A Beginner’s Guide - Planning your First Trip
So you have your campervan and you have kitted it out with your essential items but now it comes to planning your first trip! This is everything you need to know. Make sure you have read New to Vanlife - A Beginners Guide.
Choosing a Campsite
The location and campsite you choose will have a big impact on how much you enjoy your first camping trip. You don’t have to go far to experience vanlife, figure out what is and what isn’t working for you and your van set up. Sometimes local campsites are ideal for your first trip.
Google Maps with campsites visited and recommended by the vanfamtribe can be found below. Plus an additional map for those campsites open all year.
Some things to consider when choosing a campsite:
Facilities: Larger campsites tend to have more facilities but smaller ones will probably be quieter.
Location: Would you prefer to be near the water? A lake or maybe the beach? Or would you like to be within walking distance of a small town?
Campsite Rules: Do they allow campfires? Do they have a noise curfew in the evenings? (The noise curfew might be an important one to consider if you have young children who will need to go to sleep earlier.)
Duration: Can you book single night stays? You might want to just book one night to begin with.
Timing: What time of year are you visiting? Most sites are only open March - October. (For all-year round campsites, follow this link.)
Aside from the above Google Maps, other ways to search for campsites include Cool Camping, Pitchup and Searchforsites.
Before booking your pitch, consider if you want or need a pitch with an electric hook-up. If you have a leisure battery or solar panels, then you might want to test them out without hook-up for a single night stay. Electric pitches on average are £5 more expensive per night but are often much closer in proximity to central facilities. Worth considering.
Campsite Meals
It is worth pre or part cooking some evening meals before embarking on your first trip, unless you intend to eat out. This saves time, stress and allows more time to relax or adventure when you are away. Camping meal inspiration can be found here, plus a wide range of FREE recipes. Meals can either be stored in large lunch boxes that can be stacked in the fridge, or in foil trays that can be reused or recycled. We also recommend Stasher Bags that can be used for storing leftovers, or snacks etc in a sustainable way.
Click here for your FREE printable PDF Weekend Camping Meal Planner.
Click here for your FREE printable PDF Weekend Camping Meal Planner.
Some things to be mindful of while you are away:
Other people are enjoying their holiday too. Obviously children are noisy but avoid letting them make excessive noise especially near other campers’ pitches. Most campsites have rules that I would suggest reading before you arrive. Some are very particular about the use of stereos, campfires and those with play parks will have what they deem as acceptable opening hours.
Your pitch should be left as you found it. All rubbish should be disposed of, recycled before you leave, or taken home .
Packing
The UK is much colder during the evening than you sometimes anticipate, even in the summer months. As you know we cannot guarantee that the sun is always shining. Be prepared for this variability with your clothing, especially for your first few trips until you have figured out what works for you. A warm coat (whatever the weather) and blankets for the evening are essential for your first trip. Other sources of information can be found below. Click here for your FREE PDF packing list.
PDF Children’s Packing List (suggested for a two week period)
Activities
Like anything, it takes time to adjust and settle into vanlife. Plan how you intend to spend your first few days away on the campsite.
Is there a play park on site?
Are there any nice local walks you can take straight from the campsite? (You can often find information about the local area on the campsite website.)
Are you National Trust members? Are there any great places locally to visit?
Take some outdoor games/equipment - bikes, a football, a kite, a frisbee, bat and ball etc.
Outdoor Games
Take some card games - *UNO, *Pass the Pigs, Top Trumps, *Ok Play, Snap and *Dobble are all firm family favourites in our campervan.
Family Games
And finally take some activities for some down time. While you might anticipate lots outdoor adventures, sometimes some down time is need - reading books, colouring books, ipads etc.
A great way to document your first camping trip and any future trips is with a Travel Journal. Designed specifically for the mini adventurer, you can buy My Travel Journal here.
And finally, ENJOY! Whatever happens, you will love it and learn from it!
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