Pacific Coast Highway
Explore the famous California coastline with your friends
**ATTENTION PLEASE: Our friends at Vintage Surfari Wagons have unfortunately closed their business, which means we’re no longer able to offer these private VW offsites. This page remains available as a tribute to the happy memories and moments shared by our team and guest families over the years.
Nature Camping Retreat
Imagine taking in a stunning view of the Pacific Ocean. Your VW camper’s canopy is popped, a cozy bed and duvet are set up and your front seat is swiveled for an easy conversation with your friends. The campfire crackles as the sun sets and the stars slowly take over the sky.
These are the lasting memories we offer—a step back in time from behind the wheel of your vintage VW camper to cruise the twists and turns of the Pacific Coast Highway, hike amongst the desert wonders of Joshua Tree National Park or partake in a group adventure along California’s scenic backroads—all while delighting in a classic road trip with your friends.
Tour Highlights
- Road trip in California in your old-school VW camper (1-2 guests recommended per bus)
- Glamp in your way-cool vintage RV
- Breathe fresh air, away from city pollution
- View California’s wildlife, likely including humpback whales, elephant seals and Borrego desert sheep
- Stroll along the stunning desert trails of Joshua Tree National Park
- Privately tour along scenic California Highway 1
- Enjoy a classic road trip with friends
- Feel a sense of nostalgia as you leave behind the stresses of modern life
Included
- Travel advice before arrival
- A vintage VW camper that you drive (your nostalgic home on wheels)
- Clean bedding, linens, goose down duvet and feather pillows
- All camping equipment
- Personable and experienced leaders and guides
- A custom itinerary planned for 4-20 guests
- Maps, directions and advice for exploring California’s best destinations
- Feel safe and reassured while exploring California privately
- We handle all your planning details — just fly in to Orange County (SNA)
Custom Planning
We handle everything from A to Z so you can concentrate on creating memories with your team. Your adventure will be about the journey itself, not only the iconic California sights. Glamping, stargazing, mineral hot springs—we build your road trip for your group’s profile. Well-behaved pets are welcome.
Not Included
We help you choose the best additional activities for your group. From hiking between Joshua Tree’s moon-like boulders to wine tasting along world-famous Highway 1, we can create an itinerary to showcase the best of California’s open road. Is rustic camping not for you? Not to worry—we can add luxury hotels to your liking.
VW Camper Buses
Road trip and stay overnight in your personal, fully restored VW camper. Inside is a cozy couch that converts into a bed, along with an additional twin-size bed above in the pop-up canopy. With fresh sheets, warm goose down duvet and feather pillows, you’ll hardly be roughing it in your new home on wheels.
Campfire Meals
Create simple, home-cooked meals with your pots, pans and utensils ready in your VW kitchenette—which includes an icebox for provisions and even a sink and stove, perfect for brewing that hot morning dark roast. As night falls, huddle around the campfire to roast gooey marshmallow s’mores as you gaze up at the California stars.
Private Tour Guides
We take care of all of your planning, allowing your leaders to focus on bonding with your team, rather than worrying about the cumbersome details. With a custom itinerary curated only for you, we offer recommendations on what your team will love—and what to steer clear of.
CHOOSE YOUR STYLE
What’s best for your team?
NEXT STEPS
Feel free to check out our FAQ page, fill out our Planning Form or give us a call for a clearer understanding of your road trip possibilities. Only when we’re on the same page can we begin to create the VW Camping Offsite that’s best for your team: +1.415.351.9090.
Ready to Reserve?
Personal connection often fades into the background in our modern world dominated by phones. Our VW Camper Retreat, instead, invites your group to step away from that digital noise, slow down, be present and rediscover the beauty of the open road.
With cozy campfires, easy-going itineraries and unforgettable California destinations, we’ll help your team rediscover connection by returning to simpler days, with our groovy VW campers as the tools to show you the way.
Have Questions?
Please contact us by email for an updated schedule of our VW Tour Availability »
Joshua Tree Campout | Sample Itinerary
Private Group Offsite for 4 Days, 3 Nights
Desert Road Trip
A group of American families from Florida and Georgia flew into Los Angeles for a cheerleading convention—a week filled with high-energy dances, dramatic twists and gravity-defying twirls at the Anaheim Convention Center. But with Disneyland already checked off their bucket list (multiple times), the families were craving something new for after their competition.
With four days available, we introduced them to our VW Camper Retreat—an old-school ‘60’s-type road trip designed to slow things down, spark new connections and explore California the way it used to be done.
TRAVEL DAY
California Dreamin’
The families finished up their competition and made their way to our office in Newport Beach. And after a quick check-in—with licenses, insurance and the required paperwork completed (just as when renting a car)—their transformation to nostalgia then began.
We introduced each family to their vintage VW camper, gave them a private tour of the unique features, and handed over the keys. Within minutes, each family was settling into their cozy home on wheels, ready to hit the road to write the next chapter of their California story.
DAY 1
Start Your Engines
The next morning, with the families ready to explore, we met at our VW headquarters for a quick briefing. We covered the essentials—navigating L.A.’s busy highways, downshifting the VW camper engine on steep hills and, most importantly, no texting while driving. But the real focus was on embracing the slow travel mindset—leaving the main roads behind and immersing oneself in California’s small towns and captivating, somewhat forgotten, scenery.
With the family’s questions answered, we fired up our engines and hit the open road.
Mineral Hot Springs
Our next stop was Borrego Springs—a quick break to stock up on lunch supplies. On most of our VW Road Trips, breakfast and dinner are included, while lunch is left up to each family to choose (as everyone has their own style when it comes to midday cravings). After filling our VW fridges and cabinets with yummy goodies, we then took a scenic detour to visit the Galleta Metal Sculpture Garden—talented pieces of art rising from the desert floor—before heading to basecamp, with our soothing mineral hot springs ready and waiting for us.
DAY 2
Joshua Tree National Park
The next morning, it was time to uncover the magic of Joshua Tree. After a hearty breakfast of eggs, hashbrowns and avocado toast, we packed up, closed our VW tops and set off toward the national park. That evening was our Solo Campout, our family and friends camping away from the modern world and in nature (still with restrooms).
The families gathered around a crackling campfire, under the stars, roasting marshmallow s’mores to their hearts’ content as they looked up at the twinkling stars.
Marshmallows S’mores
What makes the vintage VW campers so special is the freedom they offer, where you can turn any place into home. Whether it’s enjoying a private picnic, sneaking in a peaceful nap, or getting lost in the pages of a good book, the day unfolds on your terms.
For the families, that freedom was unmistakable. By the time we rolled into basecamp on our second night, the spirit of the open road had fully taken hold.
DAY 3
Palm Springs Fashion
The families woke to the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee and opened their curtains to a stunning Joshua Tree sunrise. After a leisurely breakfast and packing up camp, we set out on the open road again—passing the popular teddy bear cholla cacti along the way.
We then headed toward Palm Springs, where some wandered through small boutiques and cafés, while others took the famous aerial tramway to the top of the mountains for sweeping views of the Coachella Valley.
Infamous Potluck Dinner
As the sun slipped behind the desert mountains, we made our way back to basecamp to rest and relax. Tonight was our Infamous Potluck Dinner—a lighthearted tradition as families put their VW cooktop cooking skills to the test, with culinary talent optional. These nights are less about perfect meals and more about shared moments together, laughing around the picnic table, swapping stories, and creating the kind of moments only an authentic road trip can offer.
DAY 4
Route 66 Journey
After a few slow, sun-soaked days in the California desert—where phone signal was low and worries even lower—it was time for the families to return to Orange County and the rhythm of the “real world.” That morning, after one final soak in the mineral hot springs, we broke down basecamp, propped VW beds back into bench seats and hit the open road. We cruised along the legendary Route 66, experiencing the same sense of discovery of the generations past.
A QUICK RECAP
For Your Private Joshua Tree Offsite
A Final Note For Our VW Camper Offsites
Our VW Camper Tours are not as much about the sights as they are about the time spent together with friends and family—road-tripping and creating memories the old-fashioned way. Cruising through the California countryside and taking in the view from the iconic VW camper bay window is something everyone should experience at least once.
For these cheerleading families and friends, that’s exactly what they did—creating a relaxed, memorable California road trip that brought everyone closer together for new memories in just four days.
WHERE WE WENT
On Our Joshua Tree Desert Campout
California Event Tourism
Whether your visit to California is for an event or you’re hoping to add a memorable one in the days before or after, planning a private group experience isn’t always simple, especially when seeking to spend any days in nature. Modern life, planning stress, and the nerves of being a first-time camper can often get in the way.
That’s why we created our VW Camper Offsite, where we handle all the details so you can just fly in, relax, and enjoy the memorable sights from behind a vintage steering wheel—bringing you back to the golden age of road trips. Start Planning »