If you haven’t taken a campervan trip yet, it’s destined to make its way onto your bucket list. These 6 tips will make your trip oh so much smoother.
As the world has been in total lock down and there has been limited domestic travel, the campervan trip craze has been spreading throughout the globe.
The campervan craze is definitely not for everyone – for some it is a slice of heaven, whilst others see it as their idea of hell. For me, it is the epitome of freedom, rebelling against the norm and enjoying life on your own terms. But really, it is entirely what you make of it.
Camping in tents is not everyone’s idea of a holiday. But, in a campervan you’re able to enjoy the wild outdoors that nature has to offer whilst still enjoying the comfort of modern luxuries.
Campervanning is definitely something I had never considered before COVID. Usually, I would save up all my funds and go explore an exotic location overseas instead of adventuring through my own country.
With international travel nowhere near in sight, my partner and I decided to explore the beautiful New South Wales north coast in a campervan.
We rented a van for $99 a day through a website called Camplify and off we went. The van included a large double bed, a TV with wifi, two stove tops, kitchen appliances, a fridge, lights, fans and air ventilation.
If you haven’t taken a campervan trip yourself yet and think this sounds like something you might like, here are 6 tips to keep in mind when planning your own adventure:
1. Make A Plan
Decide what you want to see before setting off and devise a rough route that will allow you to tick all your boxes in the time you have.
Research national parks, secluded beaches, hikes with waterfalls or niche food spots you want to see along the way.
There’s nothing worse than being on the road with no clue about where you should be going. I made an itinerary before I left of all the places I wanted to see and we managed to tick almost all of them off.
2. Embrace Minimalism
I was surprised at how little I really needed over the trip and in some ways it was liberating to have so few possessions and to never wake up thinking ‘I wonder what I should wear today?’
Space is very limited and you need to ensure you leave room for yourself in the van once you’ve packed food, drinks, clothes, surfboards etc. so embrace removing the excess from your life – don’t try to bring your whole room with you.
3. Know Your Travel Partner
As your living space is so small, you really need to know the kind of person you’re travelling with before committing to living on top of each other.
Make sure you know how to work towards a common goal and not go against each other when it comes to the unknown and stressful situations. It’s also important to get creative with how you can find some alone time from each other every now and then.
4. Always Eat Before Driving:
One morning we decided to get going really early and make it to our next destination before breakfast so we could make the most of our day. It was only a 2 hour drive and we planned to arrive at 9am so thought why not make breakfast there?
It was after driving 1.5 hours, getting lost and having someone almost crash into us that we became negative and snappy towards each other. Lesson learned, always eat before a long drive.
5. Everything Takes Longer
Cleaning up after cooking takes longer, putting things away takes longer, detours take longer, everything takes longer.
We had two big water gallons in the van for drinking and cleaning, and we had to heat up water on the stove in order to clean things.
Things can take more time in the van life so just enjoy the process and don’t expect the same level of ease as you normally do.
6. Watch Your Consumption
It’s fascinating being able to physically see the water you consume and the rubbish you generate. Usually when washing up you scrub your plate and watch the water disappear down the drain never to be seen again. In a campervan you have to manually carry your water from a tap and conserve your usage so that you’re not running back and forth all day. It was a humbling experience for me to better understand the extent of my water wastage around my house on a day-to-day basis.
Follow these 6 simple tricks and your road trip will be a smooth one.
If you haven’t planned anything yet and need some advice on how to book a last minute holiday, click here.
