The idea of the ‘staycation’ has surged in popularity going into 2022, as recent restrictions to travel and an increased cost of living have inspired people to seek fun on home turf.
The Essentials
Before you get too excited about the finer details of your campervan trip, you should ensure you have all of your ducks in a row with regard to essentials. Make sure your insurance plan covers driving a campervan, and the risks included in your trip. Ensure you have your insurance papers to hand, as well as your driver’s license and any user manuals attached to your mode of transport. You should also think about other glovebox essentials, such as your passport and any travel spends you may collect.
Kitchen Essentials
One of the major appeals of taking a holiday trip using a campervan is the modern convenience of being able to cook for yourself with relative ease. As such, you should stock up your kitchen as well as you can, in order to ensure you and your travel companions can cook and eat comfortably at any point on your trip. You will need a frying pan, at least one saucepan, knives, chopping boards, cutlery and crockery. Bring a kettle for ease of tea-making, and make sure you draw up a comprehensive shopping list so you can stock your kitchen on the move.
Safety and Emergency Items
As much fun as you can have on a campervan trip, there is also an element of risk to the undertaking, from breakdown-related strandings to collisions on the road. Preparing for emergency situations can help you reduce anxiety about the trip, as well as make sure you’re comfortable and covered while waiting for assistance. A first aid kit is a must, for general accidents and injuries; you should also invest in disinfectant for general camper van safety, including on kitchen and bathroom surfaces. Generators can be super useful for charging phones or a flat camper van battery in the event of a breakdown, while torches allow you to carry out maintenance at night if you get caught short after dark.
Electronics
Just because you’ll be camping out doesn’t mean you need to take yourself completely off-grid. Indeed, electronics and smart devices can definitely be useful during your trip, not just for entertainment purposes but also for safety reasons. A rechargeable speaker system can keep the tunes going without draining your van’s battery, especially if you bring a battery power-bank. A separate GPS system is a great failsafe for keeping track of your journey if the worst happens to your phone, and an emergency burner phone can make sure you’re covered completely.
