Planning a 12 month European tour

[Amarillo]

Hullo Forum,

We are:
Tom
Clare
Ben - 2 1/4
Jack - 11 months
... planning a 12 month tour of Europe beginning in May 2017 - yes over a year to plan.

We want to do this before the boys begin school and the opportunity to travel like this becomes more difficult..

We are considering the 7 seat California Beach.

As we travel around Europe the campervan would be used for overnight, occasional or emergency accommodation, the rest of the time we hope to rent apartments. Perhaps 10-20% of the year would we sleep in the campervan. The reason we are considering the 7 seat version is so that when we are based in one place we can have friends or family fly out to stay with us and we still be able to drive on excursions together.

How practical is the VW Beach for this sort of purpose. And would it be a complete nightmare to convert 7 seats to a bed considering the large amount of luggage we are likely to have for a trip of this type?

If we have a roof box, does the box need to be removed before it is opened, or does the box just need to be emptied, or perhaps it doesn't matter?

What is the mattress over the folded down seats like to sleep on?

Thanks,
Tom and Clare

 

[Hotel California]

Hi and welcome ,
Sleeping with 4 in a Cali is hard but as it are two youngsters it would work better.
The hydrolic roof on a Ocean can take 50 kg if you want to open it , do not know exact for the manual Beach roof.
Do beware that if you stay under two meter ( nothing on the roof) you get to pay for a car in toll- roads , tunnels ,... So you may consider a towbar box or bikerack with a box on. Also easier to acces.
On matrasses there are many personal favors and all been written on the forum.
Plenty of time to work things out , first get yourself a Cali....

 

[WelshGas]

Hullo Forum,

We are:
Tom
Clare
Ben - 2 1/4
Jack - 11 months
... planning a 12 month tour of Europe beginning in May 2017 - yes over a year to plan.

We want to do this before the boys begin school and the opportunity to travel like this becomes more difficult..

We are considering the 7 seat California Beach.

As we travel around Europe the campervan would be used for overnight, occasional or emergency accommodation, the rest of the time we hope to rent apartments. Perhaps 10-20% of the year would we sleep in the campervan. The reason we are considering the 7 seat version is so that when we are based in one place we can have friends or family fly out to stay with us and we still be able to drive on excursions together.

How practical is the VW Beach for this sort of purpose. And would it be a complete nightmare to convert 7 seats to a bed considering the large amount of luggage we are likely to have for a trip of this type?

If we have a roof box, does the box need to be removed before it is opened, or does the box just need to be emptied, or perhaps it doesn't matter?

What is the mattress over the folded down seats like to sleep on?

Thanks,
Tom and Clare

The Beach is probably the only vehicle that would fulfill your requirements without moving upto a full on Motorhome and there are very few Motorhomes that can seat 7.
I would seriously consider a Towbar storage box. Easily packed and removed if required. Choose the right one and access via the tailgate is still possible. No additional height restriction.
You'll have to check on this, as I have no personal experience, but I believe you can still put the lower bed out with the 2 additional seats in place. They can be removed but are very substantial and heavy, but safe for the occupant.
I would also recommend getting a vehicle with the Diesel Parking Heater as it transforms the vehicles capabilities and will certainly boost resale values.
If you are going for a new build vehicle then don't leave it too late for ordering.
Have fun planning your trip.

 

[Amarillo]

The Beach is probably the only vehicle that would fulfill your requirements without moving upto a full on Motorhome and there are very few Motorhomes that can seat 7.
I would seriously consider a Towbar storage box. Easily packed and removed if required. Choose the right one and access via the tailgate is still possible. No additional height restriction.
You'll have to check on this, as I have no personal experience, but I believe you can still put the lower bed out with the 2 additional seats in place. They can be removed but are very substantial and heavy, but safe for the occupant.
I would also recommend getting a vehicle with the Diesel Parking Heater as it transforms the vehicles capabilities and will certainly boost resale values.
If you are going for a new build vehicle then don't leave it too late for ordering.
Have fun planning your trip.

We were hoping to take our tandem and burley cycle trailer for whole_family_on_one_bike experiences, and the only place our tandem can go is on the roof next to our 3/4 width roof box as it is 2.5m long. Even with the wheels removed it would be marginally wider than the California.

The main choices we have are: 1. a tent, 2. a caravan, 3. a beach. We certainly don't want a motorhome because of the problems parking, and its use is pretty much limited to that of a motorhome. The thing that attracts me to the beach is its chameleon-like ability to transform itself from a family car into a van, into a tent, and then back to a family car.

The parking heater, as you say, would be important.

I can see the attraction with a tow bar mounted luggage box, less drag, and less height, and we may well go down that route if we go for the beach. But it is good to know that the roof can be popped open with a load of up to 50 Kg.

Tom

 

[WelshGas]

We were hoping to take our tandem and burley cycle trailer for whole_family_on_one_bike experiences, and the only place our tandem can go is on the roof next to our 3/4 width roof box as it is 2.5m long. Even with the wheels removed it would be marginally wider than the California.

The main choices we have are: 1. a tent, 2. a caravan, 3. a beach. We certainly don't want a motorhome because of the problems parking, and its use is pretty much limited to that of a motorhome. The thing that attracts me to the beach is its chameleon-like ability to transform itself from a family car into a van, into a tent, and then back to a family car.

The parking heater, as you say, would be important.

I can see the attraction with a tow bar mounted luggage box, less drag, and less height, and we may well go down that route if we go for the beach. But it is good to know that the roof can be popped open with a load of up to 50 Kg.

Tom

The 50kgm roof limit that HC mentioned was on the Ocean, a full camper, with a hydraulic roof system. I don't know what the limit is for the Beach as it has a hand operated manual system.
You'll need a ladder or steps to put stuff on the roof.

 

[snowy55]

We were hoping to take our tandem and burley cycle trailer for whole_family_on_one_bike experiences, and the only place our tandem can go is on the roof next to our 3/4 width roof box as it is 2.5m long. Even with the wheels removed it would be marginally wider than the California.

You will need to pack a ladder to reach this lot.

 

[WelshGas]

We were hoping to take our tandem and burley cycle trailer for whole_family_on_one_bike experiences, and the only place our tandem can go is on the roof next to our 3/4 width roof box as it is 2.5m long. Even with the wheels removed it would be marginally wider than the California.

The main choices we have are: 1. a tent, 2. a caravan, 3. a beach. We certainly don't want a motorhome because of the problems parking, and its use is pretty much limited to that of a motorhome. The thing that attracts me to the beach is its chameleon-like ability to transform itself from a family car into a van, into a tent, and then back to a family car.

The parking heater, as you say, would be important.

I can see the attraction with a tow bar mounted luggage box, less drag, and less height, and we may well go down that route if we go for the beach. But it is good to know that the roof can be popped open with a load of up to 50 Kg.

Tom

Have you considered a trailer to carry everything and keep the roof clear?

 

[snowy55]

The 50kgm roof limit that HC mentioned was on the Ocean, a full camper, with a hydraulic roof system. I don't know what the limit is for the Beach as it has a hand operated manual system.
You'll need a ladder or steps to put stuff on the roof.

I have been playing with a Beach roof today and no way was I pulling down against 50 kg gas struts.
So as WG mentions above the 50kg limit is for the SE/Ocean hydraulic operated roof, unless anyone on here has a Beach with a roof box who could confirm.

 

[Amarillo]

I have been playing with a Beach roof today and no way was I pulling down against 50 kg gas struts.
So as WG mentions above the 50kg limit is for the SE/Ocean hydraulic operated roof, unless anyone on here has a Beach with a roof box who could confirm.

I had expected to, at least, have to unload a roof box and remove the tandem. I didn't realise that steps would be needed, I'd hoped to reach standing on the door sill, but, of course, the beach has a rear door on one side only, and with a tandem one side and roof box the other side, that could only be a help one side only.

The other option is to take two solo bikes, one with a child seat and the other with a tag-a-long.

As for the idea from 'WelshGas' of a trailer, if that were the best option, I think that we would go down the cheaper route of using our current car, and buy a caravan. The big downside of trailers and caravans is parking.

 

[Amarillo]

Hullo Forum,

We are:
Tom
Clare
Ben - 2 1/4
Jack - 11 months
... planning a 12 month tour of Europe beginning in May 2017 - yes over a year to plan.

We want to do this before the boys begin school and the opportunity to travel like this becomes more difficult..

We are considering the 7 seat California Beach.

As we travel around Europe the campervan would be used for overnight, occasional or emergency accommodation, the rest of the time we hope to rent apartments. Perhaps 10-20% of the year would we sleep in the campervan. The reason we are considering the 7 seat version is so that when we are based in one place we can have friends or family fly out to stay with us and we still be able to drive on excursions together.

How practical is the VW Beach for this sort of purpose. And would it be a complete nightmare to convert 7 seats to a bed considering the large amount of luggage we are likely to have for a trip of this type?

If we have a roof box, does the box need to be removed before it is opened, or does the box just need to be emptied, or perhaps it doesn't matter?

What is the mattress over the folded down seats like to sleep on?

Thanks,
Tom and Clare

Two years ago today we posted our first ever message to this forum.

A year later our van was delivered, and two years later we are nearly nine months into our European tour, having visited France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Luxembourg, Spain, Portugal, Andorra, Monaco, Italy, San Marino, Vatican City (on foot) and now Greece.

We have managed without a roof box, trailer or external luggage (except bikes), and we left our tandem at home.

We left the two additional seats behind.

Instead of sleeping in the campervan 10-20% of the year, we’ve slept in it 80-90% of the year, in part due to the post-Brexit vote depreciation in the value of the pound, and in part because we are saving for a loft extension for when we return home.

We are delighted with our choice of a California Beach, and expect to keep it as our family car for 10+ years.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Hotel California]

Your Cali had been used from day one where it's disigned for !
Most sit on a drive or garage most of the time (including mine) .
Then again not everyone can take that long of from work ect...
As for myself , i personal don't think i could leave my house behind for that long , personal choice offcoarse.

Keep the reports of your adventures comming.

Big thumbs up for you guys!