Hot tips on the highway to heaven

AS THE sun sets, a campervan is parked on an empty beach. A happy family sit around a blazing fire with no one else in sight. Since it was born at the height of the California flowerpower era, that seductive fantasy has remained a bucketlist aspiration for many of us.

It looks so easy – but the 21st Century reality of the hippy holiday dream takes a little more thought. My first campervan trip ended with me sleeping in a borrowed tent because the kids hated sleeping in the ‘roof’ beds. So make sure you pick the right motorhome. A modern vehicle may not have the appeal of the VW original but it can be a lot more comfortable.

And rather than a beautiful empty beach, you could end up in a noisy campsite miles from the sea. So here are ten tips to help you avoid the pitfalls…

1 KEEP I T SIMPLE

If you’re new to motorhoming, try a simple campervan experience first. Hire a vehicle for a weekend and drive to the nearest National Park or seaside. Even then you’ll need to research where you can park for the night – you can’t just stop anywhere you fancy. Campsites offer facilities but may not fit your wild camping fantasy. Sites such as park4night. com have lots of suggestions for more edgy overnight spots.

2 BOOK YOUR HOME EARLY

Before you make too many plans, make sure you can get your campervan – there is a limited range available, so do book early. You can find all sorts of motorhomes at the dedicated comparison site cheapmotorhomes. co.uk. For a classic VW Camper, try camperbug.co.uk.

3 TAKE THINGS SLOWLY

Any sort of motorhome will be slower and more unwieldy to drive than you are used to. American-style motorhomes need special care – they can be a couple of feet wider than a car. The first time I tried to park a campervan, I crashed it into my own car.

4 DON’T FORGET ESSENTIALS

Check what is included with the hire vehicle and make a list of what you need to bring. Don’t spend a bank holiday looking for a shop that sells tin-openers.

5 ENJOY THE FREEDOM

You may plan a route, but once you’re out there, there’s no need to stick to any schedule. It takes a bit of getting used to amid our finely timetabled lives, but the whole point of the campervan dream is that you can stop for an extra day to enjoy anything you stumble upon – or simply drive off to discover something new.

6 GO WITH PEOPLE YOU LIKE

You’ll be stuck next to the other passengers for days, so if you must invite friends, make sure they’re good ones.

7 PLAN YOUR MEALS

Unless your holiday dream involves non- stop takeaways, plan meals and buy food in advance. Think about things that you can cook in cramped circumstances, and remember storage might be limited.

8 PREPARE TO EXTEND

My own first motorhome experience showed I needed more space immediately. So awnings and tents are a great idea.

9 AVOID MESS STRESS

The secret of staying in a confined space is to keep everything in its place. Don’t spend the holiday looking for matches or socks: regularly putting things away will save hours of can’t-find-it angst later.

10 STAY WARM

In the campervan fantasy, everyone wore shorts – but in the UK that might not do. Be sure to bring warm clothes and lots of blankets to use at night.