Baby steps

[tiggertibs]

Hello from Bristol, where we've just got our hands on a lovely silver T5 Cali. The plan for the summer is... drum roll please.... a 6-week road trip taking in France, Italy and Greece. The ferry from Bari to Igoumenitsa is booked. We just have to get there.

Right now, we're still in the realm of Cali baby steps...
1. How can we make best use of the hanging wardrobe? (we don't generally hang our holiday togs)
2. Sleeping in a van in hot climates. Any advice?
3. Kids upstairs or downstairs? (staying up after they've gone to bed vs a nice wide bed for grownup sized grownups)

I'll leave it there for now.

Cheers,
A

 

[Big Ted]

Hello and congrats.
I’m just south of Bristol and commute in mine to Filton most days, be sure to give us a wave!!

For your last point, we chose to sleep downstairs and let the kids stay up too. It means we can stay up longer, plus have a brew in the morning with ease.

Being 6’8” I’m not sure I could clamber down quietly from the top either!

Enjoy the Cali.

 

[Amarillo]

2. Sleeping in a van in hot climates. Any advice?

Try to get a draught - leave both sliding windows open - with fly screens in place, front windows open with vents, and unzip the windows in the pop top.

Air circulation can be pretty good in the California with cooler air entering from lower windows and warmer air exiting from the pop top windows. However, the lower berth always seems warmer than the top.

3. Kids upstairs or downstairs? (staying up after they've gone to bed vs a nice wide bed for grownup sized grownups)

All down to personal preference. We generally slept 1 adult plus 1 child upstairs, 1 adult plus 1 child downstairs, but our children were very young (2 & 3). Now they are 4 & 5 they sleep upstairs and we take the big lower Beach bed.

The ferry from Bari to Igoumenitsa is booked.

Is this a return trip? We made it back from Greece to Western Europe via Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary.

 

[Perfectos]

Hi tiggertibs
Can’t answer nr1
Nr 2 covered above
Nr 3 Kids always upstairs, alfresco cocktails on the veranda taking in the views (wherever it is )

 

[Hotel California]

Welcome allong , we use packing cubes from Decatlon and trow them in the large wardrobe .
Don’t have kids but if they go to sleep early i think you best trow those upstaires as otherwise you’l lose every acces to things downstaires having the bed made up .

Hot climats can be hard to get sleep in any kind of place (not having airco) , ventilate , look out for a shade pitch , small 12v fan , ....all things help..,

 

[soulstyledevon]

Greece and Italy mid summer in a van...???
Couldn’t think of anything worse if I’m honest. I did Italy a few years ago in June and it was unbearably hot. 24 at night.
I remember sleeping with the tailgate fully open and side door, just to try and stay cool and sleep.
We left the coastline after 5 nights and hit the mountains which were cooler.

Might be worth having some AC hotels pencilled in on route.