A van trip can be an exciting, rewarding, and, at times, thoroughly testing way to travel as a family. After a month on the road with a one- and three-year old, Hayley Spurway learned some valuable lessons about family van life. At the end of a wet Cornish summer we decided to load up the van, hop on the ferry to Roscoff and head south, imagining life on the road to be filled with freedom, sunshine and adventure. However, driving through the night accompanied by waves of whinging from our uncomfortable little travellers trying to sleep in their car seats, I quickly realised that – despite countless weekends away in the van – when it came to long distance van-tripping we were mere virgins. Our vehicle wasn’t even kitted out to house a family of four, its creature comforts consisting of just a rock-and-roll bed. Yet, a month later, invigorated by adventures from France to Portugal and back, we’d somewhat nailed the art of life in our roving tin can. If you’re planning a family van trip anywhere in the world, here are a few factors to take into consideration.
Hayley’s kids enjoy breakfast in the van Do you want a full-blown motorhome (maximum space and amenities, cumbersome to park, slower and more expensive to run than a medium-sized van), a fully-equipped campervan (the convenience of a stove, sink, fridge, beds and storage solutions in something little bigger than a car) or are you happy to throw a mattress in the back of a van (not so nifty for storage, seating or organisation)? Setting off in an unconverted VW T5 wasn’t the best-laid part of our plan – it would’ve been much wiser to invest time and money into decking out our wheels to suit the living and sleeping requirements of a family before embarking on our adventures. Although – with a little ingenuity to stop him slipping into the foot well – one of my boys was happy to bed down on the front seat, while the other tucked up in the rock-and-roll double with us, a pop-top or high top van with room for two children to sleep in the roof space would’ve been more comfortable and practical.
As well as the obvious drawbacks to our sleeping arrangements, once the kids were in bed the only space for the adults to relax was outside – fine in balmy Med climes, not ideal in gales and rain. An attachable awning is another solution to creating more living and sleeping space, but these can be time consuming to erect (opt for the pop-up type) and you need space to pitch them. Just because you’ve got your own wheels and there are no excess baggage charges, don’t cram the van with vast piles of toddler paraphernalia and leisure gear. The less junk you have to shuffle around in order to eat, play and sleep, the easier life on the road will be. Essentials include a water container, cool bag, bedding, camping lantern, multi-tool, loo roll, washing-up liquid and travel wash. Take camping chairs and folding table, or a waterproof-backed picnic blanket as a more compact and versatile backup. The best toys are the kids’ bikes – fold-up three-wheelers for tiny tots, and balance bikes for older toddlers.
Consider getting a cycle rack and taking bikes for grown-ups too – with tag-alongs or a trailer for the kids, the whole family can explore while leaving the van setup at camp. If you’re really stuck for space, it’s time get a roof box. The beauty of being self-sufficient is that you can free camp – and there are plenty of spots throughout France, Spain and Portugal where you can park beachside or deep in the pine forests. Particularly useful for late-night stopovers – once you realise that driving until 5am isn’t feasible with young children – these offer basic facilities such as drinking water, toilets and in some cases electricity hook-ups. In order to make the most of quiet roads and night driving, we’d tuck the wee ones up to sleep in their car seats after their usual bedtime routine, drive until around midnight then pullover in an Aire and convert the van to sleep mode so we all got a semi-decent kip. Cooking on two rings doesn’t limit the menu to baked beans and Pot Noodles.
Take a basic larder of herbs, oil, olives, tomato paste, tinned mackerel, tinned tomatoes, stock cubes, pasta and rice, and stock up on local produce en route. If you’re short of inspiration pack The Camper Van Cookbook or something similar. With little passengers onboard you’ll need to access food on the go, so ensure there’s not bikes and beach gear piled in front of the cooler. As well as having sandwiches packed for long journeys, always have a stash of snacks such as breadsticks, bananas, mini cheeses and raisins (avoid sweets and sugary treats). If you’re not prepared for meals on the road, McDonalds is a decent breakout now that they serve a healthy(ish) children’s menu and often have a play area where wee ones can let off steam. Have you taken your children on a campervan holiday? Share your experiences and tips below.Opening hours: Monday - Saturday 9.30am - 5pm Open Sundays & Bank Holiday Mondays: Truro & St Austell 12 - 4pm This website use cookies. To help the site respond helpfully when you visit, some notes are stored on your computer using cookies.
These are simple text files and will never contain any sensitive information. Cookies can be controlled in the settings of your browser. To provide our customers with peace of mind and to demonstrate our commitment to responsible retailing, Julian Foye the furnishers is a registered full member of The Furniture Ombudsman. The Furniture Ombudsman is an independent not-for-profit organisation which raises standards and is approved by the government to provide alternative dispute resolution services. We follow their Code of Practice which provides our customers with additional protection if things go wrong. or telephone 0845 653 2064.View all 17 photos 1 OF 3 TRULY SUPERB HOLIDAY PROPERTIES, LARGE 10 SEATER HOT TUB, PLAY EQUIPMENT, UNIQUE BBQ LODGE AND GAMES ROOMALL SHORT BREAKS BETWEEN 1 NOVEMBER AND 1 APRIL ARE CHARGED AT 90% OF THE FULL WEEKLY COST AND 1 APRIL AND 1 NOVEMBER ARE AT FULL WEEKLY COSTThese attractive detached holiday properties provide a great holiday location for families or a celebration house for friends situated in a peaceful spot
, yet easily accessible to the beautiful coastline and main A30 trunk road. These 3 properties are accessed via a secure automatic gate into the grounds, however both properties are completely detached with exclusive facilities and your privacy is assured.An ideal location for exploring the whole of Cornwall. St. Ives, Truro, Penzance, Lands End and The Lizard are all within an easy drive. Trevarno Gardens, The Eden Project, The Lost Gardens of Heligan and many National Trust properties are all within easy reach. Godrevy, the nearest beach 4 miles away, is long and sandy with lots of rock pools near the lighthouse. In the evenings enjoy a BBQ in the fabulous lodge or relax in the hot tub after a spell in the sauna.Bed linen, towels, electric, central heating and Wi-Fi included. Location: beach 4 miles, shop 1 mile, pub within walking distance. Leisure facilities: kayaks for hire direct from the owner. Spa facilities available with prior arrangement with owner.The stylish accommodation offers FIVE bedrooms: all with wall mounted TVs and Freeview.
On ground floor, 1 king-size, 1 twin and 1 further twin with en-suite shower and WC. 1 further king-size with en-suite shower and WC, and spiral staircase leads to a mezzanine king-size bedroom with en-suite shower and WC. Bathroom: situated on the ground floor with separate bath, shower and WC. Lounge/kitchen/diner: open-plan with reclining leather sofas, massage chair, 47" 3D cinema system with 10 pairs of 3D specs, DVD, full SkyTV package with sports and movies, X box with games, Wi-Fi available, pay phone and wireless sonos music system. Kitchen area with wine cooler, fresh coffee machine, dishwasher, washer/dryer, electric cooker, hob and fridge/freezer. Second open-plan lounge/kitchen/diner with 36" Smart TV/DVD and SkyTV package with movies and sports. Additional info: play pen, stair gate and toddler bed available on request. Games facilities: children have plenty of space to play in the excellent enclosed outdoor play area with pirate ship, trampoline, sand pit, toys and selection of garden games.
Within the garden area is a games room which includes a pool table (free play), dart board, fruit machine and CD jukebox. In addition to this, the room has a drinks bar with optics and disco lights. Outside: enclosed garden with decking and patio area with sun loungers, circular table seating 10 and parasol. Access to sauna and hot tub seating 10. Lawn with path to detached BBQ lodge which can seat 16 All short breaks between 1 November to 1 April are charged at 90% of the full weekly cost and 1 April to 1 November are at full weekly cost. Arrival time: 3pmAny property identified with increased accessibility may have different levels of provision, it is therefore advisable you contact us before you book to ensure the property meets your specific needs and requirements.Dogs fees are charged per dog at £20.00 for up to 7 nights, £40.00 for up to 14 nights and an additional £20.00 for every week or part week thereafter. joined our collection in 2013 and All I can say is we had an AMAZING TIME - we stayed over the new year and we had one of the best New Year's yet !
There were 4 adults and 6 children, the accommodation suited everyone and was very well equipped The location is perfect for getting around Overall 5 star holiday - we are planning to book again !! Fantastic property especially with children, location was very good, well equipped. Could do with different seating arrangement in the 'cinema' lounge Tv was difficult to use - sound went off when changing channel and never figured out the surround sound! Hot tub and be hut are great Happy with term time prices (1800) but wouldn't pay 3500+++ for sRead morechool holiday booking Hide the cottage was lovely and generally well maintained/equipped except for a couple of problems, which I feel could be sorted sooner if my suggestion above was in place. We stayed in the 5 bedded house (10 of us, including four children). Everybody enjoyed themselves and found the accommodation to be first class with everything you could possibly want and more. The fact that there were two kitchens and two lounges makes it very handy for separate families.