to have an irrational hatred of caravans?

[GingerNutRiskIt]

I despise caravans.
With. A. Passion!

I've had 3 caravan holidays.

The first I was about 11 and my mum spent most nights getting drunk on diamond whites, and I remember having to walk back to the caravan on my own and my step brother was really creepy.

The second I was about 13 and my dad had his friends stay with us and all they did was shag and shake the caravan from side to side.

The third was a couple of years ago and all I could see everywhere were parents drinking while the kids were entertained by the newly pubescent redcoat wannabes magicians etc.

I just HATE it!
I'm totally stuck up not stuck up, honestly. I love roughing it in a field in a tent, or 5 star all inclusive. But caravans, even the word "caravan" strikes fear into my very soul!

So, I came home tonight, and hubby says, DS1 has been invited to go on tour with us and his football team..... for the weekend....... in a fucking caravan.

So..... AIBU or are there other people out there who HATE the rickety gull infested sheds?

Caitlin, I've never had a spiders nest in the caravan, but I did have a nest under the doormat in our house

Best family holidays ever & I say that as someone who's travelled all over the world. We love it, just pack it up & drive of to wherever we fancy.

Not smelly or run down at all infact it's quite a luxury I think. The kids love it & they get to make friends with kids from all over the place.

Get a better caravan/site & try it again.

"Irrational". YABU to use the word when you are talking about those condensation filters on wheels.

There's a difference between a touring caravan and a static. It sounds like the OP is talking about going to a place like Butlins and staying in a static. I'm OK with doing that but it's not cheap and not great.

We have a very old touring caravan that I paid 350 for. We like to go to places in the Peak District a couple of times a year. Even with storing the thing (500 a year) this still works out cheaper than any other sort of holiday we can do that doesn't involve sleeping on the ground. The sites we have gone to have all been nice. No clubhouses, not noisy.

I love love love our caravan. We holiday at the drop of a hat and use it most weekends. It's cleaner than a hotel. Nobody else has ever slept in, pee-ed on or had sex in the beds. The DCs sleep in separate rooms so we don't have to creep around after they go to bed. All our own stuff is there. It's in a place we love. We've had it for 5 years and I don't see us tiring of it any time soon.

I've never had a good holiday in a static, despite being taken to some 'naice' sites by my parents. Worst holiday ever was in the South of France in a static, when the parents all got a bit too boozy and most of the dads spent half the night throwing up all the red wine they'd downed.

On the other hand, dh and I bought a vintage (70s) tourer last year, having always - I'm ashamed to say - been snotty about them before that and we love it.

We've had great fun buying original 70s pans and crockery etc for it, plus a selection of 70's board games, books and annuals to keep the dcs occupied and it's the only time we truly get a break from modern technology and grab some proper downtime.

We don't seem to get condensation and there's no nasty smell or damp in our van at all.

We've had a succession of VW campers over the years, but whilst I'd still like another as a day-van, I wouldn't go back to actually camping in one, now I've had the comfort of a caravan.

Dh and I have a pact - if either of us ever suggests a caravan holiday the other has permission to kill them by any convenient means. The thought of a clubhouse brings me out in a cold sweat, it is so far from my idea of fun. However I am well aware that it takes all types etc and I can see that they suit others. I would choose a tent over a caravan every time (and yes I have camped in snow and sub-zero temperatures on campsites with sheep chewing the tent and with the threat of bears). Given the choice of any holiday accommodation I would choose a lovely hotel or a luxury holiday cottage, I'm not completely mad.

I love the thought of a tourer (although it would have to one of those massive ones) but any park I've been to the touring pitches are always beside the bins/toilets and you could reach from from caravan window into the next.

I bloody love our caravan!

It's the same as whothefuckissimon's, but with another bedroom at the back with fixed bunk beds.

We're touring France in it this summer. Last October we spent a cosy week nestled in sand dunes on Beadnell Bay beach.

It's my favourite space ever because it reminds me of laughs, games, great meals and having my teenagers and dog with me.

I tend to avoid the diamond white and stick to wine, and we never stay on British sites with clubhouses (most of the French sites have a restaurant). Perhaps those are the secrets to happy caravanning .