The heart of your next vacation is the camper. Therefore, it's important to familiarize yourself with the vehicle and learn about its functions.
The Camper
The heart of your next vacation is the camper. Therefore, it's important to familiarize yourself with the vehicle and get to know the functions.
To get a feel for the bus, we recommend for camper newbies to try it out first. So rent the camper a few hours before you plan to start your vacation. This gives you enough time to get familiar with the width, the height and the driving experience. In addition, you can try out everything and do not start to desperately look for the lever for the wipers when you're on the highway.
Our team at the pick-up station will explain all the features to you and will be happy to accompany you on a short test drive.
Tip: Write down the height and width of the vehicle on a colored sticker and attach it visibly to the dashboard.
IMPORTANT: Talk to our team on site about the insurance details, the permitted payload and the available equipment and extras.
Route & Planning
As the saying goes, the joy is in the journey. This can be liberating and adventurou, but can quickly become uncomfortable if poorly planned.
Plan your route online and at the same time with the help of maps - yes, real maps! There are moments when the navigation system or smartphone fails and nothing helps better than using a real map.
Be sure to plan in stages. Depending on how many drivers you're travelling with and how much distance you want to cover in a day. You can, of course, use the highways to arrive at your destination as quickly as possible. However, for a ´romantic` and decelerated journey we recommend the country roads and federal highways. Another advantage: If you don't use the highways, you usually also save the toll.
Off Guide
Did you know we have our own travel guide? The Off Guide.
It creates individually planned routes for camping trips. These are tailored to your personal vacation ideas and include locations, campsites, activities and restaurants.
For a road trip without the stress of vacations planning.
P.S.: Your trip still remains flexible, because the Off Guide provides input without fixed bookings.
With children, the stages should be shorter and preferably completed in the early morning hours. This way, you'll have more time to enjoy your destination on the day of arrival and the children will get a good night's sleep on the way there. You will also save yourself a tiring drive during the midday and afternoon heat in summer.
Set daily destinations and research overnight accommodations at the targeted locations. For newcomers to camping, we strongly recommend that you choose campsites and supervised or well-lit sites. More about this in the next section.
Overnight stay & breaks
You should spend the first night on campsites and designated sites.
The advantages of campsites are as simple as they are convincing: if you forget something, you can usually help yourself in the store. In addition, many campsites are not far from towns or villages where you can get supplies. There are sanitary facilities and drying rooms, usually even household rooms with a washing machine and dryer. However, the key argument is safety.
So the fee that is charged at the campsites is an investment in a safe parking space. So you can explore the surroundings with peace of mind and leave the van behind with a clear conscience.
Tip: Again, you can plan ahead and make reservations for longer stays at a campground or pick out restaurants, picnic spots, surf spots, etc. for planned breaks. Familiarize yourself with the rules of the sites and campgrounds and keep your site clean. For those who want to camp as garbage-free as possible, we've got a few tips for you to keep your campsite clean. Zero Waste Camping.
Wild camping - pay attention to country regulations!
However, we do not want to spoil wild camping for you here. If you have found a place where you want to stay, make sure that you always park the bus locked. Stow your valuables safely in inconspicuous places or carry them with you. If you want to be on the safe side, you can get a mini-safe (available from 19 Euro) and a steering wheel lock (available from 25 Euro).
IMPORTANT! Inform yourself about the rules and conditions on site: Is wild camping allowed? If so, where and under what conditions? Are there burglary warnings for the region?
The last but crucial tip, not only for camper newbies: Check after every break and before every trip whether all doors and compartments are closed, whether everything is well and safely stowed and nothing is left in the room that can fly around during the trip.
Safe cargo = safe ride!
Pack appropriately
If you're wondering about the equipment in our campers and what you need to bring along, here is our Camping Packing List with the right equipment for a successful vacation in the camper.
Questions?
Feel free to contact us! You can reach us at any time by phone +49 (0) 8141 396 3000 or by e-mail via info@off-campers.com.
