totally new to caravanning- is it hard/complicated/expensive?

[IAmBooyhoo]

i have a savings bond maturing in april and i have been considering for some time that i would like to use it to buy a caravan. we caravanned as children but i have no experience at all of doing it as an adult.

i am single parent and have 2 boys aged 6 and 2. we would also be taking our dog with us. i am looking at buying a 2 berth caravan (boys are used to sharing bed with me). what do i need to know? how much should i expect to pay for a caravan, insurance, site costs? is it difficult to learn how to tow a caravan? is it difficult to 'set up' your caravan once you reach the campsite? anything else i need to think about?

I don't know a lot about caravanning apart from childhood holidays. I used to have a campervan though. I would get a 4 berth though as your boys won't want to share a bed for much longer. And caravan beds are thinner than normal beds.

Can you store it on your drive? I know local storage near me is around £25-30 a month!

Though I guess you could get an awning and make the boys sleep in the awning as they get older - but it might be cold! I did look into getting a caravan briefly and I remember reading that 4 berth ones are easier to sell on.

my parents have farm with big hay storage barns so storing it wont be a problem and they wont charge me (i hope )

good point about selling on. i hadn't considered that. i guess i was thinking 2 berth as they tend to be smaller and i was guessing easier to tow for a beginner. also, i can upsize in a few years when the boys are older.

Aahhh we just bought our first caravan last october and we have been itching to get out in it.
Top tip
go some where local to learn about towing, we did.
Always go somehwere with electrical hook up, makes all the difference.
always go with hard standing, less mud n stuff, no worries about leveling.
We have a 4 birth, its great.
Consider the weight and what car you have, there are strict limitations.
We bought ours from a little family caravan company, the owner was so enthusiastic, gave us loads of info, advice, tips, freebies and told us to give him a ring if we had any questions about caravanning, this was brilliant and so contageous.
We joined a caravan club for ideas about where to go, what facilities there were etc.
We have had a couple of dummy runs in it, just to suss out what we need.
Its great fun!
Good luck and enjoy!!!!

sorry to clarify, we went away in it about an hour away from home for the first few times, to get used to towing.

thanks mrsnesbitt. i will be changing my car also in april for a 7 seater (registering as a cmer) so any caravan decision will have to be based onwhatever car i get then.

do you mind me asking how much your insurance cost for your caravan?

not much, less than £200 PA. we store it on our drive which is big enough. we have an immobiliser on 2 of the wheels.

OMG forgot about the music festival that we are going to in ours!!! SO excited now!!

also we are really lucky that there are some great sites for families (and dogs) within 20 min drive. there are 2 about 7 miles from my house.

thank you.

i'm already planning an itinerary and i haven't even bought one yet!

Remember to check that your driving license lets you tow your intended van. I'm an old gimmer who passed my test in the dark ages and am allowed to haul pretty much anything, so I'm vague on the detail - something to do with a category B license......google

thanks distant, i probably wouldn't have thought of that!!

The caravan club run a course for beginners, dh did this and would thoroughly recommend, www.caravanclub.co.uk/expert-advice/getting-started/training-courses/practical-caravanning-courses/

You can also buy something called a motor mover which makes it very easy to manoeuvre the caravan into tight spots. I believe the best one around is a powrtouch one and costs around £800.

Good luck!

thank you denbags. will check that out.

ah, i am in northern ireland. they dont run a course here. i'll google and see if there are any locally.