AIBU to not understand the appeal of caravan holidays?

[Pegasuspicious]

This is not aimed at people/families who can only afford a caravan type holiday. Or have young children who like to visit the beach, amusements etc.

I have a few friends and colleagues who absolutely love going to the caravan for a week or weekend. A colleague has one in a non-touristy area and says her and her husband (husband is retired, and their kids are well into adulthood) love going every other weekend. They don’t go to the beach or out and about, they stay in the caravan the whole time!

I just don’t get it. I find them pokey, uncomfortable and when you need to use the bathroom it’s like showering/shitting in a cupboard. Am I missing something?

We have a static on a rural site, surrounded by woods and fields. We brought it very reasonably and it gives our children a level of freedom they can’t have at home.
There isn’t anything ‘to do’ there but the children tend to group together and go cycling/play football and adults go for walks, read etc
We are by far some of the youngest people with a static there, (mixed site of caravans, statics and tents) the others are owned by people who are either retired or who can work from home. They spend large amounts of time walking, cycling and chilling. The statics are like little houses really with all the stuff I have at home, just on a smaller scale.
I love it as would prefer to live rurally but because of the children/work we need to be more centrally located.
Im sure many people would find it boring but I like my own company, a good book and being surrounded by nature.

I was planning on posting this if it wasn't already here as it's literally the first thing that came into my head when I read the title 🤣🤣

I don’t understand it either whether it is a static caravan on a site or a shed towed behind a car. The thought of spending a week cooped up in that is absolutely not for me. Likewise camper vans. Everyone tells me it’s the freedom, sorry I just can’t see it. Equally I wouldn’t stay in a holiday cottage, just can’t see the point.

They don’t go to the beach or out and about, they stay in the caravan the whole time

Thats not really a downside of caravan holidays that you don’t understand the appeal of though. Thats just an unusual thing that these specific people do that most people wouldn’t like, even if you replaced “caravan” with “holiday apartment” or “hotel room”.

The ones that I have been on I have found the sofas to be acutely uncomfortable. The kind you couldnt snuggle into.

Though you are right I have not tried every caravan in the country.

I don’t get it either, my friend owned one, she seemed to think everyone wanted a guest pass to go and stay in it, that it was the a really enviable thing, she went on and on about the caravan and would say I gave guest passes to x and then pause and look at you to see if you were jealous, which no one was.

It was in a coastal area but in a really chavvy holiday park , the type with cheap food and drink. And was loud and busy. Like staying in a weatherspoons. It cost a fortune too. Both to buy and the ground rent.

the holiday park was fine for say a drunken girls weekend on the cheap, or maybe if you’d kids, but there is no way I liked it so much I’d wish to spend most weekends there. It certainly wasn’t the sort of place you go to chill and was a bit of a dump.

if I’m leaving home Id like the same amenities where I go as a min, hence why I don’t get the love of camping, we have a male friend who loves camping, but I always suspect it’s as he’s tight as fuck , so sleeping for cheap and boiling beans over a camp stove saves him spending money

They’re cheap. If the same people could afford a 5 star villa instead they probably would or a fancy holiday house.
and kids generally aren’t as snobby as some adults, they just like to be on holiday

I’m not a fan of caravans- static or touring.

If you stay in one when it’s raining, it sounds like hailstones being thrown on it

Some relatives spend about 4 months a year in their caravan over summer. They are quite outdoorsy and go sailing/cycling/hiking etc.

Bullshit. They're dens of iniquity for sex people. Whole weekends of shagging, cuckolding, swapping, dogging and orgies.

And you know it.

I own a static in a lovely seaside location and love it.
it’s very comfortable ( inc the L shape comfortable sofa) and a home from home.
We go there most weekends. We are keen walkers and go off most days along the coastal path.
we don’t have a bar or anything on our site, but are a 2 minute walk from a number of decent bars and restaurants.
My van is spacious whereas I find hotel rooms pokey and claustrophobic.
Each to their own I guess.

My uncle used to live in one in Knaresborough. It was cheaper than buying a house and it wasn’t too bad, in a nice area obviously. The only downside was one month a year he couldn’t live there, the site closed down for maintenance I think so he had to live with my Gran.

I would love to have a touring caravan. Unfortunately my DH disagrees.
Alternatively I am sure I would enjoy a camper van or small moho. We have a dog and occasionally find it difficult to get a hotel. Not too often.
I drive to Spain with the dog several times a year and frequently think about the convenience.

I love that sound!

I need the area to be quiet

I don't mind a caravan holiday but wouldn't want it to be my main holiday. My mate has got one that she goes to every single weekend - only thing around it is more caravans. Wouldn't be my cup of tea but we're all different l suppose.

You are presenting as unimaginative and narrow-minded.

I like certain things but understand why other people like the opposite type of things.

Presumably the people you are talking about like going to the same place, this place. They have it set up how they like it. They never have to book. This gives them a sense of relaxation and comfort. They enjoy quiet places. They may have a long-standing connection to that area, or local friends, or do a specific activity near there, or just like it there.

This is all easy to imagine.

we live in a village with a camping site
we used to wonder about all the people that came
but i spose people like the life style

My idea of heaven !
I'm about to stay in one similar, with central heating, a proper bed, tasteful decor overlooking the sea.
I will come back feeling very relaxed, much needed !

Sounds perfect!😂

I enjoy a stay in a nice static caravan, and prefer ones on small quiet sites.

We are all different, Blackpool, Benidorm and the like are my idea of hell but I know people who love that kind of big bust resort.

We enjoy campsite holidays in France. Started with a tent when DCs were tiny, 'graduated' to a mobile home when we could afford it.

For us (family of 5), campsite holidays gave us enough space for all. Bedrooms, sitting space, a deck, a decent sized fridge/freezer. The sites gave us playgrounds, pool, shop, restaurant/bar.

We still go to campsites now DCs have grown and gone and found our ideal site this year. Opened onto the main street of a small seaside town. A 5 minute walk to the beach, restaurants at every price point, lovely pool, good campsite shop.

Villas can be great but location is everything and location costs.

Nothing about an AI or cruise holiday appeals to me but I know some people love them. Each to their own.

As a family of five, hotel accommodation is a nightmare. I also won't book anywhere that's a house which ought to be a home for a local family but that's beside the point of this really.

We find a caravan every year and find a good clean laid back site with a heated outdoor pool, mini golf (or something else that's silly), WiFi and lovely surroundings. Cornwall mostly 🤣

For £850 we get a week in a caravan in a really peaceful place (we choose no nightlife) with a pool we can use whenever and decking to be outside. We spend our days out exploring gorgeousness and come back to watch a film together or swim outside. We either chuck pizza in or bring a takeaway back. It's time together.

Caravans these days are brilliant, spacious and they have everything. If I were a millionaire I'd still do it.

Ooh, can you share the campsite please?

@TheWonderhorse Camping Le Napoleon in Vias Plage. We were there at the end of June so just before the season was really getting going. Everything was open but not yet heaving.

We bought a massive caravan, renovated it (used up our old farrow and ball paint - basically made it look like a very stylish cabin).

We put it on a campsite field in Cornwall where we were allowed to leave it in the winter.

It was absolutely wonderful. The children slept in black out tents in our very large awning. We had a massive double bed.

We loved the rain on the roof. We loved the fresh air and peace. We also loved the fact that it gave us a pied a terre near Padstow all summer long.

We kept our own things there, cooked on a gas bbq on sunny days. And no one ever took a shit in the caravan.