Advice on caravan layouts and tips for camping with three children

[Farmwifefarmlife]

Hello, hope this is okay to put in the camping section!

im new to camping / caravaning and i am looking at getting a caravan for next year. I have three DC , 2,4 & 9.

im looking for advice on the best layout & also any tips or anything to make it easier! I’ve seen fixed bunk beds & also seating areas that fold out to make bunk beds, what would people recommend?

not a huge budget so anything anyone can recommend would be super!
thanks so much.

We found that once a table was made into a bed it was a chore to make it back into a table so we planned around not having a table inside most of the time.
It helped that we decided early on that our caravan was for sleeping and getting changed, and nothing else unless it was actually raining.
We wanted our camping to be about being outside.

I would go for one with bunk beds and a make up bed at the back. In a couple of years the oldest will be old enough to sleep alone in the awning and will probably be glad of the privacy as a tween/teen. The dinette beds are smaller anyway.
It means a make up bed for you at the front but many have a curtain or door you can pull across so you have a bit of privacy or at least the illusion of it once the younger ones are in bed.
We had one with this layout, the bottom bunk folded up when travelling which meant the kids bikes could go there rather than needing to buy a car bike rack immediately. Later when we had one, it gave space for things like paddle boards or a good sized awning and bedroom.
The dinette is also great because if the kids are eating early or want to draw on a rainy day etc it means they have a separate space to be rather than putting up a table blocking the sofas.

In the past we had a static double at the back with a single bunk above it and then a front fold out double and tbh I would much prefer the above layout over that again.

Find out if there's any camping and caravaning expos near you before buying, that will give you the opportunity to explore. Don't be afraid of buying second hand as like cars, the value drops as you drive them away from the dealers. Just make sure to get a habitat/damp check and that it has a service history.

When you do get one, help yourself by getting a couple of doubles so you don't always have to pack/unpack. Things like cutlery, cheese graters, tin openers, plates etc.. If you can, having those already in it will make it simpler if you want to get away for shorter trips without it being a faff.

Agree with going to a caravan show to look at layouts. I think there is one at the NEC in the October half term.

Thanks that’s great! Definitely will have a caravan set of things! Hoping to go away on short breaks on weekends so anything to make it easier is a must! Will definitely be second hand as only have a small budget but I’ve seen a lunar 615 that I love the layout off! Now just to find one locally and not 4 hours away! I’m hoping over the winter I’ll be able to find one!