From luxury sun holiday to surprising first camping experience

This summer, we were on the road with the Adria Altea caravan. As a family of three with a 3-year-old daughter, it was quite an adventure. After all, we have never been away with a caravan before. Our little daughter, Lauren, was absolutely delighted with the idea of going on holiday with a kind of mobile playhouse.

We decided to go to camping Buitenland; a campsite located in Drenthe in the village of Zandpol, near the border of Germany with a 'free' character. Fun for children, with a swimming lake and small pool but also very relaxing for adults. “Live freely, everything is allowed”. And with the weather forecast, we had a very nice, sunny week ahead of us, by Dutch standards!

With slight excitement, we left the car park behind our house. I decided to check whether we could make the turn (still a bit exciting whether you don't hit the side of a car), when I discovered that the door of the caravan was still open. Oops. Really something for us again.

Fortunately, the rest of the journey went smoothly and placing the caravan on our corner pitch also went very smoothly! Ground sheet laid, table and chairs unfolded and then a nice glass of wine. We deserved that!

We slept wonderfully. Lauren thought it was very cosy anyway that we all slept in the same room. And to wake up in the morning and open your window in the middle of the woods with that lovely forest air and then wake up quietly... I really enjoyed it. We are usually into the more luxurious sun holidays, so we got a lot of reactions to our plans from those around us; "You guys are going camping?!". But I noticed that this week we really enjoyed being outdoors, nature, forests, simplicity. It created quiet peace and a 'cleared' head.

On the second day, we decided to venture into the awning. I had prepared myself for a possible divorce but it went surprisingly well! With just under 40 minutes, the whole thing was up and we had some nice extra space to put our things. In the evenings we had a lovely time here, hanging some cosy lights, candle on the table and the smell of all the campfires on the field.

We had a great time at the campsite (highly recommended). There are cosy evenings at the restaurant, with music, a pub quiz, pizza night and at the playground the kids have fun together. You also feast your eyes on the unusual cars, tents, caravans, motorhomes and campervans that people have. Bassie and Adriaan's caravan would not look out of place. Decorations, lights, braziers, music and thus cosiness at its best.

Throughout the holiday, we mostly enjoyed being outside and being together. We did simple things like going to the swimming lake, having lunch, walking, doing crafts and, of course, a few games of pétanque could not be missed. We met nice people, ate, drank and sat in the sun. What more could you want?

On the last day, we had some rain and visited Plopsaland. Afterwards, we were able (thankfully) to clean and pack our stuff with sunshine and left for home again. Taking out the rubbish bag by putting it on the windscreen was of course a must-do for the real camping experience 😊

The week went by so quickly and we enjoyed it so much!

Sander, Stéphanie & Lauren