Florida

Florida is the easy sell of American family travel, and for good reason. It packs the biggest theme parks on earth, warm shallow beaches, alligators in the wild and a rocket launch site into a compact, flat and forgiving loop. The driving is gentle, the campgrounds are plentiful and well equipped, and the sheer density of things children want to do makes it one of the least stressful regions to plan a first RV trip around.

Orlando is the obvious anchor, and it deserves a realistic amount of time. The major theme parks each fill a full day, and trying to squeeze several into a rushed week is the fastest way to exhaust everyone. Stay at one of the many large RV resorts nearby — most run shuttles and have pools that become the reward at the end of a big day — and deliberately alternate a park day with a slow day so the excitement doesn't tip over into meltdown.

The Gulf Coast is where families come up for air. The beaches around the west coast have soft white sand and calm, shallow water that suits small children far better than the Atlantic surf, and the sunsets are a nightly event. It is the perfect counterweight to the intensity of Orlando: a few unstructured days of buckets, spades and early bedtimes resets the whole family before the next round of adventures.

For a taste of the wild, the Everglades are unlike anywhere else in the country — a slow river of grass full of alligators, wading birds and manatees. Boardwalk trails and ranger-led programmes keep it safe and manageable for children, and a guided boat trip turns wildlife spotting into the highlight of the trip. On the Atlantic side, the Kennedy Space Center is a genuine crowd-pleaser for older kids, especially if you can time a visit around a launch.

The one thing to plan around is the weather. Florida summers are hot, intensely humid and coincide with the peak of the storm and hurricane season, so the drier, milder months from late autumn through spring are far kinder for a family trip. Whenever you go, build days around early starts and afternoon breaks, keep the RV's air conditioning in mind when choosing a pitch, and always carry water and sun protection.