New to Campervan. Plan a Europe road trip in Jun

[Calieurope2023]

Hi all

Nice to be here. We are a family with 3 teenagers, planning a road trip (starting from Germany, go via France, Switzerland and Italy for 20 days and back to Frankfurt). We drive a BMW X3 in our home country Singapore. Not sure if this is the right choice to choose a Campervan for this road trip. We would like to experience the vanlife in those countries, but due to no such experience before, we actually booked most of our stay in hotel or Airbnb. Would appreciate any advice for us. Big thank you!

 

[Lambeth Cali]

You could hire a California in Germany I guess. Family of 5(?) might be a squeeze. May need a small tent or awning aswell.

I can recommend this book
Cool Camping Europe: A Hand-Picked Selection of Campsites and Camping Experiences in Europe https://amzn.eu/d/idU7NTH
You’ll have lots of fun.

 

[Calieurope2023]

Hi Lambeth Cali, thanks for the recommendation. Yes, we will collect our van in Germany and drive south. I knew it will not be comfortable to fit 5. That’s why I also booked our stay. I guess we will only sleep inside for 1 or 2 nights to gain some experience. I am just a bit concerned if we can get used to driving a van although we did a lot of driving at home and in Europe before (but in a car not Campervan). Any advice where I can find detailed videos for new users (California beach)? Anything different from driving a car that I need to take note? Thank you and have a nice weekend ahead!

 

[WelshGas]

Hi Lambeth Cali, thanks for the recommendation. Yes, we will collect our van in Germany and drive south. I knew it will not be comfortable to fit 5. That’s why I also booked our stay. I guess we will only sleep inside for 1 or 2 nights to gain some experience. I am just a bit concerned if we can get used to driving a van although we did a lot of driving at home and in Europe before (but in a car not Campervan). Any advice where I can find detailed videos for new users (California beach)? Anything different from driving a car that I need to take note? Thank you and have a nice weekend ahead!

The 2 vehicles have similar length and width.
Height is the big difference.
Carparks under 2 m high, No No.
Carparks at 2 m Check
Carparks of 2.1 m or over No Problem.

Volkswagen California Dimensions 2020​

Height from
1990 mm

Width from
1904 mm

Length from
4904 mm

BMW X3 Dimensions 2022​

Height from
1667 mm

Width from
1891 mm

Length from
4708 mm

 

[Calieurope2023]

@WelshGas thanks for reminding me the height difference. I will pay attention to that. Luckily we plan to avoid cities most of time of our trip

 

[dspuk]

You will find the driving super easy - the Cali, especially the new one, just drives like a higher car. The interior is identical dash wise to our Tiguan. Five is a stretch though - especially three teenagers, even in a Beach. The norm would be to have a drive away awning, which clearly not really happening on a hire. A small 1 or 2 man tent could help, but some sites will charge extra. Of course you could all squeeze in, just be prepared for a very close and friendly night!

 

[Calieurope2023]

@dspuk great to hear that driving will not be difficult as I thought. Yes we will try a few nights at the beginning to see how it goes. Yes prepare for cosy close night haha

 

[sdes]

For 5 in a T5 (badly named), you will at the minimum need the accessory extra seat. Otherwise, there aren't enough seatbelts, so not even legal for 5 up.

Perhaps I've misunderstood, and you're just posting here for general guidance, but if planning a trip in a VW California, it's pretty rubbish for more than 4 people!

A friend of mine has one that he regularly travels in with his wife and three daughters, but then he is ex French Foreign Legion and is happy to sleep like a dog outside while his family sleep in the van at night. That's not for everyone!

 

[WelshGas]

For 5 in a T5 (badly named), you will at the minimum need the accessory extra seat. Otherwise, there aren't enough seatbelts, so not even legal for 5 up.

Perhaps I've misunderstood, and you're just posting here for general guidance, but if planning a trip in a VW California, it's pretty rubbish for more than 4 people!

A friend of mine has one that he regularly travels in with his wife and three daughters, but then he is ex French Foreign Legion and is happy to sleep like a dog outside while his family sleep in the van at night. That's not for everyone!

In Post 3 the OP states a California Beach, so as long as it is the Beach Tour they will be OK for seating, at least.

 

[WelshGas]

Hi Lambeth Cali, thanks for the recommendation. Yes, we will collect our van in Germany and drive south. I knew it will not be comfortable to fit 5. That’s why I also booked our stay. I guess we will only sleep inside for 1 or 2 nights to gain some experience. I am just a bit concerned if we can get used to driving a van although we did a lot of driving at home and in Europe before (but in a car not Campervan). Any advice where I can find detailed videos for new users (California beach)? Anything different from driving a car that I need to take note? Thank you and have a nice weekend ahead!

Is it the Beach Tour you are getting, or the Beach Camper?

The Tour seats 5 and has 2 sliding doors whereas the Beach Camper has a small Gas Stove and also 4 seats so you would need the additional seat and only 1 sliding door.

 

[Calieurope2023]

Hi I confirmed with the rental company we are taking a 5-seats beach camper (with a small foldable gas stove). We will most likely check in b&b anytime we find it suitable. Your guys are really helpful that I feel more confident about the trip

 

[Calieurope2023]

One more question for the road trip. Do you think 6-8hr driving in a day is too much? Of course with some rest stops in between. Our plan is like a long driving day to a new place followed by a few days activities around that area. Some days may involve 6-8hrs driving (incl rest time). If that’s considered too much, maybe we should set a stop in between.

 

[Lambeth Cali]

If you put ‘Vw California Beach’ into YouTube you will see lots of videos.

We have a VW Golf and the California and we always take the California for day trips. It’s more comfortable and nice to drive. Makes me feel like I’m on holiday.

If you drive an X3 you’ll have no problems. Yes you just need to be aware of height going into car parks and possibly under motorway toll barriers also.

 

[Amarillo]

In 2015 my wife and I started planning a year long European trip with two small boys (born December 2013 and April 2015), and our dog. Once we had settled on a California Beach, ordered a year later in March 2016, we decided that 80% of our nights would be in Airbnbs and 20% in the van. Our dog Meg whelped in June 2016, and we had already decided to keep a puppy. So we were now six: two adults, two toddlers and two dogs.

Our van was finally delivered on 1 March 2017, and we set off on our trip on 5 June 2017 with the boys aged 3;5 and 2;1. By this time our intention was to sleep in the van about 50% of nights.

We returned from our year away on 15 June 2018. We slept in the van 80% of nights and hotels, airbnbs or cabins 20% of nights - the opposite of our original plan.

In dry weather the California Beach is perfectly comfortable for a family. When it is wet and you are confined indoors for long periods it becomes very cramped.

The downstairs bed is big enough for three teenagers, upstairs big enough for two adults.

 

[Calieurope2023]

@Lambeth Cali I just did a search on YouTube and found a lot of useful videos there. Thanks!!
@Amarillo your experience is a good reference. I think we will do most of our nights in Airbnb. After gaining experience, we can plan more sleeps in van in our future trips. Appreciate your sharing

 

[sdes]

In Post 3 the OP states a California Beach, so as long as it is the Beach Tour they will be OK for seating, at least.

Good point, I hadn't read every post carefully enough. Well, seating will be OK then, sleeping will still be a bit rubbish I suspect!