My husband and I traveled cross-country in a camper van with our toddler. We were surprised just how hard it was.

21.10.2023 - 17:27 / insider.com

Is it really a vacation if you return looking worse than you did when you left? This was the question we asked ourselves during our 734-mile journey in a camper van with our 2-year-old daughter.

This wasn't our first rodeo. We'd traveled across the country in the middle of the pandemic with an infant and an elderly dog — once by car to Tennessee and once by plane to New York. But this trip proved to be both more challenging and more rewarding.

It all started when our friends offered us one of their versatile built-out Sprinter vans, complete with a comfortable elevated mattress, a refrigerator, and a power station with five days' worth of off-grid power. The romantic #vanlife images our traveling child-free friends posted on social media ignited our curiosity.

But we weren't childless; we had to decide whether bringing our toddler on the road with us was a good idea. How difficult could it be, we thought?

In six days, we visited Buena Vista, Crested Butte, Gunnison, Ouray, and Hotchkiss — all in Colorado. Our campsites overlooked the Arkansas Valley, the Collegiate Peaks, a rushing creek, the Maroon Bells, and a blooming apple orchard. We stayed at designated campsites where we'd lounge after a day of adventuring.

It was magical, but it wasn't all Instagram-worthy. There were toddler tantrums and parenting arguments. Here's what we learned about van life with a toddler.

I did as much planning and packing as I could before we hit the road. I even used small packing cubes for each person for a little organization. I also brought our daughter's little potty in the hope that it would make peeing convenient.

However, I, of course, missed some things. I wish we'd brought doggy pee pads to put in my daughter's car seat for the two times she fell asleep and peed.

As adults, we were searching for the most beautiful, remote places to camp. But all our daughter spotted were playgrounds. She wanted to stop for all of them; she wanted to sit and play, which is difficult when you have a destination in mind.

While we were eager to explore new trails with great views, she often wanted to just sit in the sand and watch the ants. We learned that there was time and room to do both and keep everyone happy.

One evening, after a day full of stops, we got to our destination so late that the campgrounds were full, so we decided to get a hotel room. Another night, we needed a shower, so we booked a room again.

It's not how we imagined our camper-van adventure, but we needed to adjust. Booking a hotel room isn't cheating. They allow you to recharge and it becomes a part of the grand experience.

Traveling in a van offers the freedom to go and stop wherever and whenever you desire. But sometimes our emotions ran high. We felt