#caravan essentials

Caravanning is not simply about hitching up the van and hitting the road, there are lots of little things to learn! How many things do you really need to pack, should you travel with full water tanks, how do you find water and what are good sites. You will get to know it all piece by piece and create memories that will last forever!

TWENTY tips are -

1. Take essentials like toiletries, extra loo roll etc

2. Kitchen essentials like binbags, compact draining board, dishcloths, bowls. You'll need all the obvious items like mugs, cups, plates and bowls.

3. Mini bin for your kitchen area and a big bin for outside

4. Travel potty for toddlers

5. Stock up your fridge/cupboard with essentials only unless you're able to go to the shops. Long life Milk, bread, butter - staples

6. Tinned food and tin opener essential

7. Disinfectant spray/wipes

8. In the summer - travel fans

9. In autumn/winter - heaters

10.Handheld hoover

11. Travel chairs

12. Blankets/towels

13. Download Netflix movies if you're caravanning in an area without Internet

14. Spare chargers/TV/laptop

15. Hard ground pegs for awning

16. Hammer and mallet

17. Prepare toilet

18. Use onsite showers and washing areas! To take advantage of hot water while caravanning off-grid in your caravan -switch the hot water back on about 10 minutes before shower time. That will give the tank enough time to heat up for you. If you’re needing to do some dishes, heat up a few cups of water in the kettle – it’s much quicker and uses less fuel!

19. Some people like to travel with full caravan water tanks, while others prefer to travel with them empty. Here are considerations for traveling with empty tanks:

• If you’re heading to a caravan park & hooking up to water, there’s no need to travel with full tanks;

• You won’t have water onboard in case of emergency or if you need to stop for lunch or to use the toilet;

• You’ll likely use less fuel as your set-up will weigh less.

20. Insurance

You don’t want to find yourself stuck out in the middle of nowhere, wishing you’d brought that thingamajig along after all so it's a fine balance of not overpacking and adding extra weight to the caravan.

What would you add?

These days caravan holidays are a million miles from those cramped, damp trailers that many families will have memories of in their childhoods. Today luxurious caravans are fitted out to a high standard with all the modern amenities you can imagine. When this is coupled with sleek modern designs that maximise the space, the result is ultra comfortable caravanning. Not really surprising that caravanning is making a massive comeback!

  To make your trip more comfortable, we have compiled a list of what we think are the Top 5 essentials for a caravan holiday.

  1. A Caravan Lock

  While not very exciting, a caravan lock is an extremely important purchase. Many caravans are stolen each year and investing in a good wheel-lock or hitch-lock is far cheaper than replacing a whole caravan.

  2. An Awning

  One of the main disadvantages to a caravan holiday is that even though modern caravans maximise the space available, there are still limitations to the amount of living space in a caravan. The best way to add more space is by attaching an awning to the side of your caravan. An awning is just like a tent which clips onto the side of your caravan and gives you a large new space in which to dine outside, store equipment or just lounge in.

  3. Towing Mirrors

  Another practical accessory designed to make your caravanning experience pleasanter is a set of towing mirrors. Towing mirrors latch onto your existing mirrors to give you a wider view of what’s going on behind your caravan. Anyone new to caravanning will understand the frustration of reversing a caravan so having towing mirrors can help immensely and get your holiday off to a more peaceful start.

  4. A Foldable Table & Chair Set    

  Having an outside set of a table and chairs makes a great difference to enjoying your caravan trip. There is nothing better than having a bbq in summer and eating in the glorious afternoon sunshine. Lounging in the evening is also a pleasure and gives you an extra space to entertain or dine. Transporting them is as easy as folding them up and putting them inside the caravan.

  5. A Coolbox

  Simple but practical, the cool box has been the cornerstone of many barbeques over the years.

Caravan fridges can sometimes be small to save on space inside, therefore reducing the amount of food you can bring with you. With a cool box you can bring extra meat, perfect for a BBQ, or keeping beers cool.