Van life: How to rent a van, what to see and do on the road, where to stay, and what to pack
The Surf Suite van parked for the night at Sixmilewater Caravan Park, Co Antrim- Roadsurfer. Picture: Larry Cummins
Ridiculously excited about making a bed or putting things away in cupboards?
Saying ‘isn’t that so clever’ and ‘...so spacious’ on repeat?
You must be on a camper van trip.
I’ve clocked up plenty of camping trips in tents and holidays in mobile homes but had always been keen to see how much fun a camper van is.
So when I saw that an international company offering camper van rentals and support had expanded to Ireland I was packed and ready to move quicksmart.
Roadsurfer has a range of RVs, motorhomes and campervans available from bases in countries including Germany, Italy, Norway, Netherlands, Portugal... and now Ireland.
First up, you browse the range of campers available to you — options include ones with permanent bedrooms and with a wetroom and toilet, ones with integrated kitchen and living area, or smaller more compact models.
For example, the ‘Cozy Cottage’ is a semi-integrated motorhome which means it has three seats, a combined kitchen/living space, a wet room with shower and toilet and hot water.
As a camper van beginner I opted for the ‘Surfer Suite’ — a four-berth VW van with an automatic pop-up room.
This doesn’t take up much more road space than my own car so I thought I’d be most comfortable maneuvering this one initially. Being nosy, I did of course have a look around the other models too and they are all immaculate and really new looking inside.
The exteriors are decorated with camper van motifs and branding so it’s kind of fun to give a wave to other renters you meet on the roads.
You can bring your own camping gear. such as sleeping bags with you or you have the option of hiring a linen pack (this has very cute duvet covers with camper van pictures all over them). A kitchen box with cups, plates, saucepans etc is included.
Once you’ve booked your van you can do some online prep by watching tutorials.
And when you go to the depot, in Dublin, you then get a tour of the features with one of the staff.
Here you're shown all of the van's little hatches and compartments and how to turn on the heating, use the shower, and how to put up the awning and pop-up roof. Then you give it a go yourself while still on site just to be sure you’re not faffing around with buttons or catches at nightfall. Once that's done, you’re ready for the road.
Our van is an automatic drive and the ones rented in Ireland have the driver’s seat on the right side which is handy.
There’s no mileage limit so you’re good to clock up as many destinations as suits you.
The vans are also proving quite popular as festival accommodation — some canny people have already booked them for Electric Picnic etc.
You’re also allowed bring dogs in them so that’s super handy if it’s not a real holiday without your best bud.
There are hundreds of campsites across the country so make your list and see about booking ahead. Of course, you could take your chances too if you’re not travelling in the busy season.
Decide what your priorities are — proximity to beaches, hiking trails, towns etc, whether they accept dogs on site, shower and cooking facilities, whether you can book for just one night or if you have to go for a set number of days etc.
And plenty of people opt for the ‘wild camping’ route too of course. With only a cold shower in our van we took the paid campsite option. It’s an outdoor shower which is handy for rinsing the salt off after a swim but there’s a lot to be said for a bit of privacy and hot water!
We (myself, husband and 13-year-old) decided to head north. First stay was at Six Mile Water Campsite near Antrim town. You book online and get a code for the barrier and the showers. The site is immaculate and the town is just a short walk along the water’s edge past a dog park and exercise equipment. Waking up to a pheasant bobbing along on the grass outside is definitely one way to really feel like you’re camping.
Another great spot to stay is the Standing Stones Lodge just outside Belfast. There’s a hotel, glamping pods with hot tubs, and camper van pitches. You’re in the right place for a drive or hike at Divis and the Black Mountain and for sweeping views over Belfast city.
Roadsurfer campers in other locations in Europe can avail of Roadsurfer Spots. These are beautiful and unique motorhome stopovers and camping pitches in locations ranging from olive groves to secluded riversides. You download the app and pick your must-haves on the filters and find and reserve your ideal spot. The Irish crew did say they're working on establishing these Spots here too so that’s something fun to look forward to for next time.
The Dark Hedges are a must-see for fans and dendrophiles, aren’t they? You can’t drive along the avenue, which is fair enough, but here’s a car park about two minutes away and then you can stroll along the path between these iconic trees. They’re not actual hedges, but the beech trees are definitely mysterious looking. We managed to time our visit between various tour buses arriving so enjoyed a few crowd-free minutes there.
Giant’s Causeway, featured in a million tourist shots of Northern Ireland, was another highlight. These strange hexagonal basalt columns and disks are still so special to see for real.
Access is free but you do have to pay a car park fee unless you go by park and ride bus from the nearby town of Bushmills. It could not have been a wetter day for our visit but there were still plenty of people checking out this World Heritage Site.
There is a visitor centre too, if you want to find out more and join a guided tour.
Bushmills Distillery and Titanic Belfast are also within easy reach in this areas as is a studio tour.
Of course you can cook in your Roadsurfer van and there is something cosy about that first hot cuppa in the morning while you’re still in your PJs. Our van had a small fridge and a two-ring gas cooker, but part of a getaway is a holiday from cooking too.
There are loads of cafes, bars and hotels along the way. In Bushmills we spotted a very trendy little tapas restaurant called Destination. The ‘dog friendly’ sign in the window was a clincher. Our ‘jug’ Teddy was like a celebrity with treats offered instantly. Food, drinks and dog treat menus were presented. Our food was delicious and Teddy definitely enjoyed his Sir Woofchester snacks.
Would we have saved room for some deep-fried haggis from the nearby Flash in the Pan fast food outlet if we had known it was there? Maybe that’s one for after the distillery tour.
Roadsurfer's Irish depot is Unit E, Airport Business Campus Swords Road, Santry, Dublin 9. That's a €3, 8-minute bus ride from Dublin Airport.
Prices vary, depending on the type of camper you book and then you add on extras as needed — varying from extra camping chairs (there are two already in the camper) to a bike rack for four bikes. There is a flat fee of €99 to bring a dog, for example. A Campervan Beach Hostel VW T6.1 California Beach with 5 seats and 4+1 berth with manual pop-up roof starts at €69 per night.
Roadsurfer has now expanded into the US and Canada as well. And you get discounts on future bookings once you’ve hired from them already.
So if you’re thinking of a big cross-Europe trip through Sweden, Greece or Hungary and you haven’t stayed in camper vans much before, then maybe try out a van here first. You’ll quickly find out what your must-haves are and what you’ll need to pack for longer trips.
And you’ll also figure out what size and type of van you might prefer too before you set off from say Denver. They have a one-way campervan rental option in the US too so you can cover more locations without having to double back. So if you rent your RV or campervan from San Francisco, you have the option to return it to Los Angeles or Seattle or Phoenix for example.
If travelling with one or more people it can be helpful to set up a shared checklist before you go — that way you don’t end up with three bottles of cooking oil and realise too late that nobody brought a torch...
- A packet of wet wipes
- A small bag of old tea-towels or cut up t-shirts — wipe surfaces and ditch these as you go
- A door mat or strong cardboard box you can flatten and use to wipe your feet before entering the van... you’ll be glad of this if you park somewhere wet or a bit muddy
- A small box of loose change... for road tolls or for hairdryers in some campsite bathrooms
- Decant some washing-up liquid into a small bottle and bring a few sponges
- Pack a few toilet rolls in individual ziplock plastic bags — campsite toilets are generally well-stocked and clean but ‘better to be looking at these than looking for them’.
- Bottled water. You can fill the tank in the van at most garages so that’s handy for the kitchen sink and handwashing but fresher water is nicer for drinking.
- There’s a ‘take for free, leave for free’ rack in the Roadsurfer depot where you can pick up or leave behind items such as salt and pepper or cleaning spray. Keeps the cost down and helps cut back on waste.
- The camper vans have an extra slot for AdBlue — this is a liquid that’s added to diesel vehicles exhaust to help reduce harmful exhaust emissions (NOx). It turns harmful pollutants into harmless gases that do less damage to the environment. It’s made up of special chemicals such as urea and water and is stored in a separate tank in your vehicle. [Tip — buy it at the pump for a few euro rather than paying around €30 for a whole cannister that you won’t fully use]
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