Motorhoming with kids: honest advice from 19 years and three boys
We raised three boys on the road, from toddlers in a caravan to six-foot teenagers with their own lounge at the back of the van. Here is what actually matters when you travel with children, learned over nineteen years of doing it.
The short answer
The single most important thing is belted travel seats, not beds. You can only legally carry as many children as you have belts. Beyond that, give each child a space that is theirs (fixed bunks are perfect when they are young), keep the days active, and accept that screens earn their keep on a long drive.
Nineteen years in, the honest truth is this: the thing our boys remember is not the vans. It is the time. That is the real reason to do it.
We are Steve and Lyndsay, and we have three sons: Eddie, Harry and George. We started travelling with them when they were tiny, and we never really stopped. They have gone from toddlers who came in grubby at the end of a summer's day to grown lads who still choose to come along. This guide is the honest version of what we learned raising a family on the road, the practical bits and the bits that actually matter.
Belts first, then beds
The number that actually limits you
Here is the one that catches families out. A van described as a six-berth tells you how many people can sleep. It says nothing about how many can travel. Plenty of six-berth vans have only four belted seats, which means you can put six to bed but only legally drive four down the road. With children, the belt count is the number that decides everything.
Our Itineo was the best van we had owned to that point, and the boys each had their own bunk. We sold it anyway, purely to gain a sixth belt so a family member could join our European tour. We lost a brilliant van over one seatbelt. Count your belts before you count your beds, every time.
Once the belts are sorted, think about beds you do not have to build every night. Fixed bunks or fixed beds mean bedtime is not a nightly furniture-assembly project, which with tired children is worth more than you would believe. If you are still weighing up which van and layout suits your family, our best family motorhome guide walks through it by family stage.
The arc, from toddlers to teens
The best setup keeps changing
There is no single right van for a family, because your children keep changing and the van has to change with them. Here is how ours moved through the stages, which is the clearest guide we can give you to what you will actually need.
- Toddlers
Our first family years were in an Ace caravan, pitched at a local site for whole summers while Steve commuted. The boys came in each evening tired and grubby, the perfect toddler childhood. You do not need to go far when they are tiny. You need them safe, warm and outdoors.
- Primary
Fixed bunks came into their own here. In the Itineo each boy had his own single bunk that doubled as his daytime den. During lockdown we even home-schooled from the van, a proper daily routine with the maths books out on the table. Young kids adapt to van life faster than adults do.
- Teens
As they grew past six foot, length started to earn its keep. The Kon-Tiki 874 gave the boys their own rear lounge at the back while we had the front. Scooters and bikes came out at every campsite, and Harry started cooking for everyone. Give teenagers their own space and they will happily still come.
- Grown
These days it is mostly the three of us, with the older two joining when they can. George, our youngest, still comes along, now sleeping in the over-cab bed in the new van rather than under the drop-down at the front. The trips change, but the boys still turn up. That tells you most of what you need to know.
Keeping children happy
The van is not the entertainment
The mistake is thinking the van has to keep the kids amused. It does not; the place does. At a campsite our boys were straight out on bikes and scooters, off exploring, back when they were hungry. On a wet day we found an arcade, and once spent an hour winning a heap of tickets only to swap them for a couple of sweets, which somehow became one of the better afternoons. At the vanlife festivals we go to, there is archery and airsoft and enough going on that the kids run themselves ragged.
On the practical side, an outside shower is a godsend for hosing sandy children down after a beach, and giving each child a job, Harry took to doing the cooking, makes them part of the trip rather than passengers on it. Screens have their place too, on a long motorway stretch, and we are not precious about it. The balance that works for us is a tablet on the drive and none once you have arrived.
The real reason to do it
We could fill this guide with kit lists and layout diagrams, but we would be dodging the actual point. You do this for the time together. A motorhome puts a family in one small space, sends them somewhere new, and gives them long slow days with nothing to do but be with each other. Our boys grew up doing that, and now that they are grown, they still choose to come. Nineteen years on, that is the only measure of it that has ever mattered to us.
Motorhoming with kids questions we get asked
How many children can you take in a motorhome?
As many as you have belted travel seats, not berths. A van that sleeps six might only have four belts, and the belt count is the number that legally limits how many you can carry. We once sold a van we loved purely to gain a sixth belt so a family member could join a trip. Count your belts before your beds.
What is the best motorhome layout for children?
Fixed bunks while they are young, without hesitation. Each child gets a space that is theirs, it doubles as a daytime den, and you are not making up beds every night. As they become teenagers, a twin-lounge or larger fixed-bed layout gives everyone room to spread out. Our boys had both over the years.
How do you keep children entertained in a motorhome?
The van is not the entertainment, the place is. Bikes and scooters for the campsite, beaches, arcades on a rainy day, activities like archery and airsoft at the festivals we go to. On long drives, screens absolutely have their place, and we are not precious about that. The rest of the time they are outside.
Can you home-school from a motorhome?
Yes. We did exactly that during lockdown, running a proper daily routine from the van with the boys, maths books and all. A motorhome is a surprisingly good classroom because the world outside the window keeps giving you things to talk about. It takes structure, but it is very doable.
What age is best to start motorhoming with kids?
Any age. We started with toddlers in a caravan pitched close to home, which is a lovely low-pressure way in. Little ones adapt quickly and do not need far-flung trips to have a brilliant time. Start local, keep the first trips short, and build up as everyone gets their confidence.
Do kids get bored on long travel days?
They can, so we plan around it. We break long drives with stops rather than pushing through, let the boys have their screens on the motorway stretches, and make the destination worth the journey. Manage the long days well and the children remember the places, not the miles in between.
Written by Steve and Lyndsay Radford, who have travelled with their three sons, Eddie, Harry and George, since 2007. Everything here comes from raising a family on the road, not from a manual. Roaming Radfords is a trading name of Yowzer Limited.