Towing course for couples?

Here's one offering two for the price of one Caravan Handling courses, including towing, hitching and loading, and more:

http://www.carandtrailerlessonsni.com/caravan-courses/

The only problem is that it takes place in Northern Ireland!

If your husband isn't confident towing then he could do the course, and you could just ask for tips about hitching up and loading.  There are many people who would be only glad to share their tips.

Mrs Black Caviar - from where I am sitting if you can afford to go with him I would if you have a driving licence of course!   Never - is a big word - and I have met lots of ladies on here who have found they really HAVE to tow.  One such lady I met on a site in Devon was in Africa when her husband became unwell and she reckonned by the time she got home she had learnt to tow!  It is so easy to have a mishap however small - I fell off my bike last year and was not allowed to drive for a week and had to call in my caravan rescue to get me to my son's house.  Not all rescue services will allow that if there is another able bodied driver in the party.  I was lucky enough to be thrown in the deep end of towing when I was 20 years old and my new husband expected me to drive his huge Landrover (never driven that before) and a horse trailer (mercifully without horses) all the way to Germany unaccompanied!   6 months later - back again with two animals on board!  (I did have a helper then but not a driver).  There are plenty of ladies out there who tow competently - its a very useful skill even if the other half does most of it. 

Has the OP ever thought about learning the basics from her husband who will have completed the towing course. He will be in possession of all the relevant information and can easily run through anything she needs to know when he returns home. 

Simples !!!!!

K 

 ..... Earlier that day, I had taught my partner how to drive the automatic hire car, ...

That's the GO pedal ...... that's the STOP pedal  

Not quite that easy MollysMummy. Not least the whole 'don't just take your foot off the brake when stopped - it will start moving again' business. Glad you could have got into an automatic and mastered the gearbox and pedals (having never driven one in your
30yrs of driving), with zero instruction in a somewhat emergency situation in a foreign country in the snow. My OH is clearly not so gifted. 

Perhaps there is a reason your OH is reluctant! 

I agree two pedals are not difficult. But I am not sure I could have given coherent instructions on the P, D, N etc. when morphined to the max! 

I think that P locks the gear box and wheels. Put simply the wheels won't go round. I once did this on our old pajero and put it in park when it was going at about 5 mph. it stopped dead. 

I would strongly suggest that it is worth your while learning how to tow, regardless of whether you intend to be the main driver or not. Over the years I have known many partners who have had to learn the hard way when the main driver has broken a wrist
or ankle whilst away and so could not drive home. It is much better to learn in your own time than when you have that emergency.

Having been stuck with a caravan and a sick husband I would say if you can drive then at least learn to use the tow car. I've had automatics for many years, large hefty vehicles and small nippy ones and they're easy. It's also good, if possible, to switch between manual and automatic so that you're confident with either.