Camping with children is a very special adventure: spending the whole day in nature, playing outside and easily travel to wherever the weather is nice. However, there are also a few things to keep in mind. Here, we'll tell you what's important!
Road trip to the French Atlantic coast
For our parental leave campertrip, we chose the French Atlantic coast as travel route. We started in June just before it gets too busy. We had about 3 weeks for our trip which seemed long enough starting from Hamburg. It was not our first trip in a camper, before Covid we spent several weeks in New Zealand with our first daughter. wealso wanted to travel as a family with our second child and go to different places without any appointments and obligations.
Family vacation in a camper
Camping holidays allow for great flexibility which is very important to us as a family. Long stops and a change of plans here and there are not an issue. We are in control over where we go and how/when we want to get there which of course makes travelling with children much more relaxed. When it came to choosing a campervan, we decided on the Volkswagen Grand California 600 at Off because we liked the generous space, the comfortable equipment, the large bed and the additional loft bed. The size of the camper makes it possible to fit everything in, your luggage and even a pram. That's why it's also called the "tiny house".
Tips for long car journeys
Driving for long periods of time can be boring for children. To make it less tiring for everyone involved we tried to travel during naptime or in the evening hours. Therefore, we could drive for 2-3 hours straight. It was easy to anchor the child seats in the Isofix on the back seat. Since you can also book a lot of equipment with Off we rented a more comfortable child seat for our trip. We also distracted the kids with snacks, books and songs during our trip and took long breaks.
Most of France's motorways are toll roads. The toll is charged per kilometre driven and paid at the access barriers either in cash or by credit card. We got a toll box from Bip&go in advance so that we could pass through Télépéage lanes (almost) without breaks. The payment was conveniently made via direct debit. Oh, and please don't fill up at the overpriced motorway petrol stations. You can fill up cheaply at Hypermachés like Carrefour or Auchan where you can usually save 10-15 cents per litre and they are located on the outskirts of larger cities.
Looking for a pitch at the campsite
In the off-season it was never a problem for us to get a pitch at a campsite even though we hadn't booked anywhere. In the peak season, however, you should make a reservation as French people like to spend their holidays in their own country.
France has a lot to offer in terms of family-friendly campsites. The choice of sites is immense and there's something for every family. You can find campsites on farms, vineyards or even 5-star campsites with a pool and entertainment for the kids. Some towns and municipalities also offer pitches free of charge or for a small fee (camping municipal). The pitches are limited to the bare essentials but are perfectly suitable if you just travel through. The best thing is having the freedom to simply move on to the next site if you don't like the first one. On our trip we stayed at one or two free and safe parking spaces which we picked out during the trip using the Park4Night app.
When choosing campsites it was important to us that they would be family-friendly. The campsite should be spacious, surrounded by nature and offer child-friendly activities (e.g. pool, playground). We can highly recommend the campsites Les Grands Pins (Lacanau-Ocean), Lous Seurrots (Contis) and Panorama du Pyla (Dune du Pilat) for families. All pitches are close to the ocean and are located in pine forests. Some of the sites also offer direct access to the beach.
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.
After arrival, we always made ourselves comfortable. First we extended the awning on the Grand Cali and put out the table and chairs. We took a high chair for the little one which we could easily store in the large boot of the Grand Californias next to the beloved balance bike and scooter. We also recommend to take a large, soft and ideally insulated crawling mat so that the kids can play on the floor.
If you're on the road with children the right toys should of course also be on your packing list. The beloved sand toys and Duplo shouldn't be missing either. When camping you need all kinds of bits and pieces and all these things need to be stored sensibly. We can highly recommend stacking boxes (e.g. the ones from IKEA). Not only are they great to put away your stuff but they also help to store things safely during the trip. Every camper has different requirements as to what should be on the packing list. For travelling with two small children utensils such as a sunshade or tent, UV clothing, a small inflatable paddling pool, the potty and toys were important to us.
During camping you always deal with limited space and storage therefore you should limit yourself to the essentials. After all, the best thing for the family is to go on excursions, go swimming and spend time together in nature. Family time is the best time. Experience adventures, take lots of pictures and have a great time away from home.
