Please come talk to me about touring caravans -- total novice needs advice

[oregonianabroad]

About us: 1 dog, 2 dses (nearly 4 & nearly 2); love walking & the outdoors. Dh & I have school holidays off, so lots of free time, but it's expensive to travel during peak times. Living in the NE, we are within a 2 hour drive of the lakes and Northumberland, but don't take advantage of it due to the hassle & cost of finding a family friendly place to stay. Also, a second-hand caravan to start off with is almost the same cost as a fortnight in a cottage in the UK!

I loved camping as a child, but the last time I stayed in a tent was on my honeymoon in the US 5 years ago.

So -- here are my questions (and all advice gratefully received):

1. What is the cost of storage during the winter? What are the options?

1. What is the cost of insurance?

3.What are the other costs involved?

1. How easy is it to tow a caravan (we have a scenic 1.6 -- is that enough for shorter distances)?

1. Is it ridiculous to imagine blissful evenings where the kids are tucked in by 8 and me & Dh relax with a glass of wine under an awning, before retiring to bed ourselves to read/ watch a DVD?

1. Likewise, is it ridiculous to imagine that a bargain caravan (say, £1500) would be in any way enjoyable, or do we need to shell out more to get our money's worth?

1. What is the ideal layout for a family our size?

1. Other tips?????

??

Please, dh is going to view one after work today.... someone give me some wisdom here?

and again?

1. Storage cost can vary widely. my MIl pays abot £80 to store it in a field with other vans. But proper secure storage will be a lot more. Deopends where you live, you might find a local farm that stores a few vans for a small price or you might have to go for the full fenced in option.

1. For insurance check out caravan club.

1. Other cost well, running costs can be very low, but depends if you need to renew anything and then there is memberships of things like caravan club which can be aventagous though.

1. Well that depends on your driving ability and confidence.

1. Sounds about right, you do have to be a certain type of person to enjoy this and put up with making up beds everynight and all that. But in the summer you can leave beds up and live out in the awning.

1. Cheap second hand caravans are out there, but you really need to watch for damp and general condition of the van.

lots of advice here

You need to match the car to a suitable weight and size of van, as an underpowered car can be dangerous. My parents tow and always have a minimum 2.0l engine.

I love caravanning but I'm not brace enough to tow, and DH flatly refuses, so we tend to hire static vans. I'd say you will enjoy it but expect the DC to stay up later unless you have seriously worn them out.

'brace'? brave!

Caravan Club do towing lessons too.

Hey, thanks a lot Chippy and Skramble! Very useful advice and will check out your link.

bumping for night time caravaners??