Europe roadtrip in CV with baby

[mummysept22]

Hi all. I am due in Sept and would love to road trip for 4-6 weeks around France/Italy whilst on Mat Leave. Probably April/May next year. Am I crazy? Is this realistic and has anyone done this before/got any tips? TIA 😃

@Isonthecase really useful info thank you!!! Im with you on the showers!! We have a shower in our campervan (actually a Motorhome but CV sounds cooler 😂) and a fold out sink which would be large enough for baby baths 😊 x

We have an (old) motorhome and I’d def do it!- as long as your baby’s sleeps ok but you can have cot to sleep in and everything you need with you. Much easier to do then than when they are bigger/ at school ! Don’t drive too much in one day and I also made a clothes washing bucket thing ( google off grid washing machine, there’s a way to do with 2 buckets and plunger) and it’s pretty effective for small loads ( so you aren’t always having to wash as soon as you arrive anywhere)

A Place to stay
If the worst happens and one of you are unwell just plan few stops that are near shops, doctor pharmacy etc incase of emergency

We holidayed in our camper with ds as a young toddler so a bit older than you’re proposing. It was lovely, but we never drove more than 2h at a time and always over nap time so we never did more than 4h driving in a day, usually more like 2-3. On that basis you might not get quite as far as you expect.
ds didn’t nap well in the van at sites but would on a buggy walk or in the bike trailer pottering on cycle paths or as I say when driving.

as for tips - we used a travel cot for sleeping and as a playpen, we have an awning with built in groundsheet we put rugs down and he could toddle/crawl about safely. Our biggest issue was probably making a blackout space for him to sleep early evening while we were still up eating etc - we had to drape throws to partition the van.

@mummysept22
Do it!!

That isn’t madness at all. We did 5 months (we have a motorhome) when DS was 6 months old. We started off in France, then on to Spain, Portugal and back via Spain and France. It was magical.

Are you aware of the Aires in France? Basically purpose built for motorhomes and campervans to park overnight (sleeping in vehicle obviously). They have water, then a place to ditch your grey waste and toilet. Many are free. Many service points are also free. Some have electric available. You say campervan - so not sure what facilities you’ll have onboard. If you don’t have shower/ toilet - there are some with these, or with them nearby. There’s a book by Vicarious I reccomend. Also apps - park4night and searchforsites. Both list aires, service points and wild camping spots. France is brilliant for it!! Have spent what probably adds up to years travelling around in our motorhome.

We travelled when DS napped. Although I’m practice (we’d been travelling with him since he was 3 months old - although as I said he was 6 months for the big trip)… he’d drop off as soon as the engine was switched on.

We always avoid motorways abroad (unless in Germany)… we have a moto “it’s about the journey not the destination.” You see so much more on the smaller roads. Often we’ll happen upon a gorgeous picnic spot and end up staying for several nights.

When we did our big trip. DS was formula fed. Obviously didn’t have any issues buying formula. I just bought whatever the cheapest supermarket own brand was. Nappy wise, no issues, obviously. I didn’t stress about weaning. None of this mush, jars or pouches malarkey. I just gave him stuff off our plates. It was fine! He’d eat anything… unlike now 🙄😂

Sterilising bottles was easy. I just had sterilising tablets and a Tupperware box I used. I’d make a job lot of bottles up every evening. Then cool quick using ice packs in water, then in the fridge. I always kept a flask of freshly boiled water handy so we could heat his milk quickly.

DS lived in vests while we were away. It was so warm. We got through multiple vests each day as he was very pukey. But we’d hand wash as we went, then once a fortnight stop at a laundry. In France you’ll find many of the supermarkets have them inside, or in the car parks.

We didn’t take many (any!!) toys for him. He was very content with the constant changing scenery and ‘stuff’ in the van like wooden spoons! We did take quite a few books and baby books and a few soft toys and some Lamaze soft toys. We also took a bouncy chair, high chair and a bumbo. We carried him or had him in a sling.

At the time I loved it. But looking back now, it was really special. Such a great way to spend maternity leave. The whole trip we only spent €5 on accommodation and €4 on topping the fresh water tank up. So we were just paying for food, LPG to top our gas bottle up (powered fridge, cooker and hot water) and Diesel. We spent our time site seeing, swimming, cycling and backpacking.

We didn’t go with a plan as such. Just that we planned on travelling through those countries I listed. We just went with the flow. If we liked a spot, we’d stay a week. If the weather was turning or too hot, we’d move on to better weather. Just make sure you have a decent driving road atlas, highlighter pens and post- it notes. And the apps I mentioned, plus ‘Vicarious All the Aires book.’ I also had a few guide books - the standard rough guide and lonely planet ones.

Just spotted you have a MH! Bloody brilliant. Get the vicarious book and apps I said…. unless of course you already have them!!

We just held DS in our arms for showers. It worked fine. One would then take him, dry and dress him whilst the other finished in the shower. As you’ll know water is a precious commodity when you are in the van! So you don’t wanna be using loads of it on a baby bath.

some days we also did much longer journeys - 4-6 hours driving. It was fine. We’d have to stop to feed DS and change his nappy anyway. He’s now almost 6 and loves motorhome life and travel. He calls the van his home on wheels. We’re tied in with school hols now. But still manage to get 2 months worth of use out the van a year (and still avoiding paying to stay anywhere!!).

Have just read the entire thread and can’t believe some of the comments! Anyone would think you were proposing a trip to the moon not mainland Europe.

Much easier in a motorhome - it’s your own space baby will be used to. If DS got ‘over stimulated’ he’d calm as soon as he got back in the van. As for going stir crazy… you’ll be on holiday. You just keep moving on, it’s impossible to go stir crazy! Much easier than being stuck at home! And you’ll have DH with you, so you can tag team. We are cyclists. So either did family rides, or one went out alone in the morning, the other in the afternoon. The one with DS would take him out for an explore in the sling… or just chill at the van with him. We have a wind out awning, so we’d have that out, blanket etc. Babies just don’t need entertaining.

Don’t worry about the heat. You’ll find it much cooler in September anyway. On our 5 months, part of it was in a heatwave 40 degrees. How on earth do we think babies who live in hot countries cope?! We just headed for the mountains and spent the time in the Alpes and Pyrenees. You’ll find most cols are meccas for motorhomes to overnight! Hot in the day, but cool for sleeping at night.

Weve done quite a bit of motorhoming in Italy. It’s not quite as easy as France. But still fine! I can’t remember what Italian is for Aire - Sosta possibly. The apps I said are again invaluable. There’s also a map you can get on the vicarious website specific to motorhoming.

I wouldn't worry about the heat.

My ds was born and lived in Tenerife as a baby. They are born in hotter countries than the U.K.!

Also I would think by 8 months you'll know if you have a good sleeper or not and if you want to do it or not.

But I think it sounds a great idea. Enjoy!

We took ours camping in UK from when they were a few months old & they were fine. Both slept well & didn't cry much.

We took them on boat to France and camped in big tents in Brittany and Normandy when they were babies & that was also fine.

We did bottle feed so perhaps that made it easier for us as you don't have to keep pulling over the car to feed them. By 8 months they should be on solids anyway.

I would go for it if you can afford it. Sounds amazing. France & Italy are hardly backpacking round India - you'll be able to buy similar food to home.

@morningstarz wow thank you so much for such a comprehensive reply!!! Really appreciate all your advice and no doubt I will come to you with more questions nearer the time. I too was surprised by some of the comments but as a first time mum I just don’t know what to expect! I guess we’ll just see how it goes, what type of baby we have and do lots of UK trips early on! Thank you so much again I will defo check out those books and apps xxxx

@mummysept22 no worries! It really was the best thing ever. I’d do it again in a heartbeat. If I had a second (which I’m not), I’d take DS out of school and head off again whilst on mat leave.

If you are on Facebook there are some good pages/ groups ‘motorhoming full time France’ that kind of thing. Also some good Motorhome forums have sections on travel in particular countries. Well worth lurking for tips and advice. Obviously it’s highly unlikely any of them will be parents to young babies! But the advice on motorhoming in France and Italy still stands. 6-8 weeks is a decent length of time, so you can easily fit that in (we’re doing similar in the school hols, but only have 4 weeks).

Feel free to PM me and ask me anything! It’s lovely to hear of someone doing similar to us. It was such a chilled, beautiful time. We have so many happy memories. It was real quality time together. But I also had some epic adventures on my own too when it was my ‘turn’ to bugger off on my bike or on foot. The most stressful thing was coming home. We’d gone with a baby who couldn’t sit and returned with one that was crawling. Needless to say the house hadn’t been ‘baby proofed’ so we had to panic buy stair gates, a fire guard, cupboard clips and remove anything dodgy/ breakable.

Cars and babies is the seventh circle of hell.

Depends on the baby. I'd wait and see what they're like at 6mo.
8mo will be doing 2 or 3 naps so that will restirict you quite a bit. Mine never slept for as long in the pram and it had to be moving so you might have 1.5-2hrs in the campervan in dark and silence during the day.

I would never have attempted something like that with my boy!

Don't over-plan or get too invested in specific destinations/sites and you should be fine. The advantage of a CV or MH is that you can make up your plans on the hoof, and react to how things go. Have fun!

You can make your plans with a MH on the hoof too!! We never plan more than the next night or so in advance and that’s just something we’ve done since DS came along. We’re a bit more ‘choosy’ now - eg looking for places he can run about, park nearby kinda thing. If anything a MH is more conducive to this due to the larger capacity water tank and on board facilities (shower, loo, large fridge etc). We’ve done all sorts in ours (7.5 metres long and 3.12 metres high) ‘on the hoof.’ Lots of cities, tight mountain passes etc. If you imagine that bin lorries and delivery vans tackle the same roads, you realise it’s not a problem. Parking isn’t a huge issue - need a double bay in a supermarket/ general carpark. It isn’t especially wide, so not had too much of an issue parking on street to wander round places. It manoeuvres significantly better than my little car!! Down to the confidence/ ability of the driver really.

I don’t recall ever not finding the perfect spot to sleep. We’ve only been moved on twice ever. Both on our 5 month trip. Only ever camped wild or used Aires.

You’ll need a ‘crit air’ sticker for France (based on vehicle emissions) if you enter any congestion type zones (can be fairly easily done). Google it! Ours cost a few euros and arrived within a week.

Both my kids would cry blue murder in the car seat for the first year, god knows why. It is horribly stressful hearing them cry because they want out of their car seat and you just have to grit your teeth and drive because you need to be somewhere. 8 months is tricky as they are likely mobile and crawling then and will want to be up and on the move unless you can time around sleep times.

Would travelling around by train be an option at all? Because I found they both loved the train/ people watching and would travel that way really easily. Plus everyone chats to you when you have a baby which is lovely! Otherwise I second the part about the car seat making it much hotter for the baby than you (we've had sweat rash from a longish car journey in English summer weather) and trying to keep it short where you can.

I'm on an 8 week trip round France and Spain at the moment with my 3 year old and 9 month old. We've driven from the North of England and are currently in Majorca. The 9mo is absolutely no trouble at all, sleeps or looks out of the window in the car, no issues at all overnight and is welcomed everywhere we go. We are staying in hotels/villas so the only stressful bit is arriving somewhere late at night, unpacking and getting kids sorted, and you'll miss all of this bit out if you're in a campervan. You should definitely do it, yes you might have a few sleepless nights but you'd have them at home anyway and as long as you plan a slow and flexible itinerary you'll be absolutely fine.

We did it! Baby was 10 months his big sister 9 at the time 3.5 weeks across Europe out to Venice then back up through Slovenia Austria Prague into Berlin then across to Amsterdam (where we met my mum and stayed the last 4 days on a canal boat) the best end to maternity leave ever! We have a mazda bongo so less luxury than you and was brilliant. Timings of driving is important we timed the first leg with naps and not going to far in one day. We did a couple of one nighters which in our van ended up being a pain but in yours would be dreamy. Honestly I would go, I was still feeding which made it easier.. a good sized travel cot that doubled as a play pen at times was good for us and a rolling bank of toys. Enjoy if you go.

So heartening to hear all the people doing this, people in real life tend to make you feel a bit mad for even considering it 😂

You'll have a fab time, I look back on backpacking with mine with such joy, even if it was a bit stressful at times. It was stressful with the second at that age too and we were at home 🙈

I went away with dd2 when she was 6 months old, just for a few weeks

i traveled May June and that was early in the season for many camping sites - some are open all year but many are closed even in June, so it’s something to be aware of

i think it depends not on the baby but how you as parents adapt to the babies temperament. You might find travelling mid morning as baby sleeps and then again in the afternoon works best, having lunch in a pretty town and exploring in the middle fun. Just work it around baby and it’ll be no harder than being home

i waited till 6 months as back then you could give cows milk at 6 months so it made life easier - weetbix and cows milk for breakfast and she slept mid morning so we moved on

If I were to do this, I would do it in the first 6m, probably within the first 3 tbh. An 8m will get very bored, and want to be crawling everywhere.

I definitely could gave done this in the first few months though. Sounds good fun :-)

Hi I'd love to hear how you got on? We are going to Europe for 6 weeks soon but staying in air bnbs

Hey @Bethanymay89 unfortunately we didn't go in the end. We found our dream home and we're supposed to complete in April so would have coincided with our trip. We didn't end up moving until 2 weeks ago. So I am super upset that we cancelled. I don't think we will go over summer as it will be too warm and our old van doesn't have AC. Other than that I wouldn't have a problem at all. We've been blessed with a super chilled baby. He breezed through Glastonbury and another smaller festival. We go away in the van quite a lot. Hopefully we can do a shorter trip or go later in the year 😊 x