If you have a large family, going on holiday can be a rare and very expensive treat unless you have invested in a campervan which can erase those eye-watering hotel fares. But if you have a large family, the thought of being cooped up in a single vehicle for the duration of your holiday might sound like the exact opposite of ‘a restful getaway’! But a carefully planned campervan conversion – check out some of the best campervan conversion companies in the UK – can make all the difference to you and your family. Let’s take a look.
Tailor The Campervan to Your Needs
When you are choosing the van to be converted into a camper, booking the conversion and planning the layout of your future mobile holiday home, take a moment to ask your family members what will make their campervan holidays better. For your teens, it might be the cunning inclusion of a gaming nook that can fold away when the weather is nice, but that is easily accessed when it’s wet or cold outside. Planning for these niche storage requirements is best done right at the beginning of the process when they can be built in from the very start.
Add MORE Storage!
It doesn’t matter how much storage you have, put in more! Use every spare nook and cranny; find space where it doesn’t seem to exist; and don’t be shy about going up – there is a surprising amount of free space about head height that is often wasted. Overhead lockers, hanging units, even mesh bags mounted against the highest part of the walls of the van – all of these features can hold a surprising amount of the things that make life on the road a little more bearable.
Keep Compliance in Mind
In the UK, the DVLA is responsible for road safety, and that includes making sure that campervan conversions have been done properly and meet the legal requirements for an official designation for your new campervan. This means that while you should use every available space for extra storage, make sure that doing so does not obstruct your view of the road (or other road users’ view of you!) in any way; and also be mindful of the weight bearing capacity of the vehicle and the tyres. To this end, you must note the weight of all the cabinetry and other furniture that you have installed in the campervan, as well as the weight of the whole family; any groceries you will be taking with you, and even the families clothes and entertainment items – this incomplete list gives you an idea of just how quickly the weight inside your campervan can add up!
Maximising the storage capability of your campervan is important for the comfort of you and your family while you travel. Be prepared to make a few mistakes during your first journey: one child will forget something vital; another may well overpack and bring enough clothing for six months and have no space for it all; and you may pride yourself on packing the galley cupboard with tinned food only
to find that you’ve forgotten the can opener! To minimise these teething troubles, perhaps make sure your first trip is a short one during which you can all learn how to live in close proximity – and make the most of your generous storage space too!
Thank you for reading.
