31. Mai 2025, 7:42 Uhr | Lesezeit: 15 Minuten
Sunnytrips author Anna Wengel (Chiodo) has already taken several van trips with and without her family and learned a lot. Here she gives tips for traveling in a van with a small child and a partner.
New Zealand in a van with my daughter and my husband in May 2025 – a dream come true. Seven years ago: newly separated, in the midst of the most beautiful heartbreak, I bought a van and traveled around the country for more than three months. Crying, laughing, feeling better little by little. Back then, not only did I obviously fall madly in love with New Zealand, I also wished that one day I could show this country, which is so special to me, to my own family. That's exactly what I finally did: a van trip with my husband and toddler on New Zealand's North Island. The South Island will follow again on our next visit to New Zealand - but not necessarily exclusively in the van.
Overview
- 9 tips for a van trip with a small child and partner
- Note van equipment
- Consider the size of the van
- Choose child-friendly equipment
- Take the right luggage with you
- Choose pitches suitable for children
- Joint travel planning
- Consider individual needs
- Stay relaxed
- Show openness
9 tips for a van trip with a small child and partner
Because what I've been able to learn in the last two weeks: Life in a van with a child and partner is often very different than living alone. This beautiful and strenuous experience gave rise to a few tips for living in a van with children, for anyone who might be planning to do something similar.
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Note van equipment
Seven years ago, my van life in New Zealand took place in a converted, older Toyota Hiace van. I quickly realized that it would be too small and so I started looking for a larger model. And not just a larger one, especially one that is “self-contained”, i.e. has a kitchen, toilet and wastewater facilities. On the one hand, because in New Zealand you are only allowed to wild camp in vans etc. that have a green self-contained sticker - but on the other hand, simply for the sake of convenience. I also had a camping stove back then, which would probably have been enough now. But being able to wash the dishes straight away was great. And last but not least, a toilet in the van isn't just something that kids (and I) tend to think is cool. In the middle of the most beautiful nightly autumn rain, it's just quite pleasant when you don't have to drag your child to a public toilet somewhere.
Das ist also der erste Tipp: Be sure to travel with a van that is equipped with at least the basics such as a kitchen including a stove, refrigerator and sink as well as a toilet (plus appropriate sewage facilities).
In the best case scenario, the van also has a shower. Otherwise, depending on your personal shower needs, you'll be looking for one every day or every few days. A tip from my last trip: If the van doesn't have its own shower, you can buy a solar shower and put it on the roof. This is complicated, but it also works.
Tips for traveling in a van, especially in New Zealand, can be found in this text: In a van through New Zealand - 5 tips for the road trip
Consider the size of the van
Now about the size of the van. Van life works in a small van alone or with two people. My daughter and I got along well in the converted minivan when she was six months old. A van like my old Toyota Hiace would work great for the two of us, as would any larger model. Now my daughter and I are not alone in our family, we also have a dad or husband. And it was exactly this number of three people that kept becoming a problem on our last van trip: one person was always in the way. If the sun shines outside, everything works somehow. But when it rains, the three of you sit together in a small space and feel like you're constantly climbing over each other when you want to get something from the fridge or brush your teeth, for example.
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On this trip I was persuaded to book the van that seven years ago I said in disgust: “How can you travel in such an incredibly ugly van?” What can I say? I am seven years older, have a child and therefore have different comfort needs. I still find the green vans from Jucy ugly to this day. But the fact that they only cost a third of the other offers and had everything I wanted convinced me in the end, despite the unaesthetic appearance. And the fact that I was able to smile at myself every time I looked at the vehicle actually only made it better.
So we had our van, a Jucy Condo: three meters high, almost five meters long. The best thing: In addition to all the practical equipment, there was a double bed downstairs and one upstairs. Perfect, daughter on top, parents on bottom. That's what we thought. And we quickly realized that my husband was simply too long for the lower bed and the upper one was too narrow for me. So a different plan: child and mom downstairs, dad up top. Speaking of body size: Just because a van is three meters high doesn't mean that there's enough room for a man there; there are always things inside that he can easily hit his head on.
Hier also Tipp Nummer zwei: Don't overestimate the size of the van.With three people it might be just fine in a larger van, as long as one of them is a small child. At least if everyone likes each other and you also like being outside a lot. If a couple is traveling with two or more or generally older children, be sure to book a very large model. I now even understand the charm of a motorhome, although I also find them incredibly ugly and don't see myself in them. But we would also have liked to have had the space on our van trip with children in New Zealand.
Choose child-friendly equipment
And by that I don't necessarily mean safety-related things. While we're at it: If you're traveling with a baby or toddler, they obviously need the right seat in the van. And there's the first problem: Not every van has the appropriate Isofix device, which many child seats have these days. So here's a tip: If you're traveling with your own child seat, be sure to check beforehand whether it fits. Otherwise, you can usually book a suitable one from car rental companies.
By child-friendly equipment, however, I primarily meant something that the child can keep busy while driving. Because anyone traveling in a van is most likely going on a road trip. Well, maybe not, there are certainly many families who simply vacation at a campsite. But you also go there first. And if you travel like I do, the whole family often sits in the car for long distances and has to endure the “Look here…”, “Oh, that’s nice,” etc. from me. My daughter has a lot of fun with it and together we have discovered lots of rainbows, waterfalls, kangaroos, cows, horses and opossums. But she also just wants to play with her things every now and then.Daher dieser Tipp: Make sure you have an area, ideally a table, where there is room for toys and art supplies while you are driving.
In addition, on longer car trips, just sitting alone in the back, looking out the window or playing can get boring at some point. In addition to a number of audio books and her favorite music, our daughter loved it when one of us climbed to the back every now and then and just sat next to her instead of always sitting in the front. I guess if you're traveling with several children, this isn't such a big issue.
Also interesting: Tips for a relaxing holiday with babies and toddlers
Take the right luggage with you
One issue that sometimes plays a big role when traveling in a van is luggage. On the one hand, there is usually not a lot of space in a van. Depending on your storage options, it tends to be worth having a travel bag or backpack with you because you can squash it somewhere. A suitcase tends to get in the way.
Kleidung
But the contents of the bag are also crucial: I have never experienced a van trip where I needed particularly stylish clothes, simply because the feeling is completely different. For all of us, the clothing consisted mainly of comfortable items, such as tracksuit pants, leggings, T-shirts and cozy sweaters. Also shoes that you can quickly slip in and out of, sneakers for longer runs and possibly rubber boots. Everything else depends on the weather. In summer, of course, bathing suits are included.
Anyone traveling in a van during the summer should be aware that it can get really cold, especially at night. During our trip, for example, one night near the Coromandel Peninsula I gathered all the hats, warm socks, etc. and put them on my daughter because it was so cold. Back in Queenstown I woke up one morning and it had unexpectedly snowed.Mein Tipp also: Pack little but be weather-conscious and also take warmer items such as hats and wool socks.
Kitchen utensils, mosquito stuff, lights, etc.
Everything else you need for a van trip, i.e. kitchen utensils etc., is usually available from rental companies. Other travelers also usually leave things there that you can take with you. Otherwise you can buy everything on site or of course bring it with you. Then simply focus on the basics that you need for cooking at home. What is often missing, however, is a small light. There is often bright interior lighting, but if you want to read in the evening or don't want to eat with holiday lights, for example, a small travel light is worth it.
Also, depending on your travel destination: mosquito stuff. Some vans come with mosquito nets on the windows, others have entire nets set up. This is what I did in our minivan during our European van trip and all I can say is that it was a really good idea. Because: It gets pretty stuffy in the van, especially in summer. If you can then open the windows or doors without having to worry about mosquitoes, that's pretty good.
Weitere allgemeinere Tipps zum Camping im Auto, finden Sie auch in diesem Text: Camping im Auto – wie der Roadtrip gelingt
Choose pitches suitable for children
I don't know if I'm the best person to give such a tip because I tend to prefer wild camping in the middle of nature. Especially in New Zealand, I love just standing somewhere in a wonderful place, preferably by the sea, where I can open the tailgate in the morning and admire a dream view at sunrise. My daughter loved this as much as I did, especially when she could run to the beach first thing in the morning, so that might be a tip.
But the tip is probably to look for parking spaces that suit you. If you don't really feel like cooking in the van or if you feel safer surrounded by other campers, a campsite might be a better choice. We mainly used it to shower regularly.
Another variant are advertised wild camping sites. I've raved about this app in my previous New Zealand articles: Campermate. In addition to all sorts of helpful things such as public showers, toilets, gas stations, etc., it also lists all types of campsites. And this also includes those where a self-contained van can simply be parked without having to pay for it. Unfortunately, the app only lists locations in New Zealand and Australia. But there are a number of equivalents for Europe, the USA and Co. How much wild camping is allowed depends very much on the country. I can say for New Zealand that 17 years ago you were allowed to stand almost anywhere, self-contained or not, seven years ago you were a little less and now you are much more restricted and only in a self-contained vehicle. You should definitely find out more about your travel destination, as the rules are very different here.
Also interesting: Wild camping is still allowed in these European holiday countries
Noch ein weiterer Tipp zum Stellplatz bei einer Vanreise mit Kind: Choose places where your child can just run around and play. Beaches, meadows, a playground nearby, there are many options. But a simple parking space somewhere on a street is not a good idea. Therefore, it is better to look earlier in the day so that you can definitely find a nice place for the night and the next morning.
Joint travel planning
Dieser Tipp hat nicht unbedingt etwas mit Vanreisen zu tun, sondern mit dem Reisen allgemein. Wichtig ist er dennoch. Mein Tipp: Plan the trip together, so include everyone's wishes.
I had a lot of wishes for our trip to New Zealand. The same was true for our family trip to Scotland last year. There, I had pretty much overloaded my family with all the things I really wanted to do and see. Fortunately, having become a little wiser from my experience in Scotland, I planned the days on this trip less and more relaxed. And also left a lot more time for spontaneous breaks. Above all, we have tailored all activities much more to our daughter. And I want to say, fortunately. Otherwise, would I have gone to the beautiful, magically lit Redwood Forest in Rotorua in the evening and looked for fairies? Or would I have tried the lie? Let's put it this way, on my last two trips to New Zealand I did neither. I was still able to show the two of them my favorite places, which made me sad. However, these were not the highlights of our trip.
Consider individual needs
Seven years ago I loved to sit in my van for hours with a book, writing materials and coffee and look at the sea or other dream landscapes. My three-year-old found that very boring: “Mom, are we playing on the beach?”, “Mom, are you reading to me?”, “Mom, I’m hungry,” “Mom, I’m bored” – I heard these sentences non-stop.
The lack of silence was what was hardest for me to understand now that I was no longer traveling New Zealand alone and at my own pace, but with my family. So what to do?Mein Tipp, auch wenn ich hier selbst noch viel zu lernen habe: All needs count. And that can also mean taking breaks in between, during which mom and dad can do exactly what they want.Admittedly, this is a little more difficult in a camper. But of course you can leave that and walk a little way down the beach with your coffee cup. Or your partner grabs a bucket and shovel and builds the largest sandcastle in the world together with the child. This is a general parenting tip, but it also applies to traveling in a van with a child.
Tips for a relaxing holiday with babies and toddlers
Camping im Auto – wie der Roadtrip gelingt
Stay relaxed
Of course, like on any other trip, something or a lot can go wrong during a van tour with children. For example, our refrigerator broke in the middle of our vacation and even a workshop couldn't help. Did that bother us at first? Clear. Especially my husband, who had just bought a lot of meat. So what did we do? Everything was cooked, eaten and bought differently from then on. And ate out more. That wasn't ideal. But it still worked.
Was ist hier der Tipp? Maybe, just accept that not everything will go according to plan and deal with it if something happens. In any case: Don't lose sight of what a beautiful place you are in and that the journey is so much bigger and more important than the piece of meat in the broken fridge.
Show openness
The previous tip is followed by a similar one, especially for van travel:Remain open to the fact that plans can change from time to time.I am a convinced lover of van life, and apparently my daughter is too. My husband, on the other hand, was very happy when we were able to visit friends and stay in a house there during our trip. And also when we spontaneously booked two nights in a hotel. A friend recently told me about her van trip with two teenage children and partner. After a night in the van, it ended in various cabins at campsites because it was simply too tight for them.
Having learned something from our experience, we have already made a decision for our next van trip in New Zealand or somewhere else: Instead of traveling exclusively in a camper, we will probably switch back and forth between vans, motels and hotels.
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