (you usually don’t need to process fillers such as waxflower), set them aside with their freshly cut stems submerged in clean water. Take out your floral foam and waxflower.

Shorter stems of wax flowers are poked into soaked floral foam.

A little bit about floral foam, it’s not sustainable and, quite honestly, a very wasteful product within the floral industry. I didn’t have a vase or floral bowl handy since we live-and-work on the road, but I now wish I would have made an effort to go to a thrift shop or something to find a unique vase. Anyway, I don’t mean to guilt, only spread awareness.

A soaked floral foam is partially covered in wax flower stems. The foam structure is sitting on top of an RV countertop.

Whether using foam or a vase, build a foundation for the roses with waxflower. Trim the stems varying lengths to create texture and avoids the arrangement from seeming “flat.” Once complete, trim and poke your roses into the structure, clustering and spacing them organically as if they had grown on the waxflower bush.

A floral foam is completely covered in wax flower stems and is sitting on top of an RV countertop.

A person sets down a floral arrangement of roses and wax flowers on top of a table within an Airstream RV.

Lighting & Ambiance

A person lights a candle that is sitting on top of an Airstream RV table and next to a floral arrangement of roses and wax flowers.

Let’s set the mood, shall we? For lighting, I had these candles from the holidays that I placed around the floral arrangement. I brought out what normally would-be our awning twinkly lights and strung them over the dinette. The combination of the candles and lights created that warm, romantic glow.

Wanting to create an ambiance that resembled a restaurant, I took the linen tablecloths we have and strung them over the dinette area, forming a tent-like structure. This made the RV dinette feel like a restaurant booth.

Takeout

A floral arrangement of roses and wax flowers sits on an RV dinette table surrounded by lit candles, wine, and Miir wine tumblers.

You’ve worked hard to create such a romantic atmosphere. There’s no reason to exhaust yourself by cooking up a big meal. Treat yourself to some takeout!

A table spread of Chinese takeout, wine, Miir wine tumblers, lit candles, and a floral arrangement of wax flowers and roses.

A plate of Chinese takeout, consisting of sesame chicken, vegetable stir fry, and crab rangoon with white rice. In the background is a fortune cookie, a floral arrangement of roses and wax flowers, candles, and a wine tumbler.

Many restaurants are hurting during this pandemic. Takeout is a great way to continue to support your favorite spot, or if camping, a local business.

A Chinese takeout box sits next to a lit candle and a floral arrangement of roses and wax flowers. A fortune cookie sits nearby.

Libations

A woman pours rosé wine into a white Miir wine tumbler that is sitting next to her plate of Chinese takeout.

Another way to make the night extra special is by opening up a bottle of wine. There are plenty of alternative non-alcoholic options for those who prefer to skip the booze.

A couple cheers while celebrating Valentine's Day with a date night inside their RV trailer.

Love

A couple enjoys Chinese takeout while celebrating Valentine's Day by having date night inside their Airstream RV trailer. The pair are using chopsticks. Candles are lit and a floral arrangement of roses and wax flowers sit in the middle of the table.

Of course, the most important part of the night is, well, love! Not to sound cliché, but it is what date night is all about. Don’t stress about the nitty-gritty details like the wrinkled tablecloth or that your cat keeps trying to eat your food. Deciding to have a great night and focus on the *love* is the first step in a successful RV date night and Valentine’s.