Have just joined this forum ☺

[TriciaA]

I have been reading through a number of different posts and all very informative.

At this present time, I don't own a caravan, however, I'm making plans for my retirement, so I'm starting early and gathering up as much information as possible.
I recently purchased a towing car, having traded in my Mini.

My intentions are to upsticks and head over to Europe. Spend a short time in France, having lived there a few years and then heading to Spain and possibly Portugal (warmer climates!)
I'm hoping this will be for a long period of time, so obviously I'm here to read up on as much as I can ☺

I'm intending on purchasing a lightweight, 2 berth caravan, something easy for me to handle and one that has a separate shower.
I've viewed a couple, Elddis explorer (402?)
looked pretty nice and quite spacious.

Anyway, nice to be here and my reading continues... ☺

 

[WayneS]

Hello TriciaA and welcome to the forum, ask as many questions as you may have: loads of knowledgeable & friendly folk to advise / help/ Good luck with finding the right caravan!
BW Wayne

 

[audiorob]

Welcome. You don't say what towcar you have obtained, but start with the kerbweight and take approx 85% to get a sensible caravan weight. Then if you are looking for a 2 berth you mainly have an EK, end kitchen (perhaps like a Lunar Ariva), or EB, end bathroom layout, although for a dressing room, separate shower the EB may suit better. Something like an earlier Elddis Xplore 452/Swift/Sprite Alpine, would be around 1200kg. You don't say if you are travelling alone, but parallel front benches could be left as one seat, one single bed if so. You may find a caravan with a mover or consider fitting one for less than £700 which would suit a lighter weight van and make solo hitching/parking a doddle!
Above all it sounds like you have a European adventure ahead and may find one of the clubs overseas service will help you with what you need as well as sensible daily travel distances while on tour. Wow what a great way to farewell the world of work!

 

[TriciaA]

Thanks for your reply, advice and the welcome.
I have a Hyundai Tucson 1.7 CRDi 2wd diesel.
I'll check out the Lunas, someone did actually mention that the Alpine Sprite 2 may meet my needs, if it has a separate shower.
Yes, I'll be traveling solo, so a mover I think is a must.
I traveled solo in my late teens, from country to country, putting my roots down where I ended up.
You could say, history will repeat itself, but in a different way.

 

[TriciaA]

Thank you very much for the welcome Wayne.
I'm sure I'll find this forum very helpful.

 

[Hutch]

Welcome to the forum, With such extensive travels and a good tow car, I am taking it you have a B+E licence, go for a caravan that has a high user payload, ie 200kg or more, it amazing how much kit you end up carrying. Things like rechargable gas from a fuel station would be usefull. Lot of other things to think about, as well
Hutch.

 

[TriciaA]

Thanks for the welcome Hutch.
I wasn't sure what B+E was until I checked my licence, yes, I have it.
Ermmm, high user payload?
Rechargeable gas.. This is something I'll have to look in to also.

 

[Hutch]

Thanks for the welcome Hutch.
I wasn't sure what B+E was until I checked my licence, yes, I have it.
Ermmm, high user payload?
Rechargeable gas.. This is something I'll have to look in to also.

Yes the B +E Does Not limit you to a max tow limit of a gross train weight of 3500 kgs. .
Ie. On my Santa Fe. Max Gross Wieght, 2510 kgs, Without BE licence I could only tow a caravan with a maximum weight of 900 kgs. But as i have the BE, with the Santa fe , it's tow limit is 2000, Kg. So it would be 4510 kg.

Higher user payload, the amount of "Stuff" you can carry in the caravan, the basic weight of the caravan is called MIRO. So call it the empty weight. But then you fit the battery, The gas bottle, clothes, pots pans standby food, your little radio, etc. It all adds up , until you get to your MTPL, Maximum Technical Permitted Load, or Gross weight. It's not easywhich must not be legally exceeded. So get a caravan with the highest payload you can.
I hope this helps.

 

[Craigyoung]

Good evening Tricia welcome to the forum good luck in your search for the caravan you want , my eyes nearly popped out when got a price for my motor mover , but it's been worth every penny .

 

[Parksy]

Hello Tricia, apologies, for my late response, I've been away off grid where phone charging was difficult.
Welcome to the forum, if there's anything you're not sure about just ask and your helpful forum online friends here will be sure to steer you in the right direction :cheer:

 

[Niall_McIntosh]

Welcome to the forum. If you aren't already aware, the Caravan & Motorhome show is on at the NEC in October (https://mcshow.co.uk/?gclid=CjwKCAjwzJjrBRBvEiwA867bymLPu5Q47X9iZbBiLow4OdktMJbFjCH592My8VMwRd3vQnSx66z0bxoCFrsQAvD_BwE) and it is well worth a visit to see a wide range of caravans in one place. You can also take advatage of towing experiences from both the main Clubs to give you a taste of what towing entails. I did this before we bought our van and it gave me the confidence to proceed.

 

[TriciaA]

Thank you for the welcome Parksy, much appreciated.

 

[TriciaA]

Thank you for the welcome
I do believe there is a show down this way Sept /Oct time.
I must double check though.
It would be good for me to attend something like this Niall.
Edit... Just found the info

Fri 27 – Sun 29 Sep
in 1 month
New Forest Show
New Forest National Park.

 

[Beachball]

Welcome to the Forum TriciaA

 

[TriciaA]

Thanks Beachball

 

[Raywood]

Welcome to the forum. This is getting to be a good time for deals as the dealers will be trying to clear stock before the quieter winter time and to make room for new stock. Be prepared to barter though, but without a trade in you are in a good position.

 

[Niall_McIntosh]

Welcome to the forum. This is getting to be a good time for deals as the dealers will be trying to clear stock before the quieter winter time and to make room for new stock. Be prepared to barter though, but without a trade in you are in a good position.

Yes, if you don't want to buy new, there are usually some good trade ins available towards the end of the year. We bought our first caravan in November, which had originally been sold new by the same dealer earlier in the year.

 

[WinnieSophie]

Sorry if this has been up for ages, not been on for a while.
Welcome to forum. We bought our caravan in spring and had a 2 night stay in UK yo get 'hang of it'. After that headed through France, Spain and to Portugal. Had a brilliant time and so will you I'm sure. Joined ACSI, and no problem at all out of season.

 

[TriciaA]

Thanks ☺
I hope to do the same trip and head down to Spain and Portugal.
Where did you leave from when you headed out from the UK?
How much driving time on the road did you do before stopping for breaks?
I would imagine, off-season, camp sites (Spain and Portugal) are relatively quiet aren't they.

 

[GrizzlyBathplug]

Welcome Tricia.

 

[TriciaA]

Thank you.

 

[Craigyoung]

If and when you are doing long trips just drive to what you're comfortable with them pull over and have a break when you are tired , don't overdo it , thats when accidents happen .