Apparently, there are special locks to keep things in place in a moving van — who would’ve thought? Not me, clearly!
Thankfully, no limbs or appendages were lost on this trip. But I did gain a whole new perspective — on road trips, camper vans, and appreciating my home state.
My friend Kristen and I were set to embark on “Camp Hox,” a three-night experience organized by The Hoxton hotels.
The package — which has been offered in the UK, France, and Los Angeles — combines nature with luxury. We opted for the $1,200 “California Coast” trip, which included camping on a farm near Paso Robles and a night at The Hoxton in downtown Los Angeles.
We were introduced to our Cabana van — my full tour here — which we nicknamed “Cabana Hannah.”
The Cabana website describes its vans as a “hotel that travels with you.” Each van is about 20 feet long — the same as a large SUV, the site notes — and 11 feet tall.
Kristen and I couldn’t believe our eyes when we saw huge, warm burritos waiting for us in the cup holders.
These bad boys — made by The Hoxton’s Sibling Rival restaurant — were packed with scrambled eggs, barbacoa, avocado, tater tots, cotija cheese, and salsa roja.
As you’ve probably gathered, food is very important to me — I write about it for a living, after all. And I was definitely impressed with the Camp Hox snack haul.
There were Sun Chips and Kettle Chips, two different types of cookies, olive oil for cooking, gummy treats, protein bars, crackers, coffee, tea, and even a s’mores kit.
The drinks drawer also included beer, oat milk, and canned lattes, along with juice and eight cartons of boxed water.
As if on cue, Cabana Hannah’s door suddenly came sliding open in the middle of a busy LA intersection. Turns out, I hadn’t closed it properly.
My lack of experience in van life was already apparent, and we’d been on the road for less than five minutes.
First up was Zuma Beach, which was just a short drive away in Malibu.
I could smell the sea as we sailed down the Pacific Coast Highway on the overcast Monday morning, passing palm trees and multimillion-dollar mansions perched on cliffs.
When we pulled up to Zuma, we decided to skip the $8 parking fee. Kristen and I both went to UCLA and are no strangers to LA beaches, so we decided to keep heading north.
