Thanksgiving Camping Without Turkey: Our RV Plan
No turkey, no oven, no problem. Our Thanksgiving camping plan: Texas BBQ, a griddle at the campsite, two dogs, and a Class A RV from Tennessee to New Mexico.
Carlos Lopez
10/18/20266 min read
How Do You Do Thanksgiving While Camping?
Keep it simple. Plan the meal around food that travels and cooks easily instead of a full turkey dinner. Bring in food that's already cooked, like smoked barbecue, and use a griddle or camp stove for sides and breakfasts. Book sites early, plan for cold nights, and leave room in the schedule for travel delays.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Read our full affiliate disclosure.
Here's the situation. Our family are not a turkey Thanksgiving type of family. We never have been. So when we planned this year's trip, a Tennessee-to-New-Mexico run in a rented RV to spend the holiday with our kids, nobody was worried about how to roast a bird in a camper. That problem didn't exist.
What we did have to figure out: how to feed everyone without a home kitchen, how to keep Macie and Mindy happy on several long driving days, and how not to repeat the mistakes from our last rental. We rent our RVs, we don't own one, and we're still figuring this out one trip at a time. This is the plan going in. We'll come back and update this post with how it actually went.
Thanksgiving Without Turkey: Why We Skip It
A non-traditional Thanksgiving is any Thanksgiving meal that drops the standard turkey-and-sides menu for something the family actually prefers.
The honest version for us: we're just not turkey fans. We've tried the whole spread more than once. Every time, everyone ate the stuffing and the sides, and the turkey went bad in the fridge. That's a lot of work for Nancy and the cost of the bird is not cheap.
So we stopped. Thanksgiving at our house is about family time, not the bird. Some years we cook something we actually love. I've smoked prime rib, rib roast, Cornish hens, spatchcock chicken and wings, and we've made pizza in our ceramic smoker, each with its own trimmings. Other years we travel and eat whatever that area does best. (We do keep the stuffing.)
On the road, skipping the turkey has a practical bonus. A traditional Thanksgiving dinner assumes a full oven, hours of cook time, and a lot of dishes. An RV kitchen and a campsite give you a small stove, limited counter space, and a sink you don't want to fill with roasting pans. Drop the turkey and most of that pressure goes away.
Thanksgiving BBQ: Texas Barbecue Instead of the Bird
Our Thanksgiving meal this year is barbecue. Our daughter is bringing it up from Evie Mae's in Wolfforth, Texas, just outside Lubbock, and we'll eat it together at the Airbnb in New Mexico where we're staying with the kids. It fits how we like to do the holiday when we travel: eat what the region does best. In West Texas, that's barbecue.
Here's why barbecue works for a Thanksgiving trip:
It's already cooked. Smoked meat only needs reheating, so there's no all-day cook in a strange kitchen.
It feeds a crowd. Order by the pound and everyone gets what they like.
It travels. Brisket and sausage hold up on a road trip far better than a carved turkey does. The meat is also already cut, a win for Carlos.
If you're planning a Thanksgiving BBQ on the road, order ahead. Popular barbecue spots can sell out, and holiday weeks are busier than usual. Check the restaurant's own holiday hours and ordering rules before you build a meal plan around it.
Non-Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner Ideas for the Campsite
The barbecue covers the big meal. The rest of the trip runs on the griddle. Our nights are at campgrounds in Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas, and the griddle comes along for campsite meals.
It's the same setup we packed for Labor Day: the Blackstone OTG. We seasoned it at home before that trip, five layers, and it passed the smash burger test. Then the temperature signs read 108° the day we arrived for Labor Day, and nobody wanted to stand over a hot griddle. It never came out of the storage bay. November should fix that problem.
The full seasoning walkthrough is in how to season a camping griddle.
Griddle-friendly ideas for a non-traditional Thanksgiving dinner or a holiday camping meal:
Smash burgers. Already proven on our griddle.
Breakfast tacos for travel mornings: eggs, potatoes, leftover brisket.
Fajitas or cheesesteaks. One surface, fast cleanup.
Griddle fried rice to turn leftovers into dinner.
Pancakes for the slow morning after a long drive.
What we're actually cooking on this trip:
On the way out: eggs and bacon, warmed tortillas and sourdough bread for breakfast, and smash burgers for dinner.
On the way home: brisket and eggs with tortillas, plus sausage and eggs. The kids can have the sides.
What we're bringing with the griddle (the same kit as Labor Day):
Iococee 6.5 ft propane regulator and hose
Grilliance 27-piece griddle accessories kit
KTUOPEE griddle cleaning kit
BANGIE 22" silicone griddle mat
Want to compare cooking setups before you pack? We broke down griddle vs. campfire cooking and our best camping griddles picks.
Want to compare cooking setups before you pack? We broke down griddle vs. campfire cooking and our best camping griddles picks.
Thanksgiving in an RV: Our Route and Rental Plan
Yes, you can do Thanksgiving in an RV. The trick is deciding what the RV is for.
This trip, the RV is mostly for driving. We're taking a 29-foot Class A, a step up from the Class C we rented for Labor Day, across several days each way on I-40. Most nights we're sleeping in pet-friendly campground cabins with the RV parked on site, and Thanksgiving week itself is at an Airbnb with family. That gives us the RV for the road and a real bed and a full kitchen when we stop.
This is also our second rental through the same platform. The first one, for Labor Day, started with a cancellation: about a week after we paid the deposit, the owner's calendar hadn't synced and our dates were gone. Another owner on the platform reached out and saved the trip, and that cancellation taught us a few lessons we're not repeating. This time we're checking a few things before we leave:
Heat. November nights on the high plains get cold, so we're confirming the furnace works before departure.
The mileage allowance. Long routes use up included miles fast, so know your per-mile overage rate.
Generator hours. Find out how many are included and what extra hours cost.
Wind is the other big one. A tall Class A catches crosswinds, and the Texas Panhandle and eastern New Mexico are known for them. We'll check the forecast every evening for the next day's route.
For the packing side of this trip, see our road trip ready post. We're not repeating it here.
Thanksgiving Camping With Dogs
Macie and Mindy are coming, which shapes the whole schedule. We planned the drive around big travel centers with dog areas instead of small gas stations. That means a dog break every couple of hours, a dog break every time we fuel up, and no squeezing a 29-foot RV into a tight urban gas station.
And at the Airbnb, the pack doubles. Our grand-dogs, Honey and Chloe, will be there with the kids, so Thanksgiving week means four dogs under one roof.
A few things that matter with dogs on a holiday trip, especially when two households' dogs share a house:
Book pet-friendly lodging early. Pet-friendly cabins go fast over Thanksgiving, and most charge a pet fee. More on that in our pet-friendly cabin travel tips.
Check the rental's pet limit. Many vacation rentals cap the number of pets. Four dogs needs to be allowed in writing, not assumed.
Introduce them slowly. Even dogs that know each other can get territorial in a new house. A walk together outside first makes settling in easier.
Feed them separately. Separate bowls and space at mealtime help avoid food squabbles, which matters more with a table full of barbecue.
Keep their routine. Same food, same bowls, same bedtime, even when everything else changes.
Honey used to live with us while our daughter was completing her undergrad in Alaska, so she is very familiar with her cousins Macie and Mindy. Chloe is the new puppy with lots of energy so we will have to keep a watch on the dogs to make sure no one is feeling overwhelmed.
Our full guide to the road with dogs is in RV life with dogs.
FAQ
What do you cook for Thanksgiving dinner when camping?
Cook what your setup handles well. A griddle or camp stove is good for burgers, tacos, fajitas, fried rice and breakfasts. For the main meal, bring in food that's already cooked, like smoked barbecue, so you only need to reheat it. Skip anything that needs a full oven for hours.
Is it a good idea to go camping over Thanksgiving weekend?
It can be, with planning. Book campsites and pet-friendly cabins early, because holiday weeks fill up. Expect cold nights in much of the country, check road and wind conditions before each driving day, and build extra time into the schedule for holiday traffic.
What are good non-traditional Thanksgiving dishes?
Anything your family actually loves. Popular swaps include barbecue (brisket, ribs, sausage), tacos or fajitas, ham, lasagna, and big breakfast spreads. On a camping trip, the best choices are dishes that travel well or cook quickly on one surface.
Can you do Thanksgiving in an RV?
Yes. An RV kitchen is small, so most people simplify the menu: skip the whole turkey, bring precooked mains, and cook sides on a stovetop or griddle. Some travelers, like us, use the RV mainly for the drive and eat the big meal at a rental house or with family.
Wearing the road trip? Our funny RV life shirts are printed on Comfort Colors and designed in Tennessee. Browse funny RV camping shirts.
© 2026 Horacio & Visconti. All rights reserved.