New to touring
Thinking about getting a caravan but don't know if it's the right choice for me. How did you decide it was the right decision for you?
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This forum is open to non-members and members alike, Waffler. Non- members are able to post to ask questions just as ALees has done.
ALees, I have a feeling that if you’re unsure then possibly a caravan isn’t for you but why not hire one and see how you like it? Have you looked at vans on dealers' forecourts to get a feel for them?
Me, I just knew I wanted one. No doubts at all.
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Waffler, the OP does not need to be CC member to post a comment or question on here.....in that respect it's an open forum.
ALees, your question is difficult to answer in my opinion. Many of us love the ability to tour, both here and abroad, without the restrictions that come with staying in hotels etc. It also depends on how often you intend to get away, because if you can't use your caravan in a regular basis then it's an expensive hobby. Hope this helps and no doubt others will give you their slant on ownership. All the best and keep asking such probing questions.😁
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Towing a ‘box’ on wheels isn’t for everyone, indeed, it can be daunting. But once you get used to it, it gives you a real sense of freedom. You’ll get to stay in some wonderful locations, with your own things around you, your home from home. Once the initial outlay has been made, you can look forward to inexpensive holidays.
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As a young family we could usually had one two week package holiday but we also wanted to have mini trips over weekends, usually in the Lakes. We tried a tent and that worked well enough in the warmer months but usually got too cold by September. We looked at the figures and if we used the package holiday money over a few years it would be the same as buying a caravan which we could then use all year. It would mean giving up the European holiday but that was, we thought, outweighed by being able to go away all year usually most or every other weekends as well as staying away all the school holidays. And that turned out to be true and we have never looked back and we had, and still have, some fantastic family holidays. It
Now finances are better we do both again but enjoy both equally.
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There are many things that can promote the ownership of a caravan. My first purchase of a caravan was 4 years ago when I was married with a 9 year old and a 6 month old girl. My wife did not work other than 6 hrs a week as a doctors receptionist. I did not have a high wage and wanted simply to take my family away as often as possible. I purchased a 7 year old 5 berth caravan and used a mixture of CLs (5 caravan sites) and some commercial or caravan club sites. It provided me with an affordable base for hill walking, visiting museums, trading flatfish, rockpooling and was a great family activity spending time with the kids. It was replaced with a 4 berth of similar age about 13 years later after much usage. We were able to spend 7 weeks touring in it (my wife, me and 14 year old daughter). My wife died shortly afterwards but my daughter and I had regular holidays in it and when she went to college I used to use it for long weekends (usually 4 nights) a couple of times a month to go fishing of various types between start of April and November. The whole point is that for me, in choosing to caravan, the outlay has to be commensurate with the usage and particularly so with my first purchase when I was less well off.
When my present OH moved in with me 15 years ago we decided to buy a new caravan and towcar. The caravan was a 5.4m Swift Charisma and my sensible head said that it needed to be of use for around 70 nights a year to make financial sense of buying a new car and caravan compared to renting cottages and staying in guest houses, hotels etc. with a smaller car. I knew that the first year we would get no more than 6 weeks away but w bought in the August and had 6 weeks in Scotland. By next year OH had retired and I had reduced hours and we had 12 weeks away in 3 trips. Since I retired in 2008 we are away on three tours totalling 4 months and a two week Christmas Chill out. It saves me over £3,500 a year compared to the alternatives and suits my lifestyle.
If you don't know whether you will like it then the only real answers are:
1 Go to a dealers, take the keys to a caravan of the sort of size that interests you and spend half an hour sat with those who would travel with you - without a salesman in tow. That is what I do when choosing caravan layouts.
2 Either hire a caravan or buy one if you think it is for you. If you eventually buy and are unsure I recommend buying a second hand van privately after getting it checked over by one of the many travelling techs. By buying in this way you can always try and recoup money by reselling.
I enjoy it because I like my own space, dislike hotels other than for a couple of nights or if meeting friends; I am happier in cottages, apartments etc but organising for 7 weeks as an example and wishing to move on every 4 nights or so is a pain I find. With the caravan I generally move every 5 nights.
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Very much the same as me Cornersteady (except for the package holidays). The year that I was 24 I could not afford to run the car and pay our mortgage. I used my motorbike instead and hired an old car from a backstreet chap that kept old cars in superb mechanical condition small cars like the Viva and Chevette that I hired with 150k on the clocks. Age 26 I changed departments at work for one which had a car allowance attached and was back on the road I bought a basic second hand trailer tent after a years use (age 28) and with a new baby I bought a 4 year old Vauxhall cavalier using a preferential loan from work and our first our first secondhand caravan.
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We bought a caravan a lifetime ago - there were few alternatives then - we were poor, caravans were simple and cheap, and sites were even simpler and cheaper.
Things are not like that now - there are so many other alternatives - and none of my four grown up children nor my multiple nephews and nieces have followed in my footsteps. But they certainly go places.
I am very envious of what they do and where they go and if I were starting again I would travel as they do and certainly would not buy a caravan. The alternatives these days are endless.
So whether a caravan will suit you as things are in 2020 depends on your age, your situation and your personality. Good wishes to you.
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For us it was just a natural progression. We had tented for over 30 years, initially with the kids and really enjoyed it. However, as we got older, although wanting to continue a similar type of holiday, we wanted a bit more luxury. This came in the form of 6.4 metre Abbey. Replaced after 8 years with a larger more high tech Bailey and a year ago with a Hymer MH.
The reason for our latest change is perhaps something you need to give a bit of thought to. Although we liked the caravans and the fact we still had a car to get about, we did find them fairly restrictive in terms of touring abroad, where we would have preferred to move on more frequently and use the network of Aires. Others may disagree but for me caravans are great for a week at a place, then move on (which is what we tended to do). Where as with the MH it might only be a night or two, as set up is so much easier.
If you have never tented or caravaned before I would advise hiring a caravan and perhaps a MH and see what you think. It's a bit like Marmite, not for everyone.
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Like some above we matured into caravanning. When we were VERY young (in the 1950s
) my parents had an old caravan on a site in North Wales (The Warren before it became smart!) where we used to spend the summer. Later when we had a family started in a tent but quickly wanted more comfort so into caravanning. We have never looked back.I think you have to look at what you want from holidays and general life style as it is a pretty big investment (Caravan, storage, insurance etc and suitable tug). If you want freedom, fresh air, adventure really if you are a free spirit and prepared to tug a caravan maybe it is for you. If you like being looked after and waited on your hols not for you. If you have children I can fairly confidently say that they will love it! We love it and now as we reach mid 70's we often think about stopping BUT we cannot think of any other type of holiday we may like. Sit quietly with a glass of wine and talk about what you want from hols, ask other caravanners, hire one for a week or so. Then if you think 'yes' get a suitable inexpensive one to give it a real try for a year or so, you can always upgrade later without too much of a financial hit. We squeezed us a large dog and 2 pre teen children in a Sprite 400 - cozy but great fun!
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Others may disagree but for me caravans are great for a week at a place, then move on (which is what we tended to do). Where as with the MH it might only be a night or two, as set up is so much easier.
A very good point there for the OP to consider.
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If you have a look in the membership section it gives the voucher terms and conditions, I think it says the voucher comes out with your membership card or within ten days. Looks like you need to check the dates when you can use it before booking. Hope this >LINK< helps.
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It certainly makes sense to do that. When we got them with the club credit card, we always saved them for the few nights we took in high season. However, just be aware if the start of your break is at the lower rate and the end at the higher, you will only get a night at the lower rate off your bill. The voucher has to be used for your first night on a site.
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Thank you all, this is really helpful. I like the idea of renting one to begin with and seeing how I get on. I'd love a caravan because then you can just go without having to worry about accommodation but I want to make sure it's the right commitment for me.
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You'll have your accommodation but you need somewhere to pitch it!
It isn't always as easy as just deciding to go somewhere on the spur of the moment. At certain times, Friday and Saturday nights are booked well in advance and some Club sites particularly in popular areas are full.
If you look at my reply on your other thread you will see that I mention weekend meets and temporary holiday sites. Often, these do not need to be booked in advance so may offer more freedom.
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We spent three weeks touring Scotland last summer with a caravan and only stayed 2-3 nights in most places. We didn't have a problem setting up or packing up, in fact we can usually do it in about half an hour! I really don't think it's an issue at all for a lot of caravanners and having a separate tow car is a definite bonus.
However, we do sometimes consider swapping to a motorhome simply because they can go places that caravans can't! I would probably do more of the driving in a motorhome too, as I get a bit nervous on small twisty roads with the caravan...
I'm currently trying to persuade hubby that a small campervan to replace our tow car is the perfect solution 😊
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We Started with a tent then moved to a trailer tent and on one of our weekends away we were pitched next to a nice couple with a caravan we got talking to them and said we were unsure about towing a caravan but they talked us around so we bought our first caravan a Maruder 4D the kids and ourselves loved it, the kids have long since left but they do from time to time invite them selves and their partners to join us in the caravan
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Same for us progressed from tent's to caravan when our kid's had pretty much left home. Bought a freedom Jetstream on impulse which we loved, but after a couple of changes we have a 4 berth fix bed end bathroom ( towing an ensuite bedroom ) and love it. We are lucky to keep the van at home and always kept stocked ready to just hitch up and go and you can always find a pitch somewhere any time of the year. And we do use it all year.
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Lots of good advice here.
We're another couple who progressed after many years in tents, but unlike some others here I was utterly convinced I never wanted a caravan!
When my wife's back combined with my growing too tired of packing away wet canvas - which was also part of my day job for some years but that's another story! - we thought to go for a campervan. A visit to the NEC Show convinced us that the economics of owning one big enough to have its own loo were beyond the investment we were prepared to make.
Getting in and out of lots of cara/vans, cheaper, expensive, small, huge, and just spending time sitting in them, at that same show, helped a lot, and taught us what we didn't want to live in.
Research led us to our present 2nd hand caravan as something of a try-out, and we love it, it's extended our range and our season, where tenting was reducing these as age increased.
Nobody can really tell you what you'll like, but researching is the real essential, as lots have already said.
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Not that we have ever done it , but the thought of an all inclusive/package holiday sends shivers down my back bone. After touring on a motorbike with a tent around Europe a caravan is pure luxury
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Might be an idea to book a local site [easy access to Home for all the bits of kit that you tend to forget first time out] and to see if you can accompany a caravaning friend for tips, guidance etc. There again, if staying locally, there may be caravaners who you know or recognise and who will be happy to offer advice.
On the other hand, you could try the stupid route, as we did. Drive from Scotland to Norfolk to collect a Folding Caravan, then drive to Newhaven for the Dieppe late night ferry, drive on to the Loire Valley and then try to remember how the caravan is erected, and why there is no hot water and why won't the toilet fill? Oh, how we laughed - eventually.
Given my time again, I would select the local site and ignore any embarrassment if the set up takes ages.Once the sun shines and the first outdoors cuppa is poured as the starter to a weekend's relaxation, you'll be hooked. Well, at least until it comes to Phase 2, the setting up of the beds
.Good luck!
Steve & Elaine
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