Oh god... DH is looking at buying a caravan. Tell me the good bits please!

[Florencenotflo]

Disclaimer - this is a light hearted thread.

DH is looking at buying a caravan. His reasoning is that with the pandemic, we aren't going to want to travel abroad for a while, we live on the South East coast and there are some lovely places within an hour of here. We can pack up on a Friday and spend the weekends with the kids having mini holidays all the time.

But am I wrong to think it's not a holiday in a caravan? Just same shit different place? We've still got to cook meals (unless we eat out, but we can't do that all the time). I'm the planner of the family so it'll be me packing for us all, making sure we have everything we need.

Please tell me the good bits of having caravan holidays with small kids (1y and 4.5y).

@Flyingarcher I know this was supposed to be a jokey thread but it's actually given us a lot to look into, so thank you. All of the replies have actually. DH said he is looking at the new year to start looking into it properly. I may see if we can rent one to give us a feel of what it's like, but again they all seem to be booked up for the foreseeable.

DH and I have a caravan. It's a 4 berth with a fixed double bed. We tow it here there and everywhere.. it's fab.
But it's not an easy holiday... emptying toilet, filling the water. But tbh we still love it.

@Florencenotflo if anyone had told me that I'd have a caravan, I'd have laughed and laughed. We had a folding camper for several years and they are cute but you can't really stop overnight with them.

Awnings. You will need an awning. They are called divorce in a bag for a reason. You need an air awning. They are heavy but put up in around thirty mins. Get pegs that you can drill in and out of the ground with a drill. You can do this with the corner steadies too. We can set up or down just the van in twenty minutes now. Heavy weight in the car. Once kids are grown then there are adult only sites and they are really swanky! Buy as new as you can afford.

We've got one and love it, storage and insurance are £400 a year then sites average out around £30 per night.

We keep it on a site an hour from home where they store it for us then put it on a pitch for when we arrive then put it away when we leave.

It's fully stocked so all we have to take is a bit of food and clean clothes.

There's tons of room in it (it's a Bailey Pamplona), we're never struggling for space to put things or prepare food and it's so cosy, I set the heater to maintain it at 18° so it's never chilly.

Our kids are 5 and 7 and they've made so many friends from all over the country, some are regulars and others are just there the once, they love being picked up from school on a Friday for another mini holiday.

You do need to enjoy the outdoors though, I get great pleasure from just sitting outside with a book and a drink listening to the wildlife.

It's all personal choice, you couldn't pay me to sit in a hotel room then lie by a pool all day, I like opening the blinds and the door into the countryside whereas others enjoy the bustle of hotel resorts.

My daughter let her vintage abi ( about 25 years old) and still in excellent condition for £200

Slept 5, very lightweight for towing, even had a fixed bed at the back.
Would’ve been a great fixer upper.
Someone got a bargain that day.
They are out there, preloved was good back in the day.

My tin can
Got rid of all the yucky 70s decor
The caravan was actually manufactured in 2005
Was that the decor in 2005?
Not in my home it wasn’t..I couldn’t believe it was in such a time warm.
With a bit of tlc we’ve brought it up to an acceptable standard.
However my next door neighbour has gutted hers..and it is fabulous.

We had touring caravan wJen the kids were younger. I used to leave work on Friday, pt a chicken in the oven and start packing. Bedding off our beds, some clean clothes ,foodand that was it. Id do my shopping on a thursday so we had everything in and put nread , cereal etc in the van the night before. We'd have chicken salad for tea when we arrived most Fridays. Breakfast was cereal and toast, lunchtime we'd pick up something if we were hungry then Saturday night was a bbq or eat out in a pub.Get up Sunday and pack up after breakfast and go home. We loved it during the summer months.

@GalaxyCookieCrumble
After 3 tourers, each one bigger than the one before it,
I said to dh , it doesn’t matter how big they get I want my own proper bathroom.
Our last one was a swift conqueror lux and we took all the end furniture out and put in a double bed. The bathroom was bigger than normal and the kitchen was for a caravan, huge.
It was a lovely van, loads of storage, cabinetry was beautiful.
9 years old when I got it ..for a knock down price of £3;600

Had it three years and then after a long weekend in Hafan y mor in a static, I said to dh it’s time we had one of these.

We’ve had it three years, as I said previously, second hand and did it up.
It’s all about where you pitch it.
We went for a field with no amenities , owner happy to have them on site as long as possible as long as they are kept in good condition.
One owner has been there 28 years.
We spend 4 nights a week there and three at home, when we catch up with house admin, seeing grandkids etc.

It’s been a blessing with this carryon

@Indoctro

We had a caravan for two years . I loved it , my husband hated it . He called it the torture box,

The last time we used it the drive home stressed him out so much when we arrived back at the house he said if you don't get that thing off this drive I swear I'm going to burn it

I put it up for sale the next day

Maybe he just didn’t like towing it.

Would it have worked better on a permanent pitch.
Our kids would disappoint for hours in the static we had for 10 years

Had loads of friends there. Everyone kept an eye out for each other’s kids and we were there every weekend from March 1 till oct 31
When site owner put on a big bonfire display for end of season.
There was pie and peas and the kids used to dress up.

Saved my sanity it did and just 45 minutes from home and we were in another world.

Not read all the replies
But we had one years ago when our daughters were about 7 up to 11. We all loved it and went to France twice too.
We stopped because other hobbies started to take over the weekends.
Now daughters are grown up we have just bought another one for the two of us. We have gone luxury and it cost a lot but it really is lovely.
We’ve had one weekend and one whole week away so far and have loved it. You don’t even need to go far for a change of scene.
We have two medium sized dogs and so are enjoying walking them and seeing different areas.
Once COVID is over we hope to go to France again and maybe Spain.
I grew up on caravan holidays and remember the cold, condensation etc, but if you have a good budget those needn’t be a factor at all.
You do need to plan ahead a bit though as we have found sites are getting booked up and I think it has become more popular . The days of deciding on Friday to go somewhere are gone, you need to p,an ahead a bit.
We are off for 3 nights this weekend and have just booked a week in N Yorks for October (not half term).
I think your kids will enjoy it. Kids on sites all make friends and spend their time biking and scooting around the place.

@AgentProvocateur

Please see below for the list of good things about owning a caravan

You can sell it for money.

(Ok, so not as much money as you’d have if you’d never bought it, but still)

Static caravans are fab, we leave warm clothes and summer clothes there so not so much packing (We pack for the weather and if it turns freezing/ boiling/ rainy unexpectedly we're covered). We buy things when they're on offer throughout the year for our holiday site so we do one massive trip at the start of the year and all toothbrushes/ toiletries etc stay there until we close up. It's not on a year round site because they have additional costs in terms of council tax etc. Stock the freezer and the cupboards so there's always something to bung in the oven if we don't want to cook etc. The kids LOVE it, they keep their toys and special colouring stuff etc there, on Birthdays and Christmas when they get so much crap some of it goes to the caravan and it's all new and special. We have beaches, seaside towns, markets, all nearby.
Touring caravans I wouldn't even entertain!

There's a sense of freedom you don't get with other holidays.
We've just bought a static on a Haven site. We spent nearly 3 weeks straight there and it was fab. Went back for the weekend after a weeks break and it was great getting in and the cupboards were already stocked with food, beds made etc.
As its a holiday park there is loads to do, plus can go off park to the beach, local town, day trips.
I think with the ages of the kids going away for 2 nights regularly isn't that realistic with all the set up you have to do with a tourer. Plus at bedtime you have to sit in the dark till they're asleep or at least be really quiet.
Its obviously a financial commitment to get a static, we personally felt like it was worth it for us as we will go up for lots of weekends (we used to do weekends away monthly pre pandemic) and all the school holidays. We know we will lose money on it, its about having fun and making memories.
I've found that once we're at the van I've got loads of free time as there isn't really any cleaning to do.

I've never dont the going away all weekend every weekend myself

But had a SIL who had a boat and they felt they needed to go to it every weekend. Of course she was the one doing all the planning and sorting. They also ran themselves ragged having to do all the stuff they would do on a weekend in the week

Not having to meet other people at breakfast is quite appealing to me. Same mattress and comfort means you avoid the bad first night's sleep of a holiday.

Part of me would enjoy holding up all the nasty boy racers on the road whilst travelling.

Now is not the time. We have a campervan and haven't had a night away since the end of Feb because everywhere is packed and loads of sites have toilet blocks closed (we have no shower and I don't like using the van toilet). Plus they are in short supply.

Your kids are at a great age for a caravan. Best thing about caravans? It's camping without all the crap parts: you have a loo inside, you can cook out of the wind, when its wet you have somewhere to go, but you have the flexibility of travelling.
I envy you, I love caravans.

You also have a proper bed in a caravan; Tenting is so shitty in comparison.

I haven't read all the replies but so many early ones were negative that I thought I'd reply.

I have owned a small caravan since july.
It's me and 3 kids, so everything falls to me.
I love it!
1st trip took lots of packing, but all bedding camp chairs, awning, cooking/eating stuff, towels, loo rolls etc etc now stay in there.
2nd trip just needed clothes toys and food.
Each child has a cheap IKEA holdall for clothes.
Home fridge just gets unloaded in to caravan fridge.
2 frozen meals from home.
1 fish and chips night.
1 cook something easy.
That's 4 nights with minimal effort.
Far fewer chores than home.
I had progressed from camping as I got sick of bringing wet tents home and not being able to take dogs (for fear of shredding the tent).
My teen sleeps in his own little tent.
Looking forward to a trip at half term.

We get two full days at home as we don’t come home until late Monday night and then set back off again Thursday afternoon.

Hard work fitting all the house stuff into two days and a bit But we managed.
Dh even built / put together a new Three door chest for the lounge and yesterday was shopping for eldest’s university bedding, and spending some time with youngest ones...who wanted to learn about archduke Franz ferdinand and the start of the First World War..ffs!

If you’re still not keen OP then could you show him the Father Ted episode where they go and stay in a tiny caravan? It might put him off.

Vote for caravans being fab - IF you get the right layout.

We are now on our 3rd touring caravan the first didn’t have a fixed bed and it really irritated us having to make beds up/take sleeping bags/try and make 20 cushions into something comfortable. The second had a fixed bed (bliss) and a big sideboard for all the camping essentials (read nespresso) but we wanted a bigger bathroom. Our 3rd has a transverse bed a big bathroom across the back, a massive fridge. Full cooker/grill. Microwave. Lovely wrap around lounge at the front and loads of storage. It’s toasty warm, we don’t have any condensation and during lockdown having our own shower facilities has been fab.

I love camping though - the feeling of being outdoors, being surrounded by amazing scenery, getting to the Coast, feeling a bit off grid.

Kids love the freedom/independence camping brings.

You just have to make it easy - keep as much as you can in the van (good if you get a fully winterised one so you don’t have to worry about damp). We have ours so we only have to fill fridge, pack clothes and we’re off (I’ve even got caravan hairdryer/straighteners!). We went all of 7 miles away during the Bank Holiday and had a wonderful time despite wall to wall torrential rain. Particularly since we’ve been working/living in the house full stop - the change of scenery is so welcomed.

Really hope you’ll give it a chance - you might surprise yourself!

I loathe caravans. However, I've known a lot of people who absolutely love having a caravan to escape to at weekends and for holidays. I've been in one twice. Once overnight and once for a whole week. It was torture.

How’s it going op?
Who is winning
I’m gutted that we aren’t away right now because we have a plumbing problem
Plumber coming tomorrow
Looking forward to his tales of Benidorm 👍