Family travel advice (1 Viewer)

jeni

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May 18, 2014
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Hi everyone,
Firstly I'm new on here so a big hello, I'm also completely new to motor homing!

My OH and I decided to take a career break and travel around Europe with our three year old before he gets to school age. We planned to leave April/May and go for 6-8 mths.
Things have recently changed as we are expecting another baby due Jan but we have decided to go anyway, our family thinks we're crazy! Lol

We have looked at a number of MH at dealers to get a feel for size layout etc.
Our main dilema is managing manouverability of the van verses enough space for us to stay in comfortably plus sleeping arrangements.

Has anyone travelled on here with children so young? I'm concerned about sleeping arrangements for them both and travel with car seats. We want them safe and would like to be able to chill comfortably when they're asleep.

We've looked at rear lounges but I'm worried about the three year old sleeping in the overhead as its so high. Would a bunk bed model be better so we can use the lower bunk?
Are new models better than those say 3-4 years old?

Our budget could go £50-60k but I'm wary of spending so much if I'm not in love/it doesn't suit our needs!

sorry if I've waffled on I haven't even set a tour route yet! Jeeze lol

Any advice hugely appreciated!
 
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irnbru

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Jun 27, 2013
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Welcome to fun Jeni. I think all the overhead bunks can have a protector ghingy that goes across the edge of the bunk to stop your kids falling out. We had one on our last MH and it was tucked away under the matress.

Some of the more experienced folk will be along shortly:Smile:
 
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Sep 8, 2010
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Hi and :welcome: Jeni cannot help to much with small family members all mine have flown the nest but have had grand kids youngest five slept up front with safety net on no problem:thumb:

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Clive

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My eldest when he was about 3 managed to get over the net in his sleep, didn't even wake up, just picked him up and put him back. Must have done him good as he never did it again. My youngest first went out at 3 weeks. We used to put the table down and put up a small travel cot up for him:thumb:
 
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scotjimland

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Jul 25, 2007
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Hi everyone,
Firstly I'm new on here so a big hello, I'm also completely new to motor homing!

My OH and I decided to take a career break and travel around Europe with our three year old before he gets to school age. We planned to leave April/May and go for 6-8 mths.
Things have recently changed as we are expecting another baby due Jan but we have decided to go anyway, our family thinks we're crazy! Lol

We have looked at a number of MH at dealers to get a feel for size layout etc.
[HI]Our main dilema is managing manouverability of the van verses enough space for us to stay in comfortably plus sleeping arrangements.[/HI]

[HI]Has anyone travelled on here with children so young? I'm concerned about sleeping arrangements for them both and travel with car seats. We want them safe and would like to be able to chill comfortably when they're asleep.[/HI]

We've looked at rear lounges but I'm worried about the three year old sleeping in the overhead as its so high. Would a bunk bed model be better so we can use the lower bunk?
Are new models better than those say 3-4 years old?

Our budget could go £50-60k but I'm wary of spending so much if I'm not in love/it doesn't suit our needs!

sorry if I've waffled on I haven't even set a tour route yet! Jeeze lol

Any advice hugely appreciated!

We have been traveling with our children since the day they were born.. not always motorhomes, we have used tents, and caravans.. makes no difference.. kids love camping

As for size of van.. the eternal conundrum.. the bigger you go , the less maneuverable they become.. everyone loves space .. but to enjoy it you limit where you can go.

The last big trip we did lasted 3 years .. in a 36ft USRV.. Charlotte ( in the picture ) was 6 when we left.. we toured France, Spain, Portugal and Morocco.

Our next van will be a panel van conversion .. or PVC, the RV was an amazing vehicle to live in but too restrictive to go exploring and many sites , especially abroad, were simple too small for it.

The PVC we are looking at is the Globecar Family L , will give us plenty of space and at 6.5mt able to go anywhere a car can.. it has 4 belted seats and can comfortably sleep 4.. it is well within your budget.. it has a rear fixed bed, one single at the front and can also have two in the roof space if ordered with the elevating roof ..

We are only three now , the boys have flown the nest, married with children.. so plenty big for us..

We've had several coachbuilts with a luton bed ( called alcove bed abroad) and they are perfectly safe as they have a safety net across the front.. and they give the kid a great place to escape to during the day in bad weather.

When looking at vans, one of the most important factors is the PAYLOAD.. this is important when travelling for several months and with a child.. you can never have enough capacity.. many new vans have very poor payload. check it carefully ..



Picture 1 at a CL in Pembrokeshire 2001 .. Charlotte is about 10 months old...
the other two are in Morocco during our trip, Jan 2007
 

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Apr 27, 2008
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When my eldest was 2-3 i made a cot rail that fitted the short arm of
an L shaped settee. The rail was hinged so that it could fold flat. The cot sides covered the two open sides. Not easy to describe, probably easier to make.

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jeni

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May 18, 2014
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im a newbie!
thank you everyone! you have been really helpful?
is there a particular model/make that is better for families?

Also hadn't thought of payload what would a good one be for what we nerf? ie an. optimum one to aim for? thanks!
 
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cruiser

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hi and welcome to the house of fun.we still have a travel cot that we used for our grandkids.they work fine.

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sedge

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Jul 7, 2009
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Hiya

I wouldn't know what payload you would need, best get on the bathroom scales with your buggy and any other baby essentials you'll want to take with you - eg all the clothes you will already have when No2 starts to grow into them. Trikes etc, you know - essentials !

And then all your own stuff, plus Motorhoming essentials such as hosepipes, levelling ramps, EHU leads and the like. Shoes aren't heavy particularly, but they do tend to take up more room than you may have available.

Bedding too - with an overcab (luton, alcove, whatever) you could sleep up there and put all the bedding from kids beds there during the day before folding it away if they are on beds you need to make up each night.

Travel cots do tend to take up quite a lot of floor space so you need to consider this too when buying your van, but some double up by removing the bottom where the mattress goes, as a playpen so as baby gets older you can happily plonk him in it outside with suitable toys. Do get a suitable piece of 'flyscreen' material for the top of it though. They may make them, I have no idea.

And of course you need to get the thing and use it nearer home before you drive off into the sunset, to iron out any probs with van or equipment.

What about baby's jabs etc?
 
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thehutchies

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Here's the third of our four kids at about seven weeks old.
On the aire at Brezolles during a two-month trip in France.

She's safe and well fed so she's happy.
The other kids are well fed and sleeping so they are happy.
And the wine's open.

Everybody's happy.


 
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