My wife and I are hoping to buy a new caravan. Like many people these days when starting something new I turned to the internet and forums to do some research. Having read magazines extensively and internet forums over the last few weeks I must say that I am fairly nervous about the security of caravaning. So many people seem to have experienced a break in, equipment theft, damage or a stolen van. I have even read about one or two very unfortunate experiences to do with harassment and personel safety. Is it really this bad? There must be some people out there who can tell me all of the postive aspects to caravaning? Is it just really bad luck or are there big issues with safety and security?
New to all of this
- Thread starter Stephen_5130137
- Start date
Damian
Moderator
Stephen, as with most things these days there are risks.
Unfortunately most reports you read or hear about are in the negative, but when you consider just how many caravans there are out there,and the number of people who have no trouble at all, the odds are pretty good.
The sad thing is, caravan crime is on the increase, but by taking some relatively simple measures, you can reduce the "attractiveness" of your van to the thieves.
Things like taking everything out of your van when in storage, making sure you have hitchlock and wheel clamp on the van whenever it is not attached to the car, never leaving the car and van unattended at motorway service areas.
If you took every posible danger into consideration before doing anything, it is unlikely that you would even get out of bed!! come to think of it, you probably wouldnt get into bed in the first place!!!!
Make sure you have a good insurance policy in force for the caravan, the Caravan Club do a very good insurance scheme, as do Caravan Guard and a couple of others, but beware, DO NOT opt for the cheapest, there are too many get out clauses for them!!!
Choice of sites is worth considering as well, with Caravan Club sites you know the standard will be high and that most , if not all, users will be members and will help and assist if needed, and keep an eye on your equipment whilst you may be away.
In my view the benefits far outweigh the possible negatives, and yes, we have had the van burgled whilst in storage, but has it spoilt our enjoyment,not one bit!!
Damage to vans is a nuisance, but with taking more care, and not rushing to get things done, you minimise the chances of causing damage to your own van.
As for damage caused by other people,it is usually the commercial sites which seem to have more problems in this area.
You are right to have concerns, but please dont let "what may happen" spoil a great way to get away and relax and have fun.
Unfortunately most reports you read or hear about are in the negative, but when you consider just how many caravans there are out there,and the number of people who have no trouble at all, the odds are pretty good.
The sad thing is, caravan crime is on the increase, but by taking some relatively simple measures, you can reduce the "attractiveness" of your van to the thieves.
Things like taking everything out of your van when in storage, making sure you have hitchlock and wheel clamp on the van whenever it is not attached to the car, never leaving the car and van unattended at motorway service areas.
If you took every posible danger into consideration before doing anything, it is unlikely that you would even get out of bed!! come to think of it, you probably wouldnt get into bed in the first place!!!!
Make sure you have a good insurance policy in force for the caravan, the Caravan Club do a very good insurance scheme, as do Caravan Guard and a couple of others, but beware, DO NOT opt for the cheapest, there are too many get out clauses for them!!!
Choice of sites is worth considering as well, with Caravan Club sites you know the standard will be high and that most , if not all, users will be members and will help and assist if needed, and keep an eye on your equipment whilst you may be away.
In my view the benefits far outweigh the possible negatives, and yes, we have had the van burgled whilst in storage, but has it spoilt our enjoyment,not one bit!!
Damage to vans is a nuisance, but with taking more care, and not rushing to get things done, you minimise the chances of causing damage to your own van.
As for damage caused by other people,it is usually the commercial sites which seem to have more problems in this area.
You are right to have concerns, but please dont let "what may happen" spoil a great way to get away and relax and have fun.
My wife and I have caravanned for over 20 years. No problems whatsoever.
The main reason for thefts is that whilst on holiday people seem to be more lax about security. So, as you would do at home, lock everything away. Take anything valuable with you in the car if you go out for the day, and just generally be aware.
Pick your sites carefully, and the best advice of all, especially if you are going to become a caravanner.
Buy a Secondhand van to start with. Thieves tend to target the newer vans!! Obviously the people who own them are likely to have more money. Doesn't always follow, but it's a starter for toerags.
Also, if you have a secondhand van (and there are some brilliant ones around), and you find you don't get on with caravanning, you haven't lost a lot of money in depreciation.
The main reason for thefts is that whilst on holiday people seem to be more lax about security. So, as you would do at home, lock everything away. Take anything valuable with you in the car if you go out for the day, and just generally be aware.
Pick your sites carefully, and the best advice of all, especially if you are going to become a caravanner.
Buy a Secondhand van to start with. Thieves tend to target the newer vans!! Obviously the people who own them are likely to have more money. Doesn't always follow, but it's a starter for toerags.
Also, if you have a secondhand van (and there are some brilliant ones around), and you find you don't get on with caravanning, you haven't lost a lot of money in depreciation.
Hi Stephen
Having read the sound advice given here,and for what it's worth we would fully endorse the vast majority of comments. We have decided to sell our apartment in Spain and buy a brand new van and tow car. I read in our local paper only yesterday of a couple in Spain being " gassed in their villa " whilst some toe rags robbed them. So problems exsist no matter what you do.
If you take the right sensible precautions all will be well.
Val & Frank
Having read the sound advice given here,and for what it's worth we would fully endorse the vast majority of comments. We have decided to sell our apartment in Spain and buy a brand new van and tow car. I read in our local paper only yesterday of a couple in Spain being " gassed in their villa " whilst some toe rags robbed them. So problems exsist no matter what you do.
If you take the right sensible precautions all will be well.
Val & Frank
Hi Stephen
I agree with most of what the others have said, we are on our 5th van in 16 years, had 1 broken in to in storage, had a jockey wheel stolen on big site in Cornwall, but we have also had loads of fabulous times, met lots of nice friendly people, and never felt threatened or in any danger.The good times far outweigh the odd disappointment, but hey that's life in general not just caravanning.
I agree with most of what the others have said, we are on our 5th van in 16 years, had 1 broken in to in storage, had a jockey wheel stolen on big site in Cornwall, but we have also had loads of fabulous times, met lots of nice friendly people, and never felt threatened or in any danger.The good times far outweigh the odd disappointment, but hey that's life in general not just caravanning.
Caravan crime is not a big problem in the UK .We have been caravanning for 22 years and have never had a problem .
Caravans do get stolen the same as cars .That is why we carry insurance .Join the caravan club /visit there web site /.
Most new caravans today seem to be fitted with the alco wheel lock which has sold secure gold rating ,along with a good hitch lock you should be OK .Bailey seem to have taken on board security and there vans are well made and priced reasonably .
Before you buy visit a caravan site and talk to some caravanners ,ask questions on here and the other web forums .
In 22years of caravanning the worst thing that has happened to us is one night on a site with noisy tenters .oh yes and putting the awning up first time its a great passtime hope you enjoy it Coljac
Caravans do get stolen the same as cars .That is why we carry insurance .Join the caravan club /visit there web site /.
Most new caravans today seem to be fitted with the alco wheel lock which has sold secure gold rating ,along with a good hitch lock you should be OK .Bailey seem to have taken on board security and there vans are well made and priced reasonably .
Before you buy visit a caravan site and talk to some caravanners ,ask questions on here and the other web forums .
In 22years of caravanning the worst thing that has happened to us is one night on a site with noisy tenters .oh yes and putting the awning up first time its a great passtime hope you enjoy it Coljac
Might I also add that it's always the bad news that gets reported or discussed. we don't see as many posts when people have just had a great weekend / holiday away; that's taken for granted.
we have only been caravanning for 1 year and my wife and I truly love it; it's like a home from home and we get away from it all. We far prefer to go away in our caravan than some hotel; all our stuff is ours and we are very cosy !
Enjoy !
John
we have only been caravanning for 1 year and my wife and I truly love it; it's like a home from home and we get away from it all. We far prefer to go away in our caravan than some hotel; all our stuff is ours and we are very cosy !
Enjoy !
John
Stephen,
Go out there and start looking at caravans! You will never regret it.
We have just celebrated our 40th Wedding Anniversary and what did we do? Caribbean holiday? World Cruise? Hired the village hall for a 'do'? NO! We hooked up our caravan, took ourselves to the highlands of Scotland for 2 weeks and had one of the BEST holidays we have ever had!
We joined the Caravan Club and their sites are very clean and as safe as you'll get. When you get your caravan, take yourselves away for a weekend, not too far away, to get to know your new van. We went to a Caravan Club CL (Certificated Location - a site restricted to a maximum of 5 vans/campervans, usually in anything from half an acre to 2 acres or more, so plenty of space and equally as safe. If you have any problems, there are always fellow caravanners to whom you can turn for advice (or use this forum!)
We have bought ourselves a 2 berth Swift Charisma, which fits the bill for us. We are both fairly tall and the bed is large (it's fairly firm, but we have bought overlays and now have a better nights sleep than at home). It has two long seats enabling you to put your feet up and if the 'round the corner' cushions at the end are swopped over, they provide a nice backrest for when you're watching that sunset with a dram in your hand! The oven and fridge are opposite the door, so do not vent out into the awning, but the best thing is the rear washroom, across the whole back of the caravan - shower, wc, sink and wardrobe, so you can shower and get dressed in roomy comfort.
Please don't be put off by the stories you've heard. Take the advice in the replies above, store it on a secure site, preferably a CASSOA gold, silver or bronze if you have one in your area, have good insurance and get out there and enjoy yourselves. We absolutely love caravanning and have met some really nice people on the sites and CL's we have visited over the years.
Go for it!!
Pauline.
Go out there and start looking at caravans! You will never regret it.
We have just celebrated our 40th Wedding Anniversary and what did we do? Caribbean holiday? World Cruise? Hired the village hall for a 'do'? NO! We hooked up our caravan, took ourselves to the highlands of Scotland for 2 weeks and had one of the BEST holidays we have ever had!
We joined the Caravan Club and their sites are very clean and as safe as you'll get. When you get your caravan, take yourselves away for a weekend, not too far away, to get to know your new van. We went to a Caravan Club CL (Certificated Location - a site restricted to a maximum of 5 vans/campervans, usually in anything from half an acre to 2 acres or more, so plenty of space and equally as safe. If you have any problems, there are always fellow caravanners to whom you can turn for advice (or use this forum!)
We have bought ourselves a 2 berth Swift Charisma, which fits the bill for us. We are both fairly tall and the bed is large (it's fairly firm, but we have bought overlays and now have a better nights sleep than at home). It has two long seats enabling you to put your feet up and if the 'round the corner' cushions at the end are swopped over, they provide a nice backrest for when you're watching that sunset with a dram in your hand! The oven and fridge are opposite the door, so do not vent out into the awning, but the best thing is the rear washroom, across the whole back of the caravan - shower, wc, sink and wardrobe, so you can shower and get dressed in roomy comfort.
Please don't be put off by the stories you've heard. Take the advice in the replies above, store it on a secure site, preferably a CASSOA gold, silver or bronze if you have one in your area, have good insurance and get out there and enjoy yourselves. We absolutely love caravanning and have met some really nice people on the sites and CL's we have visited over the years.
Go for it!!
Pauline.
Hi Stephen,
Funny how different people aproach the thought of caravaning.
Must admit when i was working i used to curse caravans hogging the roads at what appeared to be zero miles per hour.
Approaching retirement my thoughts were what on earth am I going to do with myself, when our Daughter bought a 5 berth van, and we were invited to the site to see it, well Amazed what was inside and how cheap it was to on site compared with the holiday cottages that we where using .
Four days prior to retirement on my birthaday we visited a local dealer (Bailey) who had a ABI dalesman 380/2 for sale at a very good price as he wanted the space for latest new Baileys.Found that our estate was a good match, so we bought it, we were advised that we must collect within 14 days.
Arriving home full of joy with our purchase,it suddenly struck us where are we going to park it.The local secure places where all full, only option was to park it on our drive. So out came the wheel barrow, and half the front lawn was dug up to accomadate the space required, we first layed pebbles and when we tried to push the van onto them it just stuck, with the help of neigbours we managed to get the van onto the pebbles.
We have sinced layed concrete on top of the pebbles for a very firm base.
Our very first trip out , we managed to rip the awning supplied with the van due to very gusty winds, It poured with very heavy rain for 48 hours,it proved the van was watertight.
Upon arriving home my Son in law was convinced that we were going to ask him advertise the van at his works as he was convinced that we had had enough.
9,500 towing miles later, we our into our third van this one being brand new, We have found that what ever campsite we visit The fellow caravaners are so friendly, always willing to help if you have any problems.
Security of our vans has never been a problem, I know through this forum that some very unfortunate people have had their pride and joy stolen, We always keep our van locked, wheel clamped, stabilizer clamped and locked. And always at home plugged into the mains.
If was to advise any body with regards to caravanning I would suggest buying a used van first Not sure what makes people fork out thousands of pounds on their first van as you can get some very good deals and warrenty up to 2 years on vans under 10years old. Our first two vans where used vans and the resale back to the dealers lost very little money,Why did we trade them in, well the first van had everything you needed apart from the shower arrangement this sprayed the whole floor, every time you used the toilet you had to hinge the sink up , so we changed the van for a end bathroom, which was fine at first but we joined the CC club sites and their showers are excellent so the end the shower was never used.This last van has a fixed bed luxury we never dreamed of when we first started caravanning.
Royston
Funny how different people aproach the thought of caravaning.
Must admit when i was working i used to curse caravans hogging the roads at what appeared to be zero miles per hour.
Approaching retirement my thoughts were what on earth am I going to do with myself, when our Daughter bought a 5 berth van, and we were invited to the site to see it, well Amazed what was inside and how cheap it was to on site compared with the holiday cottages that we where using .
Four days prior to retirement on my birthaday we visited a local dealer (Bailey) who had a ABI dalesman 380/2 for sale at a very good price as he wanted the space for latest new Baileys.Found that our estate was a good match, so we bought it, we were advised that we must collect within 14 days.
Arriving home full of joy with our purchase,it suddenly struck us where are we going to park it.The local secure places where all full, only option was to park it on our drive. So out came the wheel barrow, and half the front lawn was dug up to accomadate the space required, we first layed pebbles and when we tried to push the van onto them it just stuck, with the help of neigbours we managed to get the van onto the pebbles.
We have sinced layed concrete on top of the pebbles for a very firm base.
Our very first trip out , we managed to rip the awning supplied with the van due to very gusty winds, It poured with very heavy rain for 48 hours,it proved the van was watertight.
Upon arriving home my Son in law was convinced that we were going to ask him advertise the van at his works as he was convinced that we had had enough.
9,500 towing miles later, we our into our third van this one being brand new, We have found that what ever campsite we visit The fellow caravaners are so friendly, always willing to help if you have any problems.
Security of our vans has never been a problem, I know through this forum that some very unfortunate people have had their pride and joy stolen, We always keep our van locked, wheel clamped, stabilizer clamped and locked. And always at home plugged into the mains.
If was to advise any body with regards to caravanning I would suggest buying a used van first Not sure what makes people fork out thousands of pounds on their first van as you can get some very good deals and warrenty up to 2 years on vans under 10years old. Our first two vans where used vans and the resale back to the dealers lost very little money,Why did we trade them in, well the first van had everything you needed apart from the shower arrangement this sprayed the whole floor, every time you used the toilet you had to hinge the sink up , so we changed the van for a end bathroom, which was fine at first but we joined the CC club sites and their showers are excellent so the end the shower was never used.This last van has a fixed bed luxury we never dreamed of when we first started caravanning.
Royston
Stephen
Give it a long hard look before you decide. Caravans are a bottomless money pit not to mention the huge towcar you will need to pull the tin tent with. Also look at a thread just posted entitled what a rip off!
A new van bought less than one year ago for over 14000 now worth less that 9 grand!That's more than some people earn !
Then you will need an awning all the kit to go with it not to mention storage fees (if you keep it indoors it's cheaper to put one of your kids through Uni)also there is the added bonus of always worried that some undesirable WILL have a go at taking you personals and what about the ferry prices ....They will make your eyes water !!
Oh and did I mention the cost of insurance and all the compulsory pieces of security items you will need before anyone will insure you and the icing on the cake has to be that 99.9% of motorists detest and despise you because they think,rightly or wrongly that you are a moron for towing that thing everywhere abd blocking the road.
But apart from that I can highly recommend it.....
Give it a long hard look before you decide. Caravans are a bottomless money pit not to mention the huge towcar you will need to pull the tin tent with. Also look at a thread just posted entitled what a rip off!
A new van bought less than one year ago for over 14000 now worth less that 9 grand!That's more than some people earn !
Then you will need an awning all the kit to go with it not to mention storage fees (if you keep it indoors it's cheaper to put one of your kids through Uni)also there is the added bonus of always worried that some undesirable WILL have a go at taking you personals and what about the ferry prices ....They will make your eyes water !!
Oh and did I mention the cost of insurance and all the compulsory pieces of security items you will need before anyone will insure you and the icing on the cake has to be that 99.9% of motorists detest and despise you because they think,rightly or wrongly that you are a moron for towing that thing everywhere abd blocking the road.
But apart from that I can highly recommend it.....
TRENDING THREADS
-
-
-
Register UK type approved caravan in France
- Started by 9994johng
- Replies: 2
-
-
-
-
Facebook
Twitter