It’s a reality. Touring with children could be one of the vital rewarding experiences for a household, however it’s additionally extraordinarily tiring, and generally the logistics add pointless stress. Nonetheless, embracing van life whereas touring with younger youngsters provides an additional layer of freedom and suppleness.
And we’re proof of that. For my household and me, our trusty 35-year-old Ford Transit Rimor motorhome, affectionately often known as Koala (that’s the mannequin title, we consider!), has been our dwelling away from dwelling on many memorable journeys since we purchased it two and a half years in the past.
From the enchanting landscapes of Northern Morocco to the Balearic Islands, the picturesque villages of Portugal, and throughout ten different nations in Central and Southwest Europe, our journey has been nothing wanting extraordinary with Koala by our aspect.
After gathering some expertise over the previous few years, right here’s a glance into this life-style, together with suggestions for touring full-time or for lengthy durations with children, and the way we guarantee we keep wholesome on the highway. Let’s dive proper in!
The Van Life Expertise
Embracing Van Life: Our Trusted Ford Transit
Koala, our classic Ford Transit, is perhaps over three many years outdated, however it has confirmed to be an extremely dependable journey companion. We prefer to name it ‘classic’ IYKYK.
Outfitted with simply the necessities (however lacking none of them from the heating system to boiler, three beds, two tables, full kitchen, and loo), our motorhome is surprisingly spacious, offering us with consolation and comfort on the highway. And was reasonably priced sufficient to make it a easy choice to take again within the day!
Even when these automobiles are very overpriced lately – particularly for the reason that pandemic hit, once they skilled a kind of increase and costs skyrocketed, and Koala was the proper instance of that, I felt cozy understanding the cash invested could be shortly recovered given our confirmed love for journey and the rising costs all over the place else within the journey business.
The attraction of van life lies in its simplicity—having your own home with you, irrespective of the place you go. It permits us the liberty to discover at our personal tempo, making impromptu stops and adjusting our route as wanted, climate allowing.
Memorable Van Life Journeys
Most of our journeys since we purchased Koala have been to close by locations. Though we had visited most of those nations earlier than—typically a number of occasions—exploring them by motorhome provided a brand new and distinctive expertise.
Northern Morocco: Our journey in Northern Africa was a vivid tapestry of vibrant markets, beautiful landscapes, and wealthy tradition. From the bustling streets of Tangier to the serene fantastic thing about Chefchaouen’s hilly backdrop exterior its blue-washed outdated city, Morocco provided a mix of pleasure and rest.
Touring via the northern a part of the nation—our fourth time there—with our child daughter (she was 11 months outdated on the time) is one thing we’ll keep in mind ceaselessly, and Koala dealt with the rugged terrain like a champ.
Portugal: Portugal’s numerous panorama has already supplied the proper backdrop for a number of van life journeys. We reveled within the scenic fantastic thing about the northern coast, relaxed on the seashores of the Alentejo and Algarve areas, and explored the historic attraction of Lisbon throughout the New 12 months’s Eve festivities.
Despite the fact that we’ve visited this nation round 50 occasions or extra (it’s that near our base), every cease introduced one thing new, and Koala by no means did not be our cozy retreat after a day of exploring.
Spain:
We’ve taken extra journeys in our dwelling nation than we will depend.
Nonetheless, the longest and most vital ones have taken us to:
- Catalonia’s Costa Brava, Mallorca within the Balearic Islands (the place ferry rides are at all times an journey!), and the Mediterranean coast from Valencia to Cabo de Gata.
- Andalusia, furthermore the provinces of Huelva and Cadiz, is at all times nice for lazy seashore days, good climate, nice meals, and energetic cities.
- Asturias and Picos de Europa, neighboring Galicia, and very best for exploring by van.
- The Pyrenees, with its many nationwide parks and valleys, together with different rigorously chosen locations in Northern Spain.
- Galicia. When you observe us on social media (right here’s our Instagram account for many who don’t however have an interest), you realize we by no means miss a chance for an in a single day getaway, a protracted weekend, and even longer explorations of our yard. We’re nonetheless trying to find one other lovely vacation spot with as many van-life-friendly spots as our beloved Galicia!
Central and Southwest Europe: Our latest 30-day motorhome journey via ten European nations—France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, and Spain—was a whirlwind of unforgettable experiences.
From the D-Day seashores of Normandy in Northern France to the beautiful Alpine landscapes in Switzerland, each vacation spot shined by itself.
That’s the magic of the outdated continent!
Staying Wholesome on the Street
Significance of Well being Insurance coverage for Touring Households
Now first issues first. One of the vital features of touring full-time with children is guaranteeing that everybody is secure and the entire household has complete medical health insurance. No less than for us, having the precise protection provides us peace of thoughts and permits us to get pleasure from our adventures with out worrying about potential medical points.
Prior to now, we had our truthful dose of surprising points on the highway and a very long time in the past we determined it was time to begin packing insurance coverage on all our journeys to keep away from hefty payments and many time sorting the medical techniques wherever we is perhaps.
Anyway, we’re excited to introduce you to SafetyWing’s newest addition: Nomad Well being.
Particularly designed for expats, digital nomads, and sluggish vacationers like us, this insurance coverage covers over 175 nations. So whether or not you’re mountaineering within the hills close to Chefchaouen or exploring Belgium cities, Nomad Well being offers entry to high quality healthcare wherever you’re.
Nomad Well being gives intensive protection, together with hospital stays, physician visits, and even psychological well being assist. It’s also possible to add dental and imaginative and prescient protection by paying a premium payment, which is especially helpful for households. The continuity of protection is a significant profit, permitting us to journey throughout a number of nations with out having to change insurance coverage. For extra particulars on how Nomad Well being can profit your travels, take a look at their protection choices.
Managing Well being and Wellness Whereas Touring
However, let me inform you, staying wholesome on the highway entails extra than simply having good insurance coverage. That’s why on high of getting nice insurance coverage in place, we additionally give attention to sustaining a balanced life-style as a lot as attainable (we’re solely people in any case!) by incorporating common hikes and walks in addition to wild swims and another occasional outside sports activities into our routine whereas touring.
That manner and though I want I had extra time for issues like yoga, we will bask in stretching commonly and easily shifting our our bodies as a lot as we will every day, which helps preserve us energetic. Babywearing our daughter doubles as a exercise and a bonding expertise, and cooking half of our meals in Koala permits us to take care of a nutritious food plan with out too many processed meals.
Babymoons: Touring Whereas Pregnant
France Street Journey: From Galicia to Mont Saint-Michel
Earlier than our daughter was born, we launched into a memorable babymoon highway journey via France. Touring whereas pregnant was an journey in itself. The journey from Galicia to Mont Saint-Michel was fast-paced, stuffed with stops at charming cities and landmarks.
The spotlight was visiting Mont Saint-Michel, a magical island commune with breathtaking views. Regardless of the challenges of touring throughout being pregnant, the journey was a unbelievable solution to bond and create lasting recollections earlier than our household expanded.
Spain Adventures: Exploring Regionally
As soon as our daughter arrived, we continued our love for van life with frequent highway journeys inside Spain as I shared earlier than. From the beautiful landscapes of the Pyrenees to the uncooked seashores of Cabo de Gata, every journey provided new experiences. Koala turned our cellular base, permitting us to discover Spain’s numerous areas whereas holding our baby snug and entertained.
Ideas for Touring with Youngsters
Making ready for the Journey
Touring with a toddler requires some further planning. Packing necessities like toys, snacks, and luxury gadgets is essential. We’ve discovered that having a well-stocked motorhome makes life on the highway a lot simpler. Making ready Koala for consolation and security entails guaranteeing that it’s geared up with a safe sleeping space, sufficient drinkable water, ample storage, and a well-functioning kitchen for meals to begin with.
Retaining the Youngsters Comfortable and Wholesome
Journey Actions: Retaining a toddler entertained on lengthy drives could be difficult. We convey alongside a wide range of small toys, books, and video games to maintain our daughter engaged. Easy dialog and music additionally assist make the journey extra pleasurable.
Wholesome Consuming on the Street: Managing meals and snacks whereas touring is usually a bit tough, however it’s doable with a bit planning. We prepare dinner half of our meals in Koala’s kitchen, which permits us to take care of a nutritious diet and accommodate any dietary preferences or wants.
Showers and Hygiene: Retaining everybody clear whereas on the highway is important. In our case, we like to mix showers in campgrounds and dips in lakes or seashores when attainable with our motorhome’s bathe each different time we want a bathe. It’s all about discovering a stability that works for your loved ones.
Discovering Protected and Handy Parking
Discovering parking for in a single day stays is usually a problem, particularly in cities. We desire avenue parking or designated campervan spots when obtainable. In cities like Ghent, the place parking could be tough, planning forward is essential. We additionally search for secure and quiet areas to make sure a very good night time’s sleep. And if a spot feels off, it doesn’t matter what time is it or if it’s simply certainly one of us pondering that manner, we at all times search for one other one.
Conclusion
Touring full-time with children is a novel and rewarding expertise. Our adventures with Koala have proven us the thrill and challenges of van life, and we wouldn’t commerce the recollections we’ve made for something. For households contemplating the same life-style, having the precise medical health insurance is essential. Nomad Well being gives complete protection that’s excellent for our nomadic adventures. To study extra about the way it can assist your travels, go to their web site.
As we’ve explored, embracing the van life with children may include its personal set of challenges, however the rewards far outweigh them. With a bit planning and the precise assist, you may create nice experiences for your loved ones, irrespective of the place the highway takes you. Protected travels!
