At this time of year (and this year in particular) it's easy to feel a bit cabin fevered. The seemingly endless days of wind and rain here in Cornwall mean winter is a time to take shelter, cook nice food, light the fire and hunker down. But it's also the best time to start planning for adventures and escapes in the coming year.
Our Kanvaswork family loves nothing better than a road trip. We have spent many happy weeks away both here in the UK and in Europe, travelling with a well kitted out van, our kids, our dog; sometimes with friends and sometimes alone.
We like to leave a little time for spontaneity and changes in our plan, allowing time to stop somewhere if we like it or hear about it on route. A popular choice for a stop off is a swimming spot, especially when its hot; just follow the locals! A market day brings the opportunity wander a town, re-stock and try some local produce. There's also a huge community of travellers out there and we inevitably meet all kinds of wonderful folks along the way....it really restores my faith in the world and we come home with tales to tell and big smiles on our faces!
So, how can we prepare for these adventures to ensure they are as comfortable and smooth as possible?
Planning for a road trip can seem daunting, but for us it's about prioritising what we take and going through our kit making sure it's all in working order before hand. We always check the van over, giving it a service and making sure everything is roadworthy for a long trip.
We clear and clean the inside before organising how we pack and store things. Try fitting in some extras like outdoor games and activities for rainy days, bikes or boats for exploring, hiking or fishing gear, art materials and good books. Now that we have tech savvy teenagers we take plenty of phone chargers and our little portable speaker is a must have!
For the kitchen we have a Dutch oven, kettle and frying pan for the fire (all caste iron) and a fire trivet to sit them on. We take a stainless steel steamer set which is versatile and light for the gas hob. We use enamel plates and mugs, small wooden chopping boards and a minimal set of stirring spoons and cutlery. Our little kitchen unit lifts out and sits against the van and we like to bring a folding table and chairs too. This means when we are staying somewhere for a few nights, our Skovva becomes our kitchen and eating space.
For that extra bit of comfort, we like to bring sheepskins, outdoor cushions, a hammock, a couple of comfy camping chairs and lightweight blankets.
We designed the Skovva to be a flexible extra space that we can use on our trips. It always comes with us and we have used it as shady lounge space, a shelter from rain, a kitchen diner and also as a free standing space away from the van ( we have BBQ's and birthday parties with ours all the time!)
Of course, it's important to pack for all eventualities and we also include a good tool kit, a first aid kit, a small axe or billhook, a small spade, water containers and plenty of heavy duty binbags so we can leave places tidier than we found them!!
However you spend your time away in your van, we guarantee that it will involve nature, laughter and possibly the odd mishap...it's all part of the joys! We are part of an amazing community of van dwellers that is growing and evolving all the time. And if we all take care to leave no trace and be respectful and kind, we can enjoy one of the most liberating and beautiful ways to travel.
So, whilst the dark winter days are here, why not start planning your next adventure in your home on wheels and get ready for the open road.
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