Easy-going Family Road Trip

Practical tips on traveling with children of different age

Traveling with a motorhome offers you the key to freedom for an easy and convenient holiday all year round, regardless of the weather conditions. You can easily bring along all the necessary items and customize your day as you wish. In this blog, we will share some tips for a family-friendly camper road trip with toddlers, school-aged children, or teenagers.

Photo by Jenni Kollani

1. Choose the Right Motorhome 

The first step is to select a camper that suits your needs best.

If you are traveling with one toddler, our VAN provides the most compact accommodation option. For a road trip that requires a bit more living space, we recommend choosing a SMALL category vehicle.

Families with school-aged children often choose a MEDIUM category vehicle (accommodates up to 4 people without an upper bed) or a spacious FAMILY category vehicle (accommodates up to 5 people with a bunk bed at the back). The latter option is practical for parents or grandparents to relax and enjoy adult-only time in a separate living area while the children sleep or take a nap.

Remember to book a child seat or booster online for a child under 135cm or 36kg if you are not bringing one with you. 

Younger school kids love this motorhome lifestyle, including the driving part. They feel the adventure starting immediately from the first driving meters. These moments spent together without the usual distractions of work, TV, and mobile phones create long-lasting memories.

If you are traveling with a teenager or two, we recommend choosing a LARGE category vehicle to provide enough space for everyone. We understand that teenagers may not be thrilled about traveling with their parents, but we encourage you to take your family on a road trip, even if it's just for a short time. It will bring you closer together as you spend quality time with one another. Even if teenagers may not currently value holiday experiences as highly, they will appreciate it more as they grow older. The genuine quality time, down-to-earth sustainable adventures, and the sense of well-being and togetherness during a camper holiday will create lasting memories. So don't hesitate to book a road trip with your youngsters, even if it's just for a weekend.

For more details on our motorhome categories, please visit our separate vehicle categories sub-page. 

During the online booking process, you can add specific interior layout preferences to the notes section. We always strive to fulfill our customers' requests. However, please note that due to ongoing changes and unforeseen circumstances in our fleet management, we cannot fully guarantee a specific vehicle model. Additionally, we reserve the right to upgrade your booking to a higher-class vehicle without any additional cost if there is a sudden unexpected change in our supply.

Photo by Josh Willink

2. Enhance Your Experience with Additional Services

After selecting a vehicle in our booking engine, you should choose additional services and items to customize your holiday. We have listed standard items and services, including our rental prices, in the Rate Inclusive section. For your convenience, we recommend selecting at least the Inventer to charge small electronic devices, but also the Essential Plus package. It includes the replacement of one gas bottle, one bottle of toilet chemicals, registration of an additional driver in the rental agreement, and final cleaning. Additionally, bed linen sets are charged per person. If you are planning a long road trip, we suggest adding extra bed linen sets to have replacement towels and bedding covers.

To fully enjoy the outdoor lifestyle at least during the summer season, we recommend selecting a Best of Summer package from the list of additional items in the booking engine. This package includes a camping set (table with chairs), a barbecue set (coal grill with accessories), and an electronic mosquito-repellent device. Although our vehicles come with a coffee filter, if you're a true coffee lover, we also suggest choosing an electric coffee filter machine from our additional items list.

When you travel off-season, our personnel will automatically equip your vehicle with the necessary winter gear when it is needed. They will also share practical tips on what to consider with a motorhome in chilly weather but also when driving in strong winds or rain. For more specific tips on traveling off-season, please refer to our earlier blog.

All our rental prices include compulsory third-party insurance with a basic deductible level. If you want to reduce the amount you need to contribute (your excess up to 2800EUR) in case of an accident or vehicle damage, you can choose from two different deductible reduction options in our TC service range (TC Plus or TC Premium). Alternatively, for specific nationalities, we offer a wider insurance option in partnership with Riverside. Additionally, we highly recommend opting for an additional protection service for tires and windshields, especially when you're traveling in Iceland. If you're unable to select the broader External insurance by Riverside, we strongly suggest choosing separate excess protection alongside TC deductibles. 

As life and health situations can change quickly, or other unexpected circumstances might prevent you from starting your holiday, we offer an option to purchase cancellation protection. This additional service allows you to cancel your booking without any specific reason up to 48 hours before departure.

For more specific tips on booking and renting, please refer to our separate sub-page.

Photo by Jenni Kollani

3. Essential Packing List

You'll be surprised by how little clothing you need for a road trip. Pack the necessary items for your children, such as clothing suitable for different weather conditions, medications, and entertainment options like books, games, toys, and electronics to keep them occupied during travel and on rainy or stormy days.

To fully enjoy outdoor activities in all weather conditions, remember to pack sturdy shoes, a backpack for snacks and water, as well as windproof and waterproof outerwear with some warmer layers, even in the summertime. If you're heading to the Nordic mountains, the climate can change suddenly, and the sea breeze can feel chilly on the skin. Additionally, in the summertime long sleeves offer protection against mosquito bites in the forest.

However, avoid over packing as you can easily wash your clothes using the washing machines available at most camping sites.

If you plan to bring pushchairs or bikes for your children, air-filled sub-boards for your teenagers, several sets of golf bags, or a lot of winter gear and skis, don't worry. They can be easily stored in the large storage compartment at the back of the vehicle. If you plan to bring bikes for adults and/or teenagers, please mark down your wishes to the notes element while sending your online booking and call a rental station just before your arrival to get a confirmation whether they have the correct camper available for you which is equipped with bike racks. However, we always recommend on renting mountain bikes or e-bikes from a local service provider to get the best ride for all family members.

3. Plan Your Route with Children and Maintain Flexibility

Motorhoming allows you to fulfill everyone's wishes and change plans easily. You can explore different places, engage in various activities, and have meals and accommodations on your terms. Therefore, involve your children already in the holiday planning process to engage them better for a new adventure. 

Traveling with children in a motorhome will create memorable and exciting experiences for the entire family. Did you know that you can choose and agree a vehicle pick-up and drop-off times with the rental station that suits your daily routine, especially when traveling with small children? 

Our professional staff will provide thorough guidance on using the vehicle and driving. The orientation process may take up to 2 hours before you're ready to hit the road. We want to ensure you feel comfortable and safe with your rental vehicle, so this process shouldn't be rushed or underestimated. All our rental stations are equipped with play areas for children. However, remember to bring your children's favorite toys to keep them occupied during the orientation at the rental station. We will also guide you to the nearest services, such as grocery stores when you leave our building to get a smooth start for your holiday.

Your adventure starts from the first few meters of driving. Make sure all passengers are buckled up, and cabin doors are closed before you start driving. When traveling with small children, maintaining basic routines and shorter driving periods will make your day smoother. Fortunately, with a motorhome, it's so easy to manage. A camper provides the ultimate freedom to stop at various sites, beaches, animal parks, attractions, shops, and wildlife areas, or simply dine and stay wherever necessary.

There are numerous applications available to help you plan a holiday. For example, the Park4Night application allows you to easily find parking places and camping sites near you free of charge. If you're looking for specific services, such as places to empty your cassette toilet, change a gas bottle, and locate playing grounds, hiking trails, and excellent spots in nature, you can access these services with a small additional fee on the app. Currently, the cost is appr. 2.49€/month or 9.99€/year to gain full access to the services.

See our range of blog articles and suggestions on the country page, where you can find more travel inspirations and route suggestions. Follow also fellow camper travelers' tips on social media with keywords of #touringcarsholiday, #keytofreedom, #notjustahotelroom, and #goodfeelings.

Photo by Rodnae Productions

4. Camping Sites with Services and Social Connections

Several website services can assist you in choosing a suitable camping site along your road trip. Many tourism organization services provide comprehensive search lists of services. Additionally, we recommend using the complimentary www.eurocampings.co.uk service from ACSI to compare and book campsites. They also offer more specialized services through their application, which currently costs only 1.99€/month. With their services, you can easily check if a camping site provides amenities such as a playing area (games room or play park), beach or swimming pool, outdoor activities, or a laundry room for washing your clothing. It also provides a list of available off-season camping sites. 

Feel free to make use of all the services available at the campsite. Most sites have a practical maintenance building with a spacious kitchen area for cooking and washing dishes. Showers are usually accompanied by a sauna as a complimentary service, especially in the Nordic regions. Designated campfire spots within the camping area allow you to gather in the evenings, grill, and socialize with fellow campers. Take the opportunity to relax and enjoy yourself like the locals.

During the summer season, remember to utilize the equipment provided as standard in our motorhomes. You can easily get a shaded area outside with a marquee, equipped in all our vehicles. If you have booked the "Best of Summer" package as an additional service, it will expand your comfortable living area outside and enable outdoor cooking. 

In the Nordic regions, you may experience nights without darkness in the summertime, as the sun does not fall below the horizon throughout the day. Despite the constant brightness, we assure you and your children will have the best possible sleep or nap during your holiday with us. All our modern vehicles have excellent beds and are equipped with block-out window blinds. Additionally, campers come with mosquito net elements for windows and doors as a standard feature. By choosing the "Best of Summer" package, you will also receive an additional electronic mosquito repellent device to keep mosquitoes away while spending time outside.

When you travel off-season, you can experience the opposite phenomenon of Lapland's midnight brightness in summer. This is called Polar Night. The longest darkness period can be experienced in the Northernmost part of Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Iceland where the sun will remain below the horizon already from the end of November, and the sun will rise again after 52 days. This soft 24/7 darkness constitutes one element of experiencing a magical winter wonderland and natural relaxation, possible naturally only in the Nordic countries. During this dark period, you can witness another natural wonder, the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) starting in September. For more specific data on those magical dancing waves in the sky, please refer to our earlier blog.

Photo by Dan Burton

5. The Road is Yours

Before leaving a camping site to move to another location, remember to empty the cassette toilet and grey water system. If you plan to stay at a different campsite the following night, we recommend carrying only the necessary amount of fresh water for your day's needs during your drive. Driving with less weight in the vehicle contributes to sustainability.

However, you can easily spend a night or two in a camper without requiring full camping services or available infrastructure. During your vehicle pick-up orientation, our professional staff will provide you with off-grid camping tips. Additionally, we recommend reading our previous articles on Off-season traveling as well as Everyman's Rights and Outdoor Etiquette, where you'll find useful links to becoming a responsible traveler in your destination. 

Furthermore, we want to remind you that you can find practical guideline videos on our YouTube channel, and our staff is available 24/7 via WhatsApp message or phone call throughout your journey, should you have any technical questions. We strive to make your motorhome holiday as smooth as possible.

Whether you're planning a weekend getaway or a longer holiday, do not hesitate to book an adventurous homelike motorhome holiday and experience the Nordic countries, the Baltics, or the United Kingdom from a new perspective while enjoying the simple joys of life with your children.

Have Fun, Relax, and Enjoy a Good Feelings Holiday with us

Whether you need any additional guidance on booking your motorhome holiday in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Estonia, or England, please contact our international sales office (service in English) by phone, email, or online chat. 

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MOTORHOME RENTAL IN EUROPE

Touring Cars International Sales Office

tel. +358 9 849 4050     info@touringcars.eu 

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