Little things to help a touring caravan holiday

[3littleowls]

I started a thread several weeks ago - www.mumsnet.com/Talk/camping/4181792-Caravan-holiday-with-three-young-children-am-I-crazy?msgid=105221304 -about buying a touring caravan for my family of 5 - DH and 3 kids - age 5 and under. I got so many helpful replies and I have finally taken the plunge and bought a 6 berth touring caravan. Exciting times! Now down to the details. Wise Mumsnet touring caravan crowd, what little things do you recommend for my caravan to make holidays easier? I’ve got the big stuff noted like an air awning and motor mover. I’m talking about things like a tin opener, mattress topper etc. The little extras and sometimes luxuries that make things comfortable or special. Appreciate your advice for a complete novice at this touring caravan thing!

Oh, you need some lights for the awning and plug extension lead thingy. The pegs, if you are going to use the drill, need to be specific ones because they come with the end. I got them off amazon and also in the isle of shite in Aldi! Handbrake is brute force - I can't do ours at all! You need to take care how you pack the van as it needs balanc8ng. Most weight over the axles.

Insurance is important and also caravan breakdown cover - Mayday is good.

There are some really good suggestions here but I’d also say, be careful not to buy too much stuff at the start. Someone mentioned hot water bottles but with modern caravan heating, it’s unlikely you’ll need these. (We have Alde wet heating which is just as efficient as our central heating at home). I’d take 15 minutes out of your day to sit down with a note pad and run through waking up to going to bed in your caravan (including washing/cooking your meals) and hot down what you might need. We did this before our first trip so had the basics and then added to it as we went along. We haven’t added much to be honest. We keep some board games and cards in the caravan and leave raincoats there as well as toiletries and basic food stuffs. We bought some re-useable stuck in hooks from Amazon which are really useful and have a set inside the door (out of sight) where we always hang the keys. You’re going to have so much fun! We’re counting down to our first trip of the year on 12th April. 😄

Wait till tescos is shut and DH can take caravan there to practice reversing etc. Or go on a towing course

Collapsible crates, we use one for storing shoes in the awning and the other for keeping the children's toys in. We take Boules, swingball, toss-a-hoop, bug hunting kits, bean bags, kite, a ball etc.

Uno, a jigsaw, books and paper/pens for inside. Definitely an emergency meal and snacks. Ice packs and a picnic bag. A collapsible laundry basket. Plenty of blankets. BBQ and outdoor chairs plus picnic blanket.

Airer for damp clothes. Drawstring bags for taking wash stuff and clean clothes to and from the shower. Torches, crocs, onesies all essential. Electric toaster. Enjoy!

If you have rac or aa cover, check they will recover your caravan asa well, in event that your car breaks down and cannot be repaired roadside.

A proper laundry basket for dirty clothes.
The IKEA bag full of clothes in sight used to drive me bonkers. So bought a cheap one from B&M which can just be left out and it doesn't annoy me!
Also a big plastic tub for shoes.

@3littleowls

You will learn as you go, so really don’t worry - that’s how we did it

One single tip from me if you have little ones that hate showers like mine - a small inflatable paddling pool. If it's warm they can play in the pool. Otherwise take it to the shower block and they can play in warm water in the bottom of a shower cubicle. Clean kids!

Was in Aldi earlier and they have some caravan stuff in currently which tends to be good value.

A good alternative to washing baskets, bins & shoe racks etc is to have several flexi-tubs that stack inside each other when travelling, then unstack in your awning for whatever you need.

Don’t forget spare batteries for your motor mover remote.

A carbon monoxide detector.
A smoke alarm (I witnessed a caravan and awning going up in flames in literally seconds a few years back and the family were lucky to get out alive).
A fire extinguisher (ours was one of the ones used in the same fire before the fire brigade turned up).

Air freshener for loo if going with DH! Deffo microfibre towels make sure they have loops to hang on door hooks. Wash bags on drawstring too for hanging up. Earplugs - rain is ultra loud in caravans- maybe a stick on bird or flappy thing to put on roof when you arrive to keep stomping pigeons & crows off the roof at dawn. Ikea have felt type collapsible boxes with a diagonal zip on base, light and good for storage when packing van & fold away. Love my long handled brush and shovel also Ikea, makes sweeping out easy without bending. Get the DCs to keep a dairy in the van - couple of lines a day- they love looking back on what they did

When hospitality reopens - keep extra sachets of pepper, vinegar, sauces etc for the van saves space/ weight

Looks like I need a trip to Aldi! Never would have guessed Aldi stocks caravan stuff. Thanks for the tip @LostArcher and @PurpleWh1teGreen!

Good thought also on the wind up torch and chargers @sashh. Little things like that can make life a lot easier. And also thank you @lostarcher for the heads-up on the drill parts and good tip on the extension lead. Again, little things!

I agree @Whatalottachocca - it’s going to be too easy for me to overpack and especially at the start when I don’t know what I’m doing and pack so much in case of eventualities. Your suggestion to list down things you need through the day is a good reminder of what I need to pack as basics. One thing I know is my two eldest will want to bring an enormous amount of toys so I’ll need to keep a check on that or there’ll be no space for anyone to sleep on the van .

Good ideas @Gotofriggingsleep with the activities that have multi variations - a ball, pens, paper will take us a long way for the children at their ages without having to pack lots.

Thank you @Bargebill19 - definitely need to check that! I know our caravan insurance covers some level of recovery but need to read the small print.

@poorbuthappy - I know what you mean about the open bags so will have a think and also will take your tip on the shoe box - they’ll drive me nuts with at least 10pairs on the go otherwise!

@hotcrossbunnet - do we have the same kids? Mine love a bath too. Brilliant tip - thank you.

@MrsMoastyToasty - goodness that must have been frightening. Our caravan has both installed but flat batteries - a sober reminder to replace them. Thank you!

@Pantsomime - oooh! Some new ideas here - air freshener and the thing on the roof to keep off nosy bird visitors! Sounds like I need to invest in some drawstring bags too as you and some others have also mentioned these. Many uses and light to pack - sound very helpful. Thank you!

And thank you @NotSorry for more encouragement! I do appreciate it as I keep having mini panics about what we’ve taken on amidst a chaotic life with three young DC but to know it’ll get easier and will hopefully all be worth it keeps me going.

Has anyone mentioned clothes pegs yet?!
An IKEA octopus peg thingy is great for small items and swimwear, can be hung in the awning.

Collapsible crate for dirty washing up, plus a washing up bowl, a few tea towels for your DC to help with drying.

A Cadac is more versatile than a bbq, can cook most things on it.

Have had many happy trips in my parents' van, it's the best type of holiday.

@3littleowls I'm sort of doing the same but in reverse! We are trading in our two berth and pick up our shiny new four berth later this month and I am cutting down what we take having kitted out our previous folding camper for us and two kids. Kids are now grown so now need to cut down and keep the weight down. It is really easy to accumulate too much stuff!

One thing - for plates, cups, etc just buy supermarket picnic ware. It is a lot cheaper than stuff sold 8n caravan shops and lasts really well. Our plates are ten years old and are fine.

Happy vanning! Oh, don't forget pink and blue liquid for the loo cassette and a long spouted jug or watering can for filling the flush thingy from the outside.

There's a helpful Facebook page called caravanning for newbies...loads of helpful tips and advice on there....

Plenty of the big bags for life from Aldi/.Lidl for trips to the showers - you can put your changes of clothes and towels in them then hang them from the door so they don't get wet whilst you shower then its easier to carry the wet towels and clothes back. In many years of using toilet and shower blocks on camp sites, however nice they are, the shelves to put clothes on is never far enough away from water!

Also take some flannels and wipe all bodies down with these before using the towels. It keeps the towels drier !

Make a checklist for anything that has to be packed/replaced/checked. Mine has the number of each item I want, and a space to write down the number I need (eg 5 socks needed, 2 missing) It saves a lot of thinking in between.

Watch out for picnic sets in Aldi/lidl - the cutlery is lightweight and excellent quality.

I bring a sandwich toaster - great for cheese toasties but also omelettes, fish fingers, waffles and a quick cake.

A camping kettle is worthwhile - it’s slower but draws less power so you can have other devices on at the same time without tripping the power and annoying everyone else!

Avoid white and very dark clothes if you can and then you can just wash everything together with a colour catcher sheet.

Ziploc bags are the business for food storage. You can fit so much more when it’s chopped and flattened.

I love decathlons towels - the big microfibre ones and the fluffy hair ones. They dry quickly, take up no space and double as blankets.

Jersey sheets help with awkward beds - they’re stretchier than normal, which is Alison handy if some of the mattresses are non standard sizes.

Motorhomers here, so trying to think of things that overlap.

We've done the washing line string around the 'van often enough to know it doesn't dry very effectively, and running lines to trees/hedges is frowned upon - so that eventually got replaced with a folding whirligig airer which is great. Bike racks are handy for drying towels though!

Dog poo bags. Even if you don't have a dog - little bags of rubbish are easy to drop into a bin whenever you're walking to the ablutions, etc.

Proper ceramic mugs. I can just about cope with melamine plates, but morning coffee must be in a proper mug.

Amazon Basics packing bags. I pack in fives, so five t-shirts, or five sets of underwear, etc. in a pack. Also, their folding duffel bags are great for packing/unpacking the van, getting shopping, carrying laundry, etc. and the pack down very small when not in use.

Think about fun things that can stay in the caravan all the time, even if they duplicate something in the house - rock pooling net, kite, balls, etc. That way they're never forgotten.

Thank you so much everybody for all your tips! I really appreciate it. We’re about a year into owning our caravan now (first started the thread last year) and there are some gems you’ve all posted so will add those to my list for the season coming up . Hopefully others reading the thread and just starting out will get some good ideas too.

One of my biggest challenges is showering with my young kids. My youngest is 2 and hates the shower. When she was a baby I could hold her but of course that’s not possible now and I hate seeing her unhappy clinging on to my legs. I no longer take her to the showers and just give her a little wash in the caravan as and when. But has anyone solved this problem in a better way?

Also can anyone recommend something quick and easy they use to put on after a shower that gets them from shower to caravan, so as to get dressed properly back at the caravan? Is a really big dressing gown the only way forward? I hate putting my jeans or trousers on when my feet are damp, my legs are still wet-ish from the shower. Everything clings and feels a bit horrible. Thanks so much again everyone!

@3littleowls I used to put a cheap cotton shift dress on with no knickers or bra! Usually
With a raincoat over the top 😩oh and wearing slides or flip flops or crocs then dry properly and put socks and boots on back at the tent xx

We used a summer infant folding inflatable bath for our shower reluctant toddler when in the caravan. Found it much easier that taking them to the toilet block. When they were a bit older and still hated showers we used chose sites with a family room and bath! Much easier than trying to shower in a small van cubicle too!

Same as PP, we bought a small inflatable pool from the pound shop, and either used it in the caravan or took it to the shower block to use as a bath. You can also use it as a paddling pool if it's hot (ha!)

Re walking back, joggers with cuffs and a big hoody, and get properly ready back in the caravan!

Great tips @blobby10, @LadyLadyBirds and @Glassesareneeded - thank you! Sounds like I need to get a mini inflatable paddling pool and a nice baggy hoodie or shift. I’ve got sliders at home so they’ll become property of the caravan now. We’ve got a two week holiday planned for the summer so these things will make a difference to my sanity