Very much in vogue in recent years, and even more so since the first deconfiguration after Covid, van travel has never ceased to attract new enthusiasts.
Whether as a family, a couple or a group of friends, more and more of you are trying the experience as the seasons go by.
But when you've never been in a van before, and you're not used to this kind of minimalist where minimalism is de rigueur, it's easy to make a few mistakes.
In the light of our experience, and with many van trips under our belts, we're going to try to give you as much guidance as possible, so that you don't make any mistakes.
But don't worry, we still make them from time to time!
The organization
You'll see, it'll be the foundation of your trip!
The secret is to be organized, but not too organized in certain areas.
You have to find a happy medium. But in this paragraph, I'm mainly talking about organization inside the van. As you can imagine, space in a van is limited. You can't take your whole house with you on your roadtrip.
We often see our customers make this mistake and leave with far too many bags.
If you load the whole back of the van with bags, you can imagine how difficult it's going to be to get around without having to remove a bag to put it somewhere else!
So take the time to store your belongings in the cupboards or spaces provided for this purpose before you leave. You'll have a better idea of how much space you have, and you'll be able to get rid of the least useful things.
That way, you can leave the excess at home, or in your car if you're renting a van. You'll find that this tip makes perfect sense if you're faced with rain and have to stay in the van during the day!
Find out about the weather
Depending on where you're going, and what time of year it is, it's a good idea to ask a few days beforehand to make sure you have the right clothing.
We often take too many clothes "just in case", and in the end, when we return, we always realize that we haven't even used half of what we took with us.
But rest assured, this mistake still happens to us frequently!
Hygiene in the van
It's best to use a soap that's as natural as possible, and with which you can wash yourself both indoors at the sink, and outdoors with the van's shower head, without risk of polluting the environment. Avoid liquid shower gel that foams as much as you like.
Even if you're only going away for a weekend, it's small actions like this, on our own scale, that contribute to respecting the environment around us.
The same goes for toothpaste! We often see other people spitting their toothpaste out on the floor while brushing their teeth... But toothpastes often aren't really "natural", so spit in your sink instead.
Cooking in a van
The average van fridge has a capacity of 50L, neither too small nor too large.
Think about this when you do your shopping, to avoid taking on too many expenses, and more generally too many errands. You'll do them as you go along, so plan on 2 to 3 days maximum if you want to be a little self-sufficient. It's perfectly possible to eat a balanced diet in a van, just think of a few quick and easy menu ideas.
Don't over-plan your journey
Think of a global route and note all the points of interest around that route!
Find campsites, service areas or "wild" spots via park4night, an indispensable application!
For example, before setting off on a road trip (lasting more than 2 days), I take a paper map and guidebooks on the destination in question.
I read, I also search the internet via blogs, or Instagram.
Everything I spot, I note on the map with a Stabilo, and when possible, I write little indications on the map. I also write everything down in my travel diary.
Then the old lady for the next day, we take stock of the weather, and draw up the next day's program based on all the notes I'd taken.
So you don't have to spend hours searching in the heat of the moment, wasting time that could be spent wandering around and enjoying yourself.
It also leaves room for surprises and the unexpected!
Read here about the experience of Yohan from Tourdumonde.fr who tried out a van road trip with one of our rental vans!
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