This summer I had my first ever camper van experience in The Dolomites, and I have to admit that as a gal who appreciates a nice warm shower and comfy bed, I wasn’t sure what I was going to make of it. But plot twist, it was one of my favourite travel experiences to date! I absolutely loved the freedom which travelling in a camper van gives you, the ability to pull up and sleep right in the heart of nature and wake up surrounded by mountains. Absolute bliss.
That being said, I just rocked up to the van rental station without any prior planning which meant that I learnt a lot of lessons on the road. When I travel in a van again, I will definitely do things a little differently. So learn from my mistakes and use these tips to make your first camper van experience go as smoothly as possible!
1. Give yourself time to get used to driving the van. If you typically drive a little nippy car, getting behind the wheel of a large van is a baptism of fire! Throw into the mix that it could be manual or automatic, and be driven on the other side of the road… and there’s a lot to navigate! It’s totally manageable, but I recommend factoring in some time to get used to the van before you start your big journey. I did a few laps of the car park, practised reversing and parking, and got to grips with the size of it before I set off. Ultimately, the more you drive it the more comfortable you will feel, so take your time and don’t rush onto the main roads.
Tip: Make sure you find out the exact height of your van, as some car parks have low barriers and you don’t want to catch the roof.
2. Pack light. Storage in camper vans can be limited, depending on the size which you rent. The less you pack, the better. When you’re unloading your bits and bobs into the drawers and cupboards, try and make sure you put them in snug spots so they feel pretty secure. When you’re driving, everything moves! So the more tightly things are packed away, the less chaos you will find when you park up and open your cupboards again! Packing cubes were great for this.
Tip: Before you start driving, close and lock all drawers, remove loose items from tables, close windows and secure all your personal belongings against movement.
3. Do a big supermarket shop on arrival. First things first, when you’re booking your van, double check what is provided. You may be able to pay a little extra to get a selection of cookware, crockery and cutlery, as well as bedding and sheets. Then once you go to the supermarket, I recommend not only picking up food and water, but household staples like bin liners, toilet roll, cleaning products, sponges and cloths.
4. Establish the van admin you need to do. Camper vans come with a little bit of admin, the amount varying between the model of van you rent. I had a larger van model which a shower and toilet, which meant my main chores were:
- Emptying the grey water
- Refilling the water tank
- Emptying and cleaning the toilet (a humbling experience)
- Charging the battery
This meant that I would need to access a camp site with the relevant facilities roughly every 3-5 days to complete these tasks. Once you know how many nights you will need in a campsite, then you can move to tip 5.
5. Prebook a handful of campsites. If you’re like me, you probably love the idea of wild camping anywhere and everywhere. And while that is what we did most of the time on our travels, we did stay in a formal campsite 2 out of the 9 nights of our trip for the purpose of doing our van admin. We were a little unprepared and didn’t book any campsites, which caused us a fair amount of stress as we tried to call them at the last minute and book a space, but they were all full. So next time I rent a camper van, I will definitely prebook a handful of campsites along the way just to ensure that we have somewhere to do our essential van admin.
Tip: When booking a campsite, look for ones with key facilities you will need like a grey water disposal, waste disposal, electricity and fresh water.
6. Download the Park4Night app. This was our daily essential during our road trip. It’s a super handy app which shows you where you can park safely on your travels. Each location has reviews and photos, which can help you decide where you want to pull up for the evening. Personally, I found it useful to use the filters for “surrounded by nature”, “picnic area” and “parking lot day/night” to find the best spots. The “camping” filter also helped us find campsites. I recommend having a few parking spots lined up for each evening, as you can turn up to find them already taken, and to save them on Google Maps in case you lose signal along the way.
Tip: Make sure your van comes with chocks which are basically little blocks you can use to make sure your van is flat when you’re parked. This is essential to allow proper water drainage and also help you get the best night’s sleep.
7. Give yourself extra time. Travelling in a van isn’t like staying in a hotel, it comes with a little extra effort and time taken – which ultimately is totally worth it for the incredible experience you have. But you need to factor that into your trip. Allow for a little wiggle room for planning, cooking, organising, doing van admin and taking long drives. It makes the whole process more enjoyable when you aren’t rushing, and can just slow down and enjoy the journey.
We rented our camper van from Roadsurfer and had the most amazing time exploring the mountains in our home on wheels! I rented the “Road house” which ticked all my boxes, and I particularly loved having the ability to take an indoor shower. The whole experience was reassuring for a first timer, with plenty of pre-trip information being sent over including an extensive tutorial on how to use the van.
I couldn’t recommend them enough, and I will definitely use them again for future van adventures!
Safe travels,
Zanna x
(Disclaimer: we were gifted our van experience, but all opinions are my own).
