{"id":6263,"date":"2018-06-14T16:54:28","date_gmt":"2018-06-14T15:54:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kidslovetravel.net\/?p=6263"},"modified":"2018-06-14T16:54:28","modified_gmt":"2018-06-14T15:54:28","slug":"test-camping-a-weekend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kidslovetravel.nl\/en\/test-camping-a-weekend\/","title":{"rendered":"We bought a camper, time to go test-camping a weekend!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yes! We bought a camper. A large, red hippie van! But, I thought you liked to travel long distances? That\u2019s true!! The plan is to discover more of Europe this summer and to make a nice long distance trip in the winter. But before the big camper adventure starts, we need to take this bad boy out\u00a0test-camping a weekend of course!<\/p>\n

We bought the camper, so now what? \u200b<\/strong><\/h3>\n

That\u2019s a good question. Step 1 is arranging all the insurances. After comparing a few we ended up with\u00a0NKC<\/a>, because you don\u2019t want to go on the road without insurance of course. The camper needs to be fully equipped too. I didn\u2019t really think of that before. Not a lot fun for my wallet but lots of fun getting all the new stuff you need for the camper! The list was long; cushions, bedding, a quilt, towels, dishcloths, plates, bowls, cutlery, cups, glasses, pans, a cutting board, good knifes, a teapot, tea lights and of course all the stuff to make the camper nice and cozy and to your liking. We love the result!<\/p>\n

But wait\u2026. Two weeks before we left on our test-camping trip I found out I had forgotten one crucial part of our inventory\u2026 Everything that goes outside! Camping is living outdoors, so what did we need? Well, a\u00a0nice table<\/a>\u00a0to start with (preferably for 6),\u00a0relaxing chairs<\/a>\u00a0for us, chairs that are adjustable in height<\/a> for the kids and a\u00a0hammock<\/a>\u00a0of course! A holiday is not complete without a hammock!<\/p>\n

Off to the campsite to go\u00a0test-camping \u200ba weekend<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Before you go test-camping a weekend you need to have a proper stock of food and beverages of course, and clothes, toiletries and plain old stuff like kitchen- and toilet rolls. Preparing the camper for its maiden voyage happened to be less easy than one would think. Luckily the camper is parked outside right in front of the door. I\u2019m walking back and forth at least 10 times, carrying a full crate of stuff to the camper and an empty crate back. And every time I think of new lame stuff to bring that may come in handy such as a little speaker, lights for outside, chargers, cleaning products and a brush and dustpan.<\/p>\n

After done towing stuff around half the day the camper is stocked. We put the kids\u2019 bikes on the back and off we go!<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s go to\u00a0<\/strong>Camping Bakkum<\/strong><\/a>!<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Before we go on a road trip through Europe we want to go test-camping a weekend to \u2018get to know\u2019 our camper. But Floris is almost ready for his first swimming certificate so he can\u2019t miss a single swimming lesson. So what do you do? Exactly, you go to a campsite that\u2019s just a 30 minute drive from your house (and swimming class). That way you can go back and forth on Saturday morning. So we find ourselves on campsite Bakkum. I have to admit I am a little sceptic at first because it\u2019s seems like a huge campsite which I\u2019m not really fond of.<\/p>\n

It turns out Campsite Bakkum doesn\u2019t\u00a0seem<\/em>\u00a0like a huge campsite, it\u00a0is<\/em>\u00a0a huge campsite. But it\u2019s fantastic too! We\u2019re welcomed heartily at the entrance and after the check-in we drive to our camping spot, number 104, at the playground. As it turns out this is a great spot!! We\u2019re set in a circle with about 10 small campervans, caravans and tents in the dunes. From this point you can\u2019t really see how large the campsite is. In the middle of the field there\u2019s a big sandbox where the kids can play with all kinds of playground equipment, lovely! We\u2019re seated under our awning, enjoying a glass of wine while the kids are frolicking around in the playground just 5 meters in front of us.<\/p>\n

The heart of the campsite feels like a village square with a Spar supermarket and multiple restaurants, varying from Italian to a chicken bar, fish restaurant and a snack bar. So we decide we won\u2019t be cooking the first night but we have a delicious roasted chicken off the spit.<\/p>\n

\"Kids<\/a>\u00a0\"Kids<\/a><\/p>\n

Great, but what\u2019s the camper like?!<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Well we do need some adjusting the first night: we have electricity but the phones are not charging, how\u2019s that possible? Lotte needs to go for a pee before dinner and when we get back from dinner her pee has come up through the shower drain again\u2026 rather interesting. So to go test-camping a weekend is a good idea, because you don\u2019t want to deal with this kind of stuff when you\u2019re on a real holiday.<\/p>\n

Campsite Bakkum is many child\u2019s dream\u2026<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Well, for ours at least. After a wonderful night\u2019s sleep in the camper we have our breakfast in the fresh air before Flo and I go back and forth to Zandvoort for his swimming lesson. When we return we rent a go-kart for the both of them. Such fun!! Flo\u2019s big go-kart even has a seat on the back for Lotte to rest on when she gets tired of her own go-kart. Turns out the hammock is not only favored by Kev and me but by the kids too. They love to just lay back, relax and swing around a bit. The campsite really has 101 activities for the kids. They have multiple playgrounds, a bouncing cushion, multiple sportsfields, a petting farm, an extensive activity program and even a \u201cread to caravan\u201d.<\/p>\n

At 16:30 the campsite mascot Eki the Squirrel comes out to read to the children in his caravan. The kids love it and after listening to the squirrel they want to have their picture taken with their new best friend. This evening we have our dinner at the camper. We want to have a barbecue but we\u2019re only allowed to have a gas-barbecue because of danger of forest fires.<\/p>\n

After dinner we go and search for the children\u2019s disco. Our search is ended after a short while. When arrive at the disco and see the people exiting the place with one last dance. Too bad\u2026 But we won\u2019t let it bring us down. Kev and I take a seat on the terrace of the Italian restaurant while Floris and Lotte enjoy themselves with sand and water in the playground in front of us. It\u2019s great to be able to relax and chat while the kids are playing in sight.<\/p>\n

\"Kids<\/a>\u00a0\"Kids<\/a><\/p>\n

Second chance at the children\u2019s disco<\/strong><\/h3>\n

After another nights sleep in the camper we start the morning with a nice breakfast of fresh bread rolls we bought at the Spar supermarket on the campsite. And what do we find out?! The children\u2019s disco isn\u2019t just at 19:30 in the evening but at 10:00 in the morning too, yippy! We take the go-karts to Eki straight away!<\/p>\n

The kids absolutely love \u201cdancing with Eki\u201d. After the dancing they get to hug with Eki as well. Lotte and Flo\u2019s day is made! And then it\u2019s time to tidy stuff up because we have to leave the campsite at 12:00 o\u2019clock. No fun\u2026 I was just getting used this test-camping.<\/p>\n

I tidy up and clean everything in the camper while Kev tidies stuff up around the camper. Our new camping gear from\u00a0Obelink<\/a>\u00a0is the best! The table turns into a suitcase and the chairs and hammock are easily folded into handy storage bags. Oh that\u2019s right, we need to return the go-karts. The rental is near the campsites exit so Lotte and Flo race in front of Kevin and the camper to \u201cshow him the way\u201d.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s that\u2026<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Our test-camping a weekend has come to an end. We have hit the road for the first time with our new red mobile home. It needed a little getting used to for me but all in all we had a great time!! When you buy a camper you simply need to go test-camping a weekend, for sure. This way we know how the electricity works. How to stop the toilet form flooding and how the kids can sleep the best way. It\u2019s a lot less fun to find all of this out \u201calong the way\u201d when you go on a real holiday.<\/p>\n

Camping in the Netherlands was rather fun too. I think it was only last year that I said \u201cover my dead body\u201d when someone told me to go camping in the Netherlands. But with our red camper it\u2019s actually a lot of fun! Granted, my travel bug is probably too large to make camping in the Netherlands my new hobby. But I can certainly get used to the idea of discovering Europe in the summer and choosing a long distance trip for the winter! Although I couldn\u2019t help checking what it would cost to put the camper on a boat to America or Australia ;).<\/p>\n

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