Buying your very first campervan can be stressful, especially when you have never purchased a campervan before and you’re bombarded with an excessive amount of information, it can be overwhelming for a first time campervan owner. If you are considering of buying your very first campervan, treat it as if you’re buying your first house or car, which is why a lot of consideration is needed when you buy your first campervan. If you really love camping but are not too keen on wet groundsheets and grass in your sleeping bag, why not adapt to a life in a camper, especially the more luxury campervan conversions with delightful beds with duvets. Taking your family is much more manageable in a campervan when you can fit some of the home comforts in, rather than being stuffed into a car. If you’re at the start of your campervan mission or you’re on the edge of buying into the van life, here are our top tips which will help start you off on what you need to know if you are a first time campervan owner.

Before purchasing a campervan…

Choosing the right campervan

When choosing the right campervan, there are various factors to take into account. To help you reach a final decision it is useful to create a checklist, including what you need and what you want, allowing you to compromise on what you want over what you need. Make sure you have a budget, it doesn’t have to be fixed and you can work around it. Additionally, it is vital to always reserve some funds to replace the things that will wear out such as tyres, brakes and the exhaust and to replace other things that may break or wear out such as the clutch, prop shaft and simple things such as door locks. You should choose a vehicle that is easy for you to drive, has enough storage space for all interior components and has enough capacity to fit your whole family in. You may think that having a smaller campervan is more affordable and ideal, yes it is affordable but if you have a family of 4, it offers the least amount of comfort when setting off for travels and a larger campervan has greater longevity in the long term.

Visit a Caravan and Motorhome show

Motorhome shows are great for shopping around for a first campervan, they have a range of models in one place, which makes it easy to compare each model. Caravan and Motorhome shows help you get an idea of the facilities campervans offer. Don’t forget to visit us at the Caravan and Motorhome show between 18-21 January 2018, at EventCity, Manchester. You will be able to find us in hall 3, stand 211.

Once you have purchased your first campervan…

Take a test drive

If you have never driven or parked a large van before, it’s important for you to become familiar with them because they are taller, wider and much heavier than you may have thought. Whether you’re buying a new or used campervan, take a test drive with your campervan, ideally on a mix of open and urban roads, it will make you feel more confident when driving with a campervan. Drive around in areas that are wide at first, and then later try to manoeuvre in challenging areas such as heavy traffic and items that are above your line of vision.

Test all facilities before setting off on a journey

Ensure that all the facilities inside the campervan (heating, water systems, and electrics) are operating normally. It takes a long time to learn how to prepare your home on the road, pack your campervan and make sure that all of its systems are working properly, but these are simple things all travellers need to do before travelling. You want to make sure that your engine, air conditioner, generator, brakes, refrigerator, washer and dryer, exterior and interior lights and other similar systems are working fine before you set off to travel.

Plan your route in advance

You should have a vague idea whether the roads you are taking are suitable or easy to ride your campervan on. Also, mark on your map where you could possibly stop overnight and which locations you intend to visit and think ahead of when you need to refill or empty your containers. Make sure you download the map of the area where you will be travelling on Google maps before you leave; in case you do not have an internet connection when travelling or your navigation system stops working. There are many digital apps which make your planning a lot easier such as Route Perfect. Route Perfect is a free interactive planning tool that allows you to plan your own European journey based on your personal travel preferences and budget. Remember to keep in mind of unexpected changes in your plan, you may come across a spectacular place that you wish to stay another night, or you may realise that you don’t actually need a full day to cover a particular location, so keep your plans as flexible as possible. That is the best thing about owning a campervan, you have full flexibility and freedom as to where you want to go and you can adjust your plans to the situation.

Campervan safety

If you’re parking up and leaving your van for any length of time, make sure it’s completely secure by locking the external lockers, make sure all the windows and doors are locked. Don’t leave any valuables such as your camera and mobile phone in your campervan put everything out of sight and you should think about your security even if you’re on a campsite too.

Have a spread out schedule

Don’t stretch yourself when it comes to covering various locations across the UK, trying to cover the entire country in two weeks isn’t going to be relaxing, therefore have a dispersed schedule. Have a plan B for every destination, your original destination might be full, roads may not be suitable for your campervan or the campsite may not meet your expectations.

Many people have grown up with campervan holidays being a childhood memory of their younger years, but increasingly more people have just discovered a world that they know little about, and are finding out that the world of ‘camper vanning’ opens up many more unique travelling opportunities on the road. With a campervan, you can explore the outdoors in the comfort of a mini home on the road.