From the track to the finish in Malibu: How to plan longer trips and stays
Summer is fast approaching and with it the main camping season. However, the question always arises as to what needs to be considered to ensure that the trip runs smoothly and that you come back from your holiday more relaxed than you were before you left. In the following article, we give you a few tips that you should consider, especially on long journeys/stops.
Take breaks:
When camping, the holiday usually starts as soon as you set off. This also includes the outward journey. The aim is to make them as attractive as possible. Consequently, this also includes nice breaks and short stops. These are not only good for the holiday feeling and relaxation of the driver, but also pleasant for all passengers or children to stretch their legs. After all, it is important to avoid long daily stages. This could be particularly dangerous without a driver change or when driving at night. However, if you have long daily stages ahead of you, it is also advisable to change drivers.
Vehicle check before departure:
For a smooth journey on holiday, we recommend a vehicle check before you set off. This not only saves stress, but also unnecessary costs that could arise, for example, from towing costs or spare parts.
Here are the most important test criteria:
- Tyres: The air pressure and the condition of the tyres should be checked.
- Oil and liquids: The oil level, wiper fluid, coolant or other fluids should be present in the appropriate quantities when you start driving.
- battery: The battery status should be checked here to avoid problems with the power supply.
- Brakes and lights: Before setting off, a check should be carried out to ensure that all headlights, tail lights and indicators are in working order.
- gas: Gas cylinders cannot simply be replaced or refilled everywhere. It is therefore important to have enough gas with you for your upcoming holiday, or a so-called “Euro filling set” or “Euro removal set”. This set contains everything you need to connect a pressure regulator to the gas cylinders commonly used in Europe.
Travelling with children:
Especially on longer journeys with children, the question often arises as to whether children are adequately secured and what the child seat regulations in motorhomes and campers actually are.
Here are a few rules:
In principle, the number of passengers must not exceed the number of seats with seat belts.
The same rules apply in leisure vehicles as in cars. As long as the child is younger than 12 years or smaller than 150 centimetres, you need a suitable child seat. They must sit in the seats for which the respective belt (three-point or two-point belt) is registered for the installation of the child seat.
Be prepared for anything:
When travelling for longer periods, it is particularly important to be prepared for many things, because motorhomes and camper vans are, after all, everyday objects. Sooner or later, something may break or break, which unfortunately cannot always be prevented. However, you can be well prepared by always having the right tools with you. However, only a small selection of screwdrivers, multi-tools etc., which should always be on board, is usually sufficient for this. What should not be missing, however, are cable ties or gaffa tape, which are real all-rounders for repairs.
