I grew up camping in California thanks to my parents. When I would daydream about my own family, camping was always at the top of the list. Here we are today! My husband, my toddler, and myself had a getaway in a camper van rental thanks to Go Camp. When we started planning the trip and considering where we wanted our first camping trip as a family of 3 to be, I instantly said the CA central coast. This place holds a significant meaning to both myself and my husband Patrick, and now we’ll be able to add this trip to our collection of memories too. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to partner with Go Camp and I’ve created a run-down of the highlights of our trip, the van we called home for 5 days, and the few tips/tricks/ lessons we learned van camping with a toddler for the first time.
Day One - Pick Up Van + Head to 1st Campsite
On Wednesday morning we packed up our car and headed to Treasure Island right outside of San Francisco to meet the van owners and pick up Brandy (that’s the name of the van). Rob & Katie were so helpful in making sure we had all our questions answered and felt comfortable with the set up before handing over the keys. We installed our daughter Margot’s carseat in the back row of seating, loaded up our few bags and took off!
We made a stop for lunch at Mersea Restaurant on Treasure Island before hitting the road. This spot was such a great find and one we would have never come across without the pickup location leading us to Treasure Island. We enjoyed the oceanside seating and Margot loved running around before another chunk of driving time. I shared a delicious Asparagus Salad & Cheese Pizza with Margot, Patrick got the burger.
After lunch it was time to navigate to our first campsite. Since the Central Coast campsites are so popular during the summer season, we had trouble finding a campsite for the first night which led us to discover Hipcamp. This app allows private residents to list their own campsites and enabled us to find a beautiful campsite in the Redwoods near Aptos, CA. Along the way we made a stop at a local market and fruit stand to pick up some groceries for the trip. We drove the winding road up the hill, met the campsite hosts and made some dinner on the grill provided at the site. We used this first night to really get acclimated with all the technology within the van and review the manual provided by the van owners. After a bit of running around the campsite it was time for Margot to head to bed and we followed shortly behind to get an early start the next day.
For all the parents out there, I know what you’re thinking: How did she sleep? Where did she sleep? Margot slept great every night which we were especially pleased with on night 1 since everything was so out of the normal for her. There was really no adjustment period for her and this definitely calmed some anxieties we had about how the trip would go. We felt comfortable sharing the bed together, but the back seat also folds into a second, smaller bed which would have been necessary if Margot was a bit bigger. Though our “routine” was pretty much thrown out the window, Margot still napped and slept through the night every day of the trip!
Day Two - New Brighton Beach / Capitola, CA
We started our day bright and early, hopped out of bed and into the driver seat to make our way to Verve Coffee in Santa Cruz. This spot is one of our favorites and allowed us to fuel up for the day ahead with a delicious pastry, breakfast sandwich and of course, coffee.
After our breakfast and coffee we headed to our next campsite: New Brighton State Beach in Capitola, CA. Since we were a bit early to set up at our site, we took advantage of the Day Use beach area (which is free if you’re camping there). This was Margot’s first beach day, first time walking on the sand and playing in the ocean. It was an experience our little family will never forget and was a beautiful way to begin the trip. After a couple hours of fun, Margot was ready for a nap. We took advantage of the built in screens on each door of the van and took an open air nap in the van right along the beach, I don’t think I can imagine a better nap scenario.
When we woke up it was time to head up to our site and set up camp. The campground at New Brighton was spacious and had so many other kids running around which Margot was obsessed with. We set up the van for the night, made some dinner using the van’s cook top, and took a sunset family walk overlooking the beach. After Margot fell asleep, Patrick & I enjoyed a campfire and some wine before tucking in for the night. The two of us reminisced on the experiences we had camping and traveling with our own families as children, it feels really special to be able to create new memories with our little family in a similar way.
Day Three - Santa Cruz / Big Sur
We began the day with some coffee at the campsite, Brandy comes equipped with an Aeropress, ground coffee, and a kettle for boiling water on the cook top. Patrick was in his element and it was a great slow start to our day while we prepped a breakfast for Margot. We got ready for the day, packed up the bed and prepped the van for the next leg of the trip.
Before heading to our next campsite we made a stop for Breakfast at Linda’s Seabreeze Cafe for some sustenance before our drive down Highway 1 to Big Sur. I got the Waffle and Patrick had Biscuits & Gravy, Margot shared a bit of everything with us and was already napping by the time we were on the highway. We knew the Big Sur Campground would be a drive away from any grocery stores and gas stations so we fueled up and made one more stop at a grocery store to stock up for the last two nights.
The drive along Highway 1 through Big Sur is absolutely magical and is reason enough to visit this area, but our campsite, Big Sur Campground and Cabins was an absolute gem along the Big Sur coast line. The staff was incredibly friendly, the campsite included free firewood, free and untimed hot showers, complimentary coffee & tea each morning, private access to the Big Sur River with inner-tubes and a swimming hole only accessible by the guests of the site, and not to forget Margot’s favorite: the playground of her dreams. We can’t recommend this spot highly enough, it truly had everything we needed, even a little general store for when we ran out of necessities.
We spent the afternoon exploring the campground, making friends with our campsite neighbors, including some new friends Margot’s age. Margot quickly discovered she could easily walk to the playground which was close by our campsite and we followed her there at least a dozen times a day. She loved the swings, but the main event for her was going down the slide, all on her own, most of the time head first on her belly. It was so much fun to see her step into her toddler stage now that she is fully mobile and excited to play. It was honestly a challenge to take her away from the play area so we logged many hours chasing her around with a mug of coffee or wine in hand.
We set up camp for the night and made some delicious fresh-made pasta we picked up at the market, using the van’s cook top. Quick mention of some of the tools that made feeding Margot a little easier while camping. We picked up this Portable High Chair which made eating in the van feel like it does for Margot at home, while also limiting the mess and keeping her secure. We also opted to bring one of Margot’s plates from home and a couple of her usual utensils so meal times felt more familiar. We made sure to bring her favorite snacks and ingredients to prepare her favorite meals too.
After dinner it was time to give Margot a bath in the bathrooms provided by the campsite. There were several showers in each restroom on the campsite and I feel the need to mention this again, they were free, untimed, and thoroughly hot. I took a tip I learned growing up watching my Mom take my baby sisters camping, she would always pack our gear or food in a rectangular bin that could double as a bath tub. We picked up one of these storage totes before our trip and it worked perfectly. Pat took Margot back to the van to get ready for bed while I enjoyed a shower too. Afterward, the two of us enjoyed some drinks around the campfire just outside the van while Margot slept— the stargazing was out of this world.
Day Four - Big Sur
Our final day in magical Big Sur started early with a quick breakfast for Margot and complimentary coffee provided by the campsite. Margot took us to the playground for her morning shift and we packed into the van for a quick trip further down the highway to one of our favorite, seemingly hidden spots Big Sur Bakery. This little stop tucked off the highway has some of the most delicious baked goods, coffee, breakfast and lunch. We enjoyed the garden area while we ate, explored the small shops nearby and even made some friends with another little family and their toddler.
After our morning rendezvous we headed back to the campground to explore the Big Sur River. We got all prepped to swim, stopped by the playground once more of course, and took the 3 minute walk from our campsite to the shoreline. The river was so crystal clear and was refreshing in the warm sun, we walked along the river to the nearby swimming hole where many of the other campers were cliff jumping. Margot loved watching everyone, she enjoyed swimming where it was sunny and showed the entire campground her training regimen for champion rock-skipping. We spent the better part of the day in and around the river before heading back up to the van. After a quick rinse down in the showers, we got cleaned up for dinner.
The campground arranged for a crew to make Tacos on site for the campers (something the campground does on Saturdays in the Summer season). They were $10 for a plate of 3 and they were absolutely delicious. Taking the night off from cooking meant we could play at the playground of course with Margot, as well as set up for her first campfire and s’more experience. We roasted marshmallows enjoyed our S’mores and still managed to end up at the playground once more before putting Margot down for the night. She was tuckered out after the last few days we had and allowed Pat & I plenty of time around the campfire on our last night. We shared some lighter fluid with our neighbors in exchange for some firewood and the whole campsite was full of other families enjoying the cool evening in such a beautiful part of CA’s central coast.
Day Five - Drop Off Van + Head Home
The last morning was spent packing up the odds and ends of our stuff, and preparing to drive the van back to the bay for drop off. We fueled up with plenty of coffee from the campsite, played one final farewell tour at the playground, dumped our gray water tank at the provided spot on site, and headed back up Highway 1.
We made a stop in Monterey for some breakfast and to get some energy out before the last part of the drive. It seemed only right that Margot celebrated the end of her first camping trip with some Ice Cream at Revival, Margot & I shared Mango Passionfruit Sorbet with sprinkles, Patrick went for their award winning Bee’s Knees.
We loaded back in the van one last time and met Rob & Katie in the same spot on Treasure Island. Our car was parked there during the trip and after a walkthrough of the van we loaded back into our own car and said goodbye to Brandy who took such great care of us on this trip. No road trip is complete without a stop at In N Out along the drive home, and we managed to be back home and tucked into our own bed by 10pm. Of course unpacking is an entirely different story….
Brandy - The Van
We covered our trip’s itinerary pretty thoroughly but I wanted to make sure we devoted a section *just to explain our favorite features of the van and the ways Brandy made the trip a breeze.
Driving the van out of the Bay and towards the central coast presented a lovely training course on acclimating ourselves to the way the van drives. To our surprise, she was easy to drive and even fit in standard parking spaces. We loved the ability to pull over for a quick diaper change, or make a stop for a beach side nap.
One of my partner Patrick’s favorite features was the van’s under-bed storage rack. It’s originally intended for bringing a bicycle along your trip, but it also doubles as a super convenient way to access all of our stuff without having to crawl under the bed. Most days when we set up camp we would extend the rack fully out so we could have maximum space inside the van for hanging out, cooking, and accessing the storage drawers.
Quick shout out about the Manual provided by the owners, this resource had an answer for every question we had throughout the trip. We were slightly apprehensive about operating all the technology within the van, but Rob & Katie did a great job thinking through potential scenarios and giving us the info we needed to have a great trip free from malfunctions.
Some of our other favorite features were: The Fridge, Cooktop and Sink, Heating and AC, plenty of Power Sources to charge devices, Back Up Camera, and alllll the storage! The kitchen set up allowed us to keep Milk and Margot’s favorite foods fresh and at the appropriate temperature, the Cooktop allowed us to make delicious hot meals each day, and the sink made clean up a breeze. We used the heater and AC for a quick cool down or warm up of the van as needed. We had plenty of storage for all our stuff and still felt like there was room to spare inside the van. The back up camera made parallel parking in the van manageable and allowed us to feel totally comfortable driving the van anywhere we went.
We thoroughly enjoyed our experience using Go Camp and renting Brandy for this trip, we absolutely will be doing it again. Now we just need to consider where the next trip should be!
