Does Caravanning count as camping?

[IdiottoGoa]

We are lifelong campers who now take grandchildren camping but are starting to find the hassle of transporting and assembling everything quite an irritation.

So we’re looking at buying a touring caravan. It’s a big outlay but our next holiday was going to be USA, which would cost about half of what a caravan would cost. In the current climate I don’t particularly want to go there anyway.

Does anyone have any advice for someone thinking of buying a tourer? We can keep it on our drive, so don’t need to think about storage.

Is it worth it? The alternative was to get passports but I do feel uncomfortable about the whole carbon footprint thing.

We were lifelong campers but moved over to a caravan with a fixed double bed, five years ago. It’s been the best thing we ever did. It’s like a small flat on wheels and with the small porch awning up, we still have the feeling of being in a tent. We caravan all year round as we have Alde wet heating which is very efficient and often stay on sites with just electricity and a tap which tend to be smaller and quieter. It still feels like camping but with a little more comfort. We looked at lots of second hand caravans before making our choice but were very happy with it. I say “go for it”!

Buy a cheap older caravan under £2k to try it first, ours was £100! but we loved it so then bought a better one.
We also went in all weathers as you can heat a caravan but not a tent
Just take care not to take too much stuff with you

We moved from tent camping to a caravan and hated it.

There are many sites you can't take caravans to (particularly those smaller ones by rivers etc).

Towing/parking was more difficult. And all the hitching up, setting up when you get there - took longer than a tent!

Should add, the beds were very comfy though 😀

As life long campers I’d look at folding caravans first. I think you would notice the lack of space going from a tent to a traditional caravan. Folding caravans have all the mod-cons (depending on price) but have dedicated space for separate bedrooms which fold out with the bonus of a small footprint for towing and storage and much easier to manoeuvre.

We camped when the kids were little, we loved it. After about 3 years we bought a caravan, I detested every second of it. Not enough space, on top of each other all the time.

I would the idea of buying a cheap 2nd hand one to try it out. ( on the flipside, I have friends who love it).

I would recommend a folding camper rather than a caravan to start with - you get the bliss of hearing the rain on a canvas roof (like a tent) rather than metal but also get to sleep off the ground and have your kitchen facilities in the unit itself. If you have an awning you can double the living space instantly and have somewhere to hang wet coats and wellies. (Can you tell I've had a lot of wet holidays )
Plus they are easier to store and tow!

Some really helpful comments, thank you.

I will definitely be giving them all some thought

I like my caravan. I don’t mind towing. Bed is comfortable, fridge is cold, caravan is warm and dry. Own toilet and shower. Oven. Plugs to charge stuff/watch tv.

I go all over in it. It’s getting more expensive for pitches. Service costs money every year. Potential for damp repairs, etc.

Is a trailer tent a compromise?

My parents had one when we were younger....... great for size. Sleep off the ground and additional room under the beds that are off the ground.

We camped all over Europe!

Check your driving licence allows you to tow.
Check the weight limits your vehicle can manage
Check if there are any covenants about storing it on your property.
Look at whether fixed beds or pull out beds is right for you (latter gives you more floor space but are less comfy).
Consider getting a full or porch awning.

See if the van has motor movers . It turns your van into a remote control toy!