Travel information - packing

Index

Packing for campervan life

Packing for three weeks in a rented campervan is different than packing to stay at an Airbnb or hotel. Always in the back of my mind is – will I be okay if this is stolen? (See our first trip to Europe in a campervan, when we got broken into….twice). Now when I pack for our campervan trips, I only bring items and clothes that are easily replaceable or not as sentimental (like my favorite t-shirts).

We will be traveling around five countries, and only staying in campsites a couple of times. Laundry is typically available when staying at a campsite. When you are following the Tour de France, it is a bit harder to find on the road, and also finding the time involved in doing laundry. I try to tentatively put down the days I can do laundry, so I have an idea of how much clothing to bring.

Why bring from home?

Everything that I bring from home we could also buy in Europe once we get there. But, if you have ever been to a store in a different country, you know how overwhelming it can be at first. Everything is in a different language, you are mentally trying to figure out how much it costs in dollars, and you just feel out of sorts from traveling. By bringing this stuff from home, it is one less thing that I have to get (and find) when we arrive. Also, much of the ‘extra’ stuff I bring I just leave there, so it gives me extra space in my luggage on the way home.

This year will be our third time renting from Anywhere Campers. One of the benefits of renting from them is everything is included. Bedding, towels, kitchen supplies (pots, dishes, glasses), outside chairs and tables. What I bring extra is more of a convenience for me and how I like to try to stay organized.

What do I bring?

Bath towels are included in our rental. I like to bring a bath rug (we use the shower daily) and hand towels for the bathroom. These are just old ones we have from home. I like to use them to wrap up our wine bottles on the flight home. I also bring a couple of the Turkish beach towels. They can be used for beach towels or light blankets to wrap up in at night.

Our miscellaneous bag for the camper van includes:

~ Hanging clothes line (this can be set up either outside or inside the campervan)

~ Bug spray and cintronella candle

~ Clips

~ Laundry detergent and laundry bag

~ Zip ties (we haven’t brought them before, but I think they might come in useful)

I bring a couple of extra baby hangers from home (that I leave there). They are small and hang up my sundresses perfectly. I also like to bring extra kitchen towels, disinfecting wipes and hand soap for the sinks. I bring two – for the bathroom and kitchen. I have also found ice packs are handy, especially when it is really hot out and the fan you brought gets stolen.

Medicine bag

Usually if we need anything from this bag, we need it then, not after we find a pharmacy. Also, many times we are nowhere near a pharmacy while we are traveling throughout Europe. I keep whatever we might need, and it gives me peace of mind. New this year is an ace bandage and an ankle wrap. I sprained my ankle last year and had to wait about a week until we were someplace where I could buy a brace.

Campervan supplies

Gloves – We bring gloves to use when Sam empties the cassette toilet. Funny story – we ran out of gloves our first year and bought more at a store in Switzerland. Surprisingly, neither of us could get the gloves to open!

Duct tape – Duct tape is in the tool box provided by Anywhere Campers, but I think it is always good to have extra. We had to use this last year to hold up the lid for the stove, which kept falling down when we used it.

Extra footwear

Hiking shoes – This year we are planning on several days of hiking in the mountains.

Water shoes – We will be staying along the Dordogne River and want to go wading.

Tour de France

We are bringing a few items from the past Tour de France races we’ve been to.

~ We have four flags (that were extra). We hope we’ll get more flags this year, but just in case we have these. And again, I’m only bringing our extra ones in case we are incredibly unlucky and get robbed again.

~ Our ‘ici’ sheet that we made to catch all the goodies from the caravan as it comes through.

~ Nolan’s fishing net that he uses to catch the swag from the caravan.

~ Extra hats we have that we will hang up on twine as campervan decoration.

Convenience things for Nolan

We are renting a different type of campervan this year, and I am not sure what storage will be available. I went to our dollar store and bought little fabric bins that Nolan can put his clothes in and leave in his bed. That way he can access his stuff without climbing on our bed in the back.

While we are driving, the blue tray is for him to put things in so they don’t slide all around the table (colored pencils, etc). We don’t do electronics while we are there. It is truly such a nice break where he isn’t asking to watch a show or play a game on our phones.

Monster trucks and motorcycles for him to play with.

We are bringing sidewalk chalk to decorate the pavement for the Tour de France riders.

And that’s it. I am one that is always overly prepared, and I like to have everything I might possibly need.

Is there anything on my list that you find crazy? Or that I missed and should put on my list for next year? Contact me here!