Are you ready to go on a road trip in a campervan? Well, hold your horses because unless you’ve got experience behind you, there are a few things you’ll need to know before setting off on your adventure.
Fortunately, many have gone before you, made a whole bunch of mistakes, and learned from them, so you don’t have to.
If you’re new to campervanning and want to avoid any trouble on the trip, then keep on reading and take a look at our list of 8 first-timer mistakes to avoid when going on a campervan trip.
1. Not booking in advance
As with anything, you’ll usually need to book your campervan in advance to get a good one. Listen, riding around the country in a campervan is extremely popular, so don’t think for a second that you can leave your booking till the last minute or just show up at the campervan rental.
Do yourself a favour and book everything you need for your trip in advance. From the vehicle to the campsites, don’t wait, or else by the time your trip date comes around, they’ll all be booked, or you may have to compromise your holiday dates. This will also allow you to get the best choice of what’s on offer.
2. Choosing the wrong campervan
When you’re on a road trip, you’re going to be spending a lot of time inside the campervan, and one of the worst things you can do is choose the wrong vehicle.
Too small, and you’ll be uncomfortable and aggravated; too big, and you may find yourself struggling to drive and manoeuvre it. This can put a downer on the holiday, so you’ve got to find the perfect one that suits your RV needs.
Here are some questions you need to keep in mind to help you find the right campervan:
- How many people are travelling in the vehicle?
- Will you need to cook on your trip, or are you planning on eating out?
- Do your camping grounds have adequate facilities to cook or clean?
- Do you want extras onboard, like an AC or a TV, to enhance your comfort?
- How much space will you need to store luggage and gear?
- What is your budget for renting a campervan?
It definitely pays to do your research. By answering all these questions, you should be able to find a campervan that is ideal for what you want and need for the trip. When travelling around California, you can find an extensive range of budget campervan rental deals from San Francisco.
8. Parking on uneven ground
One mistake all first-timers need to try and avoid as much as possible is parking the van on uneven ground. After a long day of driving, exploring or doing various activities, where you park off might not be as important as getting to sleep or relaxing.
But one thing you need to make a priority is finding level ground to park on. Why? More than just making your camping space more comfortable (so you don’t have to feel like you’re going to slide out of bed in the middle of the night), it’s also important to ensure the campervan has optimal water drainage.
Don’t worry. This isn’t too much of a hassle because most campsites will have sites ideal for parking your campervan.
3. Overpacking
Campervans offer a lot of space depending on the size you choose, but that doesn’t mean you have to pack everything except for your kitchen sink.
So, go ahead and pack all the clothes you want and need, but avoid overpacking and bringing things you don’t actually need in the van, or you’ll have a bunch of unnecessary objects causing clutter.
Remember, most campervans come decked out with most of the everyday essentials, so check with the rental beforehand to see what you actually need to bring. There’s really no reason to have extra cutlery.
4. Missing off-peak seasons
You may have a perfect idea of when to go on holiday, but don’t overlook going during the off-peak seasons. There are certain times of the year when it will feel like everyone is renting a campervan and on the road – this will drive up rental prices as well as camping ground fees.
Exploring San Francisco and the rest of California in the off-peak seasons can save you a lot of cash, make it a lot more peaceful, and allow you to fit in more activities. So, don’t dismiss renting a campervan in the off-season.
5. Not planning out your trip
It can be easy to say that you want to be spontaneous and just go with the flow on your holiday, but when you’re a first-timer, this can be a huge mistake.
Making a rough plan and having an idea of where you’re travelling, how long you’ll be on the road and getting some ideas of places you’d like to stop over won’t just enhance your trip but can also reduce stress and avoid financial surprises.
Just because you have a plan doesn’t mean you have to be rigid and stick to it all the time, but it might just give you the freedom to be more spontaneous.
7. Not downloading offline maps
When you’re travelling around, you may find some areas where you get little signal. It’s rare to find someone who uses old-school paper maps, but when you rely on devices for navigation, what are you going to do when you have no bars?
Rookie mistake! What you can do is download some apps that can operate offline – this can include navigation apps or even some games and music to keep you entertained.
Final Thoughts
Not everyone is going to be a pro at campervanning from the first trip, but that’s why you can get advice from some of the seasoned professionals. So, follow these tips on what to avoid for first-timers when campervanning and your holiday should go off without a hitch.
