3 months in a motor home with 2 kids under 3 - are we crazy? Advice please!

[CitizenErased4]

We are planning a holiday for next year - May to July (give or take a couple of weeks) in a motor home around Europe. Neither of us have ever used a motor home before and the kids will be 1.4 and 2.10 when we plan to head off.
We have a few must see destinations, however would like to keep our itinerary reasonably flexible so we can make changes as we go.

I would appreciate any tips from more experienced travellers, particularly relating to

• reasonable distances to expect to cover in a day, bearing in mind the kids' ages (I was thinking that we wouldn't want to be driving more than 1 day out of every three, and probably a max of 3-4 hours at a time)
• booking camp sites - at that time of year would we need to book well in advance or could we just expect to show up (or book at short notice)?
• configuration of motor home - what's best for beds and would we be able to fit in a travel cot?
• things to pack - must haves and don't bothers!
• camp sites - are there any things we should look for that indicate a good or bad one (or a good/bad location within a camp)?
• how to avoid driving each other mad
• Anything else? We don't know what we don't know!!

Would love to hear your experiences with this type of travel and young kids.

Thanks in advance!

1. Yes you are crazy
2. I'm so jealous you have the courage/opportunity to do this!

As a first thought, have you checked that a motor home will be able to take 2 car seats? Friends of ours who have done similar had to get the sort that mounts on the back of a pick up truck to be able to use a car seat for their toddler.

Yes AppleMagic definitely something to consider! From what I've seen most 4 person vans can accommodate two car seats, although will make absolutely sure before booking.

I also vote crazy Bottomchops but it is a 'once in a lifetime' opportunity that we don't want to pass up

Because the weather will be nice you won't all be inside the van for long periods. Just make sure there's an awning type thing for shade. I would book popular resorts in advance, it will also give shape to your trip.

Air conditioning a must for the van. Don't the Italians have a two week holiday in August? I remember this being a tricky time on the roads and getting tent pitches.

Thanks bottomchops for the tip re an awning - I would have assumed they came as standard (warned you we are amateurs!). Ditto air con.

Yes, the Italians have holidays in August but I hadn't considered the impact that might have on camp sites. We are likely to be back by then though.

Thanks again, any further tips gratefully received

Air con in a camper van? not heard of this before. take a very basic tent with you to pitch up alongside the van. you need to be super organised in terms of what you take with you so keep packing to an absolute minimum. think about sites with no facilities. how will you wash, shower or go to the toilet? vans don't have brilliant MPG so make sure you get one that is decent or you will be forever filling up or looking for somewhere to fill up. washing clothes needs some thought as many sites don't have washing machines. I would definitely rough out an itinerary and have some places to stay booked in advance. Buy a really good satnav and up load the maps before you leave. make sure you tell your bank you are going abroad and for how long.

Mummymeister we thought we would get one with a shower/toilet cubicle so we would have more flexibility about where and when we stopped. We want a motorhome as opposed to a caravan if that makes any difference.

Good tips re fuel and a tent (I'm sure the kids will love it), I'll put them on my list of things to check out.