10 Unforgettable Childhood Adventures You Can Only Have in a Campervan

8th January 2024

Hotels are fine. Resorts are okay. But if you want to give your kids real stories, the kind they’ll retell as grown-ups with a spark in their eye — you need a campervan. With your own little home on wheels, you can sleep in wild places, wake up to new adventures, and let every day unfold naturally.

Here are 10 moments that only happen when you swap fixed plans for the freedom of the road — and how to do them with our handpicked family experiences.

1. Wake up to zebra tracks by your front step

📍 South Africa Safari & Coastline

Nothing hits like unzipping the van window and spotting wildlife just metres away. On our South Africa family route, you’ll stay at game-viewing campsites and get the chance to book guided safari drives, all without ever setting foot in a hotel lobby.

Garden Route Safari & Coast

2. Catch your first wave, then eat pancakes in a wetsuit

📍 Surf & Camp France

In a resort, surfing’s a scheduled activity. In a campervan, it’s a morning ritual. Our Portugal bundle includes access to beginner-friendly beaches and surf schools, with your campsite walking distance from the ocean. Rise with the sun, surf until the kids are grinning, and heat up breakfast with salty hair still intact.

Southwest Surf & Nature in France

3. Zoom down a water slide, then cycle home through the woods

📍 Duinrell + Dutch Dunes Adventure

Theme parks are great — but they’re even better when your bed’s parked nearby. At Duinrell, you’ll camp next to one of Europe’s most beloved waterparks. Spend the day zipping down slides, then cycle back to your van through forest trails and end the day with marshmallows under the awning.

Duinell Theme Park: Ride, Swim & Stay

4. Glacier-hop and see the earth breathing

📍 Iceland or Alps (Custom Routes)

On our Alpine and Iceland routes, you can book real glacier hikes, ice cave tours, or geothermal experiences. This isn’t a textbook moment — it’s your child hearing a glacier crack, watching steam rise from the earth, or touching blue ice older than anything they’ve learned about in school.

5. Camp on the edge of a cliff with crashing waves below

📍 Atlantic Way Ireland Family Escape

Wild camping? Only in a campervan. Ireland’s west coast gives you the chance to wake up next to sea cliffs, with sea spray in the air and sheep grazing nearby. The kids will feel like explorers — and breakfast tastes better when the Atlantic is your dining room view.

Wild Atlantic Way - Ireland Family Explorer

6. Fall asleep to the sound of hyenas, frogs, or owls

📍 South Africa Safari & Coastline

Nature doesn’t shut down at 9 PM — and in a campervan, the night becomes part of the story. Whether it’s croaking frogs by a South African dam or owls hooting outside your van in Ireland, your kids learn to love the sound of the wild.

7. Climb giant dunes and roll back down laughing

📍 Portugal, France, or Spain dune regions

Park near Europe’s biggest dunes — like Dune du Pilat or the sandy ridges of the Algarve — and let your children burn off their energy the old-fashioned way: running uphill, rolling down, and repeating until dusk.

8. Invent stories under a lantern inside your camper

📍 All trips

It’s raining outside. You’re cozy in your camper. The kettle’s boiling, the fairy lights are on, and your kids are inventing wild adventure stories about dragons and dolphins. These are the moments that don’t need a booking — just a van, some time, and a spark of imagination.

9. Jump into a forest lake, dry off in the sun, repeat

📍 Austria, Netherlands, Slovenia options

Our routes include camper stops by safe, swimmable lakes where you can just walk from your pitch into the water. No wristbands. No lifeguards shouting. Just freedom.

10. Let them choose the route — and follow it

📍 All family experiences

Give your kids the map. Let them pick the next stop. In a campervan, detours aren’t delays — they’re discoveries. You’ll never forget the picnic they planned or the tiny beach they insisted was "the best ever."

Make These Memories Yours

These aren’t package holiday moments — they’re van life stories your family will tell forever. Our family experiences are designed to combine bookable highlights (like surf lessons, glacier tours, or safari drives) with flexible freedom so you can slow down, go wild, and make magic.

👉 Explore all family campervan experiences