How to plan a caravan holiday (or motorhome or campervan holiday) with teens

That’s why a holiday in a caravan, motorhome or campervan can be ideal. These types of holiday give freedom for your teenagers, comfort and good value for you and having your own home-away-from-home gives you the space to have plenty of quick on-the-go options should your original plans get scuppered by wind or rain.

This guide walks you through a simple way to plan a holiday with teens. You’ll gain practical tips that actually work (not just wishful thinking) and a few tidbits of advice that can make your entire trip run a little bit more smoothly.

Step 1: Get your teens genuinely involved (so they buy in)

The biggest gift you can give future-you is getting your teens invested in your trip from when you first start thinking about it. You can try to get their involvement in what you do during your holiday at the planning stage in the following ways:

• Have a family chat over dinnertime: You’re likely all home for dinner at the same time for at least one meal a week, so take this time to ask everyone to pick one non-negotiable for your time away together. This could be something like an activity, a food spot, a day trip, or even an agreement, such as “one lie-in without a 7am start.”

• Offer a few types of trips to choose from:
   
  • Adventure holiday: This could include things like zip lines, climbing, mountain biking and watersports.
  • Beach holiday & town: This might look like doing a holiday/part of a holiday that is beach by day and arcades/food markets by night.
  • City & countryside: For example, going to museums and street food at one end, and lakes and trails at the other.

• Agree what time on phones & screens looks like before you go: This could look like no phones during mealtimes, downloads sorted before you go and a rough guide for when screens have to go off (and how long for) to get some face-to-face family time in.

• Use a poll (your family WhatsApp is ideal) to vote on activities and which days they fall on. This is a simple trick to make sure that you all get to do all the activities you want to, and even during the ones your teens are less bothered about, they at least feel like they’ve had some say over when those activities occur.

Step 2: Choose where you stay

Rather than chasing a long list of must-see places, choose a base that does a lot of the heavy lifting for you. You want somewhere with easy wins for the entire family on your doorstep and options for rainy days within a short drive: variety so that everyone remains entertained throughout your trip.

This area of the UK is ideal for all ages, because it’s full of big ticket type activity days (Zip World, forest coaster, underground trampolines) plus castles, seaside areas and even a fair few towns for some good cafés (read: cake).

If your teens are into watersports, this part of the country is packed with proper surf schools where they can get to grips with the sport. For those who prefer dry land, there’s also coastal paths, market towns for street food and local cinemas.

This area of the UK is famous for huge beaches, paddle spots, castles galore, dark skies and scenic towns. It’s a slightly slower pace than the same types of scenery in Cornwall & Devon, but that’s part of its charm.

If you’re after a brilliant city and nature double bill, then this is the location for you. There are street shows in summer (Edinburgh’s famous Fringe Festival is great for teenagers because of the sheer variety of shows on offer), but the city also always has a good share of museums and food markets. You can then head up to the lochs in the Cairngorms National Park for a natural escape on foot, bikes or paddleboards.

Open a map and check within a 45-minute radius, you have:

• One indoor pool or waterpark
• One climbing/bouldering centre
• A cinema or indie arts space
• Two or three free outdoor options (beach, lake, hilltop walk)

If you can tick those, you’ve probably found the ideal spot to keep all ages in your family content for a week or two.

Step 3: Pick the right set-up

Getting the right leisure vehicle layout (with the features that work for your family) can make your holiday with teenagers run perfectly, giving everyone what they need.

Sleep and Privacy

A layout where parents have a dedicated bed and the teens can claim a separate lounge or fixed bunks will reduce some of the potential friction at bedtime, especially if people want to go to bed at different times.

This is a brilliant all-rounder for families with teens. It has a fixed Island bed for parents and a comfortable front lounge that easily converts into twin singles or a double. There’s a full width washroom in the middle of the van that can be accessed from both ends of the van for convenience at nighttime.

Phoenix Black 640

This is great for giving everyone their own space, with twin singles at the back for teenagers and a lounge that converts into a double at the front for parents. The bathroom is also central to allow easy access for everyone at night.

Adamo 75-4T

This features a clever rear storage area that converts into a spacious double bed for parents, while the optional pop-top roof provides a separate sleeping area that teens love (and gives them a bit of independence).

Endeavour B65 

Storage for bulky items

If your teens travel with boards, helmets or half their wardrobe, you’ll need to plan where it goes. Collapsible crates in your car boot (if towing a caravan) or under-seat storage saves many a tidy-up and stops your floor from becoming a dumping ground.

Its 8ft width and generous under-bed storage (accessed from the outside of the van) make packing for outdoorsy families straightforward. You’ll have room for foldable scooters, walking boots and other outdoors equipment and sports kit.

Pegasus Black Messina

With its large rear garage, you can pack bikes, wetsuits or skateboards without encroaching on living space. External access makes it easy to grab what you need without bringing any mud inside. And as the garage is heated, items can also be accessed from the inside of the bathroom via a sliding panel once they have dried out. Great for drying off wet clothing or kit before bringing it into the van. The garage can also double as a kennel for the family dog with the internal access door left open for them to come and go as they please inside the van.

Adamo 69-4

If you’re a family into cycling then the E65 is a great option. The back of the van opens up to a garage area under the fold up double bed that includes heavy duty garage flooring and tie down points. There is also shelving with bungee cords to hold everything in place and an outdoor cold shower to hose off muddy kit.

Add a Tentbox to the roof (also requires the optional Adventure pack) as a place for teens to sleep and you’ve got a perfect vehicle for family cycling adventures.

Endurance E65

All families with teenagers know the importance of making sure they can stay connected to the outside world to help keep holidays happy and harmonious. All Bailey leisure vehicles have 230v power supply and USB points to allow plenty of space for charging devices. It’s always worth taking a supply of powerbanks along too for keeping devices topped up away from the van.

Step 4: Book smart (pitches, timings and the weather game)

A few booking choices make the whole weekend run smoother.

Try to book a pitch that’s hardstanding and with an electric hook-up so you’ll always have reliable power. If you are given the option, try to go for a pitch near-ish to facilities (showers see a lot of traffic with teens), and if yours like to roam, close to a play area or green where they can make friends with others their age on site.

If you’re going during school holidays, you’ll find that popular activities sell out. Reserve the big hit ones in advance, and build the rest of the week around those.

Don’t fill every morning and afternoon with an itinerary of things you expect everyone in your family to do. Teens like spontaneity and need a fair amount of sleep, so aim for 4–5 planned activities across a 7-night stay.

Step 5: Shape a day that fits teens (and saves arguments)

Once everyone gets into the holiday spirit, you’ll find that your teenagers will be more than up for doing long days of exploring… just not every day, and not always at the crack of dawn. So, try to arrange your days around when they’ll have the most energy, which could look like:

• Mornings: The more relaxed you make them, the more energy everyone will have later. This means that brunch is your friend, so consider using mornings for local browsing around shops, swims and short walks.

• Late morning – early afternoons: This should be when you book your “headline” activity window: book the thing everyone picked in Step 1.

• Evenings: Keep a mix. Things like doing one home cooked meal and film night (board games, music), one walk to a pub or street-food market, one arcade/bowling/escape-room.

Five easy dinners you can cook for teens in a vehicle

One-pan, easy dinners tend to be the best to cook in a caravan, campervan or motorhome. If you can make dishes that remind everyone of eating out / fast food, but while being homemade and healthy, you’ll all feel like you’re having the eating-out holiday experience without having to spend the money.

Fajitas are always an easy crowd-pleaser. Cook pre-seasoned chicken or veg, warm the wraps, and lay everything out buffet-style with grated cheese, salad and salsa so everyone builds their own. To go one step easier, most supermarkets sell these in kit variety.

Roast cherry tomatoes, peppers and sausage (or veggie alternative) on one tray, then toss with cooked pasta, pesto and a sprinkle of cheese.

Grab a ready-cut veg pack, noodles and a sachet of sauce. Add tofu or chicken, stir-fry for ten minutes and serve straight from the pan for a quick, colourful dinner.

Grill sausages or halloumi on the BBQ, then slice and layer into wraps with crunchy slaw and a squeeze of lemon.

Simmer quick-cook noodles in stock with spinach or pak choi, add soft-boiled eggs, and pan-fried frozen dumplings.

Example trip

Now you know how to plan a trip, what does an ideal itinerary actually look like? Find out below.

Day 1: Arrive and set up. Stretch your legs with an evening walk along Llandudno prom and enjoy fish and chips along the seafront.

Day 2: Head to Zip World for a fun first day activity. Then, reward yourselves with a hot chocolate and cake at a café in Betws-y-Coed. Finish the day with a relaxed film night back at your campsite.

Day 3: Spend the morning looking at Conwy Castle or Caernarfon, followed by a street-food lunch and the afternoon at the beach.

Day 4: Try the Fforest Coaster and high ropes at Zip World Fforest, then walk to see the sunset at Llyn Crafnant or Sychnant Pass.

Day 5: Aim for a slower day in Betws-y-Coed: have a browse around the shops and then let your teens choose what’s for dinner.

Day 6: Give a watersports day a try, try surfing at Adventure Parc Snowdonia or paddleboarding on Llyn Padarn.

Day 7: Wake up late to have a final brunch at your campsite before heading home.

Riverside Touring Park Campsite

It’s just a five-minute walk into Betws-y-Coed for shops, cafés and takeaway nights, yet you’re still surrounded by riverside scenery, bike trails and adventure options galore.

With clean, modern facilities, easy transport links and nearby activities like Zip World and Surf Snowdonia, it’s a brilliant North Wales base.

Ready to start planning your own adventure?

Take a look at our full range of caravans, motorhomes and campervans to find your perfect home on wheels, or head over to the Bailey blog for more travel inspiration and practical touring tips.