Planning a campervan road trip: stages, distances and checklist

A successful campervan road trip is all about balance: enough driving to discover new places, enough breaks to enjoy them. Preparation doesn't need to be heavy going, but a few decisions made before you leave change everything once you are there. Here is a simple method, from first idea to checklist.

1. Set your start, destination and length of trip

Start with the essentials: where are you leaving from, where do you want to end up, and how many days do you have? A loop back to your starting point is often easier to organise than a one-way trip. Leave some slack: a buffer day at the end of the trip absorbs bad weather, a breakdown or falling for a place. Is this your first time? Start with our 10 tips for your first motorhome trip, and if you don't have a vehicle yet, with our guide to renting a campervan.

2. Choose a realistic pace

In a campervan or motorhome, your average speed is lower than in a car, and you stop more often. Many travellers aim for a few hours of driving a day, keeping some days free of driving altogether. For a first trip, it is better to underestimate your daily distance than the reverse: the best memories are rarely made behind the wheel.

3. Split the trip into stages

For each day, think in three parts:

• the drive: a reasonable stretch of road;
• the day: lunch, one or two visits, a viewpoint or a walk;
• the evening: a permitted overnight stop, accessible for your vehicle size.

The evening is the most critical part. Arriving late without knowing where to sleep is the main source of stress in a campervan. Our guide where to sleep in a motorhome or campervan in France covers all the permitted options.

4. Plan ahead for water and waste

Work out where to fill up with fresh water and empty your waste water every two or three days, especially if your overnight stops are simple parking aires. Our guide to emptying a motorhome's waste water explains where and how.

5. Check the vehicle

• Tyres (pressure and wear, spare wheel), fluid levels, brakes, lights.
• Leisure battery charged, full gas bottle.
• Real height and weight known, bike rack included: see our guide on motorhome size.
• Paperwork: registration document, insurance, and a Crit'Air sticker (France's clean air vignette) if you drive through low-emission zones.

The departure checklist

• Levelling blocks, electric hook-up cable with adapter, drinking water hose.
• Gloves for emptying and cassette chemicals.
• Head torch, first aid kit, basic tools.
• Paper maps or offline maps for areas with no signal.
• If you are taking bikes: lock, repair kit, and our guide to taking your bikes on a campervan trip.

Let the route plan itself

Splitting a trip into days, finding a permitted overnight stop at every stage, checking it accepts your vehicle size and working out where to eat and what to see takes hours. Pakvia does it for you: enter a start, a destination, a trip length of 1 to 21 days and your vehicle, and get a day-by-day itinerary with an official overnight stop every evening, lunch, dinner and up to two activities. Each day opens in Google Maps.

Pakvia is free during its launch. Plan your next road trip.